James Talarico, the Democrat trying to unseat Ted Cruz in a state that hasn't elected anyone from his party to statewide office since 1994, walked into a church in DeSoto and basically told the congregation that Jesus Christ was a big fan of government run healthcare. As USA Journal reported, this really happened. In a real church. To real people. With presumably real straight faces.
Talarico told churchgoers that if you crack open the New Testament, you'll discover that Jesus spent the majority of his ministry not preaching or teaching, but healing the sick. And from that observation, he made the galaxy brain leap that the federal government should therefore offer a public option for healthcare coverage. Because nothing says "miraculous divine healing" quite like waiting on hold with a government agency for forty five minutes.
He specifically referenced Matthew 25, the passage where Christ tells followers they'll be judged based on feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and caring for the ill. Talarico then connected those dots straight to government administered programs. The problem, of course, is that Matthew 25 is talking about personal, voluntary acts of compassion. "I was sick and you visited me" is a pretty different vibe from "I was sick and a bureaucrat processed my claim within six to eight weeks."
This is the oldest trick in the progressive playbook: borrowing the moral authority of scripture to justify state compelled redistribution through taxation. It's basically putting a halo on a tax form and calling it charity. Whatever you think about government healthcare as policy, pretending that voting for a politician who funds programs with other people's money is the same thing as personally sacrificing your time and resources is, shall we say, a creative reading of the Gospel.
The real kicker is that American Christians, the exact demographic Talarico was lecturing, happen to be the most generous group in the country by every available metric. They donate more money, volunteer more hours, and build more hospitals, food banks, shelters, and recovery programs than any other group. They do all of this because their faith motivates them, not because Uncle Sam sends a memo.
But wait, there's more! Talarico also weighed in on the Karmelo Anthony case, in which a Texas teenager was found guilty of murder for fatally stabbing a classmate during a youth soccer game. Talarico called the verdict a "tragedy." Bold strategy in a state where parents overwhelmingly support holding violent criminals accountable.
Texas has not sent a single Democrat to any statewide office in thirty two years. Talarico seems absolutely determined to keep that streak alive. Standing in a church telling Texans that Jesus wanted a public option and that a murder conviction is tragic is certainly a campaign strategy. Whether it's a winning one in the Lone Star State is another question entirely. Something tells me the focus groups did not sign off on this approach.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
