NEW: Donors w/ no ties Wisconsin, who never given to Republicans, or have not really given at all are sending big $ to Michael Alfonso, who's running in the state's 7th district.
Why? Because they're transportation big wigs and his father-in-law is Sean Duffy
https://t.co/5KHjWDCV1V
If a patient showed up in Mitch McConnell’s current condition, most doctors and lawyers would not let him control his own healthcare or his own estate. So why does he still get a say in ours?
I think often about what Caroline Kennedy has had to endure since Trump took office: the loss of her amazing daughter... the assault on her mother's rose garden and her father's memorial...her cousin killing children with his anti-vax stance... that TV show picking the bones of her brother's tragic death... It's unfathomable to think of dealing with that along w/the pain all lifelong believers in science, the arts, diplomacy and democracy feel in this Trumpian era of cruelty and corruption.
Democrats need to make clear right now that any construction firm that is hired by Trump to demolish the Kennedy Center is going to be called before Congress in so many hearings that they’d better have the best lawyers in the land to defend them, because it’s going to cost them millions of dollars in legal fees.
New in PN: Retire in peace
"McConnell would never be allowed to drive a car, babysit young children, or file his own taxes. Why, then, should a cognitively incapacitated 82-year-old retain one of the most important positions of power within the national government?" https://t.co/XWataucoHy
Prepare yourself Chicago.
President Trump is preparing to deploy a massive surge of federal resources to Chicago as part of a 45-day immigration enforcement operation. Reports indicate more than 300 federal agents could be sent to the city to target and arrest immigrants.
Just a reminder that Usha Vance sits on the Kennedy Center board that voted to close and destroy the venue. She’s every bit as vile as Trump and the piece of shit she married. She isn’t a victim. She’s an accomplice.
Before you decide who James Talarico is based on a campaign ad, a sound bite or a meme, it’s worth knowing a little about the person behind the politics.
Have you ever read James Talarico’s story? Researched his background? Did you know that he taught sixth-grade language arts at a high-poverty middle school in San Antonio? That he earned a master’s degree in education policy from Harvard? That he has concentrated heavily on public education, children’s welfare and access to health care? That he has served in the Texas House since 2018? That he’s studying at a Presbyterian seminary?
Talarico is a native Texan with eight generations of Texas roots. He was born and raised by a single mother in Round Rock. His grandfather was a Baptist preacher in South Texas, and Talarico still attends the Presbyterian church where he was baptized as a child. His faith has been a significant part of his life since childhood.
After graduating from UT, he went to Harvard where he earned a master’sdegree in education. He then went into public education, teaching sixth-grade language arts at Rhodes Middle School on San Antonio’s West Side, in one of the poorest ZIP codes in Texas. He didn't just teach from a textbook and go home. Former colleagues and school administrators have described him as a teacher who connected with students, encouraged struggling readers and earned the respect of kids who were often difficult to reach.
One former colleague recalled that some students who had never finished an entire book ended up loving reading in Talarico's classroom. His former principal said students generally respected him enough that even kids with serious behavior problems stayed in line in his classroom.
That experience changed the direction of his life.
He came away believing that many of the problems he saw in his classroom couldn't be fixed one student at a time. So he went into public policy and eventually into the Texas Legislature.
He was elected to the Texas House in 2018 at just 29 years old and has now served for 8 years in the Legislature. He has worked on education, child care, prescription drug costs, juvenile justice and other issues. Texas Monthly named him one of its Ten Best Legislators in 2021, citing his intelligence, collegiality and political savvy. Among his legislative accomplishments are a $25 insulin copay cap, legislation allowing incarcerated minors to earn high-school diplomas, a statewide pre-K class-size cap and other education and healthcare measures.
And then there's something else about Talarico that gets surprisingly little attention:
He is studying to become a Presbyterian minister.
He enrolled at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary because, in his words, he wanted to explore the first of Jesus' two commandments - loving God - while he was already trying to live out the second, loving his neighbor. He has studied the New Testament and Hebrew biblical interpretation, and he has said that he hopes to become a minister one day.
He's also been very clear that his Christian faith is what motivates his public service. He talks about lowering the cost of child care and prescription drugs, funding public schools and reforming the justice system as ways of loving his neighbors. At the same time, he believes strongly in separation of church and state and says he doesn't want politicians teaching people what their faith should be.
We should look at the whole person and the actual record, rather than letting political memes define him.
This isn't some guy who suddenly appeared in Texas politics yesterday.
He's a Texan from a family with eight generations of Texas roots. A Harvard graduate. A former public-school teacher. A legislator who has actually passed legislation. A lifelong Christian. A grandson of a preacher. And a seminary student preparing for ministry.
That's the James Talarico I see. VIA~~ Chauntel Moore
Ron White: Eight of Ken Paxton’s assistants turned him into the FBI for fraud... They sued and won $6 million. Guess who paid that $6 million? You and me paid the $6 million for his bribery. His own party impeached him. He’s a criminal.
Rogan: They're surprised that Talarico is ahead of him in the polls.
White: I’m not. I think that people are sick of what's going on right now in Texas. They've been in control for 30 years. What have they given us? Let somebody else drive.