Texas Voters Resist Democrat Messages

James Talarico speaks like he’s rehearsing in front of the mirror. In the spaces between his sentences — always delivered just-so, with an air of practiced paternal gravitas — the young Texas Democrat scans the crowd, just to make sure they’re hanging on his every word, swooning under the sheer weight of his intellect. Talarico’s is a revolutionary message: People over politics. Love over hate. Unity over division. Forward — not backward. “We’re bigger than partisanship. We’re bigger than ignorance. We’re bigger than intolerance,” he solemnly informs the audience. “Texas is bigger than all of those things, because it’s not just a state — it’s a state of mind.”

Texas is a state of mind. Thus spake the inspirational new face of the Texas Democratic Party. It was the commencement of the 2019 legislative session in the Texas House of Representatives, and, at 29, Talarico had just become the youngest legislator in the state. Now was the time for big, bold ideas: “We transcend. We define. We revolutionize.” Talarico’s hitting his stride. “There are no limits. You can just keep going, just keep soaring.” He is rounding the final corner now, one arm stretched out to the audience to punctuate his rhythmic intonations. “We just keep going. We just keep soaring. That’s our birthright: The right to dream, the right to imagine a life without limits, the right to fulfill our God-given potential.” A pensive glance off into the distance. “This next session shouldn’t be about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party” — pause for dramatic effect — “it should be about chasing a vision of what this state can be.”

About the Author

Nate Hochman

Nate Hochman was a staff writer at National Review.

Featured Tags

James Talarico speaks like he’s rehearsing in front of the mirror. In the spaces between his sentences — always delivered just-so, with an air of practiced paternal gravitas — the young Texas Democrat scans the crowd, just to make sure they’re hanging on his every word, swooning under the sheer weight of his intellect. Talarico’s is a revolutionary message: People over politics. Love over hate. Unity over division. Forward — not backward. “We’re bigger than partisanship. We’re bigger than ignorance. We’re bigger than intolerance,” he solemnly informs the audience. “Texas is bigger than all of those things, because it’s not just a state — it’s a state of mind.”

Texas is a state of mind. Thus spake the inspirational new face of the Texas Democratic Party. It was the commencement of the 2019 legislative session in the Texas House of Representatives, and, at 29, Talarico had just become the youngest legislator in the state. Now was the time for big, bold ideas: “We transcend. We define. We revolutionize.” Talarico’s hitting his stride. “There are no limits. You can just keep going, just keep soaring.” He is rounding the final corner now, one arm stretched out to the audience to punctuate his rhythmic intonations. “We just keep going. We just keep soaring. That’s our birthright: The right to dream, the right to imagine a life without limits, the right to fulfill our God-given potential.” A pensive glance off into the distance. “This next session shouldn’t be about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party” — pause for dramatic effect — “it should be about chasing a vision of what this state can be.”