President Talarico

 

In hindsight, some things seem obvious.

When Barack Obama spoke at the 2004 Democratic Convention and electrified everyone who saw it with his "there are no red states, there are no blue states, there is only the United States of America" speech, it began a trajectory that quickly launched him towards the Presidency.  His message of hope, his cool, calm intelligence and empathy, connected with what many Americans wanted to return to after the years of unnecessary wars, massive deficits, botched disaster relief, and a crashed economy.

President Obama achieved many things, and he ably served two terms, righting much of where America had gone adrift.  He left a gap, however, in that he campaigned as a progressive but governed as a centrist.  This left some disappointed in the breadth of his achievements. 

On the darker side of the inevitable, the resentments simmering, especially by the white working class, led to the consideration of something I thought no one ever considered. In retrospect, the path was determined when the orange grifter came down the escalator with his Epstein wife in June 2015.  With the Democratic elites' rejection of Bernie Sanders, who could have had a broader appeal to the white working class, and the selection of legacy centrist Hilary Clinton*, the ascension of that narcissist was sealed.

And we as a country have suffered irreparable harm over the last ten years.  The Constitution is being shredded, Republicans move solely to the whims of their mad King, racism is ascendant, the economy is declining, and democracy itself is evaporating.

Now, many want to move away from the madness of Trump, from the rule of old men**, from a time when every day you wake up to a new horrific action from an administration built on greed and corruption, revenge and racism. 

Not only has the government been corrupted, but so has the very religion that many in this country have followed.  Christian Nationalism has led the faith into a dark place, worshiping power and control instead of love and generosity.

Enter James Talirico, State Senator from Texas.  Unlike many Democrats, he does not shy away from Christianity.  But his is not a Christianity of fear and hate.  His is one of love and light.  He calls us to use our Christianity to love and help others.

He is running for the US Senate in Texas.  His opponent will either be current Senator John Cornyn (an older mainline Republican who nevertheless kowtows before the antichrist-like Trump), or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (a deeply corrupt politician, both in money and in sexual misconduct). If Talarico wins, I believe that will launch him on a path to be President of the United States.

Some Talirico quote -

"We as Christians are called to do more than charity. We are called to challenge the systems that make charity necessary." 

"As the hymn says, 'they will know we are Christians by our love.' We have to get back to that."

"The covenant that binds “We the People” together rests on this promise: Power flows from the consent of the governed. When that covenant is broken, when leaders choose their voters instead of voters choosing their leaders, we are not merely witnessing a political maneuver; we are confronting a moral trespass against the very heart of democracy."

He often uses quotes from Matthew that emphasize the importance of taking care of those in need - 

for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

Although I very much like James Talarico, this is not a direct endorsement, just a likely path.  I still am very much for AOC to be our next President.  And current polling shows her to be one of the most popular politicians in the country.

Many things could happen that could divert us from this path.  Talarico has a lot yet to prove, and I don't know of any skeletons (or, with Trump, whether that even matters anymore).

But I do know this.  Whether his path leads to the Presidency or not, his path shows the only way forward for Christianity to survive.  If  Christianity continues down the path of Christian Nationalism. It will either wither away or make Christianity completely unrecognizable.

Even more important than the light that James Talirico shines on democracy is the light he shines on our restoration of faith.

Until next time.

T. M. Strait

AOC '28

* this is not to flame Hilary Clinton. She was the most qualified person to be President, had the talent and temperament to be effective, and she won the popular vote.  She just wasn't meeting the moment that fit the anti-establishment mood.

** make no mistake.  I feel that Biden was a good and arguably great President.  The things he accomplished with the small Congressional margin he had were nothing short of miraculous.  But he was old.  And with the cyclical nature of our politics, like when the elderly Eisenhower was replaced by the younger, more charismatic John F Kennedy; between Biden and Trump, we are ready to turn to a younger generation.