Howdy! By now, you’ve heard plenty about James Talarico, the Democrat running to be the next Senator from Texas. His positions would fit well in California - he is anti-ICE, pro-immigration, and once urged Texan carnivores to eat less meat. He also seems to be fine with ‘gender-affirming care’ for children and cites the Bible and Jesus to sanction abortion. Talarico quoted scientists who claim there are six genders and even declared that God is ‘non-binary.’ (On that last one, who can actually claim that he’s wrong?)
But of all his woke missteps, one that stands out came in 2022 when Talarico addressed a crowd wearing a COVID mask. This was two years after pandemic mania and long after Texas became one of the first states to end mask mandates. There is certainly nothing immoral or illegal about that, but it just does not seem very … Texan! Ultra-caution is anathema to citizens who cherish the tradition of individualism and risk-taking. In fact, most Texans revere only one masked man, the Lone Ranger of radio and TV fame. As the fable goes, John Reid was the only Texas Ranger to survive an ambush. After being rescued by the Native American Tonto, he donned a mask and rode the Texas plains fighting criminals and protecting the innocent. His trademark was a silver bullet that symbolized justice and morality, and after he left the scene of another triumph came the inevitable question: ‘Who was that masked man?’
More recently, speaking of silver bullets, Texas Democrats have been searching for one of those for decades. The state has been a tempting siren, luring leftists with hopes that always get dashed against the rocks of political reality. In 2014, sneaker-wearing abortion advocate and gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis was a great left hope until she was trounced by Greg Abbott. Then came the hipster Robert Francis ‘Beto’ O’Rourke, who came tantalizingly close to defeating Senator Ted Cruz in 2018. Apparently a glutton for punishment, O’Rourke ran against Governor Abbott four years later and was left in the dust like a tumbleweed.
This time around, Talarico will face state Attorney General Ken Paxton in November, and lefty pundits are already predicting that this will be the year when Texas Democrats, the Buffalo Bills of politics, will finally win their version of the Super Bowl. Paxton has faced numerous accusations of fraud and was actually impeached by the Texas House. While he has never been convicted of a crime and there is no actual fire, there sure is a lot of smoke surrounding Paxton. Talarico is reminding everyone of his opponent’s brushes with the law; a few days ago, he boasted that he’s been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment.’ He’ll also try mightily to portray himself as a good ol’ boy and, who knows, may even don a 10-gallon hat and Emmitt Smith jersey. But it won’t be easy when he has spent a career championing causes of the cultural left.
Right now, the betting markets list Paxton as a slight favorite to defeat Talarico, but Democratic leaders and donors are champing at the bit, drooling at the prospect of a Texas-sized upset. Talarico first has to convince voters that he is one of them and shares their dreams and values. He won’t be like the Lone Ranger, who never shot to kill. No, James Talarico will try to slay Ken Paxton, figuratively speaking, with attack ads and accusations. He desperately wants to be that silver bullet Texas Democrats have been longing for. But you know what they say about liberals in Texas: ‘All mask … no cattle!’
