Leftist Episcopalian Bishop Joins MS NOW to Celebrate 'Return to Decency' After Midterms

On Thursday, MS NOW's Money, Power, Politics with Stephanie Ruhle continued the midterm celebrations, with the show closing with a segment on how the election and Democratic wins repeated a "return to decency." 

Using Texas Democrat Senator-elect James Talarico as an example of "decency," Ruhle was joined by Leftist Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde, who was known for repudiating Trump's policies at a 2025 inauguration mass, and Dignity.us founder Tim Shriver. 

Budde led, after Ruhle described Talarico and other Democrats as focusing on "civility and unity" in their campaign, and said, "Well, a hunger and a longing and a collective insistence that we can do better, that lines were crossed"

In more midterm fallout, MS NOW brought on leftist Episcopalian Bishop Marianne Budde to claim the midterm signaled a “return to decency” in the final segment of Stephanie Ruhle’s show.

Tim Shriver was also on, warning of Democrats retaliating against Republicans, but was… pic.twitter.com/yWdyfPJtCD

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After Budde preached, Ruhle said Talarico and other Democrats acted "opposite of the way this country has been operating since Donald Trump went down the gold escalator."

Shriver cautioned Republicans and Democrats: "Well, I think it is, but I think we should be cautious a little bit, Stephanie, here in seeing this only as a victory of a party. Love thy neighbor is not a Democratic ideal, or a Republican ideal. It's a human ideal. It's a faith-based ideal. It's a spiritual, it's a psychological ideal."

However, Shriver did seem to agree on the "return to decency" point, but started to warn about Democrats having to "practice what they preached."

Shriver later warned about Democrats' tendency or feeling of revenge against Republicans, but said they can hold them "accountable ": (Click "expand")

If the Democratic message is you voted for Donald Trump two years ago, and we're going to punish you for having done so, the Democratic Party will show itself to be not sincere in the message it brought to these elections, that Senator-ellect Hamilton, Senator-elect Talarico, are trying to manifest here a different way of treating each other. This is the issue. 

How are they going to treat people who didn't vote for them and who are in the other party? That will be the litmus test, not whether or not they can jam through a piece of legislation that proves to Republicans, or proves to the other party that they are now in the minority and they're going to get punished.

To dispel most of the point Shriver tried to make about decency and Democrats' need to retaliate against Republicans at essentially the very end of the segment, MS NOW's Ayman Mohyeldin chimed into say people should "not equate both sides."

I'm sorry, but I fundamentally disagree with the premise that the way Democrats talk about Republicans is the same way Republicans talk about Democrats.

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But, still, Mohyeldin continued to decry Republicans even more: (Click "expand")

But it's also very dangerous to try to pretend that Democrats and Republicans are engaging in the same type of cultural war issues, and talking about the other side in the same type of language. 

We are not creating a culture of fear against Trans people and gay people in this country, and women and muslims. We have normalized some of that language because the president of the United States, has used the bulpiof that office, and the Republican Party has gone along with it. 

So I think it's important to have this conversation about dignity, and it's important that we restore dignity. But I just don't think that both sides are engaging in the discourse with the same kind of vulgarity equally.

After Moynihan finished, Budde joined in with more preaching that sounded a lot like progressive political analysis:

And I think what we're seeing is a call from the country to say, "Can we go back?"

And to your conversation about how that reverberates around the world? How can we restore relationships with people that are working in common. Concert for a global reality in which all people can thrive?

While Shriver tried to actually be hopeful for decency forthjose in all political parties, Budde and Mohyeldin avoided most of it and decided to continue their attacks on Republicans instead.

The transcript is below. Click "expand":

MS NOW's Money, Power, Politics

November 5, 2026

10:48:48 AM Eastern

STEPHANIE RUHLE: Be prepared. This will be my favorite segment of the show. One theme coming out of the election results this week is that voters seem to demand a return to decency. I want you to listen to just a portion of James Talarico his victory speech.

SEN-ELECT: JAMES TALARICO (D-TX): People across the political spectrum are hungry for a different kind of politics, not a politics of hate, not a politics of fear, not a politics of division, but a politics of love.

RUHLE: Through politics of love. That message led to a huge win for Talarico and several other Democrats, who focused on civility and unity. 

Joining the group chat two of my favorites Tim Shriver, co-creator of the Dignity Index and CEO and founder of Dignity.us, and Bishop Marianne Budde, spiritual leader for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. Bishop Budde, what is your take here? Decency is back on the big stage. Yeah. 

BISHOP MARIANNE BUDDE: Well, a hunger and a longing and a collective insistence that we can do better, that we have a – that lines were crossed. That the collective body politic was ready and mobilized and believed that it was possible that we could have decency and kindness and a basic respect for one another as part of our public discourse.

RUHLE: Tim, when I watch that James Talarico acceptance speech on the podium, it read, love thy neighbor. That is the extreme opposite of the way this country has been operating since Donald Trump went down the gold escalator.

TIM SHRIVER: Well, I think it is, but I think we should be cautious a little bit, Stephanie, here in seeing this only as a victory of a party. Love thy neighbor is not a Democratic ideal, or a Republican ideal. It's a human ideal. It's a faith-based ideal. It's a spiritual, it's a psychological ideal. 

So what you're seeing here is not just a victory of a party, but the victory of a hope. The victory of a belief in each other. The victory that we can actually solve our problems if we show some dignity towards one another. And I think that's where Democrats now are going to be invited to practice what they preached, to prove that they can solve America's problems by listening to them, by showing some dignity to Americans, and by treating each other with dignity as a leadership style.

RUHLE: Then how do you keep this from being more than momentary, right? Like Donald Trump, I get it, this is not about one political party or another, but Donald Trump set a stage. And I mean, just think, Tim, about Vivek Ramaswamy ad just a week ago. Our current vice president backed it. So if this isn't just Democrats who need to lead the way, how do Republicans find the path?

BUDDE: Well, I think.

SHRIVER: I think Republicans can take.

RUHLE: Okay, well. Hold on, Tim –

BUDDE: I'm going to jump in, Tim, hold on I'm going to jump in here because I feel like one of the things that we have to do as faith leaders and civic leaders is to say that, I mean, first of all, that that ad just got — I think we have to give some people who identify across the spectrum of politics permission to believe that working together is possible and that there are red lines that we don't cross. And I think that's what you were saying to him, that there are ways that we do this together, and if we focus on our partisan identities, those identities are too small. We need broader, broader identities in our love for this country, our love for one another, and the faith traditions that sustain us.

RUHLE: Tim?

SHRIVER: Well, I mean, first of all, I listen to Bisjop Budde all day long –

RUHLE: Me too.

SHRIVER: — and I'm happy to defer to her any time. So, but I do think the question, Stephanie, here is an important one you're asking, which is there are a lot of Democrats, and you know them, so do I, that are looking now for a politics of revenge. "Let's retaliate. Let's get back at them. Let's show them the same medicine they showed us." In my view. And as I read the results, that would be exactly the wrong strategy. Accountability, yes, but accountability can be done with dignity. Problem solving. Yes. Let's solve problems that have been paralyzed. Yes, but let's solve them in a way that shows respect for people who differ from us. 

If the Democratic message is you voted for Donald Trump two years ago, and we're going to punish you for having done so, the Democratic Party will show itself to be not sincere in the message it brought to these elections, that Senator-ellect Hamilton, Senator-elect Talarico, are trying to manifest here a different way of treating each other. This is the issue. How are they going to treat people who didn't vote for them and who are in the other party? That will be the litmus test, not whether or not they can jam through a piece of legislation that proves to Republicans, or proves to the other party that they are now in the minority and they're going to get punished.

RUHLE: Mr. Mohyeldin.

AYMAN MOHYELDIN: I was going to say I agree with this. I think this is so important to have this conversation. 

I think the one thing that I'm mindful of, though is to not equate both sides. I'm sorry, but I fundamentally disagree with the premise that the way Democrats talk about Republicans is the same that Republicans talk about Democrats. 

It's not to say that Democrats don't do bad things, but you did not have a president of the United States use the full force of his office to denounce a Muslim candidate and run rampant with islamophobia that he normalized it in media and in the national discourse, accusing him of being a terrorist without any evidence, not just against one candidate, but multiple Muslim candidates. We don't have a president of the United States who's questioning the birth certificate of a Republican president. 

So, I am mindful that we – Of course, there should not be retribution, and Democrats should not pursue a policy of retribution, because that's not what America is about. But it's also very dangerous to try to pretend that Democrats and Republicans are engaging in the same type of cultural war issues, and talking about the other side in the same type of language. 

We are not creating a culture of fear against Trans people and gay people in this country, and women and muslims. We have normalized some of that language because the president of the United States, has used the bulpiof that office, and the Republican Party has gone along with it. 

So I think it's important to have this conversation about dignity, and it's important that we restore dignity. But I just don't think that both sides are engaging in the discourse with the same kind of vulgarity equally.

RUHLE: Bishop, last point to you.

BUDDE: [Pause] [To Mohyeldin] Thank you. 

The coarsening of our public life and the dehumanizing of other people is a tendency across the human race. Right? We have that in us, and we can all go down that path, right? And we can all be elevated to higher values and higher aspirations. And I think what we're seeing is a call from the country to say, "Can we go back."

And to your conversation about how that reverberates around the world? How can we restore relationships with people that are working in common. Concert for a global reality in which all people can thrive?

(...)