Ron Filipkowski has a warning for us

[senseandsensibility]

Now physically tough, heroic brave alpha males like Ted Cruz and Stephan Miller will tell us all about Talarico's masculinity.

They need to be mocked mercilessly when they do so, IMHO.

Ridicule is powerful and those two are just begging for it.

[Lovie777]

1. Republican male politicians are manly?.....................

The ones that are too afraid to stop a madman?

A true strong man are the ones that stand up for the good of mankind, care about others and do not constantly lie, cheat, steal and gaslight.

From what I'm reading, James Talarico has those qualities, i.e stand up for mankind, care about others, plus he's smart.

[senseandsensibility]

2. Hard to argue with anything you wrote

and I agree completely, my friend.

[calimary]

3. So do I!

What you said, Lovie777! Totally!

[PatSeg]

4. Oh my god, NO!!!

Surely, they must be more self-aware than that.

This should be entertaining though.

[OhioBack2Blue]

7. Hell no. I've been around Republicons my whole life...

Low self-awareness, lack of insight and personal blind spots are a collective, common cognitive weakness among these folks.

[Beartracks]

13. Those are all gateway character traits to becoming a Republican.

[PatSeg]

14. I guess you are right

Though I've known some fairly reasonable republicans in my life who weren't like that. However, that was a long time ago, well before the Tea Party and the MAGA crowd. This Trump cult seems to be made up of a lot of people who used to be nonpolitical, but then they discovered social media, Fox News, and ultimately Donald Trump.

[Just Jerome]

5. I mean,

SIX genders?

Really?

I’m six genders myself, but I have Trans Am gender friends. Cool to cruise with them!

[oberle]

10. I wonder if he heard cis gendered and then heard it as six gendered.

[RPM]

16. probably, though that's rather high-level counting for some

[Delphinus]

18. That's exactly it

I saw it on a clip yesterday from the I've Had It ladies - Trump misunderstood cis-gender, called it six-gender, and Paxton has been doing as his master showed him.

[mgardener]

6. Yes

[BeneteauBum]

8. We know the lies and slurs will only get worse.

This is the way the GOP operates…….defame and degrade.

Peace ☮️

[multigraincracker]

9. Just remember this

Every accusation is a. Confession.

[BaronChocula]

11. Here's to ridicule

What some people don’t understand about it is that it makes others think before jumping on some fool’s bandwagon.

[senseandsensibility]

12. Very good point

It's a deterrent. And it's important to do that before their attacks become the narrative or conventional wisdom.

[applegrove]

15. Talarico strikes with surgical precision. That's pretty alpha.

Last edited Thu May 28, 2026, 04:20 PM - Edit history (1)

[Johonny]

17. Alpha male MAGA voted for two non-beer drinkers

In Bush and Trump. Let that sink in. These people are so low information, it's hilarious.

[rampartd]

20. do you believe the "never drank or took drugs" line in his bio?

i sort of believe that is as much bull as the rest of it.

[Qutzupalotl]

19. Cruz couldn't even defend his own wife from Trump.

So we don't need to hear his thoughts on masculinity.

Paxton can read the polls. That's why we are seeing these desperate attempts to attack. He knows his political career is over if he doesn't get some traction soon.

Talarico's got his number, corrupt to the core. Paxton handed him plenty of ammunition. Talarico doesn't seem to have any scandals, so they have to resort to making stuff up. This election will be emblematic of good versus evil, squeaky clean versus corrupt. I think it will galvanize the country to vote against Trump's lackeys in the midterms. Good thing they redrew their districts to give themselves thin majorities across more races — which will not withstand a wave election.

[rampartd]

21. they are going to bury talerico in bullshit

like they do everyone else.

[peggysue2]

22. They're definitely going to try

That doesn't mean Talarico has to hand them the shovel.

When it comes to the trans question, I see no reason why Talarico can't simply say he believes all Americans are entitled to dignity, respect and equality. Trans rights are human rights, period. And then pull the focus back to Paxton's indisputable criminality and lack of respect even for his former wife, not to mention his Republican colleagues.

You answer the question clearly and simply and on constant repeat just like the Republicans do refusing to be pulled into the never-ending 'what-ifs' and narrative flip techniques.

Talarico is a smart cookie. I'm confident he'll figure it out.

[rampartd]

23. i agree with you on the trans question

problem is voters will hear 1000 versions of "little johnny goes to school where his teacher and the lunch lady perform surgery....."

they do not seem to care much for dignity, respect and equality.

[senseandsensibility]

24. IMO

the Dems need to clearly and simply deny these accusations about surgeries in schools or whatever nonsense. The type of people who would believe that are not going to listen to some kind of subtle defense. Dems need to say clearly that this is a lie.

[rampartd]

25. "they are eating the dogs!"

i generally agree, but that always risks the Streisand effect .

trump was allowed to get away clean with "little johnny" and "they're eating the dogs" because ms harris was as shocked as anyone that he would lie so casually at a debate, and of course, the media.

[summer_in_TX]

29. Absolutely, and we need to clearly state that many other labels Dems get are lies too.

Socialists
Communists
Anti-American

Etcetera, etcetera.

Pretty sure our Democratic "socialists" are really Democrats believing in the common good. I've always thought it was an unfortunate word choice if my take is right. I doubt if they are against mom and pop small business and don't want to prevent people from working hard and earning money. If I'm right, they believe that some things should be funded by sharing in the financial load, but not everything.

Wish they would say that, and ditch the word socialism which has a terrible association with authoritarians to this day, like Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro. Those associations will never go away. So why hang on to that word?

The idea of a common good is baked into American history from the time of our founding. And the economic system is irrelevant to the concept. Capitalism and the common good (a.k.a. general welfare) have worked together historically pretty well, so why insist the common good can only be achieved with an economic system of socialism – if they do, which I actually don't believe is what they really mean.

Public education, disaster relief and recovery, postal service, the national highway system, fire departments, environmental regulations, social security and medicare, public lands, rural electrification, common carrier regulations for telephone systems, our military forces, and so much more are already understood by most Americans as important common goods. Health care should be added to that list of course, as should a number of other common goods like high speed broadband.

But I'm not a Democratic Socialist so maybe they really do mean the entire economic system rather than the general welfare of the Preamble to the Constitution.

[Lovie777]

26. Got that right....................

[Submariner]

27. I'm curious, since Cuban Canadian immigrant Cruz has been mentioned

Have anyone noticed if there are any Cuban American members of DU?

I don't recall a posting from any individual since 2001, but maybe I'm just missing it.

[Figarosmom]

28. They are already doing it and calling him a vegan

In a mocking voice, like it's effeminate. I think it was Paxton doing it. I wasn't in the room and only heard it on the TV.

[RT Atlanta]

30. Rafael "Ted" Cruz ALLOWED donny to emasculate him and criticized his wife's looks....

that should be regularly repeated about that Calgary, Alberta born 'man' (no disrespect to my Canadian friends)