Watching a congressional hearing might lead one to assume that the men and women who scream, yell and name-call each other for hours a day could ever get along, much less be friends.
However, Ellie Gottheimer and Larra Mullin, the daughters of Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer (New Jersey) and Republican U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Oklahoma), President Donald Trump's secretary of Homeland Security, have teamed up to write a children's book that aims to relay a message of bipartisan unity rather than division.
"Shmoo & Ozzie Go to Washington" follows two dogs, named for the girls’ real pets, whose dads serve in "doggy Congress," where they must work together to pass a bill to fund a beloved dog park.
The New Jersey Globe calls it "a gentle echo of the real-life partnership between their fathers."
Gottheimer recently told Fox News (video below) that, despite the bad reputation social media can give lawmakers, she and Larra, like their dads, are longtime friends.
"We really wanted to be able to teach the next generation who are getting all their news and all their media from social media and this extremism that you can work together, you can be friends, even if you disagree fundamentally on politics," Gottheimer said.
The two also shared stories about how members of Congress from opposite sides of the aisle can still find common ground — including in the weight room.
"My dad has a bunch of Democrat friends; they work out together every morning, and if politics gets brought up, you have burpees," Mullin said. "I love seeing that, and I think it's great."
Proceeds from the book will benefit Project Night Night, a nonprofit that provides tens of thousands of homeless children each year with a security blanket, a stuffed animal and a book.
