Doomscrolling, Heated Rivalry, and the New Way Politics Actually Moves

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We had Liz Minnella on the pod this week, and she immediately gave us two gifts:

1. permission to stop pretending we’re above pop culture escapism, and

2. an extremely clear explanation of how politics is actually being sold to voters in 2026 (and why Dems keep acting like it’s still 2008).

First: the palate cleanser.

Liz told us she finished Heated Rivalry “like every mom in America,” and honestly? Same. She described one of those days where the news is so bleak you can feel your nervous system vibrating. You scroll. You refresh. You scroll again. You’re hoping for something that makes it make sense, and instead it just gets worse.

Her solution: an edible and three episodes of what she lovingly called “gay hockey porn.” Not as a joke — as a coping mechanism. A way to stop picking up the phone and doomscrolling “our republic falling apart before our eyes.”

(SIDE NOTE: This episode was recorded BEFORE the US Men’s Hockey Team had that infamous Trump call, we’ll get into that another time, they don’t get a pass.)

If you’ve been there (we have), consider this your official permission slip: you don’t have to raw-dog the news cycle.

Then Liz hit us with the line that stuck:

Motherhood right now? Whiplash.

Because in the same day, you can have an hour of pure three-year-old joy — one-on-one time, belly laughs, the sweet little bubble where nothing exists except snacks and wonder — and then you open your phone and remember the world is not safe for everyone’s kids. And it messes with you. The gratitude. The guilt. The fact that so much of what we have is, in Liz’s words, “an accident of birth.”

And that whiplash is exactly where the modern information ecosystem gets dangerous.

Here’s the part everyone in politics needs to tattoo on their forehead:

A lot of voters aren’t being persuaded by candidates or traditional media. They’re being persuaded by the person who helped them solve a real problem in their life.

Liz gave an example we haven’t stopped thinking about: you’re a mom whose kid has terrible eczema. You do everything “right.” You go to the pediatrician, get referred to a specialist, and you’re told you can be seen in six months. Meanwhile your kid is suffering now.

So you do what any normal person does: you go online. You look for help. And when someone who looks like you and talks like you and lives a life like yours says “here’s what worked,” and it helps even a little… trust forms. A parasocial relationship forms. And later, when that same person tells you who to vote for — they don’t have to explain policy. They already won.

This is not us endorsing misinformation. It’s us acknowledging reality.

Liz’s point was simple: instead of screaming “that’s crazy,” we need to understand that this is how persuasion is happening — and build a smarter strategy around it.

Which brings us to her biggest critique of Democrats:

We want control. Republicans don’t.

On the right, the question is basically: Do you get attention? Can you move people? Welcome aboard.
On the left, we act like every messenger is a liability, every creator needs to be vetted to death, and anything outside the consultant-approved script is terrifying.

Meanwhile, the internet is doing what the internet does: shaping norms, creating vibes, and moving people through trust — not through press releases.

Liz wasn’t saying “ditch doors.” She was saying we’re in a messy middle where old tactics don’t work like they used to, and we’re resisting the very tools that are clearly shaping the next few cycles: creators, micro-influencers, geographic messengers, and actually meeting people where they are (online and in real life).

Also, for the record: school fundraisers that feel like full-time jobs? Not hot.
Brand deals for mom creators? Hot. Pay women for work.

We’ll leave you with Liz’s closer, which honestly felt like a pep talk we all needed:

You have a phone. You have an opinion. You have lived experience. You’re not “just a mom.” You’re allowed to be an architect of what comes next.

And if you need a break before you do that?

We heard there’s a hockey romance with your name on it.

— Tanya + Sarah

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