How does Texas State representative James Talarico’s (D-50th District) staff figure out what to do next on his campaign? Do they hold serious discussions, weighing the pros and cons of each item or event? Do they hold focus groups and ask likely voters what they would like to see? Or do they throw darts at a list and go with what the dart hits? After his latest event, it would seem to be the third. Really, it has to be. In yet another attempt to show how Texan he is, Talarico went to a Cracker Barrel. Yes, he went to a restaurant that was started in Tennessee to show how much of a regular guy he is. If he wants to show how Texan he is, he needs to go to Buc-ee’s and dress up like the beaver. He would probably have more success if he did.
Politicians since time immemorial have put themselves in situations that they had no business being in, because they wanted to look like “average” folk. In 1988, Mike Dukakis, then governor of Massachusetts, was the Democrat candidate for the presidency. Having served in the Army as a radio operator in the 50’s, Dukakis thought nothing of getting in an M1 Abrams tank, putting on a helmet and riding around in it for a photo op. The video was supposed to show how down-to-earth Dukakis was, how comfortable he was around military equipment.
That is not how the public perceived the video. I was a junior in high school, and I clearly remember people finding the video hilarious. My friends thought it was funny, my acquaintances thought it was funny. My parents thought it was funny. I truly think that tank ride doomed Dukakis’ campaign.
In 2004, John Kerry, the Democrat candidate for president, strolled into a grocery store in Ohio and said, “Can I get me a hunting license here?” Yes, that went over really well with the public. In the duck hunt that followed, his companions did most of the hunting. Kerry did most of the talking. The photo op of him as a mighty hunter failed, and so did his campaign. At least, with Dukakis in the tank and Kerry going hunting, people thought they had something of a clue. Good idea poorly carried out.
One of the biggest photo op failures is Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) and his attempt to load a shotgun during a pheasant hunting trip in 2024. The video that came out later was frightening to watch. I have shot a gun exactly once in my life, at a gun range with a retired Marine and his wife. That trip is my entire knowledge of guns, and watching the video appalled me. Walz struggled to load his shotgun, and it was obvious. At several points in the video, I was certain he was going to shoot off his hand or foot or both. For someone who claimed to be a “gun guy,” it was blindingly apparent that he wasn’t. He did not fire a single shot in the entire hunting trip, which was probably a good thing.
All of the examples I have mentioned have one thing in common; pandering. And, yes, Republicans are just as guilty as Democrats. Politicians, in an effort to attract enough people to win the next election, resort to some very silly ideas, one of which is pandering. Is it successful? It can be, but people being pandered to have to believe what they’re seeing and hearing. That’s the hard part. If people don’t believe what they’re shown and told, the time and effort has been wasted. Or not, depending on your point of view. Some people find the attempts of Dukakis, Talarico, Kerry, Walz and others to be funny. These men, so desperate to be liked and thought as “regular folk,” make utter fools of themselves. Entertaining to the populace, but overall unsuccessful.
Talarico’s campaign takes pandering to a whole new, awful, level. He changes positions more often than people blink. In fact, if you blink, you’ll miss another position shift. In 2022, his campaign was vegan. In 2026, he’s tearing into a piece of beef. In 2020, during a Zoom call with Sierra Club activists, he linked climate change, white supremacy and capitalism, saying “I think only understanding the ways that all three of those oppressive systems work together are we going to be able to begin the process of dismantling them.” Don’t think too much about that statement, it’ll make your head hurt. He also said that the Texas fossil fuel industry wasn’t going to last. My relatives in the oil and gas industry would be highly amused by that.
In 2026, when asked about his thoughts on capitalism, a Talarico spokesman is quoted as saying “James is a proud capitalist and agrees with the majority of Texans that racism, natural disasters, and a billionaire-controlled economy are all problems we need to address.” Does that mean Talarico will give up his spot in the general election to Jasmine Crockett? Probably not. Don’t like one of his positions? Wait five minutes, it will probably change, just like the weather.
When asked about the future of the oil and gas industry, Talarico’s campaign stated that he had voted multiple times in support of the oil and gas industry. His campaign website states that he wants to make sure that Texas “not only maintains, but extends” its energy dominance. It’s like watching a tennis match. Be careful you don’t get whiplash.
What amazes me the most is how the young and wealthy dismiss capitalism as some terrible, oppressive system, when the whole reason they are wealthy is because of capitalism. The whole reason Talarico has a nice house and a nice car is because of the very system he is on tape saying is oppressive. I will say that stringing climate change, white supremacy and capitalism together is quite a leap. But then, he is a Democrat, so no thought is required. I’ve taught U.S. history at the college level for over 20 years for different schools, with different textbooks and different focuses on U.S. history. I can honestly say that I have never seen climate change, white supremacy and capitalism together in any of the textbooks used.
I don’t know what’s more frightening, that Talarico is the best Texas’ Democrats could find, or that Jasmine Crockett was, but they threw her overboard for the white guy.
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