MOMocrats

President Obama's approval ratings are higher than they've been in a couple of years -- and still rising, a trend MOMocrat Karoli credits to an unconstrained President who doesn't have to run any more campaigns (because he won both of them)... and an economy that has finally turned around to the point where more Americans do feel better off than they did in 2009. Karoli and Donna Schwartz Mills also talk about the Clown Car Express, which stopped at a little gathering in Iowa this week and the Koch Brothers plan to spend nearly $1 billion on Republican candidates in 2016. Political discussion from the progressive POV, hosted by the MOMocrats. Produced by Engender Media Group

Last night, President Obama appeared to have a new sense of ease as he delivered his sixth State of the Union address. After all, as he noted, he's run his last campaign... and he won both of them. MOMocrats Karoli, Cynematic and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss the speech from the progressive POV: the President's agenda, and the Republican response. Will we get equal pay for women, a raise in the minimum wage, paid leave, subsidized childcare, new infrastructure projects or anything else proposed by the President? Not likely... but the Republican response made clear that this Congress will give us a lot of Koch Brothers pet issues and anti-abortion measures. Produced by Engender Media Group.

The terrorist attack in Paris last week was a horrific reminder of how vulnerable we all are to atrocities committed by small bands of determined criminals. It's a shame that our lawmakers and pundits seize upon these events to create political atrocities of their own. MOMocats Cynematic, Karoli and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss the mischief undertaken by Congress while we were distracted by the events in Paris, the manufactured outrage over the President's non-appearance at Sunday's unity rally. They also discuss the nature of satire and look ahead to election 2016. Political discussion from the progressive point of view, hosted by the MOMocrats. Produced by Engender Media Group.

If you can't banish people outright, then you can try to erase them from students' minds. That's exactly what happened in Tucson Unified School District in Arizona, when conservatives ipassed an anti-immigrant racial profiling law, SB1070 that in effect targeted Latinos. At the same time, right-wing activists succeeded in passing a law banning the teeaching of Mexican American Studies, saying that a highly successful TUSD program that taught Chicano/Latiino history and culture to all students in the largely Hispanic district was instead harmful and divisive. The law, HB 2281, bans instruction that encourages "ethnic solidarity" among other things. Mind you, to begin with the ethnic studies courses were part of a federal court order to address historic and systemic racism in Arizona's education system.

The outrage over free speech rights of teachers and students is what prompted writer and teacher Tony Diaz to "smuggle" books by Latino authors out of his home state of Texas and into Arizona. He has been reporting on and organizing the efforts of free speech activists, ethnic studies activists, and students and teachers fighting for a relevant curriculum ever since.

TUSD high school student Maya Arce is a plaintiff who filed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to overtun this Arizona law on grounds that it's unconstitutional. On January 12, 2015, she will testify and urge the Ninth Circuit to protect her First Amendment rights and the rights of other Arizona students and overturn this ignorant, bigoted, and narrow-minded law.

Background, go here.

More on Tony Diaz here and Librotraficante here.

The 114th Congress was sworn in yesterday, with John Boehner surviving yet another Tea Party rebellion and Mitch McConnell taking over as new Senate Majority Leader. Since the abysmal Democratic showing in the 2014 midterms, President Obama has been acting like a man with nothing to lose; exercising Executive power as never before and is already talking about vetoing the measures the GOP says they want to tackle first: passing Keystone XL and "fixing" Obamacare. It's going to be an interesting couple of years. MOMocrats Cynematic, Karoli and Donna Schwartz Mills talk about the new political reality from a progressive point of view. Produced by Engender Media Group.

Year-end shows are too easy - MOMocrats Karoli, Cynematic and Donna Schwartz Mills would rather look ahead: What should progressives focus on in 2015? Especially given the difficulties of a new legislative landscape dominated by the GOP in both the House and Senate? Golden opportunity for progressives -- or are we in for more of the same frustrating gridlock we've experienced the last six years? Political discussion from the progressive point of view, hosted by the MOMocrats. Produced by Engender Media Group.

Political discussion from the progressive point of view by the MOMocrats. Produced by Engender Media Group.

Political discussion from the progressive point of view by the MOMocrats. Produced by Engender Media Group.

Political discussion from the progressive point of view by the MOMocrats. Produced by Engender Media Group.

The grand jury decision in Ferguson was released on Monday night and it was a depressing end to a depressing month for political progressives. MOMocrats Karoli, Cynematic and Donna Schwartz Mills talk about Ferguson and what it says about the continuation of insitutional racism in America. Also: President Obama's executive order on immigration and the health of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (a.k.a., Notorious RBG). Produced by Engender Media Group.