Surveys over the past few decades show that the Democratic Party is overrepresented by secularists, many of whom are anti-religion, especially anti-Christian.
That's why its leaders are attracted to someone who might be able to resonate with Christians, yet appeal to their base. They think they have found one in State Rep. James Talarico, D-Texas, Dist. 52.
Rep. Talarico serves in the Texas legislature.
Following after a recent lengthy interview with podcast superstar Joe Rogan, he is the talk of the town in Democratic circles. "You need to run for president," Rogan said.
The 36-year-old might just do that, but now he is contemplating a run for the U.S. Senate.
Two years ago, Talarico caught the eye of Politico.com, the influential news website.
The title of the article tells why: "James Talarico is a Deeply Religious Democrat Who Just Might Be the Next Big Thing in Texas."
It is not every day that Politico finds someone who is "uniquely positioned to actually be the Democrat who wins statewide."
An "aspiring preacher," he has been attending the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and is currently studying in its Masters of Divinity program.
All of this is music to the ears of Democrats looking for someone other than a socialist to save them. But is the reality that this particular music is wholly discordant?
Talarico seems to be secularist, just dressed in religious garb.
Talarico’s purpoted mentor is Rev. Jim Rigby.
His pastor has a record of ordaining gay and lesbian clergy.
When Talarico was invited to give his first sermon in Rigby’s church in 2023, he chose to discuss abortion. He asked the parishioners, "Did they teach you in Sunday school that Jesus Christ himself was a radical feminist?"
In 2022, Talarico wrote to Biden asking him to issue three executive orders:
- Lease federal property to abortion clinics on federal lands or in federal offices.
- Prohibit states from imposing restrictions on abortion medication through the Food and Drug Administration, and . . .
- Hire abortion providers as federal employees.
It is for reasons like this that in 2019 Texas Right to Life.com awarded him a score of 0%.
To an increasing number of Americans, allowing minors to undergo sex-reassignment surgery is child abuse.
Allowing boys and men to compete against girls and women, and to shower together, is considered unjust. But not to Talarico — he’s all in. Indeed, he tells his fans that those who oppose genital mutilation, chemical castration and puberty blockers are "pushing us to waste time on these culture war issues."
He accuses his critics of wanting to "hurt trans kids."
Talarico is so far gone that he actually believes there are sexes beyond male and female. He told one of his colleagues, "In fact, there are six."
He did not have a name for these creatures or share pictures of them. He should also be asked to explain why he chose six and not seven.
The "aspiring preacher" wants to ban the display of the Ten Commandments in the schools, but not "sexually explicit materials."
When a bill to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments surfaced in the Texas legislature, Talarico, who explicitly called himself a "devout Christian," said it was "deeply un-Christian."
He even branded it "idolatrous" and “un-American.” But some were ecstatic about what he said. Barack Obama adviser David Axelrod and Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., were blown away, casting him as their new savior.
Talarico says he wants to help the poor, but his policies suggest he wants to keep them in their place. He strongly opposes school choice measures, calling them "welfare for the wealthy."
But it's the poor, not the wealthy, who can't afford to place their children in a private or parochial school. No matter, he wants to consign them to failing public schools.
Curiously, Talarico is actually an advocate of "welfare for the wealthy."
He places no income limit on giving away a whole range of services.
He supports medical debt forgiveness, baby bonds, subsidized marriage counseling, and what he calls "Medicaid for Y’All."
Given his passion for radical transgenderism and abortion, it is hardly surprising to learn that he has won the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign and Planned Parenthood.
Obama and Biden both said they believed in religious liberty. Obama declared war on the Little Sisters of the Poor and Biden’s FBI spied on Catholics.
Is Rep. Talarcio cut from the same cloth?
If he's regarded as a "deeply religious Democrat," we'd rather not think about those who aren’t.
(Editor's Note: The preceding opinion column does not constitute an endorsement of any political officeholder, candidate for office, nor of any organization, on the part of Newsmax.)
Dr. Bill Donohue is president and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. A former Heritage Foundation Bradley resident scholar, he's authored 11 books on civil liberties, social issues, and religion. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from New York University. His new book, "Cultural Meltdown: The Secular Roots of Our Moral Crisis," was released in June, 2024. Read Bill Donohue's Reports — More Here.
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