WTF Government with Sharon McMahon

Summary

Absolutely Not Podcast “WTF Government” with Sharon McMahon Release Date: June 10, 2026
Host: Heather McMahon
Guest: Sharon McMahon (@sharonsaysso), government educator

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Episode Overview

In this episode, comedian Heather McMahon welcomes Sharon McMahon—widely known as “SharonSaysSo” on Instagram—for a candid, witty, and revealing breakdown of what’s going on in the U.S. government. Sharon, a former government and history teacher who’s gained a reputation for making civics accessible and nonpartisan, joins Heather to vent, educate, and demystify “WTF is going on.” The conversation melds humor, real-life stories, and practical advice for listeners feeling lost and frustrated by current politics.

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Key Topics & Insights

1. Introduction & Personal Connection (00:06—05:14)

• Heather introduces Sharon as an “icon of education” and a DM friend she trusts for clarity.
• Lighthearted speculation about possibly being related, given both share the McMahon surname—reflecting on their Irish ancestry, family histories in law enforcement, and the many spellings/mispronunciations of “McMahon.”
• Notable Quote (Heather, 04:12):
  "I would milk it because I'd get free drinks. They were scared, you know, they didn't know what to do."

Memorable moment:
A hilarious anecdote from Sharon’s teaching days, involving a student commenting, “Do you know you have a silent hoe in the middle of nowhere?” (04:56)

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2. Sharon’s Background & Life in Rural Minnesota (05:14—11:33)

• Sharon details her career as a government and history teacher in California, D.C., and now living off a dirt road in northern Minnesota with limited broadband and public utilities, sharing practical “prepper” stories.
• Heather and Sharon bond over generator drama and rural living realism.
• Discusses Minnesota’s geography—“14,000 lakes”—and pontoon culture.
• Notable Quote (Sharon, 06:14):
  “I truly do not have broadband Internet at my house... I have my own well and we have to have a septic system and like it’s all a volunteer fire department now."
• Sharon notes she and her husband are not necessarily “preppers” themselves—they inherited their off-grid situation from the previous homeowners.

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3. The Overwhelming State of Government & Congress (17:37—29:38)

• Heather bluntly asks, “So just top of mind, what’s going on with our government?” (17:37). Sharon provides a sobering yet clear summary:
  • Congress is highly ineffective, mired in infighting, self-interest, and nearly universal public disapproval.
  • The incentive structure rewards power within parties rather than results for the American public.
• Notable Quote (Sharon, 18:28):
  “The first one is we have a highly ineffective Congress... Everyone agrees Congress is doing nothing. Congress is taking vacations. They're shutting down the government. They're paying themselves. They're not doing anything meaningful.”
• Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) discussed as emblematic of current dysfunction—her flip-flopping persona, both personally charming and theatrically confrontational in Congress.
  • Memorable moment: Sharon’s behind-the-scenes insight from the State of the Union, describing MTG’s dramatic behavior and “two personas." (21:02)

    "One of these two things is an act." (Sharon, 21:53)

• Sharon and Heather underscore bipartisan frustration: “We all agree that [Epstein’s crimes are] absolutely evil, 100%, but yet...Congress is so ineffective...unwilling to actually make a strong push to come to the table." (Sharon, 23:54–23:57)

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4. Fractures and Leadership Failures Across Both Parties (24:42—29:38)

• The dysfunction goes deeper than a single administration; both Democratic and Republican parties lack real, unifying leadership.
• MAGA has created a fissure, leaving establishment Republicans powerless, as seen in Liz Cheney’s loss of power.
• Democratic leadership perceived as too establishment for progressives—a vacuum of charismatic leaders like Obama.
• Disillusionment is at record highs, contributing to democratic backsliding and conspiracy thinking.
• Notable Quote (Sharon, 28:57):
  “That’s actually really bad for democracy when you have this amount of disillusionment.”

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5. U.S. War Powers & The Limits of Presidential Authority (30:31—32:13)

• Sharon and Heather discuss presidential overreach regarding military action—specifically, Trump’s actions near the Strait of Hormuz and Iran.
  • The President may deploy military force for 60 days without Congress, followed by a 30-day withdrawal window, but enforcement is practically nonexistent.
  • Memorable Moment:
    Heather jokes about “sending the IRS to bring the troops home” (32:02).
• Notable Quote (Sharon, 31:46):
  “What is the enforcement mechanism? Is it, are we sending troops to remove the troops?”

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6. Taxes, Economic Fairness, & IRS Frustrations (32:14—36:55)

• Both express exasperation over tax burdens on small businesses and working Americans, versus the ultra-wealthy exploiting loopholes.
• Sharon succinctly explains the use of stock options and borrowing from themselves as ways the rich avoid paying their share.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Nobody’s saying make the rich people poor people...Let’s apply the law fairly to people of all means.” (Sharon, 33:02)
  • Heather: “I’m just trying to write off spray tans...if I can’t write those off, we may be in financial ruins." (34:20)

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7. Representation, Disenfranchisement, & Absentee Congress (39:05—46:13)

• Americans are feeling “taxation without representation,” as most feel neither party or branch truly represents them anymore.
• Congressional schedules and conspicuous absences—e.g., “Why is Lindsey Graham at Disney World while the government is shut down?” (40:37)
• Heather sums it up: “Most Americans feel like this whole system is BS...It represents a handful of the ultra wealthy and the ultra wealthy’s wishes…” (41:00–41:11)
• Sharon recognizes Heather as more informed than the average person. (41:34–41:49)

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8. Congressional Accountability, Financial Disclosures, & Stock Trading (42:06—45:44)

• Sharon shares, with exasperation, that Speaker Mike Johnson claims to have no bank accounts (!)—an absurdity within Congressional disclosures (42:06–43:54).
  • The system has “lots of conflicts of interest” and little to no enforcement.
• Congressional stock trading: It’s legal; penalties for failing to disclose are minimal ($300), leading to rampant abuse.
• Memorable moment:
  Heather: "I'm obsessed" with Twitter accounts tracking Congress stock trades. (44:49)
• Notable Quote (Sharon, 45:44):
  “One of the big challenges here is a lack of enforceability of these rules.”

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9. What Can Listeners Do? Community Power & How Change Starts (46:13—47:37)

• Sharon offers practical hope:
  “[T]he majority of members of Congress come from state and local government. If you want better candidates in the future, you have to start caring about local candidates.” (46:36)
• Down-ballot races matter for meaningful reform and cultivating real leaders.

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10. Pop Culture in Politics & “Change Agents” (47:37—50:47)

• Discussion of Spencer Pratt running for LA Mayor—his advantages: name recognition and being perceived as a change agent, not experience.
• Sharon notes this “change agent” mentality is a central driver behind Trump’s success as well.
• Notable Quote (Sharon, 49:32):
  “People are tired of this day status quo. Yeah, let's. We've already done that. Let's try something different.”

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11. Closing—Empowering “Ordinary” People & New Children’s Book (50:13—51:24)

• Sharon promotes her new book We Are Mighty (released May 19), highlighting 12 ordinary Americans making a difference—emphasizing every citizen can contribute to change, no matter how overwhelming the system feels.
• Notable Quote (Sharon, 50:47):
  “We actually can do things that are good in the world...It doesn’t mean that’s how things have to stay.”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Heather (04:12): “I would milk it because I'd get free drinks. They were scared, you know, they didn't know what to do.”
• Sharon (18:28): “We have a highly ineffective Congress...They’re doing nothing meaningful.”
• Sharon (28:57): “That’s actually really bad for democracy when you have this amount of disillusionment.”
• Sharon (33:02): “Let’s apply the law fairly to people of all means.”
• Sharon (41:00): “Most Americans feel like this whole system is BS...It represents a handful of the ultra wealthy and the ultra wealthy’s wishes…”
• Sharon (46:36): “If you want better candidates in the future, you have to start caring about local candidates.”
• Sharon (49:32): “People are tired of this day status quo. Yeah, let's. We've already done that. Let's try something different.”

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Timestamps—Important Segments

• 00:06–05:14: Host introduction, personal and family background bonding
• 05:14–11:33: Sharon’s teaching experience, rural life, prepping practicalities
• 17:37–29:38: State of government, dysfunction in Congress, major party fractures
• 30:31–32:13: War powers, Trump and Iran, lack of enforcement
• 32:14–36:55: Tax frustrations, rich vs. middle class, IRS
• 39:05–46:13: Representation, Congress absenteeism, disenfranchisement
• 42:06–45:44: Financial disclosures, Congressional stock trading
• 46:13–47:37: Community change and local elections
• 47:37–50:47: Pop culture candidates, demand for change agents
• 50:13–51:24: Sharon’s new children's book, closing empowerment message

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Tone & Style

• Candid, sarcastic, occasionally exasperated but geared toward hope and empowerment.
• Practical advice woven with personal anecdotes, humor, and biting commentary.

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For Further Information

• Follow Sharon on Instagram: @sharonsaysso
• Sharon’s website: sharonmcmahon.com
• Book: We Are Mighty (released May 19)

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Summary prepared for listeners seeking clarity, laughter, and practical civic insight!

Transcript

[A]

The following podcast is a Dear media production,

[B]

welcome to the Absolutely Not Podcast, where we do the most and the least at the same damn time. I'm your host, Heather McMahon. I want to start a fire. Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another episode of the Absolutely Not Podcast. I am so incredibly honored and thrilled to have a very special guest in the studio today. You know, this year I am absolutely trying to educate myself more, understand things, and ride that wave of what the hell is going on in this world. And there is a gal that I have been following on the interwebs for God since the pandemic, and I'm just absolutely obsessed with her. We've had a wonderful private conversation in the DMs. I said, Honey, you gotta bring this online and come to the Absolutely Not Podcast so you can explain to us more of what the hell is going on. If you don't know who she is, you are going to be absolutely obsessed with her. After today's episode. It is my honor and my dearest pleasure to have the incredible Sharon McMahon here in the studio today. So please welcome her to the Absolutely Not Podcast, ladies and gentlemen. Okay, we're just gonna hop right into it. This is so exciting. I am here with sister from another Mr. Possibly my cousin, but maybe not my cousin. We've been friends online for a couple years. I go to you for. For clarity, for understanding, for a moment of Zen in these wild, trying times. She's a government queen. She's an icon of education. And again, we may be related. Please welcome to the Absolut not podcast. Sharon McMahon. How are you?

[A]

I couldn't be better. I'm so happy to be with you.

[B]

No, I'm so happy to be with you as well. I found you, you were like a beacon of light, I think may have been during the pandemic. And you were really breaking things down online for. I don't wanna say the common folk, but you make it digestible to understand what in the world is going on,

[A]

what in the actual is happening, when

[B]

the actual is happening. But let's. Before we get into the state of the world and how it's on fire, let's talk about the fact that we may be related.

[A]

Of course, of course.

[B]

Now you spell your last name. M, C, M A, H, O, N. Do you know where your people are from? Have you done the genetic testing?

[A]

Well, see, McMahon is my married last name.

[B]

Oh, that's right. Of course. Why didn't I think about that?

[A]

And my husband's family is, you know, a bunch of Irish Catholic cops from the Bronx. Yeah, yeah. You know, like literally eight kids living in a one bedroom apartment situation.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How about you?

[B]

My. The McMahons on my family are from Fort Worth, Texas, and they were all sheriffs and cowboys.

[A]

Okay. Long history of law enforcement.

[B]

Long history of law enforcement and I think maybe a touch of corrupt law enforcement.

[A]

There's still a bunch of McMahons in the NYPD that my husband is related to that are actually like pretty high up in the nypd. So of course, you know, who knows? But I wouldn't be surprised if back in the day there was a little wheel gracing happening. Uh huh.

[B]

Yeah. What I've been told is basically like, you know, we think that our last name's a N, spelled last two letters are a N, and that somebody may have stolen a horse from a couple counties over. And when we came to the States from Ireland, so that's why we had to change it from O N to a N. I don't know if that was really gonna help our case, but apparently that's how we're switching it up.

[A]

Have you spent your entire life correcting people's pronunciations of it?

[B]

My entire life. McMahon, McMahon, Mac Mahonen, McCannon. It's kind of wild. I don't understand why folks can't phonetically figure it out.

[A]

Especially because there's a number of famous McMahons. Ed, Vince, Linda.

[B]

Linda.

[A]

I have to frequently tell people that I am not related to Linda. I am not Linda. I regularly have to put on my social media, this is your quarterly remind reminder that I am not Linda McMahon.

[B]

Is she still married to Vince?

[A]

Yes, they are still married. And he's still accused of all the terrible things.

[B]

Well, I would get asked all the time in college. Guys would come up to me and they're like, mcmahon or is your dad Vince?

[A]

Oh, my gosh, yes.

[B]

And I would say yes every time.

[A]

Oh, you would just milk it.

[B]

I would milk it because I'd get free drinks. They were scared, you know, they didn't know what to do.

[A]

They're gonna get body slammed by Vince McMahon's daughter.

[B]

And I thought about a second career in WWE. I think that would be.

[A]

I could see you doing that.

[B]

Thank you. I could see that.

[A]

I could see you doing that. Yeah. Yeah. I was a teacher for a long time and it's a very difficult last name for high school boys, especially to pronounce. And I would have to give my little spiel at the beginning of every semester and be like, it's not McMahon, it's McMahon. And eventually there was a moment in one of my classes where a child, you know, 17 year old boy, is looking at his schedule card and he's looking up at me and he's looking at his schedule card and he finally raised his hand and said, do you know you have a silent hoe in

[B]

the middle of nowhere? And he said, honey, it ain't silent. Let me tell you that right now. In college, it wasn't silent.

[A]

The girl sitting next to it was like, well, it's better than a loud one.

[B]

Ooh.

[A]

And that's one of those moments as a teacher where you're like, I should not laugh at that.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

That is inappropriate.

[B]

So let's get back to your roots. Okay, so you live in Minnesota currently. And you obviously you're an accomplished author right now and you're doing the most on the social medias trying to teach us the ways of the world and what's going on. But you started in education. How long were you a teacher and what, what did you teach?

[A]

I taught government and history. You know, like the usual, as one would expect a government teacher to do. I taught government, but no, I taught in California. Out here in California. I taught out in the D.C. area and eventually moved back to my hometown in northern Minnesota, where I currently live on a dirt road.

[B]

What do you mean a dirt road?

[A]

A dirt road.

[B]

So you're out there in the steps.

[A]

I'm literally out on a dirt road surrounded by people that have like 12 trailers parked in their yard. And you know, what kind of WI

[B]

fi setup do you have out there? Oh, it's all five posts a day.

[A]

Yeah, it's all. For a long time I had to have an office in town where there was broadband and now I have satellite, which is still kind of marginal, frankly. I, I truly do not have broadband Internet at my house.

[B]

You don't even.

[A]

Thanks, Joel Biden.

[B]

You don't have the fiber.

[A]

Thanks, Joe Biden.

[B]

Thanks, Joe Biden.

[A]

Thanks.

[B]

Yeah, call Waltz. You think that he'd be able to get you some damn broadband?

[A]

I know, exactly. I have no, I have no broadband Internet. I have no public utilities. I have my own well, I mean, I guess I have electricity, but I have my own well and we have to have a septic system and like it's all a volunteer fire department now.

[B]

Is this because you know too much about the government? Is this why you live on a dirt road? Because honestly, I've been looking at land and, and we're not going to fear monger today. We're going to get to the facts. And we're just going to have an honest conversation. But I'm going to be honest with you. I feel like everything is that is being pushed to me right now on the Internet is like, buy a farm, get a well, good luck to you. Figure out how to survive, install a

[A]

whole house generator, which we have.

[B]

So let me tell you something. I. If there's a generator company who wants to sponsor the Absolutely not podcast, I'll do ads for you all day. I'll take nude photos of the generator.

[A]

Are you a generator fan?

[B]

I'm. We got one installed.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

This is one of the biggest fights my husband and I ever had. We got one installed in the current house we live in, which is the house I grew up in at my mom's house. It was astronomical. It was like 25,000. I was like, this is insane. My husband, born and raised in New Yorker, was like, I survived seeing the. We're getting a generator, right? So he got through the Sandy hurricane and whatever. Long story short, we got it. We're moving to a new house. They quoted us three times the price for the generator. I said, this is the most astronomical generator. This thing better be making me creme brulee when the lights go out. I mean, what are we doing here? But I am very pro. You gotta have a whole home generator.

[A]

I. It's the first one I've ever had and it tests itself every Wednesday at 1 o'. Clock. It like turns itself on to be like, yeah, I still work.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And, but, but it has to run on propane. Cuz we don't have natural gas.

[B]

Oh God.

[A]

Because again, we don't have any public utilities. We have to have a truck that drives to our house and like we have multiple propane tanks. Because again, that's part of like the. If you're trying to do the, the you know, prepping situation, you have to have multiple propane tanks. You can't have just one.

[B]

So you can't have natural gas because it just doesn't run out there or because there's no public utilities. You got to be so off the grid you have.

[A]

There's no public utilities other than electricity.

[B]

So is your husband the prepper or are you the prepper?

[A]

No, neither of us. We just bought this house and the people, the people before us were the preppers.

[B]

Looked fun. Yeah, we were up for the challenge. Like we didn't have enough on our plate.

[A]

It has a lot of gardens and it has a water feature and, you know, acreage for our dogs and whatnot. But we didn't install any of this. We are just the recipients of the people who did install it.

[B]

But you said there's many trailers around. But you're not in a trailer. You're in.

[A]

No, I do have a home. I have a home with a foundation and a. And a. You know, it's. It's not a big house, but it's a. It's a perfectly nice house. It's in a very, very unique. I mean, northern Minnesota is a very unique place in the world. It really is.

[B]

Are you near a lake or what's your body?

[A]

I live near Lake Superior.

[B]

Oh, fantastic.

[A]

I'm not on the lake, but I live very near Lake Superior. That's how far north in Minnesota I am. And of course, Minnesota has 14,000 lakes.

[B]

14,000.

[A]

14,000 lakes. So it's just drive down the road and there's at least one. Which one do you want?

[B]

I would like to visit a couple of them.

[A]

You know, there's. You want to go out Lake Mille Lacs? We can go out to Bass Lake or, you know, Rice Lake. We got about 12 rice lakes in Minnesota. There's no. There's literally no shortage of bodies of water.

[B]

Our friend's mom lives, and we are Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids. Well, yeah, she says she. I mean, she's got.

[A]

She's got lots of lakes out there.

[B]

This is what I want. I'm not a lake gal, but I do think in these trying times, it wouldn't hurt to get maybe a little cabin near some fresh water, you know, and I could learn how to fish. I could learn how to live off the land. Do I wanna. I don't.

[A]

No.

[B]

You know.

[A]

You know, what you do is you just get a pontoon boat. Oh, have you done the pontooning at, like, Lake of the Ozarks or whatever?

[B]

Yes. See, I grew up in Georgia, and I still live there now, and everybody has a lake. We were more beach folk. But if you don't think that I do great on a Jet Ski or a speedboat or a Pontoo, you must not know me. And we're family. I know we're.

[A]

That's right. You can come to my pontoon. Yes.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

The. You know, you just live on a. You don't have to engage in any, you know, killing of animals in order to enjoy living on the lake. You don't have to fish, okay? Somebody else is going to fish for you and have too many lake trout and be like, do you want some?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, my freezer's full.

[B]

My freezer's full. Okay.

[A]

This is true. Like, if you live in Alaska too. I don't have you traveled in Alaska.

[B]

So that's. I've been to almost every 50 states, but I've never been to Alaska.

[A]

Okay. I've been to all of the states but three. And when we went to Alaska a few years ago, we were staying in this very small town that you can only get to by plane or by boat. There's no roads in and out.

[B]

There seems to be a pattern with the family exclusivity.

[A]

Yeah, that's right. That's right. Very, very difficult to get to. And so we were thinking at the time, oh, we'll be able to have all kinds of, like, fresh Alaskan seafood and like the salmon and the crab and the blah, blah, blah. The grocery stores have none of it. 0% fresh Alaskan seafood in the grocery stores. And we asked the person working at the grocery store, where's the salmon? Where is it? And they're like, why would we have that? Everybody that lives here has so much in their freezer, they can't even eat it all. They're catching it themselves.

[B]

They're catching it themselves, so there's no

[A]

reason to sell it.

[B]

That's a good point.

[A]

If you don't fish, you got a

[B]

neighbor that has got it who's got a deep freezer. That's also something we need to add to the prepping list. As we go through this today, we're

[A]

just going to deep freezer hooked up to the whole house generator.

[B]

The whole house generator. Okay, perfect. And the. Well, that's my biggest thing. I'm a little nervous. I don't have a well, but I'm gonna get there. Okay. So you were teaching education, obviously, government, like, I did well in, like, social studies. Oh, I can tell you I like systems, I like operations. I'm a little adhd, so sometimes I ping around and don't do. You know, I don't know. I. I kind of beat to my own drum. But I really enjoyed government and social studies because I like to see how things work. I like to see behind the curtains. It's the producer, old show pony and me. If you don't know vivrel yet, you are missing out. It is a members only club where you can experience designer bags, jewelry, watches, even diamonds. I'm telling you right now, the closet is insane. I'm talking Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Dior, and all the brands I dream about. 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[B]

Potential savings will vary so just top of mind, what's going on with our government? Hate to be so polite.

[A]

I got one question for you. WTF is happening? Yeah, WTF is the question? And what's the answer? That's what everyone wants to know. Really. Like what is going on?

[B]

And you have been so incredibly, like I said earlier in a digestible way about, like, let me break down what exactly is happening? What does this bill mean? What does this action mean? Because we're we were not built to absorb this amount of information. No, we were not built for this news cycle. We were definitely not built to be pummeled with craziness every single day. And I find following you so refreshing because I think you're just, you're very clear and articulate in being able to explain what's going on. But the overall theme is what is going on? Where are we at? What is happening?

[A]

Well, a few things are happening. The first one is we have a highly ineffective Congress. And there's nobody that would disagree with that. It doesn't matter who you voted for. Everyone agrees Congress is doing nothing. Congress is taking vacations. They're shutting down the government. They're paying themselves. They're not doing anything meaningful. Their approval rating is whatever, 12. You know, like ridiculous. You know, like it's they're doing nothing. And so because Congress is weak and ineffective and full of Infighting and has an incentive structure that is designed to give them power within their own party, but no incentive to actually do something meaningful for the American public.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Very little is being done on a meaningful level at the federal. By the federal government for the American public. Do you feel that? Do you feel like, who's representing me? What is happening for me?

[B]

100%. Well, I mean, listen, I'm from Georgia. I had Marjorie Taylor Greene running the show for a minute there and got scared. And then she flipped the coin, and I'm like, am I going to be running with Marjorie Taylor Greene? I don't know what's happening.

[A]

I know.

[B]

Like, it's crazy.

[A]

Yes, it's crazy. She's a great example of what of WTF is going on. Because she's ride or die for Trump.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Have you, you know, or has been. And now she's like, trump is demon possessed.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's literally like she. It's. It's.

[B]

I didn't see that coming.

[A]

No. Have you ever met her?

[B]

No, I haven't. But when I tell you on my last tour, she was in the thick of, you know, running the show and going back and forth between Atlanta and, obviously, D.C. and I have been on so many flights with her where I. I have really had to bite my tongue. I was usually too hungover to, like, really say something. And I never want to ruin my Delta status, but I have. I have been in close proximity with her.

[A]

Okay. If you ever meet her in public outside of an official event, she is charming.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

She is very friendly. She's outgoing. She knows how to work a room. She's introduced herself to me where she's just, like, walked right up to me and been like, marjorie, so great to meet you. Like, literally just hand out, big smile, so good to meet you. And then, you know, I was at the State of the Union address when she was still in Congress, and that was where part of this interaction happened. I was at one of the. I was at the speaker of the House's reception prior to the State of the Union address, where everybody's just walking around kind of schmoozing with each other. And then I go up to my seat in the gallery surrounding the floor of the House of Representatives, where she is seated with all the members of Congress. This is when Biden was still president, and she was in my direct line of sight. Like, I'm sitting up here, right down here is Marjorie Taylor Greene. She was wearing. At this reception. She's wearing, like, a white sleeveless shift dress, her signature look, right? Like, she's got good arms. She works out. She loves CrossFit.

[B]

CrossFit, Mommy.

[A]

Yes. She's got the. She's got her little shift dress on. She's very tan and blonde. And then in order to go out to the floor of the house, she puts on this, like, kind of giant Cruella de Vil kind of coat, you know, like, where it's got this, like, giant fur collar. And then she has, like, a magazine. And when Joe Biden starts his speech, she's, like, looking through the magazine. She's, like, dramatically flipping the pages. She's standing up. This was on camera. She's standing up and pointing at him, yelling things at him, going like this. It was very, very obvious that one of these two Personas is an act, Right. That either she is the person who is screaming at you on the floor of the House, or she is the person who is like, so good to meet you, Marjorie. And then this Persona of, you know, political hot rod is an act. One of these two things is an act.

[B]

I don't know which one. When she's on the floor, she saw Sasha Fierce, and then that's her alter ego moment. Wow.

[A]

So now it's been very, very. To see her come out as this almost, you know, firebrand against Trump, where she's saying things like, if you claim to be a Christian and you work in the administration, you better get down on your knees and pray to God for repentance. I mean, I'm paraphrasing, but that is definitely the gist of what she's been saying.

[B]

I just. No one saw. I really, truly did not see her flipping at any point.

[A]

No.

[B]

You know what I found refreshing, where it's like two people on opposite sides of the aisle coming together. Seeing Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie work together with the Epstein files situation, situation was. I found that refreshing. I was like, here's two people who could not think differently, who are actually coming together for the greater good. Or so you think. Well, I'm so disenfranchised with everybody. It's kind of hard in politics now, I feel is just a common gal out there trying to go do her thing in the world to even understand where to look or what is truthful anymore.

[A]

I know, I know. And. But see, what you just brought up is actually a really important point about Thomas Massey and Ro Khanna, who are ideologically very different from each other. Right. It is supposed to be the way that members of Congress, even those who think very divergently on a number of issues are supposed to work together on areas in which they have common ground. They are supposed to be like, so the Epstein files. Yeah, hell no. You know, like, we're not doing that.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So, you know, like, we're actually gonna do rural broadband.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because everyone needs that. You know, like, if you represent a Republican district, chances are much higher that you have a lot of rural residents in your district too. You know, rural areas tend to vote red. That's a topic everyone can care about. In fact, there are many topics that. In which there actually is not a strong amount of ideological disalignment that people should be able to be like, we're not doing that. We're not doing Epstein files and, like, raping children, and we're not doing any of that.

[B]

Imagine that. We all agree that that's absolutely evil,

[A]

100%, but yet we can't. Congress is so ineffective in this moment and so weak and so fearful that they are unwilling to. To actually make a strong push to come to the table on an object or on a subject that nearly every single American agrees on.

[B]

Well, didn't Marjorie Taylor Greene just say. And again, we hate to paraphrase, but she said that Trump had told her, we're not gonna release the Epstein files because too many of his friends would get hurt.

[A]

Yes, that's what she said.

[B]

Yeah. Which is insane. When you say that Congress is unable to be effective right now, what do you think the sole reason is for people, just because of this administration, everyone is, like you said, so incredibly fearful. Or what is the change that needs to happen? Is it simply who's in the White House, or has this been a long time coming? And I'm sorry if that's a dumb question.

[A]

It's not a dumb question.

[B]

Truly trying to understand how the nuts and bolts work.

[A]

Yeah, it's not a dumb question at all. It has been a long time coming, and it has. It's very multifaceted. But I'll give you just a couple of thoughts about it. Certainly the current administration has a lot of power over the current Republican Party in ways that perhaps in the past, there used to be more alignment between the views of the President and the views of the establishment Republican Party. And thinking back to, like, the George W. Bush era, there was a lot

[B]

of when I'm gonna just say shit felt a little normal.

[A]

I know, I know.

[B]

Isn't that wild? Yeah. We were chilling.

[A]

I know.

[B]

It was wild times. We still felt like we were cruising.

[A]

I know.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Especially in. In hindsight. Right. Like, at the time, there were so many people like the Dixie Chicks or the Chicks who, you know, spoke out against George W. Bush, and then they, you know, got canceled from country radio. There were still people who opposed George W. Bush, but in retrospect, it seems so tame.

[B]

So tame.

[A]

So many people that I know, even people on the relatively far left, are like, give me GW all day.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

You know, like, can we get some GW back up in the House? I would love to just have somebody who's like, let's go have a beer. Smirk, smirk, you know, and, like, have that be the. The vibe, you know?

[B]

Yeah. Sensible. Just a. Just a normal human being.

[A]

Like, after 9, 11, most Americans felt like George W. Bush cared about America. You know, like, you may not have loved his politics, but in that moment, he felt like a unifying force. So you're absolutely right. Like, in hindsight, times have changed for the Republican. For the Republican Party, times have changed. And what you have is this fracture within the Republican Party. And this is part of. This is one of the reasons. Not all of them, but this is one of the reasons why it's such a difficult, difficult time to get things done in Congress. The effect of MAGA on the Republican Party has created this fissure where establishment Republicans, who would normally be more in the line of, like, George W. Bush, feel like, I have nowhere to be. I have no legislation I can introduce. I have no allies. You know, like the part I can't do any. I can't oppose Donald Trump or my career will be over. They just feel like their hands are tied.

[B]

They're taught to make a move.

[A]

Their hands are tied. There's nothing they can do. Even if they don't like some of the things that are happening, they can't speak out about it because the incentive structure inside the party system is such that you will just lose your position of power. Like happened to Liz Cheney. Yeah, Liz Cheney just stripped of power when she opposed Donald Trump, and she was the number three Republican in. In the House of Representatives. When Liz Cheney was in, you know, long political dynasty, her dad is the vice president. So there's this aspect of it that you will lose power if you oppose Donald Trump on the. On the sort of right end of the spectrum. On the left end of the spectrum, you have a pretty significant lack of leadership where Donald Trump is a strong leader of the Republican Party, like him, Moore Hayden, there is a lack of leadership on the left. The people who represent the more establishment end of the Democratic Party, like the, you know, the Chuck Schumers, they are Two, establishment for younger Democrats, Democrats who feel like all you do is you try to promote Israel's interests. All you do is, you know, like, you keep trying to push the same old party line. And we want change.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

There's a lot of people who want big change away from what is happening right now. They just want big change away from Donald Trump. So you don't have a central figure around which people can rally in the way that there was when Barack Obama was president. Joe Biden was never that figure. Kamala Harris did, you know, tried to become that figure and has not become that figure. There's not a leader in Congress that is the next sort of heir apparent of the party. So all of these things have created this incredible quagmire where there is nobody and no system by which people are incentivized to do what you're just describing with Massey and Kana to come together and actually change things for the better for the American public, not for themselves, not for their party, not for their reelection chances, but, like, for the American public. And the American public feels that and is deeply disillusioned, truly, by the current system. Deeply disillusioned. And that's actually really bad for democracy when you have this amount of disillusionment.

[B]

I feel that, as I, you know, like I said earlier, we're just not built to be able to absorb this amount of bullshit every day. You don't know what you're seeing anymore. I have seen people that were like, die Hard maga, that have now completely flipped after the Epstein situation. I have seen people who were the other side go the other. Like, it's almost like no one knows what is up and what is down. And. And, you know, it's kind of crazy to think ten years ago, when I would, like, send conspiracy theories to my friends, you know, they were like, it's crazy. And now everyone's, like, on board, right? I. I mean, it's just unbelievable how much we are being fed every day, and no one really, truly knows what is going on. And I hate to say that so, like, bluntly, but it really does feel like we're living in the upside down. Like, I'm like, can we jump back to the other timeline?

[A]

I know, I know.

[B]

Then you also, you feel it that sometimes you have to shake that snow globe, right, to, like, you have to shake things up. And maybe this was the reckoning that was bound to happen.

[A]

I mean, at the end of a very tumultuous period in history, you will have a writing of the ship, meaning like the, when the storm of the seas calms somewhat, the ship is going to have to head in a new direction. And that is really the question that is, is that the country is facing at this moment is in which direction will this ship head when these tumultuous seas have calmed? And you know, obviously there is a lot of disagreement about which is the correct direction.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And there's a lot of, you know, people who feel like we can't keep going back to the same thing and expecting different results.

[B]

Yeah. That means the definition of insanity, we

[A]

have to do something different.

[B]

We have to change it up.

[A]

Yes, but what is that thing? Like that's, this is really like this tug of war is what's happening.

[B]

Speaking of seas. Cause I know that you understand how like acts of war happen and all, just how things, how Trump is able to just do what he does. What is the discourse behind the straight or Hormuz. Like, he basically decided, I'm going to start a war with Iran, but I'm not going to get, go through the proper channels to do so. Am I correct in saying that?

[A]

Well, he didn't seek the permission of Congress. Okay. No, he did not. And the proper channels to declare war are that you have to get Congress his approval. Yes. Is the President allowed to use military force for a period of time up until, you know that he's required to seek the permission of Congress? Yes.

[B]

What is that timeline?

[A]

It's 60 days and then you have a 30 day time period from which you must withdraw the. Withdraw the troops.

[B]

Okay. So, so you can go attack a place and then for 60 days. I got two months.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. And that's exactly what has happened. We're now outside of the 60 day timeline because the, the war in Iran started of February. So we're now outside of 60 days. We're in the final 30 day stretch by which under the law everybody is supposed to be home. Right. But here's herein lies the problem. What is the enforcement mechanism?

[B]

There has been no enforcement.

[A]

What is the enforcement mechanism? Is it, are we sending troops to remove the troops?

[B]

Right, right.

[A]

You know, like, is that, what, how does that actually happen? Are we having a judge, you know, who's filing a lawsuit? Is a judge going to be like, you bring no boys home.

[B]

You get a couple members of the irs, like, send somebody on the auditing team because they'll find you. I'll tell you what, you think, you think you're on vacation, The IRS will.

[A]

Don't get me started on the irs.

[B]

I would love to talk.

[A]

Let's talk about the irs. Here we go.

[B]

The irs though, because I pay my taxes. I did have to file an extension, but I pay them same honorably.

[A]

Yes, so do I. But doesn't it, doesn't it.

[B]

I just got so scared.

[A]

Doesn't it gall you that a small business owner like yourself has to pay, you know, a massive percentage of taxes? And you feel like you are. The enforcement is down your throat. Meanwhile, we have these billionaires who are like, I paid taxes on 80,000 last year even though I'm worth like $50 billion. Doesn't that really kind of chap your

[B]

high spoils me in a way that it all end up on blood pressure medicine if I really get into it. Yes. It's insane. It's, you know, they want to say like, eat the rich. No, it's just treat them fairly.

[A]

That's all it is.

[B]

If I'm paying my fair share, why are you paying your fair share?

[A]

That's all it is. Nobody's saying make the rich people poor people. We're saying let's, let's apply the law fairly to people of all means.

[B]

And what does the law say right now so that we understand it?

[A]

Well, I mean, the way that, you know, the tax structure works, I'm certainly not a, you know, a tax professional, but, you know, there are, we have a system where you pay a higher percentage when you have a higher net worth. Right. But we also have a system of loopholes in which people can have almost all their net worth in stock options and they don't have to declare any of that as income. And we have a system by which it is legal for people of high net worth to borrow money from themselves via their stock portfolios. I'm borrowing money from myself tax free. And then they pay themselves back on a schedule that, you know, feels right to them.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And they thereby are not contributing to the tax base in the same way that middle class people are. Because middle class people don't have the option of holding the, almost the entirety of their net worth in stock options.

[B]

Right, right, right.

[A]

Like I don't. Oh, sorry. You know, 300 billion of my dollars is tied up in the stock of XYZ Rocket Ship Company.

[B]

Can't, can't cut that check.

[A]

It's unrealized gains.

[B]

I'm just trying to write off spray tans. You know what, that my accountant push that through. Okay. Because the amount of spray tans I'm getting is an obscene amount. I'm very white today, but it's usually

[A]

Your tan normally looks great.

[B]

Thank you. Yeah, thank you.

[A]

Tanning is.

[B]

But if I can't write those off, we may be in financial ruins.

[A]

Right? Like you're telling me that I'm going to have to pay a bunch of penalties if I don't fill out this form by a certain date, somebody's going to show up at my door. But meanwhile, all these other people are like, I put down zero income. I mean, all we're asking is for the law to be applied fairly. That's it. That's not an unreasonable demand at all.

[B]

Everybody across the board would feel the same way about that. I am off tour, which means I am all about health and wellness. And here's the thing that I'm really trying to incorporate into my regimen is fiber. All right? We're all about protein, protein, protein. Well, yeah, guess what? And then you don't shit for a week and you're like, that was a mistake. Fiber isn't new and it's not trendy, but it might be one of the most important and most overlooked parts of your health. Nearly 95% of people aren't getting enough fiber. Okay? That is too many people. Modern diets aren't helping us busy lifestyles make it really hard to make it consistent. Well, that is why I love Momentous launched Fiber Plus, a triple action formula combining soluble and insoluble fiber. Most fiber products haven't evolved, but Fiber plus combines three types of fiber, helping close a major gap in modern nutrition. Support your gut health and overall performance with Momentous Fiber plus and get up to to 35% off your entire first order at. Here's the website live momentous.com you're going to use promo code. Absolutely. That's live momentous.com promo code. Absolutely. I travel with fiber. It just makes me feel lighter. It makes me feel like I can stay regular no matter how much I travel. And one of the things I love is that it uses real cinnamon bark instead of commonly used artificial flavors that disrupt your gut. LiveMomentous.com promo code Absolutely. For 35% off. LiveMomentous.com, promo code. Absolutely. If you are thinking about getting on a GLP1, you want to do it the right way. Okay. And I'll listen. I've been on GLP1s. I've done it the wrong way, but now I'm doing the right way. And I'm doing it the right way with Robody. You know, too many people write themselves off before even exploring treatment and assuming they won't even qualify or like your insurance won't cover it. There's so much misinformation about these GLP ones months, and then you think, oh, the cost is going to be too high. Well, robot makes it easy to check what's available. RO is awesome. They help determine coverage for free and offer cash pay FDA approved options so eligible patients can find a path that actually fits their budget. Listen, I started using RO because it just made more sense to me. ROE wants to help people lose weight, and that's why they have the lowest cost options out there, whether you're paying with insurance or with cash. Rose Free insurance checker makes it easy to see if you're covered. Okay. And their free insurance checker will send you a a comprehensive report of your coverage details so you can make the decision that's right for your goals. Go to RO Co Absolutelynot to see if you qualify. That's RO Co Absolutely not to see if you qualify. And to get started on RO, go to RO Safety for box warning and full safety information about GLP1 medications. If you've ever thought about doing it, do it the right way. Don't do it the wrong way. Don't just jump into it. Do it with ro. Okay? And again, let me spell it out for you. That's ro. Absolutely not to get started with RO Quints. You know, Em, you love them. You order from them, baby. I got a couch. I've got washable silk. I got soft organic cotton. I bought my sheets from Quince. I bought a couch from Quints. I bought all my outfits for Europe from Quince. If y' all aren't shopping on Quint, what are you doing? Their denim is so soft and easy to wear. And their organic cotton sweaters are perfect for layering on cool summer nights. I got some gorgeous 100% European linen that I am taking to Europe, okay? And the Europeans are gonna be like, hey, bitch, where'd you get that? And I'm gonna say, hey, I got it from Quince. Merci beaucoup. I'm shopping at Quint's. Quince works directly with ethical factories, and they cut out the middleman. So you're paying for quality, not the brand markup. And it's not just clothing. I've been telling y', all, they have become the destination for elevated essentials across your home. Kitchen, bedding, and beyond. And it makes it easy to bring a more premium feel into everyday life. Y', all, I just bought all of my new sheets for my new home from Quince. I bought A gorgeous couch for my martini room. I bought a couch for my bedroom. I am buying outdoor furniture from Quince. I don't even get a deal from them and I'm freaking buying from Quince. But you can elevate your summer wardrobe or anything in your house. Go to quince.com absolutely.

[A]

For.

[B]

For free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. They're now available in Canada too. A, that's Q U I n c e.com Absolutely. For free shipping and a 365 day returns. Quince.com Absolutely. Again, that's quince.com Absolutely. And also too, I, you know, I see a lot of people online are like, I'm not paying my taxes here. Like taxation without representation. And can you explain to the audience a little bit about like, like where that fire is coming from, how they feel that they're. Because you're saying like, Congress is not getting anything done. So they're feeling very much so, like, well, why should I pay my taxes if these guys aren't.

[A]

Yeah, that. I mean, the overwhelming majority of Americans on both sides of the aisle do not feel well represented by the current system of. Of government.

[B]

And what's the Senate doing?

[A]

Where are they Exactly. Where. What is the Senate doing?

[B]

Vacation. Do they vacation at the same time?

[A]

No.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Not always.

[B]

So, like, you get Tuesdays off and they get Friday.

[A]

There can be there. There can be some overlap, especially around major hol. But their scheduled recess times are. They're not always a big overlap. Sometimes, you know, oh, the House is back Tuesday, but the Senate's not back till Friday. And technically, Heather, members of Congress technically are really required to be there Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday each week. Monday and Friday are fly in days, they call it, where they're supposed to have time to travel home to their home district. And yeah, if you live in Hawaii, it does take a while to get from D.C. to Hawaii. I get that it's not a quick

[B]

little jaunt, but like, why is Lindsey Graham at Disney World right.

[A]

While the government is shut down?

[B]

While the government is shut down. I mean, with some frozen ears on and a funnel.

[A]

Great question. What is he doing there? Yeah, great question.

[B]

Already creepy enough. What are we doing at the Disney Worlds? That is.

[A]

It's a great question that I would love an answer to, but I unfortunately don't have one. One. The. So, yeah, I mean, the most Americans feel like this whole system is bs.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it doesn't. It represents a handful of the ultra wealthy and the ultra wealthy's wishes that Then get foisted upon me.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And nothing I do matters. And I made the phone calls, and I wrote the letters, and I voted, and I did all. And I'm. You know, I would say you're probably better informed than the average American, Heather. Like, you, actually. No, you are.

[B]

Well, just because I follow your Instagram, and I'm like, okay, this makes sense. I understand what this bill is because you're really great at breaking down.

[A]

I appreciate that.

[B]

The. The big, beautiful bill and all those things. I'm. I'm like, I don't understand you. When you start to really peel back the layers, you're like, oh, my God. We really start to.

[A]

It's very complicated. It's complicated on purpose. But. But you do. You are better informed. I can just tell you. Thank you. The fact that you could name two members of Congress that don't represent you like that actually, like, you actually are. Now there's average person, and then there's Heather.

[B]

Well, thank you. I'm trying to really educate myself. I also think Thomas Massie is so interesting because, you know, he's obsessed with the national debt, and also he lives off the grid, which I am. Like, again, if people in our government who are in the rooms are all off the grid, unfortunately, I think, again, we got to get a whale and a generator.

[A]

Well, Mike Johnson allegedly doesn't have any bank accounts. Have you heard this?

[B]

Where's his money?

[A]

Yeah, great question. I'd love to tell you. I'll tell you where it is.

[B]

I don't.

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

It's either in a Buff City soap franchise. I don't know if you've heard about this, but I've heard no Buff City Soaps. It's a soap company that's all over the Southeast. They're all everywhere. And I don't know who's buying that much soap. And so I said the other day, it's kind of like a Mattress King.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

It's like, how are people. Everybody buying their mattress?

[A]

Do we need 1412 mattress kings?

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

14 mattress kings in this 12 block radius.

[B]

Like, I hate to say that, but Mike Johnson probably has invested or has his money in either the soap empire or under the Mattress King.

[A]

Because.

[B]

Because. So where is his money?

[A]

Yeah, that's a great question. You're required as part of your congressional disclosures to say things like, I have an account at this bank. Yeah. Here's how much is in this account. Here's. You know, like, they want to make sure that there are no conflicts of interest. And so his finance.

[B]

Guess what? Lots of conflicts of interest.

[A]

Yeah, his financial disclosures. He says he has no bank accounts. He says he has no bank accounts.

[B]

And they just take it and they're

[A]

like, okay, I guess you don't have any bank accounts.

[B]

Just a couple piggy banks.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Sitting in my apartment.

[A]

So is it just your wife that has bank accounts? You also are required to report your spouse's. Your spouse's financial holdings, because, again, they want to make sure that we don't. Again, who's enforcing these things? But there are laws about financial disclosures. So where. Where is your money? Where's your money, Mike?

[B]

Well, there's always money in the banana stand, you know, and that I did not know that. I really don't like Mike Johnson. I gotta be honest with you. Every time I see him with his little glasses and his smug little face,

[A]

just a little Southern accent.

[B]

Yeah. And his little Southern accent. As a Southern, I go, I know you. I know you. I don't like you. Okay. And he has no. So he has no accounts.

[A]

Well, that's fine. According to him. According to him, he has no bank accounts.

[B]

I mean, I'd love to not have a Bank of America account, but unfortunately I do. And the debit card is a pain in the ass.

[A]

I mean, these are the things that average Americans are. Are. It's perfectly understandable that they look around and they're like, you've got to be kidding me. I'm out here working in this insurance office. I'm out here. I'm a nurse in the emergency room. Yeah. I'm literally cleaning up your kids vomit.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you're telling me I don't have any bank accounts, I don't need to do any financial disclosures. Exactly. You're taking 30% of my check, and meanwhile, the billionaires are paying 1%. I mean, like, it. It is. It's just a galling situation. It truly is.

[B]

And I. And I also agree, maybe it's crazy. I don't feel that if you were in government, you should be able to trade publicly 100%. I mean, is that insane?

[A]

No, it's not insane. Like, it's not insane at all.

[B]

Because to me, there's just no way that you don't have your hand in every single pot.

[A]

There are people who track trades of members of Congress.

[B]

I'm obsessed.

[A]

Yes, yes. And there are social media accounts that report on, you know, today, you know, Nancy Pelosi sold $20,000, blah, blah, blah. Some of the best traders are Democrats. There's a bunch of good Republican traders as well, in terms of being good at making money in the stock market. Here's the problem with the stock disclosure situation is that they are required to. Within a certain time period, there's a delay, they're required to disclose how much money they made on a stock trade. If they don't file the paperwork, then

[B]

I gotta follow up.

[A]

Yeah, the penalty is $300.

[B]

I'm sorry, it's a. But you just made 100 million on whatever your trade was. Okay. I'd be doing that all day.

[A]

Right. 300 bucks is nothing.

[B]

300 bucks is nothing.

[A]

Take it from my check. Yeah, go ahead. Just take it out. Take it out of my check. 300 bucks. It's not a big deal. Like, we. One of the big challenges here is a lack of enforceability of these rules.

[B]

And meanwhile, you could storm the Capitol and attack Capitol Police.

[A]

Yeah, you're good. We'll pardon you.

[B]

Ride hard, baby.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Oh, Sedisha's cool. Conspiracy. No probs.

[B]

No.

[A]

No probs. Oh, you plan to kidnap the vice president. You're cool. That's totally normal and fine, and we don't have any problems with that. The whole system and I. And I'm not saying this to. To, you know, downer. No, I'm not saying this to be a downer. I'm saying I'm voicing the concerns of real Americans, and we all feel that way.

[B]

And so here's. Let's. Let's take a. Let's take a positive spin. How can we, moving forward, hold the people that we have elected accountable? Because it feels like there is nothing you can do. And I know we have some major, major elections that are coming up. What can we do from a community level, a state level, a personal level? How can we implement change or even feel like anything that we are doing in our voice matters?

[A]

Yeah. I think the first thing to keep in mind here is that the majority of members of Congress come from state and local government. If you want better candidates in the future, you have to start caring about local candidates. This is where. This is where, like, they're getting. And this is where they're coming from. They're not appearing out of nowhere in the vast majority of cases. So if you. If you care about, like, who's going to be my senator in four years, you need to start caring about who you are voting for at your city council, who you're voting for for state senate, and not just letting those races, you know, be unopposed. Not just letting those races, Nobody shows up to vote in the primaries. This is who will be in Congress someday. So we do have to start caring about what's happening at the state level. And that's is less sexy than like the big Senate races. You're very familiar with big Senate races in Georgia. You had some big high stakes Senate races in Georgia in the last few years. It's so, it seems like a city council. Come on, like, what is that going to do? Like, that's how it's easy to feel that way, but this is legitimately where these things start. If we want a better future, we have to start caring about these things now.

[B]

What do you think about Spencer Pratt running for mayor? I know that's. I mean, I really don't know how to feel about it because I understand how many people feel so honestly jostled by what has gone on in la. But I lived in la. I love la. I am so curious because I do know that the man has lost millions of dollars by buying crystals, hummingbird feeders, which support the crystal and the hummingbird feeder community.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

But I am just a little curious, like, you're somebody who really grabbed the bull by the horns and was like, listen, I'm gonna go for it. I mean, he's running for mayor, which is obviously incredibly important, but he has

[A]

a couple of huge advantages. I don't live here, so I have no, no stakes in the game. He has a couple of huge advantages. One is name recognition, which is, which is massive for any political candidate. I already know who you are.

[B]

Right.

[A]

The second one is, is he's running as a change agent. And Americans are hungry for change at this moment, especially when they see things that are happening in their own communities, like, oh, so we're just going to let LA burn down. Cool. You know, like, that's fine. I didn't need that, that whole neighborhood anyway.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So this idea that somebody is like, hell, yeah, I'm going to get in here and I'm going to change everything. Like that actually is very refreshing to a large number of people.

[B]

It's one of the ways it's inspiring to the community.

[A]

It's one of the ways Donald Trump has gotten elected is that he's run as a change agent. And so he has those two things going for him. Nobody is claiming, oh, this man is the most qualified. But the, in terms of like, governmental experience. No, he, he doesn't purport to have governmental experience. What he has going for him. And again, I'm not saying this is why he should be mayor. I Don't know if he should be mayor or not.

[B]

He has an army of hummingbirds.

[A]

He has a large number of crystals

[B]

cleaning up the litter all over the city.

[A]

The litter is the problem. The name recognition alone is something you can't. It's difficult to buy. It's difficult to buy name recognition. And I think, again, it speaks to this idea that people are tired of this day. Status quo. Yeah, let's. We've already done that. Let's try something different.

[B]

I really try to, in my community of, you know, strong white women, I really try and shake them up and have these, like, honest conversations, and I piss a lot of people off. And that's fine. I, I. You're comedian.

[A]

You have to.

[B]

I'm also, I'm a comedian, right. And I'll. And I'll stand on ground. I'll stand on, on what I believe in. But I have. Many people have approached me and they've said, you've got to run for something. And I'm like, well, I don't think right now, again, I got to pay my quarterly taxes now. I will run, run for a major. I will run for a high office if it means, again, I don't have to have a bank account and I don't have to pay my taxes. That sounds fun.

[A]

You get to go on vacation huge percentage of the year.

[B]

I'll go with Lindsey Graham to Disney World in a heartbeat. If it means I'm not paying taxes and I have no bank account. All right. That means I can have gotten off the grid. Well.

[A]

And no bank account.

[B]

No bank account. This is fun. That sounds fun. Sharon, you have a new children's book that just came out, Correct? We are my children's book because obviously, advocate for kids and then I'll let you get out of here, because I know I could talk to you for all for eight hours.

[A]

Same. It's called We Are Mighty. It's out May 19th. It is 12 ordinary Americans who made a difference in their communities. And, you know, it's one of the things that I think we all, frankly, need to learn, not just as children, but also as adults, that, like, we actually can do things that are good in the world. We're not just. We don't have to just put up with the status quo.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It doesn't mean we don't, you know, the idea that somebody would say, well, that's just how things are. We actually could just answer, maybe, but it's not how they have to stay.

[B]

Amen. I love that.

[A]

And I think you embody that essay, Heather.

[B]

Well, I think you have been a incredible guiding light. I adore you and everybody can find you on Instagram. Sharon says so. Correct?

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And where else can everybody find you? Because I want to get the book and just follow all of what you're doing because Sharon, I think you truly are is such an honor to talk to you today and I adore you and I just think you're such a guiding light in such a dark world and I appreciate you taking the time today to talk.

[A]

Oh my gosh. My pleasure, my pleasure. You can just My website is Sharon McMahon.com Perfect, y'. All.

[B]

There is so much more conversation to be had with the incredible Sharon McMahon. I truly adore her and I hope that you found this conversation insightful. We are going to have a bonus episode this Friday to keep the conversation going. She and I literally talked for like two and a half hours. I adore her and I adore talking to smart like minded women who can also break down public policy and help us better understand what is going on. I hope that you found this educational. And again, we are going to have a bonus episode this Friday so please follow the rest of the conversation when it comes out this week. I hope you have a fantastic week. I love you. I mean it. Ciao bella. Arrivederci. We'll see you on Friday. Thanks so much much for listening to today's episode. Don't forget to subscribe, rate us and leave a review. And as always, follow me on Instagram at heatherkmcmahon. See you guys soon. Can.