I have great respect for Jasmine Crockett. She is a great congresswoman, and she ran a great campaign.
But James Talarico is a once-in-a-generation talent, and we really need him right now. He reminds me a lot of Obama in 2008.
I remember listening to Obama for the first time, when he spoke in Washington Square on his first presidential campaign. Everybody in the crowd quickly understood that this was something different.
Talarico gives me that feeling of discovery. This is something new. His message, and the way he delivers it, feels like an effective antidote to the fear mongering, the toxic and ugly tribalism, the xenophobia that has been tearing our country apart.
The so-called “Christian Nationalism” movement sounds to me like a message of hate and intolerance. But when Talarico speaks about his Christian faith, it feels authentic to the actual teaching of Jesus, with its focus on love and kindness, and of caring for one another.
Whatever your religion, or lack thereof, I think that is a good message to get behind.