MOMocrats

The MOMocrats laughed when Trump took credit this week for "making Juneteenth famous." But if you're talking about the majority of his base - who are the ONLY Americans he cares about - there's some truth to that. By scheduling his first rally in months on June 19th just blocks away from the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, millions of white Americans learned the details of a shameful episode that they likely never heard of in history class.

Weeks of protests over police crimes against Black Americans (which continue) has put Juneteenth on the radar of even the most oblivious White Americans. The nation's large and small corporations are emailing their customers with Juneteenth messages. And the movement to make Juneteenth a national holiday is gaining steam. But the violence continues: The Atlanta police killing of Rayshard Brooks has dominated the news this week. And in the last couple of weeks, six people of color (to date) have been found hanging from trees around the country - and have been initially categorized by local authorities as "suicides" until public outcry forces them to investigate further.

MOMocrats Aliza Worthington and Donna Schwartz Mills will also talk about the surging COVID-19 pandemic, the surprising SCOTUS decisions, John Bolton's book, and more in this week's podcast from a progressive point of view - a member of the DemCast family of podcasts.

Trump's re-election campaign sent CNN a "cease and desist" letter this week after the cable news network released polling that showed Joe Biden leading nationally by 14 points. (CNN's response to that letter is a must-read.) And while it is tempting to get excited about reporting that indicates Trump is losing ground among traditional Republican voters (college educated whites and senior citizens), the MOMocrats are determined to remain skeptical. After all, a lot can and will happen between now and November and the volatility that has marked 2020 shows no sign of waning.

MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills talk about the 2020 campaign and try to make some sense of the week's political news. 

MOMocrats MOMochat is part of the Demcast family of podcasts.

It's been an extraordinary week in what is turning out to be an extraordinary year. Hundreds of thousands of people of all races and nationality took to the streets around the world - to protest the systemic racism that allowed fthe murder of George Floyd - and so many other black Americans - at the hand of police..

Yes, the peaceful demonstrations for Black Lives Matter were hijacked by people who were more interested in creating havoc than getting justice, and the police response in some cities has been horrific - illustrating the need for reform. Yes, there was looting and arson that caused more suffering for small businesses that have already been hurt by the response to the pandemic. And yes, that pandemic rages on, which means there will likely be COVID-19 spikes in cities that saw demonstrations. 

But there is hope as the demonstrations have grown, and curfews have given way to tentative measures and discussions of police reform in many American cities. 

And then there is the Administration's response to the demonstrations in Washington, as Trump and Barr sent in the military and gassed peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park - so Trump could get a ridiculous photo op in front of a church - all broadcast live on television.The abuses - which include the arrival of mysterious government forces with no agency identification and a new fence surrounding the White House - prompted military leaders to finally push back on the president's authoritarianism. 

And it should be noted that Trump appears to be panicking while his 2020 poll numbers plummet. This extraordinary year will only get more extraordinary.

MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss the week's political news from a progressive point of view on this DemCast podcast.

This week, the MOMocrats welcome Shireen Mitchell, digital activist and founder of Stop Online Violence Against Women to talk about the week's news and discuss how women of color are targeted in online disinformation campaigns - and how to combat it.

COVID-19 is not the only pandemic killing Americans. Racism is the other one. They converged this week with news that the coronavirus is killing a disproportional number of black and brown people (likely due to underlying conditions that are the direct result of policies that - among other things - make access to healthcare scarce)...

... And two viral videos that demonstrate - once again - the obstacles black Americans face every single day just by living in the United States. One of those videos documents the brutal execution of George Floyd at the knee of a white Minneapolis policeman, as three other officers looked on. That video has sparked protests around the country - some of which have turned violent.

And the president - who is desperate to distract the American people from his incompetent handling of COVID-19 and also never misses an opportunity to divide the American people - fans the flames. This is predictable. What MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills could not predict is that Twitter would finally figure out a way to push back against disinformation emanating from the president's social media accounts. 

MOMocrats MOMochat is part of the #DemCast family of podcasts.

The Memorial Day holiday has a new meaning this year, as the official US death toll from COVID-19 reaches 100,000 - and all 50 states join outliers in the South on re-opening their economies after weeks of coronavirus economic shutdown. New cases are already spiking back up in some communities that re-opened; the first wave never waned in others. MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss how the patchwork spread of the coronavirus makes it so difficult to contain, not to mention how the president encourages the right wing to look at containment measures like masks as just another salvo in the "culture war." The MOMocrats will also talk about new developments in the IG scandal, the collapse of Trump's "Obamagate" talking points, Joe Biden's shortlist for Vice President, and the arrest of a third suspect in Ahmaud Arbery's murder.

MOMocrats MOMochat is part of the #Demcast family of podcasts.

As of this morning, more than 86,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, and the death toll continues to rise by an average of 1500-2000 daily. This death toll would be much higher if states had not implemented widespread lockdowns, and the economic consequences of those have been devastating. Different parts of the country are attempting to re-open their economies - with little guidance and no direction from the federal government - even as the virus rages on. 

So Donald Trump spent the week working hard on... spreading the lie that President Obama's administration committed some kind of unspecified crimes in 2016, vaguely tied to Michael Flynn and the investigation into Russia's very real interference with our election (which is still going on today). 

MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Miills talk about the crazy hodge podge of this week's political news in this week's podcast from a progressive point of view. Part of the DemCast family of podcasts.

Today's count of COVID-19 dead is 75,000 Americans and rising - far worse than any other nation in the world. Unemployment figures just released show a nationwide rate of 14%. Donald Trump cares more about the second figure than the first, and his push to "open up the economy" will not help either figure. He refuses to model the kind of behavior that would help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, and so no one else in his administration.wears masks or practices social distancing either - at least, in public. But while he projects unafraid machismo over the virus, behind the scenes he is said to have become "lava-level mad" at the news that his personal valet, who serves him his meals, tested positive. 

That was the one bright spot in a week that saw the Trump administration and his GOP enablers shred more democratic norms (Michael Flynn!) under the backdrop of this health and economic crisis, which is disproportionately.hitting the poor and people of color, while an astroturfed series of "protests" against public health measures appears to gain steam - amid symbols of white nationalism. All the while, the Democratic opposition is nearly invisible while they figure out how to be heard while sitting it out at home. MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss the week's political news from a progressive point of view - part of the DemCast family of podcasts.

The first of May is traditionally a celebration of spring and the coming of summer - but for those of us in COVID-19 hot spots, it's just a continuation of monotonous days hunkered down at home to slow down the spread of the virus.

That does not mean there aren't signs of life. As of this writing, 21 states have eased or lifted their most stringent stay-at-home orders (some without regard to the fact that infections are still increasing). And with the economy a shambles, even the 80% of Americans who support coronavirus quarantines are anxious to get back some semblance of normalcy. MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills talk about this week's pandemic news, quarantine cabin fever - and political stories that have little to do with the coronavirus: the president's determination to rehabilitate the reputation of Mike Flynn, the new Press Secretary's first press conference, the search for a Biden running mate... and how the media hasn't learned a thing from their missteps in 2016. 

MOMocrats MOMochat is a part of the #Demcast family of podcasts.

As the economy tumbles into a deeper recession, the right wing takes a page out of the Tea Party playbook - while the president tweets about "liberating" blue states from the measures their governors have imposed to protect their citizens' health. MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills talk about the Trump administration's mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the Biden campaign's response, the results of the Wisconsin primary, and life under lockdown. 

MOMocrats MOMochat is a part of the #DemCast family of podcasts.

According to the Washington Post, Donald Trump is obsessed with the stock market and unemployment numbers and thinks that they are wrecking his chances for re-election. He's not wrong - but ignoring the advice of Dr. Fauci ("the virus decides when we open the country back up") can make the misery worse.

In the meantime: Trump continues to dismantle any oversight by dismissing Inspector Generals (including the one who was to administer the recent COVID-19 aid package), he is quietly removing environmental restrictions on oil and gas, the Republicans are appointing more bad judges, and the conservative majority on the Supreme Court enabled the state of Wisconsin to use the pandemic to further destroy the state's voters' rights. 

MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss all of this and more from lockdown in this week's political podcast from the progressive point of view. A part of the #DemCast family of podcasts.