Even CNN Is Talking About James Talarico's Disturbing Record
Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico’s woes continue to grow, as now even CNN is reporting on his flip-flopping since launching a bid for a promotion to…
When CNN starts running unflattering segments on a Democratic candidate, you know the campaign has a problem. James Talarico is trying to convince Texans he’s a commonsense moderate on the way to Washington, but his own record keeps getting in the way. The fact that even CNN felt compelled to air his flip-flopping says something.
Commentary is separate from the original publisher's reporting.
Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico’s woes continue to grow, as now even CNN is reporting on his flip-flopping since launching a bid for a promotion to Washington.
NEW KFILE looking at James Talarico’s record on policing in 2020. Talarico told a youth group then calling for defunding police that it was "rich" that "defund the police" was "off limits" in political debate when Texas had spent decades defunding public schools and health services. Said, "Our system of policing is deeply broken. We must replace it with something new and something better," and asked about instead sending "highly-trained crisis interventionists," some for some emergencies. In June 2020, he donated $2,500 to the Austin Justice Coalition, a group calling for defunding police, a donation he later defended. He also criticized Gov. Abbott's proposal to cut revenue to cities like Austin over local decisions to reduce police funding. In 2022, Talarico said that if the country took "just half of what we spent on wars, prisons, and policing" and spent it on education, health care, and jobs, "we could make prisons obsolete." Talarico's campaign says he "did not call for and does not support defunding the police" and has voted to send billions of dollars to local law enforcement.
CNN just caught James Talarico telling defund-the-police activists it was “rich” that defunding the police was “off-limits.” I've stood with Texas law enforcement my entire career. Talarico bent the knee to the people trying to defund them.
James Talarico plays a moderate on TV. His record is not moderate. He called it “rich” that “defund the police” was considered off limits. He said our system of policing is “deeply broken” and “we must replace it with something new and something better.” He donated to a group advocating police cuts and defended the donation. He has told Texans exactly where he stands.
CNN unveiled footage of Talarico stating that it was “rich” that proposals to “defund the police” were “off limits” in Texas in the wake of the 2020 Summer of Violence that followed the death of George Floyd. CNN likewise corroborated Townhall’s reporting on Talarico’s support for an organization that explicitly called for the defunding of the Austin Police Department and fantasized about the abolition of prisons.
Speaking to pro-defund the police activists, James talarico said: "It’s, as an educator, always rich to me that 'defund the police' is considered off limits in our political debate... "the voices in the street, particularly black and brown voices, as they have throughout our history, are pushing us to expand our moral imagination. They're pushing us to live up to our stated ideals, and that's uncomfortable for folks who are in power or who are part of a group that has power. But that doesn't mean that that uncomfortable conversation doesn't need to happen, and that those questions can be exciting, and they can push us to do something greater and something better." #TXsen
Of course, the Talarico campaign still refuses to acknowledge any of the prior positions that Talarico held, telling CNN that he “did not call for and does not support defunding the police” despite video evidence directly contradicting that claim.
Talarico’s time to distance himself from his record is running short, as there are only 29 days remaining until Election Day.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy Townhall's conservative reporting exposing the radical left and woke media? Support our work so we can keep bringing you the truth.
Original source:
Read at TownhallHow We See It
New Republican Times Editorial Board
When CNN starts running unflattering segments on a Democratic candidate, you know the campaign has a problem. James Talarico is trying to convince Texans he’s a commonsense moderate on the way to Washington, but his own record keeps getting in the way. The fact that even CNN felt compelled to air his flip-flopping says something. It says the story is too big to ignore, and the network has decided the damage is already done.
Talarico has spent his time in the Texas Legislature building a reliably progressive voting history. Now that he’s asking for a promotion, he’s suddenly singing a different tune on issue after issue. That’s not “evolving.” That’s a candidate caught between a primary he already won and a general election he’s losing. Voters are smart enough to spot the difference between a man who changes his mind because he learned something and a man who changes his mind because he read a poll. This is the latter. The record doesn't care about the spin.
What makes it worse is that Texas deserves better than a candidate who treats his own positions as negotiable. We’ve seen this movie before. A Democrat runs to the left in the primary, then scrambles to the center when the whole state is watching. But Talarico’s problem is that the paper trail is short, recent, and embarrassingly easy to pull up. He can call it nuance all he wants. Texas calls it opportunism. You don't need a calculator to count the receipts.
The left will tell you this is just a whisper campaign or a bad week. But when even CNN is talking about it, the whisper is a shout. The Talarico campaign can try to change the subject, but every time he opens his mouth, he’ll be answering for what he said six months ago. That’s a tough way to run for Senate. The floor is his to defend, and the record is already in evidence..
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.