Happy Monday. I just moved this weekend, which means I am surrounded by boxes, living off of potato chips and ibuprofen, and unwilling to spend a whole lotta energy litigating one tweet.

But here we are.

On Friday’s show, we had Marcia Baumgardner, a Texas teacher, a good human, and an online voice calling on us not to say things like “STFU!” It should be no surprise that we did not land in the same place on the DNC’s now-famous “Shut up, you ugly fuck” reply to Stephen Miller. But it’s not the conclusion, it’s how we came to it without shredding each other that matters.

In case you missed it: Miller posted a transphobic attack on James Talarico, who’s running against Ken Paxton in Texas. (Paxton is impeached, indicted, has multiple mistresses, and is somehow the GOP nominee. On brand.) The DNC clapped back. The internet split. So did we.

Our Takes

Marcia: You can fight hard and still keep your civility. The DNC account is a leadership position. Leadership sets an example. And the data is clear—inflammatory rhetoric is quantifiably heavier on the right. We don’t have to match it.

Me: I’ve been with the Lincoln Project since 2021, partly because they say “STFU” when someone needs a “STFU.” And as a stand-up comedian, we learn that different hecklers merit different responses. Stephen Miller isn’t the sweet drunk in the front row trying to be a part of the show; he’s the ugly f*ck trying to ruin the show for everyone else.

Lauren: Republicans pride themselves on being the moral party, but are acting immorally. If Democrats can model better behavior, we can be that for them. That being said, protesters literally threw dildos at ICE, and that, too, is a strategy. There are lanes. Some are weirder than others.

Where we landed: different lanes are fine. Activists punch. Comedians punch. The official DNC account, probably not the punching lane.

Not gonna lie, I keep playing this conversation over and over again in my head. And I’m not jazzed about it because my attention is finite and I’d rather do something else with it. Yes, we should talk about our differences on the left. Yes, those conversations matter. That’s the entire reason we had Marcia on. But we are running on limited energy (at least I know I am!), and that energy should be aimed at the people who are actively making us miserable, not at each other over a single tweet. In other words, AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THIS! All energy should be directed to stopping the people who wake up every day with the goal of dismantling the agencies that protect our rights, while strengthening the agencies that take them away.

Speaking of rights.

If racism, bigotry, mass deportation, attacks on trans kids, and a tanking economy are not dealbreakers for Republican voters, why would a casual STFU from the DNC be?

Who the f*ck is this audience we keep performing politeness for?

I’ve been talking about this for years. They don’t exist. They have not existed for some time. As my former co-host Trygve Olson likes to remind us, to beat fascists we have to “play the game we’re in.”

So debate it. Disagree about it. We sure did. Then let it go and get back to the work.

Lauren is in DC and Philly this week for Netroots. I’m in Lisbon, where they’re having another general strike. Field reports incoming! Subscribe if you don’t want to miss them.

See you on Friday.

Maya & Lauren

We went live on Friday morning and assumed we could spend the afternoon decompressing. WRONG!!! By the time I got back from a walk, Tulsi Gabbard had resigned. It’s almost like Lauren felt it in the air.

SPOILER ALERT: She did.

Here is what Lauren said on the record, before the news broke:

“Your proximity to these people is not going to protect you at any point. Like as a woman, if you are aligning with these people and you are harming other women and you are harming marginalized communities….that doesn’t keep you protected. It just maybe pushes you a little further down the list.”

She was talking about Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem. Six hours later, Tulsi Gabbard was under the bus.

In case you’re not keeping track.

* Kristi Noem. Out in March!

* Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Out in April!

* Pam Bondi. Fired in April!

* Tulsi Gabbard. “Resigned” yesterday!

Four cabinet members out in five months. All four women. Every single one.

Gabbard’s stated reason is her husband’s cancer diagnosis. That is real, and we wish her and her family well. But the math is mathing: women in this cabinet are not safe.

And yet women keep aligning themselves with the Trump administration. We try to get to the bottom of that in this episode, and how we can reach the ones who seem unreachable.

Pattern recognition is something that we excel at, so join us every Friday for more predictions that will absolutely come true.

Watch Friday’s episode. The bus moment is at 30:00. The MAHA moms’ conversation is at 36:00.

Forward this to someone in your life who still thinks that Trump loves and protects women.

See you Friday!

Maya & Lauren