88 ๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐ด were spent on the Republican race, meaning donors spent almost $100 ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ to elevate the smirking degenerate to Senate candidate. ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐จ๐๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ง๐๐ช๐.
This is what the final dissolution of the Republic looks like, only we have Temu Palpatine at the head.
In the battle between personal freedom and liberalism (small l) against fascism, people should remember it is a battle of extinction for one side or the other.
Just nobody I see anywhere is facing up to this - it's them or us and there will be no peace while both sides exist. NEVER.
It's us or them motherfuckers, there ain't no 'glasnost' between these two sides. And no one seems to be understanding this, at least with precious few exceptions. Certainly not the "media", whatever the fuck that is these days, and not most liberals who seem to think a political solution is available by "winning enough votes".
Won't work folks... The fascist party and their participants must be defeated totally and forced into unconditional surrender. And what bugs me is that the fascist party understands this very well, while knock kneed, cowardly, surrender monkey, vichy democrats seeking "bipartisan solutions" betray us to their fascist corporate owners.
FUCK THAT. Ain't gonna happen and we'll all be sent to concentration camps if our side doesn't win.
Unless you can get out of the country first. We'll see. But the idea that democrats winning in November is going to do fuck all to set this country straight is the dumbest shit I've ever heard. It won't hurt, but that is not going to mean fuck all in the end.
This is no wise meant to be a criticism of Stephen, or his excellent column, in any way, shape, or form. He is just telling it like it is.
To all of you that are saying that Paxton is going to โwin by a landslideโ or something similar, I would like to make an observation.
Texas has approximately 8 million registered Democrats, 6.6 million registered Republicans, and 2.8 million Independents. Just for the sake of argument, since it is TX, we will assume that 2m of those identifying as Independents actually vote Republican (it is likely to be more). That means that Texas is more or less 50/50 Democrat/Republican.
Donald Trump received 6.4m votes in Tx in 2024. Kamala Harris received 4.8m.
That means that somewhere around 75% of right-leaning voters went to the polls and voted and 55-60% of Democrats did.
At what point do we stop blaming Democratic โmessagingโ (which admittedly sucks) and start blaming the 3.2m registered Democrats who couldnโt be bothered to get off their sorry asses and go out and fucking vote to save our goddamned Democracy.
So, yeah, Paxton may โwin by a landslideโ, but if he does, it will be because a bunch of shithead Democrats (of which I am one, though I try not to be a shithead) didnโt bother to vote and will be no fault of James Talarico (just like it was no fault of Kamala Harris).
I realize that I am โpreaching to the choirโ here, and I am reasonably sure those reading Stephenโs work are not shitheads and most likely voted if they were able.
This is Texas we're talking about. Paxton is going to win in a landslide.
Even if Talarico manages to get more votes (a feat equivalent to winning the Powerball the same day you get struck by lightning. Twice.) the Texas lege will either call it a fraud and proceed to
A: force a recount that will magically end up with Paxton winning,
B: run crying to the supreme court and get Paxton his win that way, or,
C: Just straight up ignore it the results and install Paxton anyway. They need to set precedent for ignoring democratic wins in elections before 28, and what better place than texas?
"the Great Awokening Period โ one that might still continue to claim liberal casualties." Saying that abt the 30 seconds in which some of us took BLM and MeToo under consideration is appalling. You really think throwing marginalized people under the bus is a good look?
I don't think liberals actually took BLM/MeToo all that seriously with performative acts of "wokeness" that even Talarico concedes were "cringe," such as talking about interrogating his "whiteness," etc.
Now we're going to see the sadopopulism that gets the Republicans into the promised land accelerate at full speed. On top of this will be the bigoted fanfiction that caters to the priors and feeds the epistemic closure of racist, sexist people who always vote. It is the tactical nuclear weapon of politics and we're seeing in real time how they'll "strip the bark off" Talarico.
But at least no matter what there'll always be more fodder for people saying that Democrats need to "message" basic decency.
One little tip for Democratsโwhen Republicans keep going back to the well of โyou are making the kids trans!โ or something like that, you need a quick deflecting line. Reagan did this well when Carter (correctly) pointed out his previous opposition to Medicareโโthere you go again!โ Made voters think Carter was harping on no longer relevant matters (Medicare was law for 15 years by then, people were much more bothered by stagflation) and defanged the attack.
Kamala tried the โI followed the law as writtenโ which is really amazing that any consultant could have approved a response that pleased no one and got robotic in its presentation. But something more effective would be like โagain, you guys and other peopleโs genitals? Youโre obsessed, you freaks!โ Repeat it enough and voters will hear it in their heads next time these scum go on about the trans.
And itโs fair to point out that just because Stephen Millerโs head looks like a deformed penis, that doesnโt mean he has working parts.
I think a good response to the "mutilating kids" thing would be something along the lines of "you think about kids genitals more than those kids do." delivered in either a really disgusted way or an eye-rolling dismissive way.
I trust parents to make the best choices for their kids is an argument Republicans are actively making regarding vaccines! Itโs astonishing that this somehow catches Democrats flat-footed.
I meanโฆif Democrats paid attention and put in any effort instead of phoning it in and outsourcing everything to consultants they might not be flat footed.
The "mutilating children " makes me crazy. Trans adults are waiting 3 years for surgery if they're really lucky, and the idea that a child randomly gets surgery in one day without their parents knowing about it is so ludicrous that I can't imagine a response.
Maybe "name an instance of this so we can investigate it"?
And/or "meanwhile here's a list of names of kids mutilated by guns in school shootings. I'll work on helping these families while you're on your snipe hunt."
Just keep it simpleโโkeep out of other kidsโ genitals, you freak.โ Let people mind their own business is a universal value. No need to get bogged down in the details or even have to defend anything. Attack, always!
"I followed the laws as written" is one of the worst possible responses. As you say, it pleases no one and just makes you look like a sell-out. I do think consultants overestimate how much supposed "swing voters" care about the "rule of law."
They say that these consultants always run everything through focus groups so I wonder what focus group heard that response and thought โno notesโ?
Good point. The obsession over trans and genitals by repubs should have been used by Dems years ago, simply by pointing out how creepy it is that repubs obsess over other peoples' private parts. Your suggestion is good, as it's the truth, and the quick deflecting line they should use, rather than either throwing trans under the bus, or something namby-pamby, as Dems often do.
Yep too often Democrats treat Republican framing as though itโs legitimate or they have to pretend it is under some unwritten media rule. But Republicans of all people taught us you can reframe anything and go on the attack. Trans defense can be made relatable to anyone but more importantly only freaks have them on their brains 24/7 (obviously because they donโt want to talk about every other issue in which they have nothing).
This Senate election is a great opportunity for Texans to show us that they can do better than they have done in the past two decades of Republican rule. Senators are elected in state-wide elections. Their victories cannot be gerrymandered.
Talarico and Paxton have shown us who they are. Now the voters of Texas can show us who they are.
JFC, more culture war BS, just to distract from how horrible the repub policies are for most Americans, and how corrupt their politicians are. And too many Americans fall for it, so vote accordingly. They think that they are voting in their own best interests, but are not. Americans need to stop falling for the cultural war BS, most of which doesn't affect them at all, and vote for real issues that do affect them. Why is it that Americans keep using magical thinking rather than critical thinking when it comes to voting?
People vote on feelings, not thoughts. Part of the problem Dems have had over the years is thinking that white papers and policy proposals and fact checking sites are what drive voter behavior, and I submit that just isnโt true. Jesse Helmsโ โWhite Handsโ ads drove a lot more peopleโs voting behavior than any list of North Carolina employment statistics debunking it.
Maybe. In any event, it's unlikely to change-it's human nature, in fact-so if Democrats really want to build a coalition for enduring power they will need to stop fighting it and learn how to use it, IMO. If you watch Graham Platner's ads (I am innundated with them here in Maine) you'll see at least a section of them gets it.
All they have is culture war, and it does get butts in the seats. A lot of people want to ignore how many bigots there are, and bigots don't need to make excuses about voting. They know the assignment.
They do have the culture war, which has been remarkably effective since at least the pre-Civil War days. But they also have the fact that many people prefer even a bigoted and corrupt GOP candidate over a Democratic one of any stripe, conservative or socialist, of any color or creed, and thus can afford to be less choosy with their candidates. Democrats at some point are going to have to reckon with how overwhelmingly unpopular they are, that a substantial amount of people wonโt vote for them no matter who their candidate is, if they ever want to be more than just the alternative to an out of control GOP. All those special election seats recently flipped are NOT permanently blue from now on, after all. Flag some of that anti-Trump Dem energy in the 2030 midterm and itโs right back to business as usual.
I'd like to think that Talarico has a fighting chance, but I'm afraid that Texas has so embraced Trumpian politics that it will be an uphill climb. In fact, it may actually work to the advantage of Paxton that he is a known fraudster and felon and sex creep. It worked for Trump, right?
There are two things Talarico needs to do to win this:
1) Define yourself to the voters before Republicans do (and this shouldโve started much earlier but Democrats be Democratting). Big tours, free media and ads everywhere showing him playing with kids, preaching Gospel, friends talking about how he helped them fix their truckโitโs harder to undo an impression than it is to create one.
2) Destroy Paxton. Make โP3โ a thingโโPaxton Protects Pedophilesโ. Get every surrogate out in the black and Hispanic communities talking about this until no one can think of anything else. Turn everything around on him: โgee, I guess he has a problem with a guy eating vegetables, maybe he just thinks vegetables are to be used for sodomizing children, like the pedophiles he keeps protecting like to do.โ
3) Bonus tipโTrump is underwater in Texas. Keep attacking Trump for making your gas and food more expensive and looting your tax dollars and screwing up health care! Saddle Paxton with Trump and set a clear line for voters.
He really is! He released an ad right after Paxton was announced as the winner that was so pitch perfect I almost couldn't believe it. I'm in California, but I listen to political podcasts so I saw it.
If he keeps this up, I think he has a real shot. I know, I know, we say that every election about Texas (I phone banked for Beto in 2018 so I get it). But seriously โ especially since this looks more and more like a huge wave election year (assuming no fuckery, which is a big IF). It reminds me of the playbook they used to defeat Orban in Hungary too.
Even with fuckery we have a chance...Even if we LOSE, we will lose at the smallest of margins and it would have taken a level of cheating and fuckery on their part to eak out that tiny win...That isn't sustainable...
Talarico really is probably the best Dem candidate the party could have fielded, but, like Beto before him, I'd be surprised if it were enough to beat even a scandal plagued corruption machine like Ken Paxton in the rapidly devolving state of Texas. They probably don't even *need* to call Talarico a fa* to pull it off, but they really like doing it soooo...
I confess my concern is that Talarico reads as a liberal who grew up in Texas but now lives in Portland or Seattle (I know more than few people like this).
Yeah he does tend to โcodeโ as an urban liberal. Which is fine if the median voter is me, but as it is more like a conservative Hispanic or right-leaning white, heโs going to recenter his image to code more as โpastorโ and โmeat eaterโ and โGuy who helps you put up drywall.โ Admittedly itโs hard to do this without looking ridiculous.
Liberals complain that progressives are too quick to get excited about guys who present like Fetterman or Platner, but I donโt understand why Dems canโt find more guys in the Bill Clinton โregular Joeโ mold. Iโm sorry if that seems distasteful but this is a major demo.
Paxtron won his 'landslide victory' of Cornyn in the 'hotly contested' republican primary by getting [tiny tin drumroll, sad trombone] 4.7% of the total registered voters to choose him, 886 thousand votes. https://ivn.us/texas-gop-looks-at-7-turnout-and-says-lets-make-the-primary-smaller/
88 ๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐ด were spent on the Republican race, meaning donors spent almost $100 ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ to elevate the smirking degenerate to Senate candidate. ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐จ๐๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ง๐๐ช๐.
This is what the final dissolution of the Republic looks like, only we have Temu Palpatine at the head.
In the battle between personal freedom and liberalism (small l) against fascism, people should remember it is a battle of extinction for one side or the other.
Just nobody I see anywhere is facing up to this - it's them or us and there will be no peace while both sides exist. NEVER.
It's us or them motherfuckers, there ain't no 'glasnost' between these two sides. And no one seems to be understanding this, at least with precious few exceptions. Certainly not the "media", whatever the fuck that is these days, and not most liberals who seem to think a political solution is available by "winning enough votes".
Won't work folks... The fascist party and their participants must be defeated totally and forced into unconditional surrender. And what bugs me is that the fascist party understands this very well, while knock kneed, cowardly, surrender monkey, vichy democrats seeking "bipartisan solutions" betray us to their fascist corporate owners.
FUCK THAT. Ain't gonna happen and we'll all be sent to concentration camps if our side doesn't win.
Unless you can get out of the country first. We'll see. But the idea that democrats winning in November is going to do fuck all to set this country straight is the dumbest shit I've ever heard. It won't hurt, but that is not going to mean fuck all in the end.
Thanks for letting me rant.
This is no wise meant to be a criticism of Stephen, or his excellent column, in any way, shape, or form. He is just telling it like it is.
To all of you that are saying that Paxton is going to โwin by a landslideโ or something similar, I would like to make an observation.
Texas has approximately 8 million registered Democrats, 6.6 million registered Republicans, and 2.8 million Independents. Just for the sake of argument, since it is TX, we will assume that 2m of those identifying as Independents actually vote Republican (it is likely to be more). That means that Texas is more or less 50/50 Democrat/Republican.
Donald Trump received 6.4m votes in Tx in 2024. Kamala Harris received 4.8m.
That means that somewhere around 75% of right-leaning voters went to the polls and voted and 55-60% of Democrats did.
At what point do we stop blaming Democratic โmessagingโ (which admittedly sucks) and start blaming the 3.2m registered Democrats who couldnโt be bothered to get off their sorry asses and go out and fucking vote to save our goddamned Democracy.
So, yeah, Paxton may โwin by a landslideโ, but if he does, it will be because a bunch of shithead Democrats (of which I am one, though I try not to be a shithead) didnโt bother to vote and will be no fault of James Talarico (just like it was no fault of Kamala Harris).
I realize that I am โpreaching to the choirโ here, and I am reasonably sure those reading Stephenโs work are not shitheads and most likely voted if they were able.
/RANT!
This is Texas we're talking about. Paxton is going to win in a landslide.
Even if Talarico manages to get more votes (a feat equivalent to winning the Powerball the same day you get struck by lightning. Twice.) the Texas lege will either call it a fraud and proceed to
A: force a recount that will magically end up with Paxton winning,
B: run crying to the supreme court and get Paxton his win that way, or,
C: Just straight up ignore it the results and install Paxton anyway. They need to set precedent for ignoring democratic wins in elections before 28, and what better place than texas?
"the Great Awokening Period โ one that might still continue to claim liberal casualties." Saying that abt the 30 seconds in which some of us took BLM and MeToo under consideration is appalling. You really think throwing marginalized people under the bus is a good look?
Not sure where you got that from?
I don't think liberals actually took BLM/MeToo all that seriously with performative acts of "wokeness" that even Talarico concedes were "cringe," such as talking about interrogating his "whiteness," etc.
Now we're going to see the sadopopulism that gets the Republicans into the promised land accelerate at full speed. On top of this will be the bigoted fanfiction that caters to the priors and feeds the epistemic closure of racist, sexist people who always vote. It is the tactical nuclear weapon of politics and we're seeing in real time how they'll "strip the bark off" Talarico.
But at least no matter what there'll always be more fodder for people saying that Democrats need to "message" basic decency.
One little tip for Democratsโwhen Republicans keep going back to the well of โyou are making the kids trans!โ or something like that, you need a quick deflecting line. Reagan did this well when Carter (correctly) pointed out his previous opposition to Medicareโโthere you go again!โ Made voters think Carter was harping on no longer relevant matters (Medicare was law for 15 years by then, people were much more bothered by stagflation) and defanged the attack.
Kamala tried the โI followed the law as writtenโ which is really amazing that any consultant could have approved a response that pleased no one and got robotic in its presentation. But something more effective would be like โagain, you guys and other peopleโs genitals? Youโre obsessed, you freaks!โ Repeat it enough and voters will hear it in their heads next time these scum go on about the trans.
And itโs fair to point out that just because Stephen Millerโs head looks like a deformed penis, that doesnโt mean he has working parts.
"which is really amazing that any consultant could have approved a response that pleased no one and got robotic in its presentation"
Democratic consultants don't want Democrats to win. Then they'd be out of a job.
The Dem establishment is completely broken. From RBG to Biden, and all over the map.
I think a good response to the "mutilating kids" thing would be something along the lines of "you think about kids genitals more than those kids do." delivered in either a really disgusted way or an eye-rolling dismissive way.
I trust parents to make the best choices for their kids is an argument Republicans are actively making regarding vaccines! Itโs astonishing that this somehow catches Democrats flat-footed.
I meanโฆif Democrats paid attention and put in any effort instead of phoning it in and outsourcing everything to consultants they might not be flat footed.
The "mutilating children " makes me crazy. Trans adults are waiting 3 years for surgery if they're really lucky, and the idea that a child randomly gets surgery in one day without their parents knowing about it is so ludicrous that I can't imagine a response.
Maybe "name an instance of this so we can investigate it"?
And/or "meanwhile here's a list of names of kids mutilated by guns in school shootings. I'll work on helping these families while you're on your snipe hunt."
Just keep it simpleโโkeep out of other kidsโ genitals, you freak.โ Let people mind their own business is a universal value. No need to get bogged down in the details or even have to defend anything. Attack, always!
"I followed the laws as written" is one of the worst possible responses. As you say, it pleases no one and just makes you look like a sell-out. I do think consultants overestimate how much supposed "swing voters" care about the "rule of law."
They say that these consultants always run everything through focus groups so I wonder what focus group heard that response and thought โno notesโ?
Good point. The obsession over trans and genitals by repubs should have been used by Dems years ago, simply by pointing out how creepy it is that repubs obsess over other peoples' private parts. Your suggestion is good, as it's the truth, and the quick deflecting line they should use, rather than either throwing trans under the bus, or something namby-pamby, as Dems often do.
Yep too often Democrats treat Republican framing as though itโs legitimate or they have to pretend it is under some unwritten media rule. But Republicans of all people taught us you can reframe anything and go on the attack. Trans defense can be made relatable to anyone but more importantly only freaks have them on their brains 24/7 (obviously because they donโt want to talk about every other issue in which they have nothing).
Oh it's only a matter of time before they go there. And they're right to do it it'll help them win in Texas I don't know why anybody would doubt that.
This Senate election is a great opportunity for Texans to show us that they can do better than they have done in the past two decades of Republican rule. Senators are elected in state-wide elections. Their victories cannot be gerrymandered.
Talarico and Paxton have shown us who they are. Now the voters of Texas can show us who they are.
"Now the voters of Texas can show us who they are."
then we are doomed
Ken Paxton has already won two statewide elections, I believe.
LOL.
JFC, more culture war BS, just to distract from how horrible the repub policies are for most Americans, and how corrupt their politicians are. And too many Americans fall for it, so vote accordingly. They think that they are voting in their own best interests, but are not. Americans need to stop falling for the cultural war BS, most of which doesn't affect them at all, and vote for real issues that do affect them. Why is it that Americans keep using magical thinking rather than critical thinking when it comes to voting?
People vote on feelings, not thoughts. Part of the problem Dems have had over the years is thinking that white papers and policy proposals and fact checking sites are what drive voter behavior, and I submit that just isnโt true. Jesse Helmsโ โWhite Handsโ ads drove a lot more peopleโs voting behavior than any list of North Carolina employment statistics debunking it.
Voting based upon feelings or vibes is part of magical thinking.
Maybe. In any event, it's unlikely to change-it's human nature, in fact-so if Democrats really want to build a coalition for enduring power they will need to stop fighting it and learn how to use it, IMO. If you watch Graham Platner's ads (I am innundated with them here in Maine) you'll see at least a section of them gets it.
Oh, I agree. Dems can, and should do it, and itโs great that some get that.
All they have is culture war, and it does get butts in the seats. A lot of people want to ignore how many bigots there are, and bigots don't need to make excuses about voting. They know the assignment.
They do have the culture war, which has been remarkably effective since at least the pre-Civil War days. But they also have the fact that many people prefer even a bigoted and corrupt GOP candidate over a Democratic one of any stripe, conservative or socialist, of any color or creed, and thus can afford to be less choosy with their candidates. Democrats at some point are going to have to reckon with how overwhelmingly unpopular they are, that a substantial amount of people wonโt vote for them no matter who their candidate is, if they ever want to be more than just the alternative to an out of control GOP. All those special election seats recently flipped are NOT permanently blue from now on, after all. Flag some of that anti-Trump Dem energy in the 2030 midterm and itโs right back to business as usual.
I'm not so sure Texans would accept Morgan Freeman as god either.
I'm going to hope Talarico wins but seeing Beto and then Allred, an actual football guy, go down in flames makes me wary of the dream of a blue Texas.
I'd like to think that Talarico has a fighting chance, but I'm afraid that Texas has so embraced Trumpian politics that it will be an uphill climb. In fact, it may actually work to the advantage of Paxton that he is a known fraudster and felon and sex creep. It worked for Trump, right?
There are two things Talarico needs to do to win this:
1) Define yourself to the voters before Republicans do (and this shouldโve started much earlier but Democrats be Democratting). Big tours, free media and ads everywhere showing him playing with kids, preaching Gospel, friends talking about how he helped them fix their truckโitโs harder to undo an impression than it is to create one.
2) Destroy Paxton. Make โP3โ a thingโโPaxton Protects Pedophilesโ. Get every surrogate out in the black and Hispanic communities talking about this until no one can think of anything else. Turn everything around on him: โgee, I guess he has a problem with a guy eating vegetables, maybe he just thinks vegetables are to be used for sodomizing children, like the pedophiles he keeps protecting like to do.โ
3) Bonus tipโTrump is underwater in Texas. Keep attacking Trump for making your gas and food more expensive and looting your tax dollars and screwing up health care! Saddle Paxton with Trump and set a clear line for voters.
Talarico is doing EXACTLY all 3 things.
Excellent!...Its probably just that us non-texans aren't seeing it for obvs reasons...
He really is! He released an ad right after Paxton was announced as the winner that was so pitch perfect I almost couldn't believe it. I'm in California, but I listen to political podcasts so I saw it.
If he keeps this up, I think he has a real shot. I know, I know, we say that every election about Texas (I phone banked for Beto in 2018 so I get it). But seriously โ especially since this looks more and more like a huge wave election year (assuming no fuckery, which is a big IF). It reminds me of the playbook they used to defeat Orban in Hungary too.
Here it is: https://youtube.com/shorts/g7JS1YW3iDg?si=0jjEpYX-XBreU91u
Even with fuckery we have a chance...Even if we LOSE, we will lose at the smallest of margins and it would have taken a level of cheating and fuckery on their part to eak out that tiny win...That isn't sustainable...
right on!
$1.776 Slush Fund Applicant List
1. Ken Paxton
2. Ken Paxton
3. Ken Paxton
Talarico really is probably the best Dem candidate the party could have fielded, but, like Beto before him, I'd be surprised if it were enough to beat even a scandal plagued corruption machine like Ken Paxton in the rapidly devolving state of Texas. They probably don't even *need* to call Talarico a fa* to pull it off, but they really like doing it soooo...
I confess my concern is that Talarico reads as a liberal who grew up in Texas but now lives in Portland or Seattle (I know more than few people like this).
Yeah he does tend to โcodeโ as an urban liberal. Which is fine if the median voter is me, but as it is more like a conservative Hispanic or right-leaning white, heโs going to recenter his image to code more as โpastorโ and โmeat eaterโ and โGuy who helps you put up drywall.โ Admittedly itโs hard to do this without looking ridiculous.
Liberals complain that progressives are too quick to get excited about guys who present like Fetterman or Platner, but I donโt understand why Dems canโt find more guys in the Bill Clinton โregular Joeโ mold. Iโm sorry if that seems distasteful but this is a major demo.