Vox Populi
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Michael Simms: Trump’s Nightmare
On October 22nd, 2023, James Talarico, who is currently the Democratic candidate for senator of Texas, spoke at his home church about the dangers of Christian Nationalism.
Running time: 18 minutes
Who is James Talarico, and why does the Trump administration fear him?
On February 16, 2026, James Talarico was scheduled to appear on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Colbert said that CBS canceled the interview because of the Trump administration’s “intensifying pressure against broadcast TV networks”. He said the network’s lawyers had instructed him not to have Talarico on the show or mention the cancellation. Against their advice, he interviewed Talarico and spoke publicly about the cancellation. Colbert accused CBS of censorship and posted the interview to the show’s YouTube page instead, where it had gained 7.3 million views by February 18, making it the most viewed interview segment on The Late Show‘s channel in a year. Many commentators saw this as an example of the Streisand effect in which the attempt to censor creates publicity far greater than expected.
James Talarico’s platform for his 2026 U.S. Senate campaign centers on an anti-corruption and economic populist agenda. A former middle school teacher and current Presbyterian seminarian, he frames his policies through progressive Christianity, famously stating that the primary political divide is not “left vs. right” but “top vs. bottom”.
Core Policy Pillars
- Government Reform & Anti-Corruption:
- Implementing term limits for members of Congress and Supreme Court justices.
- Banning congressional stock trading and partisan gerrymandering.
- Abolishing Super PACs and corporate PAC money.
- Eliminating the Senate filibuster.
- Education & Family Support:
- Pursuing universal childcare for 3- and 4-year-olds.
- Expanding the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.
- Opposing private school vouchers and mandates for religious displays (like the Ten Commandments) in public classrooms.
- Establishing a federal paid family leave plan.
- Healthcare:
- Advocating for universal healthcare as a human right.
- Supporting a public health insurance option he calls “Medicare for Y’all”.
- Reducing prescription drug costs, including capping insulin copays and allowing drug imports from Canada.
- Social & Civil Rights:
- LGBTQ+ Rights: Vocal supporter who argues that “God is nonbinary” and advocates for queer theology.
- Reproductive Rights: Pro-choice, using scriptural interpretations to argue that “creation has to be done with consent”.
- Immigration: Supports a “giant welcome mat” approach at the border while maintaining security “locks,” emphasizing humane treatment and redirected funding from enforcement to community services.
- Foreign Policy:
- Supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
- Opposes offensive U.S. aid and weapon sales to Israel.
Talarico distinguishes himself by rejecting “politics as blood sport” in favor of a message focused on unity and empathy. He frequently uses biblical metaphors—calling Jesus a “barefoot rabbi” who “flipped tables” of injustice—to argue that progressive policies are a fulfillment of the commandment to “love thy neighbor”.
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Copyright 2026 Michael Simms
Research assistance from AI.
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Thank you for this, Michael! Talarico is a true Christian, not a “scribe and Pharisee . . . hyprocrite”! not a “whited sepulchre”! Let us hope that he can win this seat despite the RethugliCON lies, and that Jasmine Crocket can work with him.
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I agree wholeheartedly, Carolyne!
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Thanks for this piece, Michael. It answers so many questions. I’ve printed it to keep at hand until November, and beyond.
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Thanks, HC. I imagine I’ll be returning to this video time and again. Things are going to get much worse before they start gettin better.
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Thank you for this. Fingers crossed.. how brave he is, in the current climate (doxxing, etc), to say what he says
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Yes, how brave he is. And he is, in my opinion, exactly what we need.
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Yes! And more like him
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Excellent article. I love these new progressive candidates in the footsteps of Bernie and Mamdani. Some of them seem to have gotten the picture, finally, and are parroting the platform. Others seem more sincere, like this guy. Sidelining Bernie and not adopting these policies in 2016 (thanks DNC and super PAC donors) is part of the reason we are here.
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I agree, Dion. The Democratic Party leadership is part of the problem.
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As someone with an accredited MA degree in Theology, I agree with every piece of Talarico’s platform as it is posted on Vox Populi. Most of my classmates, as I remember them, would agree, except a few would have the anti-abortion mindset, seeing their view as social justice for the unborn on that one point. I don’t agree with them on that.
As to Colbert, and CBS. What a fetid place the right-wing media is, and the stink spreads into the mainstream now for capitalistic reasons of profit over truth. Good to see that in this case, the censors were outwitted by Colbert and others. It takes a village to stave off those who would silence compassion. We have learned much about that recently, right here in Mpls. St. Paul.
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Thanks, Jim. Although I am strongly and publicly pro-choice, I think we have to give up purity tests and ally ourselves with people we disagree with in order to get Trump and his cronies out of office.
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I am active in support of Talarico. He is the only candidate I’ve heard talk that I find convincing. I am sure there are many other worthy folks. And I hope that Jasmine Crockett finds an influential place as well. Talarico’s message puts the lie to all those in power who are not committed to virtue and respect.
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Thanks, David. I’m glad to hear from a citizen of Austin about Talarico. My family is mainly in the Houston area. They’ve been conservatives for a long time, but in recent years they’ve become disgusted by Trump and his minions.
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Yes I love the feisty Jasmine and hope she continues the good fight.
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I love Jasmine Crocket as well. I’m glad to see that she readily endorsed Talarico when he won the primary. There’s no room for personal ambitions in this fight against fascism.
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Thanks, Michael. I have heard about the Colbert fiasco and knew he was at the very least a thorn in the heel of MAGA. This article is informative!
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Thanks, Mary!
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I am crossing everything I have to cross.
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Thank you. Sharing.
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My breath is held in hopes of a surge in his popularity, that he may rise.
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Thanks, Lynn. I agree. Christianity has been hijacked (again!) by right wing racists who think killing people is the answer to the world’s problems. Talarico is a voice of peace and tolerance which most of the Christians I know and respect believe in. MLK, Pope Francis, Jimmy Carter and the Berrigan brothers have carried this message in the past.
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Thank you so much Michael. He sounds like a really good guy, nothing to argue with, intelligent and people-oriented. A scrap of hope to hang on to.
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Thanks, Noelle. Talarico is what the Christian Nationalists claim to be but fail. His example highlights their hypocrisy.
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Excellent, thanks for posting this, Michael—so needed to fight this cancer that’s trying to kill democracy —will be sharing this serm
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Thank you!
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Me, too
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