This has to be the nightmare of every talking head on television, or at least one of them. The worst would be getting a live call from an old flame who wants to tell your secrets while you squirm on camera, but for Brad and Dallas Woodhouse, this may be every bit as bad. The two brothers work as activists on opposite sides of the two-party system, and according to “Joy in Raleigh,” they don’t let it go when they’re home for the holidays (TPM, via OTB):

The Woodhouse brothers are on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Brad is a Democratic operative who helps run the super PAC American Bridge and Dallas, by contrast, is a Republican who helps run the conservative Carolina Rising. The were on C-SPAN to talk about their documentary, Woodhouse Divided, when their mother called in.

“Well, you’re right I’m from down south,” Joy Woodhouse began when she was introduced as “Joy in Raleigh, North Carolina.”

“Oh god, it’s Mom,” Dallas Woodhouse said, putting his face in his hands.

“And I’m you’re mother,” Joy continued as both brothers flinched. “And I disagree that all families are like ours. I don’t know many families that are fighting at Thanksgiving. I was very glad that this Thanksgiving was a year that you two were supposed to go to your in-laws. And I’m hoping you’ll have some of this out of your system when you come here for Christmas. I would really like a peaceful Christmas.”

Just imagine how bad it has to be to have a mother not only grateful that you didn’t show up for a holiday, but who goes on national television to make sure you know it.  My mother wouldn’t do something like that … unless I really ticked her off. She’s a regular in the TEMS chat room, so the chatizens there would know if I did that. At least for now, I’m still invited to holiday dinners. For now. Tune in to TEMS to see if that remains the case.

Anyway, perhaps this will be a wake-up call to the Woodhouse boys to clean up their act for Mom. No politics this Christmas, guys. Find a topic on which we can all come together, like … er … um … well, good luck on that score. Kudos to both, too, for handling this with good humor.