Barack Obama has fallen yet again for a boy-faced Democrat hoping to “turn Texas blue.” During a recent interview on Marc Maron’s podcast, the failed former president touted James Talarico, the Texas state lawmaker running for U.S. Senate, as a “terrific, talented young man.” Democrats haven’t been this excited about a U.S. Senate candidate in Texas since Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke, who lost his race in 2018 but also managed to impress Obama with his terrific talents.
Talarico won praise from Democrats earlier this year by going on Joe Rogan’s podcast. He parlayed that appearance into a U.S. Senate campaign and fawning headlines, such as “Joe Rogan’s Latest Guest Might Turn Texas Blue.” (Fact check: He won’t.) An aspiring Presbyterian preacher who quotes the Bible to explain his support for left-wing policies, Talarico is a coastal liberal’s fantasy of a Democrat who can win the hearts and minds of red-state rubes.
They were just as excited about O’Rourke, whose Senate candidacy inspired dozens of liberal journalists to write glowing profiles comparing him to John F. Kennedy. O’Rourke sounded like a preacher—or at least a liberal’s conception of one—even if his rhetoric wasn’t particularly religious. He parlayed his narrow defeat to Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) into a ridiculous presidential campaign in 2020, announced on the cover of Vanity Fair.
O’Rourke flamed out in spectacular fashion, but Obama was reportedly “enamored” with the candidate, presumably because he identified with O’Rourke’s narcissistic personality. (He told Vanity Fair he was running for president without any accomplishments because he was “born to be in it.”) It was one of many examples of Obama’s terrible judgment when it comes to picking candidates who can win elections.
Obama’s praise is not a particularly good sign for Talarico, but it’s also the least of his problems. As journalist Josh Barro points out, Democrats might want to reconsider whether it’s a good idea to nominate a candidate—in Texas of all places—who is on video saying, “God is non-binary.” Talarico made those remarks during a hearing in 2021 while outlining his opposition to (very popular) legislation restricting transgender participation in female sports. He also claimed, on video, that “modern science obviously recognizes” that “there are six” biological sexes.
Talarico grilled proponents of the bill by challenging their Christian faith, and compared banning male athletes from participating in female sports to excluding black athletes from professional leagues. “Some things are more important than perfectly fair competition in sports,” he said.
Good luck!
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