MOMocrats

RH Reality Check's legal expert Jessica Pieklo joins the MOMocrats to parse the Hobby Lobby decision and the rest of this year's session of the Supreme Court. Cynematic, Karoli and Donna Schwartz Mills host this weekly political discussion from the progressive point of view. Produced by Engender Media Group.

Last night's Republican runoff election between Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran and Tea Party challenger Chris McDaniel has kept the political pundits busy -- and surprised, as Cochran squeezed out a victory, thanks to appeals to African-American Democrats and a well-run Get Out the Vote effort from Republican leaders like Haley Barbour. Too bad Cochran is such a sore loser. Other topics include this week's White House Summit on Working Families and what's been handed down by the Supreme Court.MOMocrats Cynematic, Karoli and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss politics from the progressive POV. Produced by Engender Media Group.

From February 2014: As surprising as it may seem, Rand Paul is actually getting some traction with the left, mostly by bootstrapping onto the NSA surveillance stories and advocating for restoration of felons’ voting rights. But don’t be fooled — those are just cynical ploys to attract people uninformed about who Rand Paul is and how close he is in ideology to his father, John Birch Society devotee Ron Paul.

We’re pleased to welcome back Claire Conner for the full hour. Claire is the author of Wrapped in the Flag, has an intimate understanding of what the right wing is doing in today’s political landscape, and has agreed to come back to the show to discuss Rand Paul, the Radical Right, and why liberals need to stop pretending they don’t matter.

Hosted by MOMocrats Cynematic, Karoli and Donna Schwartz Mills. Produced by Engender Media Group.

In a week that saw more outbreaks of domestic terrorism, school shootings, continued faux outrage at the Bergdahl release -- a ray of political good cheer: Eric Cantor lost his primary bid for re-election. MOMocrats Cynematic, Karoli and Donna Schwartz Mills are no fans of David Brat, the Tea Party free-market economics professor who defeated Cantor... but they can't help enjoying a small moment of schadenfreude over this development in this week's political discussion from the progressive point of view. Produced by Engender Media Group.

All around the country, in low-voter turnout elections everywhere, people are deciding who'll advance to mid-term elections in November. So did nice sane Democrats show up, or did we miss the boat again? And did Republicans show up with robotic regularity? We look at some local races from around the country and see what results were in California. Cynematic of K12NN, Karoli of Crooks and Liars, and Donna Schwartz Mills of SoCalMom break down the races.

National current events at the top of the hour and for the first 25 minutes, then primary races.

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

How many times can we say "never again" before it's true? And how do we end the cycle of violence when it is wrapped so tightly around misogyny and race? How do we keep guns out of killers hands? And how do we address this country's inadequacy of mental health care? MOMocrats Cynematic, Karoli, Anoosh Jorjorian and Donna Schwartz Mills talk about the Isla Vista tragedy in this political discussion from the progressive point of view. Produced by Engender Media Group.

Special discussion with United Opt Out's co-leaders, Peggy Robertson and Morna McDermott. Why is the impulse to opt chidlren out of standardized tests sweeping the nation at the moment? Because it's spring testing season. Some states have been burdened with giving the old standardized test and the new PARCC or SBAC Common Core computer-based end of year test in the same year. It's the straw that broke the camel's back, and parents from all over the political spectrum are saying, "Enough!" FInd out how to opt your child out of the tests safely using federal and state laws that protect your right to do so, and see what alternatives there are to standardized tests that ensure the quality work your child does is also assessed with high quality measures. Original podcast date 4/16/14.

The Agents of Zeitgeist are passionate about TV and they share that passion this week. Hosted by TV bloggers Anne Louise Bannon and Elise Crane Derby, and Donna Schwartz Mills.

Tip O'Neill famously said, "All politics is local." And the great man was right - because that school board member you elect today can be the Senator representing you tomorrow. Unfortunately, Democrats have a bad habit of focusing just on the big, national races and skipping their local elections. The result is lopsided representation that favors conservatives. Is it because older, retired citizens have more time to engage in civic duties? Or is it a result of today's test-heavy education practices that de-emphasize subjects like civics? At any rate, more Democrats need to become more involved at the local level because that is our only recourse against the onslaught of billionaire influence in the era of Citizens United. Guest Erin Kotecki Vest talks about her efforts to persuade her local school board to comply with California's FAIR Act (enacted two years ago and so far ignored by her school district). And Cynematic updates on primary races with an emphasis on education (and Common Core).

MOMocrats Cynematic, Karoli and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss politics from the progressive point of view. Produced by Engender Media Group.

This week's stunning Supreme Court decision on prayer before public meetings is a blow to religious diversity, bringing us one step closer to declaring Christianity the nation's official religion - exactly the opposite of what the Founders intended. RH Reality Check legal expert Jessica Pieklo talks about the case, judicial activism and what's left on the docket. Political discussion from the progressive point of view with MOMocrats Cynematic, Anoosh Jorjorian, Astacia Carter, Christina Gleason and Donna Schwartz Mills. Produced by Engender Media Group.