A Texas hero explains the urgency of the moment
A Texas hero explains the urgency of the moment
James Talarico, one of Texas Democrats shining a light on GOP authoritarianism, explains, "We are out of time in Texas."
Appears in this episode
“For Democrats in Washington to be fiddling while Rome burns is incredibly frustrating and it’s frighteningly, frankly. To be facing this kind of unprecedented assault on our democratic system and have Democratic leaders not respond in kind by saving our democracy doesn’t bode well for our future prospects.”
Those are the words — and you must listen to the full interview above — of Representative James Talarico, one of the Texas Democrats, heroes of democracy and members of the Texas Legislature who fled the state for Washington DC so as not to give Republicans in the legislature a quorum to vote and pass horrific voter restrictions.
I keep hearing from commentators on television, when they talk about or interview some of these Democrats, “What is the end game? What is your plan?” The implication is that the GOP will win in the end, as the governor will just keep calling special sessions until there is a vote. That may be true, and the governor may also follow through on his threat to arrest these brave Democrats.
But Talarico, who came on my SiriusXM show yesterday, agreed with me at the outset of the interview that this is the end game. Bringing attention to the issue is the end game. Taking the issue to Washington and putting pressure on Democratic leaders is the end game. And using every ounce of their energy, leaving their families and risking arrest to show other Democrats how it’s done — that is the end game.
Anyone who is asking that question doesn’t understand the dire emergency we are in.
Talarico is a very passionate and powerful spokesperson, and Texans — and all of us— are lucky to have him. Again, listen to the entire interview. In the short clip below he explains why he and other Texas Democrats are sacrificing so much to do this. But the full interview is something you really should listen to as he shows what enormous impact their actions have had and why it’s important to stand up.
And as an extra bonus, watch James Talarico in this clip below take on a Fox News propagandist and wipe the floor with him.
This is how it’s done folks. Let me know your thoughts.
A Texas hero explains the urgency of the moment
James Talarico is a star, his cool composure under fire, his grasp of the facts and his vision for our country are a winning combination. And handsome, to boot! The Texas Democrats who fled their state, at great personal sacrifice, to break the quorum and bring attention to this issue are all heroes. Even though I am a senior citizen on a fixed income I sent them money on Rep. Trey Martinez Fisher's Twitter page to help them cover their travel expenses because, as you said, Michelangelo, this IS the end game. @TMFtx
We must do what we have to do to defend our democracy. We cannot let the Texas State Representatives be arrested by the corrupt and autocratic governor or Texas. We cannot let The Big Lie win.
So we must not let the filibuster stand in the way of progress and equality. If the two voting rights bills, S1 and S4 do not pass the US Senate via breaking the filibuster, it will be the time for Democrats and freedom loving people around the nation to march to the US Capitol and demand entrance, just like those Trumpkins did on January 6, and further demand that our voices be heard.
I am sorry to say that we cannot let democracy die by practicing non-violence. This is another defining moment in our history. Reading Ezra Klein's column in the NY Times today about climate change and the lack of substantive rebellion by the activists themselves opened my eyes, which have not exactly been closed since January 6, 2021. A quote from the article linked below:
"There was no peaceful American Revolution. There were riots and rifles woven into the civil rights movement."
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/15/opinion/climate-change-energy-infrastructure.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
It is time for the Democrats and those who cherish their rights and their liberty to rise up and march to the Texas state capital and all the state capitals around the country that are passing restrictive voter suppression bills. The time to act is now. The time to organize is now. We cannot let our democracy die because it was raped and pillaged by Trump for four years and continues to be raped and pillaged every day by the corrupt GOP spreading The Big Lie. The filibuster and The Big Lie have got to go and we must get rid of them by any means necessary.
To paraphrase an old slogan I used to chant in the streets of NYC, inspired by you and countless other heroes of another era: "Act Up! Fight Back! Fight Voter Suppression!"
A superb interview segment Michelangelo, now if only all democrats in congress come to understand the urgency as we do. This slow walking at this time is maddening.