I've Had It - Workplace Grievances with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Episode Date: January 16, 2024

Jennifer and Pumps have officially beat the centrist allegations because today they are joined by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Jennifer asks Rep. Ocasio-Cortez about her workplace and her co-workers, which to no ones surprise is full of insanity. The three discuss LGBTQIA+ rights and how this community is effected by republican legislature and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez also plays a hilarious lightening round of Had It or Hit It? Come see I've Had It live on the Hot Sh*t Tour! More info & tickets available at https://linktr.ee/ivehaditpodcast and subscribe to I've Had It wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you to our sponsors: ExpressVPN: When you sign up for ExpressVPN with our special link, you’ll get three extra months free! Visit ExpressVPN.com/HADIT Happy Mammoth: Go to https://bit.ly/hm-uwlp2 and use code HADIT for 15% off your first order. Subscribe to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IveHadItPodcast Follow Us: I've Had It Podcast: @Ivehaditpodcast Jennifer Welch: @mizzwelch Angie "Pumps" Sullivan: @pumpspumpspumps Special Guest: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @AOC 

So we're supposed to start the podcast. Ready, one, two, three. That wasn't great. One, two, three. Better. All right. Welcome to Ashtole Island. Pumps, what have you had it with?

What I've had it with is all of these governments, banning abortion, getting into women's healthcare, specifically, the recent Supreme Court, that intervened after a judge allowed a woman that was 20 weeks pregnant, that was going to have a baby that was non-viable, going to lose her chance for fertility, and they refused to allow the court's order. Therefore, she had to go out of state to get into abortion. It just makes me so fucking mad. You're talking about the Supreme Court of the

State of Texas, correct? And I followed this story. It's horrible. And it's jaw dropping. It's jaw dropping because I cannot for the life of me understand how small government allows the Texas Supreme Court to decide a woman's fertility and family future. I'll tell you why because they only want small government as it pertains to business and regulations of profit. Beyond that, they want a very large, robust government when it comes to legislating social issues. And what they deem their moral purpose in life, which is to somehow, I guess, they believe that if you legislate this morality that it is going to change the sexual practices of its citizens. Right. Like abstinence. That's been such a great vehicle for keeping unwanted pregnancies around. Yeah. I think, you know, these abstinence only politicians, the mothers can think of Sarah Paylon. I think her kids got knocked up out of woodlock. Lauren Bobert.

I think her kids got knocked up out of woodlock. Lauren Bobert, yeah, she's like 35 and a grandma. And then her, yeah, I mean, it's just, the hypocrisy just goes all through me, but in this particular situation, I mean, all situations are dire. Abortion is never an easy decision, but to have to go to court, to have a health procedure, to have that health procedure awarded,

and then the Supreme Court to then say, no, you can't have it. It just, I mean, it like kept me up one night. I was so upset about it. This is the one that we know about. There's one every single day across the country. This red states this lady was brave enough. Absolutely. To put her face out there. And when she's going through something incredibly painful, the anguish she must have felt, and she was brave enough to put her face out there on behalf of all women who have a constitutional right to privacy.

And that is being denied to them so that a bunch of old white dudes can feel good about all of their extracurricular activities they do regarding sex, right? Because here's my thing. If they want to control the uterus of women, then I want to be petty and I want to control when you're beating off exactly what type of porn are you watching? And where is this seeming going? Is it going in it tissue? Are you throwing it down the drain? I mean, where's it going? Because that's where we need to start. They want to tit, let's tat. Absolutely. I want, I think about that all the time. If we were trying to... Think about sperm all the time. No.

You're actually not. I do not. But I think about it. If we were trying to legislate the health of a scrotum or a penis in the government, that would never fly. We would never be able to do it. But yet a female's body is just hunky dory. Let's sit around and talk about it. Let's talk about her healthcare

choices. We want everybody involved. It's just simply not the government's business at all full stop ever. No. And they're not able, they're not equipped with the knowledge that a physician is or a hospital. These are people that went to law school most generally. I don't know anything about it. Not in our state. I think we have, you know, that Mark Wayne Mullin, the senator, you know, who stands on the booster box.

The booster, chairboy. He got in a fight with the teamsters guy. Yeah. Bernie Sanders had to scold him. We'll call him booster box mullins. Booster box. Booster box mullins isn't hardly even educated. He's the plumber.

Right. So this is just, and then he's the type of guy that takes a family photo with a bunch of AR-15. Absolutely. I've seen it. And it's just, it's like this, it's such insanity, the things that these politicians cling on to as their moral calling. Right, I mean, women in this country have less rights than guns in this country.

That's true. And they could give a fuck. Could I give a fuck? Once that baby is born, it's just, it's infuriating and fucking had it. I have fucking had it and they're all lying liars. Lying liars. Yeah, yeah. And complete hypocrites, especially booster box mullens.

Booster box wants to get in a fist fight because he's so cool. Booster box with a ZR 15. But let's just visit. Why would you have a big giant gun and a big boy step to step on pumps? Why? Because you have a little teeny weenie.

You have a teeny weenie booster box mullens and his teeny weenie and his big gun teeny weenie booster box mullens in his teeny weenie. And his big gun. And his big gun in his big boy step. He gets on his big boy step as he picks a fight with the teamsters and grandpa Bernie scolds him and he sits back down. Fuckin' douche.

Total douche. Okay, let me tell you what I've had it with. Okay, I've had it with. You're deciding that you're gonna be intellectually curious. So you turn to the World Wide Web and you're googling something that you would like to gather some information on. And you see the headline for an article

and you're like, this is the exact thing that I'm searching for. And you click on it, and it's a fucking slideshow article. Oh, I hate those. And I'm like, I want it all on one page. And you click on it and it's a fucking slideshow article. Oh, I hate those. And I'm like, I want it all on one page. Right. I wanted on one page.

I don't want advertisements in between. It's a complete bait and switch. It should bait and switch. They get you on there. And then you're in. And then you go about two or three slides in. And then there's some snake oils at ad. Yeah, for some racket that you don't need.

And then you accidentally click it and then all these popups come up. And I'm just like, I'm trying to be an intellectually curious person in my private time right now to find an article to read about. Maybe it's something petty, maybe it's something serious, nonetheless, enough with the slideshow. No, they're the worst. And if I don't want a PowerPoint presentation on the fucking internet.

Do journalism. Stop with all the clickbait nonsense. I've had it. I've had it with that. No, I do that all the time and it makes me crazy. It's like maybe it's a list, a list of some. Right. These are the, you know, top countries to visit.

Here I go. What are they? And then it's when? Or these are the most fucked up states in America. I'm like, oh, I wonder, is that what I'm gonna do? Top two or three this year. So you click on it and then you start clicking through

and it's just, it's such nonsense. It drives me bananas. Yeah, I hate it. Hate those ads that pop up because then it completely derails your search. Yes. All right. I wanna welcome everybody to I've had it podcast. I'm Jennifer.

I'm Angie. She's the star of the show. The mayor of As whole island, our Lord and personal savior, judge Judy, Diana. Before we kick it to Kylie, I think it's time to go over our disappointing affirmations of the day. Oh, okay. Good. I hate toxic positivity.

Pits me in a bad mood. Right. I really like cynical inspiration. Inspiration. All right. So from our friends with Instagram account, disappointing affirmations, let's commence our dramatic reading of the day. Stop wondering if you're good enough. You're not.

Today, I'm taking control of my emotions. I'm choosing to feel dead inside. I love that. That's a really good one because sometimes you do want to feel dead. You just want to be mad, you want to be sad, you want to feel dead. Yeah, you want to maybe, why does everybody else get to be crazy for a day?

I want to be fucking crazy and dead for a day. Yeah, okay. The next one. You're doing the best you can, which is kind of embarrassing. I feel like that's so many times. I've actually been in conversations with people before and they're telling me how they handled something, which was not the best way to handle it at all. And then they'll follow up with, but I just did the best I can,

and I've said to myself in my brain, God, that's so embarrassing. I don't say that out loud. Thank goodness you didn't say it out loud. I don't, but in my head I'm thinking, really, that's the best you could have done and the best one of the day. You are filled with so much potential.

What a fucking waste. I love those. Kylie, okay, I have a five star review that I want to read you from Nesos 525, titled my favorite queer podcast. You two are my very favorite in quotes straight white women. However, we spend so much time talking about how pumps is a lesbian that I think we're ignoring the real facts. No straight woman is as obsessed with pickleball as Jenis. Might be some truth to that. I mean, here's the thing. He's not wrong.

He's not wrong. The majority of the women in my pickleball group are lesbians. I really like lesbians a lot as evidenced by who all sitting in this room with me. So I mean, he has a pretty valid, I mean, lesbians should run the world. He has a pretty, I take it as a compliment. I do, too. No one can argue that you two have your share of lesbians tendencies. No question.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, we could find a lot. Yeah. She's been calling me a non-practicing lesbian for 20 years. Yeah, for 20 years. Yeah, she's correct. This is not... I'm a non-practicing straight to you.

All right. Listener, here's the deal. You know, we started this tour and we called it the hot shit tour. Right. We didn't think we were hot shit. We were doing this whole thing fake it till you make it. 100%. Okay. Well, the faking is starting to pay off because we have a guest today. It is a very huge get. Yeah. We're both freaking the fuck out. So nervous. Nervous about to shit our fucking pants listener. She is a fucking icon and she's only 34 years old.

I know. Fearless. I'm obsessed fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan, I'm a fan on losers. Embarrassing. It's a comparison you cannot make or you'd start crying. A false equivalency. A false equivalency. For sure. Yeah. Yeah. There's no question about it. So nonetheless, this is happening. Yeah. And it's a big fucking deal. And we are going to be really good. So good. We're going to try not to cast us. We are going to be polite. We are going to make our points. We are going to be professionals. Yes. We are going to fucking polite. We are going to make our points. We are going to be professionals. We are going to fucking crush it, pumps. I want to so bad you're going to. You're one of the biggest names in podcasting.

You are so ridiculous. All right, listener. We need to welcome to I've had it podcast, hashtaghtag Pinchme, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortes. Do you suffer from having a pair of social relationship with two barely competent middle aged women? If so, please go to I've had it podcast.com or to any social media site. I'm talking X, formally Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc. and click the link in bio. And come see us at

the hot shit tour. Make your pair of social relationship real at the hot shit tour. Right pumps tell them it's so fun. We hope to see there. Pumps are friends at Happy Mammoth. You know that make the hormone harmony that we're obsessed with, love it. They now have the ultimate weight loss protocol 2.0. It's the new and improved version of Happy Mammoth's best selling weight loss system. It's the world's first protocol that combines supplements, nutrition, and mindset to help women lose more weight, faster without restrictive diets, calorie counting, or exhausting workouts.

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Hey, Pamp, you know it's really starting to bother me. You know when you try to search for something on Netflix, and it just shows you a bunch of related titles. Yes, it's so annoying. Well, here's the crazy thing, Pamp. If the show title appears in white at the top, that means Netflix actually has it on their platform in another country.

And I've got a little hack that's gonna blow your in our listeners minds. You can trick Netflix into showing it to you with ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN is an app that lets you change your online location so you can control where your Netflix and other related streaming services think you are located. So if you want to stay safe online and get access to a ton of great TV, we've got an incredible deal just for our listeners. When you sign up for Express VPN with

our special link, you'll get three extra months free. Visit expressvpn.com slash had it. That's exprssvpn.com slash had it to get three extra months completely free. All right, listener, let's welcome to I've had it. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Welcome digitally to deep in a red state of Oklahoma, a place you probably didn't think you would be today.

I love it, I love it. It's wonderful to be here. We're so happy that you could join us. You know, we like to traffic in small ideas. One could even call them petty and we like to launch suggestions for our listeners. We could argue that you traffic in big ideas. And so if you could tell us, if you could join our team for a second, I know that there have got to be some petty things that get on your

nerves. So what have you had it with? You know, I've had it with us pretending to all just get along with sports references in the workplace. Like, people just, you know, men just lobbing out these sports references and everyone just, yeah, you know, acting like this is totally normal. And I propose that we should just start doing it back and saying, Hey, you know what, Tom? I think we should just wait for the top coat to dry on this.

And just start throwing things out and just let it sit there, let it marry. And walk away. Yeah. See if they ever figured out. That's what I think we should do. I think that's a great, great idea. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I think that'd be great. I would love that myself.

Yes. Okay. So, you know, on our podcast, we've been a podcast for a little over a year and we have covered the nonsense and the grievances that happen when you travel in an airport. We've covered the problems that people face in the comment section on social media. We've gone to great links episode after episode to help the general public feel somewhat normal for having these grievances. But in area we've been remiss have been workplace grievances. And I understand that you work for a rather large entity. And I do,

you probably have quite a few co-workers. Yeah, it is like an airport in that way. And at this workplace, do any of your co-workers ever get on your nerves? of your coworkers ever get on your nerves? Oh, all the time. I think what's so interesting about my workplace too is that there's a real clash of cultures because everyone's flying in from all over the place, expecting everyone else to adhere to the norms of where they come from. And so no one is really adhering to anyone else's social script. So for me, as a New Yorker, it's maddening

because I do not do well with passive aggression. Like straight up aggression. Yeah, I want like real aggression. Like just tell me how it is. Right. Tell us what my face like give it to me straight. And there's a lot of like wild goose chases. There's a lot of you know, people pretending that things are fine when they're not fine. Right. I have to feel like a detective all the time. How do you really feel? We've diagnosed this problem and what we call this these people are Yak mouths

They just yak mouth and they can't land the plane and so we want to start a movement Maybe you could talk to your colleagues about seeing what you all could do to help us on this Fortunately, there is an emoji on the phone. If somebody is texting too long and not landing the plane, it's a plane landing emoji. But maybe when you're at work, if somebody's yak melting too much, you can just do this.

Just land the plane. Just the land the plane motion. We had years ago some friends and I, we would have this thing that we do. It's very similar when someone's taking too long to tell a story, we have our two hands that start off closed and they slowly start expanding. And then if the person finally gets to the end,

we go best story ever. That's true. This is when you know you're taking too long. I love it. I want to get back to your co-workers. Do you ever deal with any workplace bullying at your job? Oh yeah, I mean I think there's an enormous amount. Here's here's also kind of ties to the previous point is that you know there's a lot of like the bullying that happens externally. Like, people got a lot to say on the internet and they have a lot to say when they go on Fox News

and all of these things, but they just don't have the same energy in person. And so it's so weird because they'll be waking up having a morning coffee, seeing these folks being like these communists and witches and all of these things. And then I'll see the same person like four hours later in a hearing. And it's like, oh, hey? Do you know that we see that? It's unbelievable. I was listening to you all's episode actually of Recylone about Gigi Good and you're talking about the inspirational quotes. Yes.

And it's like, it's the same mentality or it's like you go to someone's, like someone will leave the most vile comments or DMs to you. And then you go to their Instagram page and it's like you go to someone's, like someone will leave the most vile comments or DMs to you, and then you go to their Instagram page and it looks like, it looks like the home decor section of a Marshall's, like, live laugh, love, like, holy. Totally. And it's like, it's got like the cross emoji

and the body. Like, what is going on here? Right, I'm two of you. I think it's this whole performative thing where people are masking something. So we have identified that if you see live laugh love, if you see the cross emoji and a sunflower and a piece emoji, you have to run,

you have to run immediately. If you click on their profile and it's full of inspirational quotes, don't view those quotes as inspiration. View them for the red flags that they are. And turn around and run for your life. It's unbelievable. We get a lot of haters online, which I don't know if you do or not. I've never heard of it. Feel bad. So we get some haters online. And I'll click the profile in 10 times out of 10. It is this performative bullshit about what a great, peace, loving person they are. Meanwhile, they traffic as trolls in the comment section, mad that pumps and me aren't big

trumpers because my God, we're white and we're Southern and we don't fit the script and they get really but heard about it, Congresswoman. I mean, I believe it, but just know that type is an equal opportunity hater. They show up everywhere, everywhere. Something that makes me feel a little bit better is every once in a while, I'll see like a totally benign account. It'll be like, you know, cute dogs on Instagram.

And these people are hating on those pages too. Like, what a CG dog. I don't like you. Nobody is safe. Nobody is safe. Nobody is safe. Nobody is safe. Nobody is safe. It's unbelievable. We had a post where pumps shares that after she had

her child, she was constipated. It was terrible. It led to an unfortunate event where she tried to extract you know what with a spoon and went viral on the internet. And there were people actually in the comment section flexing about having regular bell

movements after their pregnancies. And I thought, this is where we are as a society. We are taking victory laps for having a good shit in the comment section on social media. Comparison is the thief of joy. Oh, I'd like thatison is the thief of joy. Oh, I'd like that comparison the thief of joy. And do you ever experience at your place of employment any co-workers that might try to sabotage the business? Oh, that's like part of the business. The worst part is when you know you're trying to get something done and for some

reason it's like every time you're trying to do something it's like sand is getting thrown into the gears and every single. It's just like not going right and you're trying to figure out like what is going on and you realize that someone's low-keyed in trying a sabotage something without telling you that I can imagine, you know, I think that's something that people encounter in a lot of workplaces where you have like a secret hater. Yeah. You're like, you don't realize it for the longest time. That happens all the time, all the time for the strangest reasons, too. That's probably one of the most maddening things about it. It's not just whether something moves or not. It's not always entirely based on policy. It's based on ego. It's based on feeling.

based on ego, it's based on feeling. And it's like, oh my gosh, yeah. Yeah, the ego is that you have to deal with on a regular basis. I don't know how you do it and don't just start bitch slapping people. I mean, it's un, I'll watch some of that stuff and I'm just like, I don't know how someone hasn't strangled that man right now in front of everyone.

I mean, how do you do that on a day and day out? Do you just blow it off? I probably have less restraint than some others. I'm not, when someone I think has really earned it, I am not afraid to embarrass someone in a public or semi-public environment. Like, especially when there's a gender dynamic involved or a racial dynamic, because we have to work so much harder, you know, we hear it all the time having to work twice as hard to get half as far. So that often means that people from different kinds of backgrounds, whether you come from a low income background or you weren't born with a silver spoon or, you know, whether you're

a woman or a person of color, whatever it may be, where when you do get to that same place, a lot of times, you know, you'll see women running circles around the men. And it's, you get frustrated because people just aren't operating at the same level sometimes. Right. Um, and, you know, I've had it with the job in the workplace really totally. And you know what? I think we're celebrating mediocrity a bit too much. Congresswoman on yeah, not just in workplaces on the internet and the areas that we traffic in. There's a lot of celebrating of just having a baby or getting married. It seems like everybody's just celebrating

a little bit overboard. But who would surprise our listeners the most? Out of all the skunks at the Garden Party that is your place of employment? Who would surprise us the most that is an ally of yours and not an ally ideologically, but somebody with whom you enjoy and you like to work with? with whom you enjoy and you like to work with. I'd say I'll give one example from each party actually. I'd say in the Democrats, Jared Huffman of California is hilarious. Like this man is so funny and so witty. It's like you're sitting next to someone who

just is knocking out one-liners constantly. It's a super plus that he is wonderful on environmental and climate issues. He's a strong ally on LGBT and women's rights, all that. But he's just, that, but he's just, he is prolific in his one-liners, very funny. I'd say on the, on the Republican side, he, I, I were opposed on every single ideological issue, possibly under the sun, except he used to have a composting business. Tim Birchett, Tennessee, he's on the oversight committee. He's just a character, like a real character. He's real strong on the UFO issue. He's like, he's like, listen, this is one thing we can work on here, you know. And he's just a total character. He comes in in a car heart jacket every day. His glasses are on a rope around his neck. It's great. It's, I mean, it definitely makes the right. It's a very colorful personality to work

with. Add some flavor. Yes. You know, where we live, we're super progressive deep in this Ruby Red state. And the optics of who you are here, we understand because we're from here. And we know the way people view a Congresswoman of Casio Cortez. And we understand the way they view a Senator Bernie Sanders. It's not good. But what it is is you become a caricature right of what people you know one statement you said or one belief but I'm not a religious person never have been and I live deep in the buckle of the Bible belt. And what mystifies me, Congresswoman is when I hear people that are super religious, talk about the things that Jesus did, helping the poor, not judging, no violence. And then I look to the politicians that these people elect, and they take their

Christmas card photos, some of your colleagues with AR-15s with their children. And then I listen to you and I listen to Senator Sanders and I hear a moral calling to help poor people have access to healthcare, to help a marginalized group like maybe transgender children have the right to privacy and health care. And I don't hear that from these deep red politicians. I hear the contrary. So my question for you, Congresswoman is, do you think the Democratic Party and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party,

which I believe does have the moral high ground? Do you think there is a messaging problem now and historically with that wing of our political spectrum? Well, I think when it comes to the faith issue specifically, I think there's absolutely been a vacuum in terms of people being able to communicate in that medium. I actually grew up in a around a lot of's side of the family, it was Catholic. My mom's side of the family is much more evangelical, pentacostal, deep, deep, deeply religious and often very adjacent to conservative religiosity, just culturally.

And in a lot of ways, like, there's, you know, there's this thinking that everyone comes to this belief, who comes to this belief system or these conclusions because they like went to college and got radicalized by some Marxist professor. Right. Now all the kids are going to hell in a hand basket because of it, but honestly I feel like for me a lot of the seeds of how I got to where I got to come from a moral place and they come from a spiritual place. And in fact, when you look at some of the most successful movements

in American history, like the Civil Rights Movement, Civil Rights Movement was a religious movement. Martin Luther King was a referent and a pastor. And even if you look at more, when you look at those who are considered radicals in the movement like Malcolm X, also very religious as well. And so I do think that there is a missing component

where a lot of times what's being messaged is in a logical way or in a wonkish way. And people are kind of like focused on the policy and this that and the other. And the flip on the flip side of that while some of us can be very demonized, like Bernie or myself, I actually think one of the reasons why we've been successful is because we try to message on that moral plane as well.

And because it starts gaining so much traction, these folks with like Fox News and et cetera, they realize that they need to create a caricature in order to stop the momentum of that train. Because when you actually start talking about, hey, you know, it's really messed up to think someone that has to earn healthcare. Like, right. To be seen by a doctor that you have to be,

you know, make a certain income or you have to be a person know, make a certain income or you have to be a person that's deemed worthy to get medicine. People really realize how backwards that is and that, you know, even if you do come to this from a religious background, it's, we are not the judge and jury. If you are, you know, if you're a religious person, that person, that happens upstairs. That's not our job. Right. My thinking is having grown up deep in the Bible belt

that the religion should set the psychological soil for you to be more of an advocate for those that are marginalized and less judgmental for those that are marginalized. And specifically in our state, they started fighting the culture wars and they're winning. And we have a friend who has a transgender daughter in our state. And I called her yesterday and I told her that you were going to be on. And I said, what is it like for you raising a transgender child in this atmosphere?

And it's anguish for her because now not only being a kid is hard, being a transgender kid is even harder, and you have kids that make fun of you or what have you that we all experience, but seems to be exacerbated if you are trans. And now you have your own government that is institutionalizing this systemic bigotry towards you. And she went to the Oklahoma State Capitol and spoke to a congressman and said,

if my daughter is brave enough to tell me who she is and how she feels, then we should be brave enough to acknowledge her and love her back. And he looked at my friend in the face and he said to her, you should be brave enough to make your kid be a better child. Oh my God. And so she said to me, these people aren't going to change their minds. So in states like ours, your voice, you might not believe it, but there are pockets, and I know you know this, there are pockets of people that our own governments seem to be a little bit traffic and a little bit more cruelty than we like.

And we look to people like you from deep and red states and a Bernie to say, okay, we're all at least a part of this country. But for the trans children that live in these red states that just want love and acceptance, I asked my friend, I said, what are you going to do? She said, I think sometimes our only option is to move. It's just, you know, it's horrible that this is their goal, right?

A lot of times I think a lot of these folks just, they have no sense of a lot of these folks just, they have no sense of deep understanding of what it is that they're doing. There are, there's an extent where they truly drunk the coolate on this. And it's, it's like the brainwashed then game power. And when it comes to this trans issue, one of the things that I think is really important is to express how imperiling trans kids hurts all kids. And for me exposing the absurdity of all this, where it's like, oh, you want to expose all these trans kids, quote unquote, all when really it's less than 1%

of the population. Right. How are you going to do that? In a lot of these places, seriously are proposing genital checks. Yes, on ours. They're proposing genetic screenings. They're proposing in Florida, girls have to report when they're getting their period. And so, really, the trans issue, a lot of times, is a smoke screen for the abortion issue,

because if they can start tracking your period and getting menstrual data about you, from the time that you are, you know, from the time that you first enter puberty, then the state can start storing that data and really start more meticulously trying to track who may be getting an abortion, who isn't. You know, and this is why it's so important for us to be standing together in solidarity. Trans rights are women's rights.

That's right. And if you believe in women's rights, then we have an obligation to stand with our trans sisters and brothers and siblings. Because the moment you start making little carve-outs for your values, the whole thing starts turning to Swiss cheese and fallen apart. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that with us. It's something we feel very passionate about as mothers to stand up and support these families and let our allyship shine through. And I think it's a very important conversation to have and have in kind rational terms like we just had,

wrapped in love and reason. But I have to talk to you about something that we feel like we've been fighting. Okay, and I want to say maybe you and your colleagues could help us with this. It's a little petter. Project of ours. We've been sounding the alarm Congresswoman, and it's these gender reveal parties. Oh my goodness. I don't know if you and your friends at work can help us with this. If we're just going to be over here on asshole island whistle blowing by ourselves People are dying Now there's a new thing one lady is suffering from gender disappointment right because her child wasn't the gender She wanted to do it on the internet for ever offering

Yeah, she wants to have a new medical She's really gonna be going for a leap of her child ends up being trans right? Well, she wants to have a new medical diagnosis. She's really going to be going for a leap of her child ends up being trans. Right. Well, she should celebrate. Well, here's the one, here's the thing about it that I just can't get over is when they do the gender reveal party and it's a girl and the father is clearly disappointed. Yeah. And they post the video anyway. Yes. Why would you post? Why would you do that? Okay, we have to play our game. Had it or hit it with you. Okay, great. Oh my god, welcome to Had it or hit it. I would hit it.

Had it. I hit it every day sometimes twice a day. Had it or hit it. Couples, photo, shoots. I've had it. I've had it. I've had it. No.

Or, you know, if you do it, you can keep that to yourself. But the, I think also sometimes the random ones too, like if you're just dating and, and then it's like, did something happen? Right. Are you engaged? What's going on? Is there a pregnancy engagement? And it's like, no, we're just hanging out. I don't want to yuck anyone's yum, but not for me. Not for, we're in complete agreement. Okay, had it or hit it. I don't think I can't really I can't really, I can't really I can't really, I can't really I can't really, I can't really I can't really, I can't really

I can't really, I can't really I can't really, I can't really I can't really, I can't really I can't really, I can't really I can't really, I can't really I can't really, I can't really I can't really, I can't really I can't really, I can't really I can't really, I can't really Yeah, it's done well. It's done well. Right.

It's good execution. Right. But, you know, I don't know, you know, because we're also in a little bit of like a 90s, early 2000s revival. Yes. I could be coming back and I'm just like behind the thing on it. But I think, I think if it's done well, if it's done creatively, yes. If it's just like aerial font and you're just phoning it in, right? Then maybe not. I think it's

corny at that point. I agree. Yeah. Okay. Had it or hit it, kitten heels. I've never been a fan I've never been a fan of the kitten heal myself. I'm also like, I'm five four, so what's the point, right? Like, if I'm gonna wear a heel, it's to have a heel. But, I mean, we see DeSantis, like, he's clearly rejected the kitten heal. He's going, wants to let him. I don't know. I mean, that's what they say. That's a letter, Neil.

Okay, had it or hit it, pickleball. I don't think pickleballs for me, and it's but, but I don't know. This is a hard one because it's, I know it's all the rage right now. I think we're getting close to the expiration on pickleball potentially. I don't know.

I don't know. I am, I have one of gold medal. I'm a pickleball potentially. I don't know. I don't know. I am. I want a gold medal. I'm a metalist. My listeners are so tired of hearing about it. Okay. But I don't know. But you know, I a friend of mine had a pickleball party and everybody really enjoyed themselves. It's a way to be athletic without being athletic. You're not. without being athletic. You're not a sweet and athlete. Gifted. So I think there's a space for that.

I think that I haven't, I'll hit it. I'm not gonna be a hater. I'm gonna, I'll say, we'll hit it. She acts like it's Wimbledon every day and so it drives me crazy. It's wumbled into me. Okay, had it or hit it, tip flation. Oh, I've had it.

Had it. I've had as a former service worker. As you know, I worked years and restaurants. I worked off of tips only as a tipped weight. I was cleaning out my apartment and I found like old checks from when I worked in restaurants and it's you know zero. You get paid nothing. Right. Right. Tip work. It's real. But the tiffed equation on everything, if you're making a standard wage, if you were making a wage before,

and now all of a sudden, like tips on everything, I think it hurts actual tipped workers, because people are tipping on everything, and they don't know like what's a tip, who's getting, who's making a tipped wage? Who's not? Like this is an actual distinction, right? If you're a tipped wage worker in a lot of states, you're making $2 an hour. That's right. But if you're a non-tipped wage worker and you have like a tip screen on it, then

you know, what's happening is that those tipped wage workers oftentimes like I've heard from a lot of folks and a lot of my friends in hospitality that tips have been going down. Because people don't know what's what it is anymore. And I just don't, we can't have a tip screen on every single thing, especially if I serve myself. Exactly. I'm on the airport. I grab this orange juice. I think it's- I'm on the airport. I grabbed this orange juice. Like what? I just can't-

It's consumer exploitation by these big corporations that don't want to pay their workers a livable wage. And like you said, we waited tables in college as well. It hurts those that really rely on those tips. Okay. Had it or hit it, Joe Biden. Hit it. You know, honestly, here's the thing.

I think sometimes people want electoral politics to be overly identified with... It's like if you vote for someone, they have to be the embodiment of you. And that's actually something that I think Donald Trump provided to a lot of people, where it's like, if you voted for him and if you were a Donald Trump person, like you want, like it symbolized so much.

But I think what we have here in this situation is a more just honest thing. There are plenty of things that the president does that I completely disagree with. I think right now what's happening in Gaza, I can't go on every single day seeing this. I don't associate myself with what's happening. But at the end of the day, But at the end of the day, we have to acknowledge that we just can't allow this fascist movement to grow in this country. And what I think is actually hopeful about our politics is that we can exist outside of electoral politics in organizing our communities and standing with our friends. And you know,

if it's coming down to this next election, for me personally, the decision to vote is not a difficult one for me. Because like just because I'm voting for him doesn't mean that he embodies everything about me. Right. Um, so that to me is where I'm at. Um, but I think, you know, it's, people are going to get mad on the internet because that's what they do, but I think we just got to be adults about the situation and realize like that electoral politics is just one, it's just one small sliver of how we make the world better.

And if we put all of our eggs into that basket, people start acting way too crazy. And like Donald Trump is what you actually get. Right. Donald Trump is what you actually get when you want a politician to embody all of your hopes and dreams and caricatures of yourself. And Donald Trump affirms insecure men's idea of masculinity. They affirm insecure people's idea of wealth.

Internalized misogyny. Yeah, in insecure white folks idea of race like that's what you get when you want your everything to come all of your like life and identity affirming things to come from electoral politics. You get demagogues. People who want to like symbolize these psychological things. Joe Biden doesn't do that. And I think that's actually a good thing. Right. Because like, you know, it's more honest, I think, about where we are, whether we like it or not. He's our grandpa that saved us. He's a Maori from our alcoholic stepfather that abused us for four years. One just quick follow up question as a voter in deep in a red state, in a lifelong Democrat. Does the Democratic Party, because we got so dict over by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, does the Democratic Party have a back at plan

between now and November, should Joe Biden fall prey to some sort of medical emergency that you're aware of. And I think as a voter, it's a very reasonable question to ask considering his advanced age. I think it's a super reasonable question to ask. You know, I'm not, I do not know to be honest. I do not know, to be honest. I think what people tend to look at is just line of succession in terms of the job itself. But, you know, it is something that I think is a reasonable question to ask. And there are, you know, you have people that are kind of running, but haven't qualified for these seats. I think it's important to know that if If something like that does or were to happen because there is not a primary, I do believe they would go to the convention and that is a big gobbledygook situation. So we'd have to honestly see, but I think it's a perfectly valid question to ask. And I think it's also one that, you know, I think there's, this is the biggest disconnect,

I'd say, between the beltway and like everyday people. But it also cuts this question of I think a lot of people think who can be Trump, and that's a largely untested assumption too. There's a lot of this idea that only another white guy can be Trump. And there's a lot of assumptions there that of kind of assumptions there that obviously don't feel good. But yeah, you know, that's it. It's a valid question to ask and I do not have an answer for you. Maybe you could check around with your coworkers and circle back to us.

Yeah. Sure, that's gonna happen. Okay, Congresswoman, Pumps, we did it. We did it. We kept ourselves together. This is freaking hard to talk. I'm freaking the fuck out. This was amazing. Thank you so much for all that you do and they are the allies that stand with trans kids and the LGBTQIA plus community and the black and brown communities as strong as we can.

So thank you for acknowledging that. Thank you for all you do. Thank you for being on our little podcast. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so so much. Bye bye. Bye.

We did it. Hi five. Hi five to you more than me. I got so tongue tied. I couldn't even talk. So you had to carry me. I knew the question you were supposed to ask. And I didn't ever do it.

I couldn't. I couldn't. I was so star struck. I could sense your paralysis. I was how close we are because we're twin flames. We're twin flames. Me, the divine feminine. You the divine masculine.

Yeah, so thank you for brailling me out and taking over because I was just like so star struck. I could barely see straight Listener We just had a you see on the podcast. Oh my god that she's amazing. She's amazing. I love her. I love her I would like to dedicate this episode to the mother fucker in the comment section that accused us yep of being centrist Take this episode and

cram it right up your fucking ass. Please give us five stars. Send a voice memo to our Instagram page. Check us out at the hot shit tour. No centrist invited documentary club on Patreon. Join us on Patreon, it's not only the documentary club, we drop full episodes from time to time that are only Patreon exclusive,

Hubs, tell them. We will see you next Tuesday or Thursday or both. I'll tell you what I'm having with. Cheers. I'm having it with that.