In this episode of A Numbers Game, Ryan Girdusky breaks down the numbers behind the Texas primary elections and why the media narrative about what happened doesn’t match the data.
Ryan dives into the surprisingly strong showing from Senator John Cornyn, who led Attorney General Ken Paxton despite being massively outspent in polling expectations and facing intense grassroots criticism. What do the vote totals, spending gaps, and regional turnout actually reveal about the future of Texas Republican politics—and why might this race signal a coming leadership shakeup in the Lone Star State?
He also analyzes the shocking defeat of Congressman Dan Crenshaw, who lost his primary despite outspending his opponent 9-to-1. Ryan explains why the loss had less to do with national narratives and more to do with candidate popularity, donor sentiment, and grassroots backlash.
Then Ryan turns to the Democratic side, where state Rep. James Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in a high-profile primary. As the media begins portraying Talarico as a potential Democrat who could flip Texas, Ryan examines his record, policy positions, and the political strategy behind the party’s attempt to build the next national progressive star.
Along the way, Ryan explores:
The real numbers behind Cornyn vs. Paxton and why polling missed the mark
Why Crenshaw’s defeat shocked Washington but not Texas insiders
The controversy surrounding Rep. Tony Gonzales and his upcoming runoff
The looming power vacuum in Texas GOP leadership over the next decade
Why Democrats are betting big on James Talarico What the results mean for 2026 midterms and the future of Texas politics
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to a numbers Game with Ryan Grotski. Thank
you guys for being here. I am so excited for
this episode because there are so many media narratives coming
out of the primary election in Texas that are truly
driving me nuts. Ladies and gentlemen, and for those questioning themselves,
if you've listened to the show over last year, I
am very much a straight shooter. I have very little
(00:21):
tolerance for nonsense. And what you're hearing about James Tella
Rico and the chances the Democrats have that he is
some white knight who will turn Texas blue are well overindulged. Right.
He is the white knight for Crazytown, USA, and the
population of that town is the American media. But let's
(00:42):
start with the top lines, and let's start specifically on
the Republican side of the aisle. Incumbent center John Cornyn
had a very impressive showing, winning forty two percent of
the vote against Attorney General Ken Paxson's forty one percent
of the vote. Cornyn spent about seventy million dollars in
his primary challenge, the most expensive for an incumbent in
a primary in US history. Dwarfing Paxton's like five million dollars.
(01:07):
It might be a little more outside help, but it's
about five million to seventy million. Well, and why I
say it's impressive despite him spending twelve fourteen times as
much money as Paxton is is that Paxton was leading
in every single poll going to the selection. Most polls
didn't even have Corning getting to thirty five percent. So
the fact that not only he got well over thirty
(01:28):
five percent but came in first place really shows how
weak Paxton's campaign was. Because Paxton said over and over
again that not only was he the MAGA candidate, but
the grassroots candidate, the conservative candidate, and turnout for somebody
who is an incumbent with that kind of reputation among
the grassroots is very weak. It's not great. Paxton received
(01:51):
fewer primary votes this year than Cornyn did in two
thousand and eight. Think about how many more people live
in Texas today than in two thousand and eight. And
I talked to one of my buddies in Texas. I'm
very smart in the Texas politicool circle, and he said,
you don't understand Paxton is not a strong candidate. He's
probably one of the overly talked about campaigners or overly
(02:16):
promoted campaigners in the countries, a pretty weak campaigner when
it comes down to it. And almost immediately after the
polls closed and the numbers started coming in, I was
hearing from consultant friends that Trump was going to push
for an endorsement of Cornyn because Cornyn's numbers out of
Dallas and the Dallas suburbs were gigantic. He even I
think won the Houston area, in the Houston suburbs. And
(02:39):
that's also now what the Atlantic's reporting, is what Politico
is reporting, and Trump said on truth socially, he's going
to endorse one of the candidates. Do I like that.
Here's the thing. Republicans don't want to spend two hundred
million dollars if they don't have to on Texas primary race.
And I get it, corn And sucks he does on
the issues. I don't know. Corn and Corton's awful. He's
(03:01):
absolutely awful, and there should have been a better alternative.
But I give him credit in one thing. This was
the fight for his life, and I have to hand
it to the old guy. He won that fight. Had
had Paxton performed you know, forty eight percent and was
going to run off. I don't think there would be
(03:21):
a question of should Trump endorse corn I think he should.
I think that he wouldn't have. But the fact that
Paxton was leading all the polls, underperformed, couldn't raise money,
didn't campaign particularly well. Do you remember seeing a Paxston
speech that went viral or alternative media coverage or free
(03:43):
media coverage. I didn't see anything. I didn't even see
him make the case against Cornan. I think that he
should have. That he that I would have really hammering
Cornn's moderation and that corn have betrayed Texas conserves. He
was able to execute it, so it seems obvious then
(04:04):
Trump would go with the safer pick, given that the
quote unquote populist candidate, the maga cann at, the conservative candidate,
really couldn't do it, and Paxton, hearing that Trump was
going to call him to step down, probably there were
some whispers or some private conversations, has said that he
would exit the race only on one condition, if the
(04:25):
Senate passes the save back, basically putting the ball back
in the court of moderns in the Senate. I guess
trying to make a concessions from people like Senator Curtis
or Mitch McConnell trying to get an easy pathway for
John Cornyn. I think that's probably the most he could
ask for instead of going into this and he probably
would lose a runoff. I think that he really would,
(04:45):
and he'd spend a lot of time and money. But
what no one's mentioning this is the thing I want
everyone to think about when it comes to Texas politics,
bigger than just this primary, because this is the real
story about this election cycle. Talk about this. But this
is very likely John Cornyn's last run. It's his fourth
and last run. He's turning seventy five at the beginning
(05:09):
of this term, and he'll be eighty one when the
term ends. Greg Abbott, the governor who won his primary
challenge with eighty two percent of the vote, carrying every county,
just ran for his fourth term and it's likely his
final term in office. I would be flabbergacid if you
try to run for a fifth term at seventy three
years old. Dan Patrick, the lieutenant governor who's very popular,
(05:30):
got eighty five percent of the vote, will likely be
serving his last term. He'll be eighty when his term ends,
and there is gossip on the street that allegedly Ted
Cruz is plotting his run for president in twenty twenty
eight and if he doesn't win and a Republican does
and he cannot run in twenty thirty two, that he
will also be retiring. That is the gossip on the street.
(05:54):
So Texas being the most important red stone in this
country for many reasons, not just because they have forty
Electoral College votes and they have this giant economy, and
they have the largest delegation in the House, but they
are coming into a power vacuum over the next four,
five and six years. There's going to be a giant
(06:16):
seed change in the Texas Republican leadership that a lot
of people in Texas are planning the seeds for. Also, remember,
by the way, there are six incumbent Republican Congressmen who
are over the age of seventy. I think one is
over the age of eighty. And if you are a
conservative in Texas and you are disappointed that John Cornyn
(06:37):
is likely coming out of this election, you know the winner.
If you're disappointed that Greg Abbott won with a landslide,
I know some people don't like Greg Abbott. The change
that's going to happen will start today because the main
players who have been running Texas for the last fifteen
years in some case, twenty years in other cases are
all looking towards the exit sign that their time has
(06:59):
come and their time is probably passed. And if you
want a more conservative Texas, now is your chance. This
is really a prime opportunity over the next four years.
No one's talked about. It should be talked about. Now,
let's talk about the other race. That's very fascinating. One
of two primary challenges that I want to talk about.
One is that Crenshaw. Dan Crenshaw was the only incumbent
(07:23):
congressman to lose without a runoff. He did not receive
the Trump endorsement, the only House member in the Texas
delegation not to receive the Trump endorsement. He outspent his
primary opponent at nine to one, but lost by fifteen points.
That's pretty decisive. That's a blowout. People in the media
are asking why. People who don't understand Republicans are asking why.
And you have people like Juan Ferraro from the Wall
(07:47):
Street Journal. He tweeted Dan Crenshaw of Texas as a
conservative with an independent streak, who questioned Republicans who supported
Trump's claim that the twenty twenty vote was stolen. No
place for no place in the party for someone like that,
no one. That was not why Dan Crenshaw lost. Dan
Crenshaw the election being stolen in twenty twenty, those claims
(08:09):
and those you know, the fight over that was not
mentioned during the campaign at all. No one cared about it.
And as far as an independent shriek, dan Crenshaw voted
with Trump one hundred percent of the time. That's a
complete You didn't read the room at all. One, You
didn't read the room at all. People didn't like Dan Crenshaw.
That is the problem. They didn't like him for a
(08:31):
number of reasons. They didn't like him because he was
a warhawk. He openly defended congressional stock trading, which was
one of his big issues over the last couple of years.
Of the number one thing you knew about Dan Crenshaw
was he loved trading stocks and he made no friends
members of I met I'm not in Texas very often,
but I met donors who were like, I'll fund anybody
who runs against him. There was also conservative media personalities
(08:53):
who couldn't stand him. The President didn't like him, his
colleagues didn't like him. He just, I mean, he pissed
everyone off. There's nobody to say it, and finally caught
up to him. He's an abrasive person who's not likable.
And look, I get I'm abrasive. I get like three
Christmas cards a year. I get it. I mean, I'm
not for everybody, but I'm not running for Congress. So
(09:16):
I mean that was really basically it. He was just
too unlikable to run for reelection and it ultimately caught
up with him, and that was that, and so his
career has finally come to an end. For his House seat,
the last seat that I want to talk to you
about is the only dad who's trumpendorse Canada who's likely
(09:36):
to lose, and that is Tony Gonzalez from twenty third
District of Texas. You've heard me talk about him before
on the show A Lot for those who need a
very brief refresher, he represents the district on the Texas
Mexico border. Allegedly call Republicans behind closed doors during the
Biden migration crisis, a bunch of racists for wanting to
(09:58):
stop the invasion, and he had an affair with a
staffer that he aggressively pursued after she told him no,
and allegedly allegedly offered her promotions and raises and projects
that she really wanted to be part of. Before the
affair happened, she left her family for him and only,
and allegedly she he ghosted her, and then she lit
(10:21):
herself on fire in front of her mother and killed herself.
I mean, that's it's horrific to even say out loud.
It's why had to pause. I'm like, how A'm I
gonna say this? This is it's a horrific story. He
denied the entire thing until the text messages between the
two came into public life. Then he admitted that he
had cheated on his wife, the mother of his six children,
and they added quote lapse of judgment, sir ordering taco
(10:45):
bell at two am as a lapse of judgment. This
is much worse. He came in second place in the
primary election. In the runoff, he'll have a runoff with
Brandon Herrera. He received forty two percent to Herrera's forty
three percent. He actually received fewer votes in this election
than the first round of the twenty twenty four primary,
(11:06):
which was a presidential election. So I mean that says
something when you're getting the last votes and you did
during the presidential election and Herrera is getting more. Gonzales
went on the Joe Paggs Show right after the primary
to talk about it. His face was lifeless, is the
way I could describe it. If you're not watching, He said,
(11:26):
God forgave him for the affair. So anyway, by the way,
if you are looking to deal with something with morality,
you don't need to see a priest or a pass
or you can just go to Tony Gonzalez. He's had
a one way conversation with God. But then hegan talking
about how it was weird that his dead mistress's husband
called his congressional office and asked about her death benefits
(11:49):
the day after she passed away. He changed his story.
At first he said it was a few hours after
she passed away, and then said it was the day
after she passed away he asked about her death benefits.
He also claimed that the deaf husband's day defense attorney
threatened to blackmail him for three hundred thousand dollars saying,
this whole little controversy was about money, Sir, Congressman, It
(12:11):
wasn't about money. This is not about money. Nobody cares
about this blackmail story. This is because you had an
affair with your employee. Your staffers are leaking to the
media that you caused her mental distress and she killed herself,
but in a brutal way in front of her mom.
(12:34):
This is not about money, and you are not a victim.
That is what Gonzalez is doing. He's saying, look at me,
I'm the victim of this black Sir. You are not
the victim. You are not the victim. This is so
nonsensical to even spin it that way. PAGs, to his credit, asked,
do you think your response for her suicide? That's clip
(12:57):
one I want to go to that. It's a little
long of a clip that listen to that us.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Any and every headline that we see about this story
makes the assertion. They're not out not saying it, but
they make the assertion that she committed suicide because of you.
You don't think you had anything whatsoever to do with it.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Absolutely nothing to do with it. And you know what
they do this intentionally, Pegs, I mean you cannot hate
the media enough. There's a reason why I'm coming on
your show.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Is the reason why I reached out to you.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
And this, you know this, this alternative way of getting
real information out is this was all very coordinated attack
towards me. For one thing, to get me to not vote,
prime example, to get me to not vote for the
DHS package tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Buzzword, buzzword, buzzword, buzzword, buzzword, media trump, DHS border deflect, distract, distract,
what a narcissistic sociopath this woman is dead? And then
for a definitive proof that he said he is not
responsible at all for her suicide. He reads from the
part of the Evalde police or ort from my first responder.
(14:02):
Go to clip two.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
It is pages upon pages, but I will share just
this one thing. One of the things that was relayed
was you know, what was miss Santos's last words, and
they tried to make it all dramatic in.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
The police report.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
This is specifically from the police report. The female subject
with burn injuries then stated her husband is gay and
having an affair with her best friend. I wonder if
that had something to do with her tragic passing.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
According to her mother, who was present. Her last words
were I don't want to die, which to you is
more believable her claim that the Evalde police, who if
you remember the shooting for a couple of years, have
many issues to them. That she said my husband is
(14:49):
gay as her final words, or I don't want to die.
This politician with his very very large soapbox is saying, no,
it wasn't me. I wasn't responsible. I'm actually the victim
who's responsible her quote unquote gay husband who is now
(15:09):
blackmailing me. It's really just that this man is really
creating circles and taking down a proud congressman. What a
piece of human debris. There is no accountability on his side.
He is lifeless. The only time he's showing any passion
is when he's calling for his own defense. If he
(15:30):
did care about this woman, which he says that she
was an amazing worker and she did so much community.
If he really cared, what he'd be trying to do
right now is raise money for the child who doesn't
have a mom anymore, not running re election campaigns and
claim it you're the victim of some giant conspiracy between
(15:51):
a widower allegedly and his gay love affair, and you're
a deceased employee. This is ridiculous. House leadership under Speaker
Johnson finally finally came out with the statement demanding his withdrawal.
Gonzalez's withdrawal from the reelection, especially as the Ethics Committee
(16:13):
has announced an investigation into his conduct. The House is
a very strict rule about affairs when it comes to staffers.
It's not the same as just regular affairs or affairs
with other colleagues. That's not the same thing with staffers.
It's pretty strict. The runoff in Texas is May twenty six.
(16:34):
I don't think Tony Gonzalez is going to survive. I
would expect, honestly at this point that Trump is going
to withdraw his endorsement at some point. How he's behaving
in this race is so disgraceful. It is disgraceful. This
man is willing to embarrass himself, his wife, his children,
(16:57):
the deceased woman's children. I mean, he's a disgrace. Okay,
that's the Republican side. That's my annalysis of the Republican side.
That's why this election is interesting and important. Let's go
to the Democrat side of the election, the Democratic primary
that's coming up next. So James tela Rico, state representative,
(17:19):
just thirty six years old, defeated Congressman Jasmine Crockett in
the Democratic primary, a woman who I have often called
the dime store CARDI b who developed a black scent
sometime in her late thirties to early forties. Jasmine's a
beautiful I'm not making a joke. She's a gorgeous looking
woman who was very eloquent speaker until she became a
(17:39):
member of Congress and all of a sudden her entire
voice change somehow to turn it in this election. The
Democratic primary was massive the city of Austin and the
surrounding suburbs where tel Rico is the stay representative. That
gave him the large margin of victory. He did very
well with Latinos as well, winning their vote. The black
vote was very one sided towards Jasmine Rocket the white
(18:01):
vote was even more one side or as one sided
for James tell Rico, as was the case, by the way,
with the Republican primary. Tela Rico outspent his opponent, though
not as much as Corn and out spent Paxston, but
he outspent her about five to one. For almost two decades,
the media has been trying to recreate what they did
(18:21):
with Obama, basically create this political sensation out of whole cloth.
And now they're especially focused on doing it with a
white man. See, they know that white men, especially working
class white men and evangelical white men, are the backbone
of the Republican Party. The Republican Party cannot win without
white men, and if they peel off a few of them,
(18:45):
then they can win every big election they try to do,
as with Tim Waltz, the communist version of Fred Mertz,
until it was revealed that he was certifiably insane, giving
out awards to refugees that defrauded people in the systems,
dealing two hundred and fifty million dollars that that we're
using to feed hungry children. That's what they do all
the time. They're trying to more and more frequently. They
try with Beto O'Rourke, the man who wanted to tow the
(19:08):
line between being Irish and Latino, so he instead of
going by his real name, Francis O'Rourke, he went by
Beto to really mix it up a little bit. And
the far left is also trying to be a man
named Graham Platner up in Maine. I'm going to have
an entire episode of dedicated to him soon. I'm going
to expose the truth about him, and it's going to
(19:29):
be fantastic. He is crazier than a pistachio farm in California.
But then there's James Tula Rico. He is the Left's
new wonder kid. This keybler elf, according to the media,
is the Left's answer to Evangelicalism, Christian nationalism. He's a
seminarian who really understands what working class white people believe,
and economic populist, and he's deeply rooting his Christian faith
(19:52):
and he reads the Bible. He carries the Bible with
them practically ever he goes. The only problem is for
the Democrats that Trico. In tell Rico's version of Christianity,
Jesus Christ has the same opinions on polities that Christian
jillibrandt and Corey Booker have. Here's just a short highlight
reel of some of the supposed things as moderate believes
(20:13):
in when it comes to Christianity and politics. Credit to
Colin rig who pulled this. Go to the next Clook.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
When I was a teacher on the West side of
San Antonio, I taught a lot of students who were undocumented,
and I don't want a stereotype, but those students tended
to be the most patriotic, the hardest working students that
I had in the classroom. And again I haven't stated
this enough to say this definitively, but there are interpretations
(20:40):
of certain passages from the Torah where some folks will
even say that there is some subtle instructions for how
to perform an abortion in the ancient world, certain things
to drink, things like that.
Speaker 5 (20:54):
Before we go further, I want to acknowledge that our
trans community needs abortion care too. Defending trans Texas is
something we have to do every day at the state capital,
and you better believe I'll be getting sermons on that too.
I want us all to be aware of is that
modern science obviously recognized as that there are many more
(21:14):
than two biological sexes.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
In fact, there are six.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
Is both masculine and feminine and everything in between.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
God is non binary.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
So this idea that to be a Christian means you
have to be anti gay and anti abortion, there really
is no historical theological biblical basis for that opinion.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
During one of his addresses in a church, Tyla Rico said,
after abortion was banned that neighbors with a uterus are
second class citizen and citizens go to the next collipse.
Speaker 5 (21:50):
This summer, more than half our population became second class citizens.
Every one of our neighbors with a uterus became the
pretty of the state. And nothing, nothing is more Unchristian
than that.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
I am so old that back in my day they
call those people women on God being non binary. Now,
he didn't say this is his current defense that God
is greater than gender, but he doesn't say things like
God created man and woman in his likeness an image
he uses a specifically uses a woke terminology that God
(22:31):
is non binary. That is, for boys that like to
wear skirts and pretend they're cats and girls who think
are thinking about having their breast lobbed off. He said
that Jesus Christ himself was a radical feminist, as if
he was sitting in the temple reading Betty for Dan.
He also said that Jesus has helped him reckon with
his own whiteness. Now, for those of you who aren't
(22:53):
familiar with the teachings of Jesus or Christianity. Jesus calls
on us to reckon with our sin full nature. But
to James Telarco, being white and committing a sin is
the same exact thing. Go to the next clip.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
For me, Prophetic voices like Jesus have helped me reckon
with my own whiteness, my own masculinity, my own certainty,
my own ego. It's a never ending process, and it's
a painful process.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Being a white man is a painful process. To James Telrigo,
the moderate Democratic candidate from Texas. Some of his other
moderate positions are that prisons are violence and we should
imagine a world and work for a world without them.
Is the next clip.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
Poverty is violence, pollution is violence, and yes, prison is violence.
Dismantle the system of violence.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
Build something new, something better, something rooted in love.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
It's hard to imagine a world without prison, but was
also hard to imagine a world without telegrams.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
And cassette face.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
Just because it's hard to imagine, it doesn't be is should.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
The hits keep coming? He posed the picture of several
black men who have been killed by police, including Michael Brown.
Michael Brown for those who forgot he was in Ferguson, Missouri.
He charged up police trying to grab one of their
guns and was killed. This is where the hands up,
don't shoot lie comes from. In his tweet, Tullarico says
(24:26):
Ahmud Albert Arbery, who was actually legitimately killed for not
for police. He was killed actually for a highfile for
racial profiling, he said, is the latest American kill from
the virus of racism. The virus kills our black neighbors
if they are jogging, playing music, sitting in church, selling CDs,
or carrying a bag of skittles. White skin gives me
(24:48):
and every white American immunity from this virus, but we
spread it wherever we go through the world through our words,
our actions, our systems. We don't have to be showing
some like a white hood or a Confederate flag to
be racist. We're just virus carriers us white people. Michael
(25:11):
Brown wasn't killed because of racism. He was killed because
he tried to take an officer's gun and he violently
confronted the police. During a different post, he referred to
illegal aliens as undocumented Americans. In twenty thirteen, he video
of a certain pro life video brings back memories of
(25:31):
being the only teenage boy at planned Parentho marches in
two thousand and four. For anyone who has ever seen
a picture, or watched a video or heard him speak,
I can promise you James tell Arco at no point
in his life needed to worry about an unplanned pregnancy.
But he cares a lot about abortion, so much so
that he said, we need abortion access for our trans community.
(25:54):
We need abortion access for anyone, because if you don't,
you are a ward of the state. You're basically a slave.
He actively worked speaking of trans this is like an
insane thing. He actually worked when he was in the
state legislator from stopping trans women who are men from
being in female spaces and being playing on female sports team.
(26:16):
He took the twenty twenty percent side of an eighty
twenty issue in twenty twenty two. This is after Robi
Way was overturned. He called on Joe Biden to use
federal buildings to provide abortion care for women in red states.
Can you imagine? Can you imagine Christmas time you're going
(26:37):
to the post office to go male packages to relatives
and loved ones across the country. You're humming some Christmas
carols to yourself, and you get to the post office
and lo and behold, a woman is getting an abortion
near the po boxes. This man is insane. This man
is e thing sick. In twenty twenty, he also claimed
(26:58):
that he had gone viral in Brazil because his last
name in Portuguese. He said, his last name in Brazilian,
but he's two stupids know that it's Portuguese, not Brazilian.
And when there's no language Brazilian, he said that his
last name means wife stealer, and he said, I'm going
to steal your girl once again. If you've ever seen
or heard him, that is not a problem you should
worry about. But see, he's what the liberal fantasy of
(27:22):
what normal for white men looks like. He is to
what liberals believe will work to get white evangelicals on
his side. You know, it means I've read the Bible,
I've been inside a church outside of a funeral. Therefore
I got this. It's like when Republicans run a black
guy with a white wife who lives in an all
white community and thinks that's gonna, you know, win over
(27:44):
black voters. It's not going to work. No one believes
James Tella Rigo sounds like a like a Christian, like
an average white guy. He's constantly plagued, but the inner
term was of being a white guy. I mean he
Rachel Dalzel is more adjusted to being white than James
Tela Rico. James is a mini ni version of every
(28:07):
far left radical nutbag that the Democratic Party has ever
turned out, and he's had this enormous successful Latino voters
in this primary election they're counting on to swing him
the Senate seat, but that's because they didn't get a
hundred million dollars of advis showing that he's just the
woke billy Graham. He is not a deeply devout Christian.
(28:30):
He's a heretic. He basterdizes the faith that a majority
of Texans believe in. So there's a lot going going
to come out about him past this primary. And the
biggest irony has Jasmine Crockett not been so utterly woke
And now maybe if she had more money, but if
she not been so utterly woke and been afraid of
(28:52):
the online, you know, woke mob, she probably could have
beaten him by addressing these issues to Latinos in Texas
in the Democratic primary, she could have splintered off a
lot by talking about his positions on trans people, by
his positions on prisons, by his positions on crime, by
(29:13):
his positions on whiteness in the suburbs of Dallas and Houston,
you know, or as James Teleerico referrently calls people Latin
X people, which infuriates Hispanics. I know that Republicans in
Washington's are licking their chops and they believe they could
beat James Celerico. It's always a hard state for them
(29:34):
to win. But I don't think that they even began
to skim the surface of just how nuts this man is.
He is crazy. He is not going to win this election.
I don't think right now. I will wait to see
some polls. But when this stuff starts hitting, and it
will hit the airwaves and non stop, they're going to say,
(29:54):
this man is a freak. Let's send him back to
the key morel you know, tree, so he can make
some cookies. Ask Me Anything is coming up next. Welcome
back for the Ask Me Anything segment. If you want
to be part of the Ask Me Anything segment, email
me Ryan at Numbers Game Podcast dot com as Ryan
at numbers Plural Numbers Game podcast dot com. This message
(30:15):
comes from Mike. He says, Ryan, big fan of your
show and wish you continued success. Thank you, Mike. I
appreciate that, he said. I've been a longtime conservative and
I believe I have a pretty stable political instincts. That
being said, why do Republicans do to shoot themselves in
the foot? That is an ever green question, Mike. That
is not fair for me to answer. Ethics acide. Everyone
had known that in twenty twenty two election was going
(30:36):
to be a blovebetho Republicans because of the abortion ruling. E.
I don't actually believe that. I don't care what side
of the aisle you're on on that debate. It's just
now mainstream battle of winner, and now in twenty twenty six,
Republicans are again fumbling the football with or messaging on
ice and going down the pin the tail on the
jew rabbit pull. I don't mean to laugh. Don't mean
(31:00):
to laugh. That was a very creative way of putting it. Sorry.
I've loved all your coverage and analyse the illegal immigration
debate and agree with you on your messaging Mike, and
there was a rant after that, but it went too long. Mike,
thank you for your compliments. I would say with the
twenty twenty two election, remember that Trump. The Republicans won
the generic ballad in the twenty twenty two election, right,
(31:23):
so they were more voted for Republicans in the House
then voted for Democrats. The problem was is that Republican
voters were shifting. They were winning more working class voters,
more more Latina voters, and they didn't do a good
enough job in white suburban communities where the voters were
leaving them, and that was part of it. Yes, abortion
(31:44):
and a big part of it, saying the claiming the
twenty twenty election was stolen and the fears of democracy
played part of it, but the re alignment had a
big part of it. That was kind of underspoken about
as well as you know, wee candidates running for statewide
office and then all being lumped in together as crazy.
The thing about that, here's the problem with Republicans with
(32:04):
the whole pin the pin the tail on the jew
rabbit hole. Republicans in office are not talking about that
is all coming from online media personalities. So how much
space do you give something do you want I'm thinking
of it. Think of it like this, if you are
an elected official, Ted Cruz aside. But if you're an
(32:27):
elected official, how much time do you want to spend
in your re election year of battling Tucker Carlson? How
much do you want to elevate him? How much you
want to elevate Canis Owens, canus Owens. The show is
the National Inquirer, it's you know, who killed Charlie Kirk.
That's the problem. You don't want to elevate people because
(32:48):
if you do, if you put them on your level,
you give them much larger credibility. And I get that
we're all seeing it. I don't really know how you
dissuade people from that opinion or from hearing about it.
But that's that's that. I mean, that's that's really the
conflict as far as the messaging goes, with immigration a
(33:11):
big thing of it. I think immigration plays less into
it than people think. I think it's really the economy.
I think for young young people, they are dissatisfied with
the Epstein file stuff. I think it Epstein File stuff
has gotten way too much converence with young people. Do
care about it, and I acknowledge that they care about it.
And I think that it's gas prices and energy prices.
(33:32):
So part of it is the economy and the economy
not being where people want it to be. Part of
it is thinking that Trump is distracted by too much
military intervention and not enough focus on domestic policy. And
then the other part of it is I guess these
the greater conservative conversations that are happening that members of
(33:53):
Congress are not having. And to a certain degree, if
they spend all their time worrying would talk or Carlson
or this one or that one, it would look they
would make the party really look like a circus. And
you don't want that. So that's my opinion of it.
I think a lot of things being said about Jews
are despicable and disgusting. And as I said before, I
(34:15):
don't think that Rubio made a good case for himself
in that press conference. And Rubio's been doing it normally,
a fabulous job as Secretary of State. But I do
you think that he fumbled that? So yeah, but that's
that's how it was. And also, remember one last thing,
one last thing. Remember it's a midterm of a president
in power. It is the normal thing for the party
(34:36):
in power to lose the House. It's just the way
the American people are. There's really sometimes not a bigger
lesson to learn from it. Just everyone relax, make sure
we'll go out and vote, try to win as many
elections as possible, try to reduce the losses in the
House to you know, single digits. But aside from that,
you know, you've got to just take a breath and
(34:59):
people stop losing their minds over every little thing. Like cool,
our heads will prevail. Just That's one thing I've noticed
as I've gotten older, is like, don't always have to
set our hair and four we can take a breath.
It is okay to not get set over everything. You
can't control everything. It gives you ulcers and you know, anyway,
that's this episode. Thank you guys so much. We'll be
(35:21):
back on Monday. We have a special episode with Amazing Polester.
We're gonna go down and break down Republicans' chances in
the midterms. We're gonna break down all of the chances
to hold on to the Senate or win more sentence seats,
or loose the sentence seats. It's gonna be a fantastic show.
If you like this podcast, please like and subscribe on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or on YouTube wherever you
(35:41):
get your podcasts, and I will talk to you guys
on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend.
Welcome back to a numbers Game with Ryan Grotski. Thank
you guys for being here. I am so excited for
this episode because there are so many media narratives coming
out of the primary election in Texas that are truly
driving me nuts. Ladies and gentlemen, and for those questioning themselves,
if you've listened to the show over last year, I
am very much a straight shooter. I have very little
(00:21):
tolerance for nonsense. And what you're hearing about James Tella
Rico and the chances the Democrats have that he is
some white knight who will turn Texas blue are well overindulged. Right.
He is the white knight for Crazytown, USA, and the
population of that town is the American media. But let's
(00:42):
start with the top lines, and let's start specifically on
the Republican side of the aisle. Incumbent center John Cornyn
had a very impressive showing, winning forty two percent of
the vote against Attorney General Ken Paxson's forty one percent
of the vote. Cornyn spent about seventy million dollars in
his primary challenge, the most expensive for an incumbent in
a primary in US history. Dwarfing Paxton's like five million dollars.
(01:07):
It might be a little more outside help, but it's
about five million to seventy million. Well, and why I
say it's impressive despite him spending twelve fourteen times as
much money as Paxton is is that Paxton was leading
in every single poll going to the selection. Most polls
didn't even have Corning getting to thirty five percent. So
the fact that not only he got well over thirty
(01:28):
five percent but came in first place really shows how
weak Paxton's campaign was. Because Paxton said over and over
again that not only was he the MAGA candidate, but
the grassroots candidate, the conservative candidate, and turnout for somebody
who is an incumbent with that kind of reputation among
the grassroots is very weak. It's not great. Paxton received
(01:51):
fewer primary votes this year than Cornyn did in two
thousand and eight. Think about how many more people live
in Texas today than in two thousand and eight. And
I talked to one of my buddies in Texas. I'm
very smart in the Texas politicool circle, and he said,
you don't understand Paxton is not a strong candidate. He's
probably one of the overly talked about campaigners or overly
(02:16):
promoted campaigners in the countries, a pretty weak campaigner when
it comes down to it. And almost immediately after the
polls closed and the numbers started coming in, I was
hearing from consultant friends that Trump was going to push
for an endorsement of Cornyn because Cornyn's numbers out of
Dallas and the Dallas suburbs were gigantic. He even I
think won the Houston area, in the Houston suburbs. And
(02:39):
that's also now what the Atlantic's reporting, is what Politico
is reporting, and Trump said on truth socially, he's going
to endorse one of the candidates. Do I like that.
Here's the thing. Republicans don't want to spend two hundred
million dollars if they don't have to on Texas primary race.
And I get it, corn And sucks he does on
the issues. I don't know. Corn and Corton's awful. He's
(03:01):
absolutely awful, and there should have been a better alternative.
But I give him credit in one thing. This was
the fight for his life, and I have to hand
it to the old guy. He won that fight. Had
had Paxton performed you know, forty eight percent and was
going to run off. I don't think there would be
(03:21):
a question of should Trump endorse corn I think he should.
I think that he wouldn't have. But the fact that
Paxton was leading all the polls, underperformed, couldn't raise money,
didn't campaign particularly well. Do you remember seeing a Paxston
speech that went viral or alternative media coverage or free
(03:43):
media coverage. I didn't see anything. I didn't even see
him make the case against Cornan. I think that he
should have. That he that I would have really hammering
Cornn's moderation and that corn have betrayed Texas conserves. He
was able to execute it, so it seems obvious then
(04:04):
Trump would go with the safer pick, given that the
quote unquote populist candidate, the maga cann at, the conservative candidate,
really couldn't do it, and Paxton, hearing that Trump was
going to call him to step down, probably there were
some whispers or some private conversations, has said that he
would exit the race only on one condition, if the
(04:25):
Senate passes the save back, basically putting the ball back
in the court of moderns in the Senate. I guess
trying to make a concessions from people like Senator Curtis
or Mitch McConnell trying to get an easy pathway for
John Cornyn. I think that's probably the most he could
ask for instead of going into this and he probably
would lose a runoff. I think that he really would,
(04:45):
and he'd spend a lot of time and money. But
what no one's mentioning this is the thing I want
everyone to think about when it comes to Texas politics,
bigger than just this primary, because this is the real
story about this election cycle. Talk about this. But this
is very likely John Cornyn's last run. It's his fourth
and last run. He's turning seventy five at the beginning
(05:09):
of this term, and he'll be eighty one when the
term ends. Greg Abbott, the governor who won his primary
challenge with eighty two percent of the vote, carrying every county,
just ran for his fourth term and it's likely his
final term in office. I would be flabbergacid if you
try to run for a fifth term at seventy three
years old. Dan Patrick, the lieutenant governor who's very popular,
(05:30):
got eighty five percent of the vote, will likely be
serving his last term. He'll be eighty when his term ends,
and there is gossip on the street that allegedly Ted
Cruz is plotting his run for president in twenty twenty
eight and if he doesn't win and a Republican does
and he cannot run in twenty thirty two, that he
will also be retiring. That is the gossip on the street.
(05:54):
So Texas being the most important red stone in this
country for many reasons, not just because they have forty
Electoral College votes and they have this giant economy, and
they have the largest delegation in the House, but they
are coming into a power vacuum over the next four,
five and six years. There's going to be a giant
(06:16):
seed change in the Texas Republican leadership that a lot
of people in Texas are planning the seeds for. Also, remember,
by the way, there are six incumbent Republican Congressmen who
are over the age of seventy. I think one is
over the age of eighty. And if you are a
conservative in Texas and you are disappointed that John Cornyn
(06:37):
is likely coming out of this election, you know the winner.
If you're disappointed that Greg Abbott won with a landslide,
I know some people don't like Greg Abbott. The change
that's going to happen will start today because the main
players who have been running Texas for the last fifteen
years in some case, twenty years in other cases are
all looking towards the exit sign that their time has
(06:59):
come and their time is probably passed. And if you
want a more conservative Texas, now is your chance. This
is really a prime opportunity over the next four years.
No one's talked about. It should be talked about. Now,
let's talk about the other race. That's very fascinating. One
of two primary challenges that I want to talk about.
One is that Crenshaw. Dan Crenshaw was the only incumbent
(07:23):
congressman to lose without a runoff. He did not receive
the Trump endorsement, the only House member in the Texas
delegation not to receive the Trump endorsement. He outspent his
primary opponent at nine to one, but lost by fifteen points.
That's pretty decisive. That's a blowout. People in the media
are asking why. People who don't understand Republicans are asking why.
And you have people like Juan Ferraro from the Wall
(07:47):
Street Journal. He tweeted Dan Crenshaw of Texas as a
conservative with an independent streak, who questioned Republicans who supported
Trump's claim that the twenty twenty vote was stolen. No
place for no place in the party for someone like that,
no one. That was not why Dan Crenshaw lost. Dan
Crenshaw the election being stolen in twenty twenty, those claims
(08:09):
and those you know, the fight over that was not
mentioned during the campaign at all. No one cared about it.
And as far as an independent shriek, dan Crenshaw voted
with Trump one hundred percent of the time. That's a
complete You didn't read the room at all. One, You
didn't read the room at all. People didn't like Dan Crenshaw.
That is the problem. They didn't like him for a
(08:31):
number of reasons. They didn't like him because he was
a warhawk. He openly defended congressional stock trading, which was
one of his big issues over the last couple of years.
Of the number one thing you knew about Dan Crenshaw
was he loved trading stocks and he made no friends
members of I met I'm not in Texas very often,
but I met donors who were like, I'll fund anybody
who runs against him. There was also conservative media personalities
(08:53):
who couldn't stand him. The President didn't like him, his
colleagues didn't like him. He just, I mean, he pissed
everyone off. There's nobody to say it, and finally caught
up to him. He's an abrasive person who's not likable.
And look, I get I'm abrasive. I get like three
Christmas cards a year. I get it. I mean, I'm
not for everybody, but I'm not running for Congress. So
(09:16):
I mean that was really basically it. He was just
too unlikable to run for reelection and it ultimately caught
up with him, and that was that, and so his
career has finally come to an end. For his House seat,
the last seat that I want to talk to you
about is the only dad who's trumpendorse Canada who's likely
(09:36):
to lose, and that is Tony Gonzalez from twenty third
District of Texas. You've heard me talk about him before
on the show A Lot for those who need a
very brief refresher, he represents the district on the Texas
Mexico border. Allegedly call Republicans behind closed doors during the
Biden migration crisis, a bunch of racists for wanting to
(09:58):
stop the invasion, and he had an affair with a
staffer that he aggressively pursued after she told him no,
and allegedly allegedly offered her promotions and raises and projects
that she really wanted to be part of. Before the
affair happened, she left her family for him and only,
and allegedly she he ghosted her, and then she lit
(10:21):
herself on fire in front of her mother and killed herself.
I mean, that's it's horrific to even say out loud.
It's why had to pause. I'm like, how A'm I
gonna say this? This is it's a horrific story. He
denied the entire thing until the text messages between the
two came into public life. Then he admitted that he
had cheated on his wife, the mother of his six children,
and they added quote lapse of judgment, sir ordering taco
(10:45):
bell at two am as a lapse of judgment. This
is much worse. He came in second place in the
primary election. In the runoff, he'll have a runoff with
Brandon Herrera. He received forty two percent to Herrera's forty
three percent. He actually received fewer votes in this election
than the first round of the twenty twenty four primary,
(11:06):
which was a presidential election. So I mean that says
something when you're getting the last votes and you did
during the presidential election and Herrera is getting more. Gonzales
went on the Joe Paggs Show right after the primary
to talk about it. His face was lifeless, is the
way I could describe it. If you're not watching, He said,
(11:26):
God forgave him for the affair. So anyway, by the way,
if you are looking to deal with something with morality,
you don't need to see a priest or a pass
or you can just go to Tony Gonzalez. He's had
a one way conversation with God. But then hegan talking
about how it was weird that his dead mistress's husband
called his congressional office and asked about her death benefits
(11:49):
the day after she passed away. He changed his story.
At first he said it was a few hours after
she passed away, and then said it was the day
after she passed away he asked about her death benefits.
He also claimed that the deaf husband's day defense attorney
threatened to blackmail him for three hundred thousand dollars saying,
this whole little controversy was about money, Sir, Congressman, It
(12:11):
wasn't about money. This is not about money. Nobody cares
about this blackmail story. This is because you had an
affair with your employee. Your staffers are leaking to the
media that you caused her mental distress and she killed herself,
but in a brutal way in front of her mom.
(12:34):
This is not about money, and you are not a victim.
That is what Gonzalez is doing. He's saying, look at me,
I'm the victim of this black Sir. You are not
the victim. You are not the victim. This is so
nonsensical to even spin it that way. PAGs, to his credit, asked,
do you think your response for her suicide? That's clip
(12:57):
one I want to go to that. It's a little
long of a clip that listen to that us.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Any and every headline that we see about this story
makes the assertion. They're not out not saying it, but
they make the assertion that she committed suicide because of you.
You don't think you had anything whatsoever to do with it.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Absolutely nothing to do with it. And you know what
they do this intentionally, Pegs, I mean you cannot hate
the media enough. There's a reason why I'm coming on
your show.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Is the reason why I reached out to you.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
And this, you know this, this alternative way of getting
real information out is this was all very coordinated attack
towards me. For one thing, to get me to not vote,
prime example, to get me to not vote for the
DHS package tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Buzzword, buzzword, buzzword, buzzword, buzzword, media trump, DHS border deflect, distract, distract,
what a narcissistic sociopath this woman is dead? And then
for a definitive proof that he said he is not
responsible at all for her suicide. He reads from the
part of the Evalde police or ort from my first responder.
(14:02):
Go to clip two.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
It is pages upon pages, but I will share just
this one thing. One of the things that was relayed
was you know, what was miss Santos's last words, and
they tried to make it all dramatic in.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
The police report.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
This is specifically from the police report. The female subject
with burn injuries then stated her husband is gay and
having an affair with her best friend. I wonder if
that had something to do with her tragic passing.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
According to her mother, who was present. Her last words
were I don't want to die, which to you is
more believable her claim that the Evalde police, who if
you remember the shooting for a couple of years, have
many issues to them. That she said my husband is
(14:49):
gay as her final words, or I don't want to die.
This politician with his very very large soapbox is saying, no,
it wasn't me. I wasn't responsible. I'm actually the victim
who's responsible her quote unquote gay husband who is now
(15:09):
blackmailing me. It's really just that this man is really
creating circles and taking down a proud congressman. What a
piece of human debris. There is no accountability on his side.
He is lifeless. The only time he's showing any passion
is when he's calling for his own defense. If he
(15:30):
did care about this woman, which he says that she
was an amazing worker and she did so much community.
If he really cared, what he'd be trying to do
right now is raise money for the child who doesn't
have a mom anymore, not running re election campaigns and
claim it you're the victim of some giant conspiracy between
(15:51):
a widower allegedly and his gay love affair, and you're
a deceased employee. This is ridiculous. House leadership under Speaker
Johnson finally finally came out with the statement demanding his withdrawal.
Gonzalez's withdrawal from the reelection, especially as the Ethics Committee
(16:13):
has announced an investigation into his conduct. The House is
a very strict rule about affairs when it comes to staffers.
It's not the same as just regular affairs or affairs
with other colleagues. That's not the same thing with staffers.
It's pretty strict. The runoff in Texas is May twenty six.
(16:34):
I don't think Tony Gonzalez is going to survive. I
would expect, honestly at this point that Trump is going
to withdraw his endorsement at some point. How he's behaving
in this race is so disgraceful. It is disgraceful. This
man is willing to embarrass himself, his wife, his children,
(16:57):
the deceased woman's children. I mean, he's a disgrace. Okay,
that's the Republican side. That's my annalysis of the Republican side.
That's why this election is interesting and important. Let's go
to the Democrat side of the election, the Democratic primary
that's coming up next. So James tela Rico, state representative,
(17:19):
just thirty six years old, defeated Congressman Jasmine Crockett in
the Democratic primary, a woman who I have often called
the dime store CARDI b who developed a black scent
sometime in her late thirties to early forties. Jasmine's a
beautiful I'm not making a joke. She's a gorgeous looking
woman who was very eloquent speaker until she became a
(17:39):
member of Congress and all of a sudden her entire
voice change somehow to turn it in this election. The
Democratic primary was massive the city of Austin and the
surrounding suburbs where tel Rico is the stay representative. That
gave him the large margin of victory. He did very
well with Latinos as well, winning their vote. The black
vote was very one sided towards Jasmine Rocket the white
(18:01):
vote was even more one side or as one sided
for James tell Rico, as was the case, by the way,
with the Republican primary. Tela Rico outspent his opponent, though
not as much as Corn and out spent Paxston, but
he outspent her about five to one. For almost two decades,
the media has been trying to recreate what they did
(18:21):
with Obama, basically create this political sensation out of whole cloth.
And now they're especially focused on doing it with a
white man. See, they know that white men, especially working
class white men and evangelical white men, are the backbone
of the Republican Party. The Republican Party cannot win without
white men, and if they peel off a few of them,
(18:45):
then they can win every big election they try to do,
as with Tim Waltz, the communist version of Fred Mertz,
until it was revealed that he was certifiably insane, giving
out awards to refugees that defrauded people in the systems,
dealing two hundred and fifty million dollars that that we're
using to feed hungry children. That's what they do all
the time. They're trying to more and more frequently. They
try with Beto O'Rourke, the man who wanted to tow the
(19:08):
line between being Irish and Latino, so he instead of
going by his real name, Francis O'Rourke, he went by
Beto to really mix it up a little bit. And
the far left is also trying to be a man
named Graham Platner up in Maine. I'm going to have
an entire episode of dedicated to him soon. I'm going
to expose the truth about him, and it's going to
(19:29):
be fantastic. He is crazier than a pistachio farm in California.
But then there's James Tula Rico. He is the Left's
new wonder kid. This keybler elf, according to the media,
is the Left's answer to Evangelicalism, Christian nationalism. He's a
seminarian who really understands what working class white people believe,
and economic populist, and he's deeply rooting his Christian faith
(19:52):
and he reads the Bible. He carries the Bible with
them practically ever he goes. The only problem is for
the Democrats that Trico. In tell Rico's version of Christianity,
Jesus Christ has the same opinions on polities that Christian
jillibrandt and Corey Booker have. Here's just a short highlight
reel of some of the supposed things as moderate believes
(20:13):
in when it comes to Christianity and politics. Credit to
Colin rig who pulled this. Go to the next Clook.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
When I was a teacher on the West side of
San Antonio, I taught a lot of students who were undocumented,
and I don't want a stereotype, but those students tended
to be the most patriotic, the hardest working students that
I had in the classroom. And again I haven't stated
this enough to say this definitively, but there are interpretations
(20:40):
of certain passages from the Torah where some folks will
even say that there is some subtle instructions for how
to perform an abortion in the ancient world, certain things
to drink, things like that.
Speaker 5 (20:54):
Before we go further, I want to acknowledge that our
trans community needs abortion care too. Defending trans Texas is
something we have to do every day at the state capital,
and you better believe I'll be getting sermons on that too.
I want us all to be aware of is that
modern science obviously recognized as that there are many more
(21:14):
than two biological sexes.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
In fact, there are six.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
Is both masculine and feminine and everything in between.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
God is non binary.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
So this idea that to be a Christian means you
have to be anti gay and anti abortion, there really
is no historical theological biblical basis for that opinion.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
During one of his addresses in a church, Tyla Rico said,
after abortion was banned that neighbors with a uterus are
second class citizen and citizens go to the next collipse.
Speaker 5 (21:50):
This summer, more than half our population became second class citizens.
Every one of our neighbors with a uterus became the
pretty of the state. And nothing, nothing is more Unchristian
than that.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
I am so old that back in my day they
call those people women on God being non binary. Now,
he didn't say this is his current defense that God
is greater than gender, but he doesn't say things like
God created man and woman in his likeness an image
he uses a specifically uses a woke terminology that God
(22:31):
is non binary. That is, for boys that like to
wear skirts and pretend they're cats and girls who think
are thinking about having their breast lobbed off. He said
that Jesus Christ himself was a radical feminist, as if
he was sitting in the temple reading Betty for Dan.
He also said that Jesus has helped him reckon with
his own whiteness. Now, for those of you who aren't
(22:53):
familiar with the teachings of Jesus or Christianity. Jesus calls
on us to reckon with our sin full nature. But
to James Telarco, being white and committing a sin is
the same exact thing. Go to the next clip.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
For me, Prophetic voices like Jesus have helped me reckon
with my own whiteness, my own masculinity, my own certainty,
my own ego. It's a never ending process, and it's
a painful process.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Being a white man is a painful process. To James Telrigo,
the moderate Democratic candidate from Texas. Some of his other
moderate positions are that prisons are violence and we should
imagine a world and work for a world without them.
Is the next clip.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
Poverty is violence, pollution is violence, and yes, prison is violence.
Dismantle the system of violence.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
Build something new, something better, something rooted in love.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
It's hard to imagine a world without prison, but was
also hard to imagine a world without telegrams.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
And cassette face.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
Just because it's hard to imagine, it doesn't be is should.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
The hits keep coming? He posed the picture of several
black men who have been killed by police, including Michael Brown.
Michael Brown for those who forgot he was in Ferguson, Missouri.
He charged up police trying to grab one of their
guns and was killed. This is where the hands up,
don't shoot lie comes from. In his tweet, Tullarico says
(24:26):
Ahmud Albert Arbery, who was actually legitimately killed for not
for police. He was killed actually for a highfile for
racial profiling, he said, is the latest American kill from
the virus of racism. The virus kills our black neighbors
if they are jogging, playing music, sitting in church, selling CDs,
or carrying a bag of skittles. White skin gives me
(24:48):
and every white American immunity from this virus, but we
spread it wherever we go through the world through our words,
our actions, our systems. We don't have to be showing
some like a white hood or a Confederate flag to
be racist. We're just virus carriers us white people. Michael
(25:11):
Brown wasn't killed because of racism. He was killed because
he tried to take an officer's gun and he violently
confronted the police. During a different post, he referred to
illegal aliens as undocumented Americans. In twenty thirteen, he video
of a certain pro life video brings back memories of
(25:31):
being the only teenage boy at planned Parentho marches in
two thousand and four. For anyone who has ever seen
a picture, or watched a video or heard him speak,
I can promise you James tell Arco at no point
in his life needed to worry about an unplanned pregnancy.
But he cares a lot about abortion, so much so
that he said, we need abortion access for our trans community.
(25:54):
We need abortion access for anyone, because if you don't,
you are a ward of the state. You're basically a slave.
He actively worked speaking of trans this is like an
insane thing. He actually worked when he was in the
state legislator from stopping trans women who are men from
being in female spaces and being playing on female sports team.
(26:16):
He took the twenty twenty percent side of an eighty
twenty issue in twenty twenty two. This is after Robi
Way was overturned. He called on Joe Biden to use
federal buildings to provide abortion care for women in red states.
Can you imagine? Can you imagine Christmas time you're going
(26:37):
to the post office to go male packages to relatives
and loved ones across the country. You're humming some Christmas
carols to yourself, and you get to the post office
and lo and behold, a woman is getting an abortion
near the po boxes. This man is insane. This man
is e thing sick. In twenty twenty, he also claimed
(26:58):
that he had gone viral in Brazil because his last
name in Portuguese. He said, his last name in Brazilian,
but he's two stupids know that it's Portuguese, not Brazilian.
And when there's no language Brazilian, he said that his
last name means wife stealer, and he said, I'm going
to steal your girl once again. If you've ever seen
or heard him, that is not a problem you should
worry about. But see, he's what the liberal fantasy of
(27:22):
what normal for white men looks like. He is to
what liberals believe will work to get white evangelicals on
his side. You know, it means I've read the Bible,
I've been inside a church outside of a funeral. Therefore
I got this. It's like when Republicans run a black
guy with a white wife who lives in an all
white community and thinks that's gonna, you know, win over
(27:44):
black voters. It's not going to work. No one believes
James Tella Rigo sounds like a like a Christian, like
an average white guy. He's constantly plagued, but the inner
term was of being a white guy. I mean he
Rachel Dalzel is more adjusted to being white than James
Tela Rico. James is a mini ni version of every
(28:07):
far left radical nutbag that the Democratic Party has ever
turned out, and he's had this enormous successful Latino voters
in this primary election they're counting on to swing him
the Senate seat, but that's because they didn't get a
hundred million dollars of advis showing that he's just the
woke billy Graham. He is not a deeply devout Christian.
(28:30):
He's a heretic. He basterdizes the faith that a majority
of Texans believe in. So there's a lot going going
to come out about him past this primary. And the
biggest irony has Jasmine Crockett not been so utterly woke
And now maybe if she had more money, but if
she not been so utterly woke and been afraid of
(28:52):
the online, you know, woke mob, she probably could have
beaten him by addressing these issues to Latinos in Texas
in the Democratic primary, she could have splintered off a
lot by talking about his positions on trans people, by
his positions on prisons, by his positions on crime, by
(29:13):
his positions on whiteness in the suburbs of Dallas and Houston,
you know, or as James Teleerico referrently calls people Latin
X people, which infuriates Hispanics. I know that Republicans in
Washington's are licking their chops and they believe they could
beat James Celerico. It's always a hard state for them
(29:34):
to win. But I don't think that they even began
to skim the surface of just how nuts this man is.
He is crazy. He is not going to win this election.
I don't think right now. I will wait to see
some polls. But when this stuff starts hitting, and it
will hit the airwaves and non stop, they're going to say,
(29:54):
this man is a freak. Let's send him back to
the key morel you know, tree, so he can make
some cookies. Ask Me Anything is coming up next. Welcome
back for the Ask Me Anything segment. If you want
to be part of the Ask Me Anything segment, email
me Ryan at Numbers Game Podcast dot com as Ryan
at numbers Plural Numbers Game podcast dot com. This message
(30:15):
comes from Mike. He says, Ryan, big fan of your
show and wish you continued success. Thank you, Mike. I
appreciate that, he said. I've been a longtime conservative and
I believe I have a pretty stable political instincts. That
being said, why do Republicans do to shoot themselves in
the foot? That is an ever green question, Mike. That
is not fair for me to answer. Ethics acide. Everyone
had known that in twenty twenty two election was going
(30:36):
to be a blovebetho Republicans because of the abortion ruling. E.
I don't actually believe that. I don't care what side
of the aisle you're on on that debate. It's just
now mainstream battle of winner, and now in twenty twenty six,
Republicans are again fumbling the football with or messaging on
ice and going down the pin the tail on the
jew rabbit pull. I don't mean to laugh. Don't mean
(31:00):
to laugh. That was a very creative way of putting it. Sorry.
I've loved all your coverage and analyse the illegal immigration
debate and agree with you on your messaging Mike, and
there was a rant after that, but it went too long. Mike,
thank you for your compliments. I would say with the
twenty twenty two election, remember that Trump. The Republicans won
the generic ballad in the twenty twenty two election, right,
(31:23):
so they were more voted for Republicans in the House
then voted for Democrats. The problem was is that Republican
voters were shifting. They were winning more working class voters,
more more Latina voters, and they didn't do a good
enough job in white suburban communities where the voters were
leaving them, and that was part of it. Yes, abortion
(31:44):
and a big part of it, saying the claiming the
twenty twenty election was stolen and the fears of democracy
played part of it, but the re alignment had a
big part of it. That was kind of underspoken about
as well as you know, wee candidates running for statewide
office and then all being lumped in together as crazy.
The thing about that, here's the problem with Republicans with
(32:04):
the whole pin the pin the tail on the jew
rabbit hole. Republicans in office are not talking about that
is all coming from online media personalities. So how much
space do you give something do you want I'm thinking
of it. Think of it like this, if you are
an elected official, Ted Cruz aside. But if you're an
(32:27):
elected official, how much time do you want to spend
in your re election year of battling Tucker Carlson? How
much do you want to elevate him? How much you
want to elevate Canis Owens, canus Owens. The show is
the National Inquirer, it's you know, who killed Charlie Kirk.
That's the problem. You don't want to elevate people because
(32:48):
if you do, if you put them on your level,
you give them much larger credibility. And I get that
we're all seeing it. I don't really know how you
dissuade people from that opinion or from hearing about it.
But that's that's that. I mean, that's that's really the
conflict as far as the messaging goes, with immigration a
(33:11):
big thing of it. I think immigration plays less into
it than people think. I think it's really the economy.
I think for young young people, they are dissatisfied with
the Epstein file stuff. I think it Epstein File stuff
has gotten way too much converence with young people. Do
care about it, and I acknowledge that they care about it.
And I think that it's gas prices and energy prices.
(33:32):
So part of it is the economy and the economy
not being where people want it to be. Part of
it is thinking that Trump is distracted by too much
military intervention and not enough focus on domestic policy. And
then the other part of it is I guess these
the greater conservative conversations that are happening that members of
(33:53):
Congress are not having. And to a certain degree, if
they spend all their time worrying would talk or Carlson
or this one or that one, it would look they
would make the party really look like a circus. And
you don't want that. So that's my opinion of it.
I think a lot of things being said about Jews
are despicable and disgusting. And as I said before, I
(34:15):
don't think that Rubio made a good case for himself
in that press conference. And Rubio's been doing it normally,
a fabulous job as Secretary of State. But I do
you think that he fumbled that? So yeah, but that's
that's how it was. And also, remember one last thing,
one last thing. Remember it's a midterm of a president
in power. It is the normal thing for the party
(34:36):
in power to lose the House. It's just the way
the American people are. There's really sometimes not a bigger
lesson to learn from it. Just everyone relax, make sure
we'll go out and vote, try to win as many
elections as possible, try to reduce the losses in the
House to you know, single digits. But aside from that,
you know, you've got to just take a breath and
(34:59):
people stop losing their minds over every little thing. Like cool,
our heads will prevail. Just That's one thing I've noticed
as I've gotten older, is like, don't always have to
set our hair and four we can take a breath.
It is okay to not get set over everything. You
can't control everything. It gives you ulcers and you know, anyway,
that's this episode. Thank you guys so much. We'll be
(35:21):
back on Monday. We have a special episode with Amazing Polester.
We're gonna go down and break down Republicans' chances in
the midterms. We're gonna break down all of the chances
to hold on to the Senate or win more sentence seats,
or loose the sentence seats. It's gonna be a fantastic show.
If you like this podcast, please like and subscribe on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or on YouTube wherever you
(35:41):
get your podcasts, and I will talk to you guys
on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend.
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