By Dallas Woodhouse 

Ten years ago this week, my mother, Joyce Woodhouse, made the phone call heard around the world.

As has been well documented, my mother raised two politically opposite sons. I have worked in conservative North Carolina politics for a quarter of a century — from running organizations like Americans for Prosperity-North Carolina and the N.C. Republican Party to my current position as state director of American Majority-North Carolina.

My older brother Brad has been a top-level Democratic strategist working for Democratic campaigns and causes for decades.

In 2014, we were discussing “Woodhouse Divided,” an excellent documentary made by Raleigh filmmaker Bryan Miller, of Front Runner Productions. The film followed Brad and me on opposite sides of the healthcare (Obamacare) battle for several years.

Brad and I were getting into a personal and heated debate on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal program, when our own mother called into the show to scold on live TV.

The 2-minute clip quickly went viral. In the coming months, more than 10 million people viewed the clip, among the most watched videos in the history of C-Span. It was broadcast on late night TV, news programs and daytime TV. Brad and I were approached about developing a TV sitcom.

The appearance generated countless articles and interview requests. 

As I stated at the time:

The documentary “is the story of all families and the kinds of stories they have around their Thanksgiving tables and the conversations they’ll have with their extended families round the Christmas table.”

Brad and I used our fleeting fame to encourage people to discuss politics in a measured and respectful way with their families. We believed, and continue to believe, you can have sharp disagreements without believing the other side is evil. Yes, you can disagree, without being disagreeable. Brad and I have strived for that. We have succeeded more than we have failed.

This week, we relived the viral moment back on C-Span and talked about what is the same and what has changed. 

Mom used her lasting fame to talk about love of family, even through tense situations.

Thanks to the immense popularity of mom’s call, all three of us were invited to the White House Correspondence Dinner, as guests of C-Span. The network said at the time they did not usually invite celebrity guests, as other major news media outlets did.

“We wanted to include Joyce Woodhouse, and her sons, because of the impact her phone call to Washington Journal had,” said C-Span. “Her phone call was recognized and reported nationwide. And for C-SPAN, she personifies the value of including calls — the views, comments, opinions of our audience — in our programming.”

My mother was photographed with President Obama. I met Russell Wilson and Tony Romo.

A lot has changed in the last 10 years, including the rise, fall and rise again of Donald Trump.

In December of 2014, Republicans were celebrating a big election victory, as they are today. Democrats celebrated big election victories in 2018 and 2020, and an overperformance in 2022.

Brad and I still argue over healthcare, and the size and scope of government. My mom has slowed down some but is still as sharp as a knife. America is still the greatest country in the world and both political parties are healthy and competitive.

We will all be together this Christmas. We will argue politics, eat, play cards and watch football. We still love each other despite our differences. A decade later, that is worth remembering and celebrating.

Dallas Woodhouse is the N.C. executive director for American Majority and author of The Woodshed for Carolina Journal.