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This has been a remarkably interesting election season not just because it is a midterm election with close races but also because of a few other factors.
First, I want to thank Jamie West, a Democratic candidate for the Fayette County Indiana Council, for giving us an important lesson for life. Namely, that it is not wise to steel your nerves with strong drink before going on television when campaigning for office resulting in you mumbling and slurring your words and ending by stating, "We have guns, too."
Up in the wilds of Maine, it began with Oysterman Graham Platner, whose wide variety of peccadillos and tattoos found himself, being removed from the race after winning the primary. He was replaced by Troy Jackson, a former logger from northern Maine who attained some notoriety by shouting at Sen. Susan Collins to "shut up" following her remark that a protester in the debate hall must have been one of Jackson's supporters. The outburst would indicate that stories about his legendary emotional outbursts are true.
The race for New York governor is unexpectedly competitive with Gov. Kathy Hochul holding anywhere from a single-digit to a double-digit lead over Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. One interesting note is that in the last two weeks I've only seen two Hochul signs and that includes one in Hamburg and one in Fredonia while I've seen hundreds of Blakeman signs. Either the Blakeman campaign airdropped signs or Western New York is punishing the governor for sucking up to the downstate liberals. You never know.
In Texas, Senate candidate James Talarico was off the campaign trail for over 10 days because according to him he had suffered from the flu and didn't want to infect any innocents. I think his advisers had told him to stay home and were hurriedly working to make his decidedly socialist policy stances palatable to the Texas electorate.
Recently Talarico reversed his position supporting transgender males playing in women's sports and stated that he now opposed transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports "if it risks safety or fairness." Notice he is really saying that if it doesn't risk safety or fairness, it's still alright for transgender males to play in women's sports.
After voting against a Texas bill that banned gender-affirming care for minors, Talarico changed his tune saying that he now “absolutely” supports a national ban on transgender surgery for minors. He tried to clarify his previous legislative opposition by arguing that the state-level bill was overly broad, whatever that means.
Back in 2021 Talarico said “Modern science obviously recognizes that there are as many as six sexes. Talarico has since reversed himself, stating that there are just two biological sexes. So, James, what happened to the other four?
Recently it was reported that Talarico had reversed his previous pledge to reject fossil fuel campaign money. Previously he had been a staunch clean-energy advocate who criticized the oil and gas industry, but then it must have been pointed out that "Big Oil" is a big source of campaign funds.
Personally, I have more respect for politicians of any party who stand for something and tell the electorate what they need to hear, not what he thinks they want to hear. Some may not like it, but Trump began a conflict that may hurt Republicans in the elections because he knew that Iran must never have nuclear weapons and no matter what he always put this nation and its citizens first.
An article in the current Washington Examiner laid out a scenario for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez running for and being elected President in 2028. My reaction to the article was much like my reaction when as a teenager I read Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" the tale of an evil blood sucking vampire who sucked the life out of entire nations. As in that long ago time my stomach churned, my hands shook and a wave of unmitigated horror spread through my entire body.
OK, she is not a blood sucking vampire, but her demeanor reminds me of a spoiled entitled brat. She was born in 1989 in the Bronx but grew up in affluent Westchester County, graduating from Yorktown High School in 2007. She graduated cum laude in 2011 from Boston University with a BA in International Relations and economics.
Since one of her majors was international relations, one wonders about her appearance at the Munich Security Conference where she stumbled badly when asked if the U.S would defend Taiwan showing that she was unfamiliar with the U.S. policy regarding Taiwan which even I have known for years is "strategic ambiguity" and I majored in history not International relations.
According to Henry Olsen of the liberal newsletter "The Liberal Patriot" at the same conference she made several factual errors including placing Venezuela south of the equator and she was criticized for claiming that the Trump administration had “captured” or “kidnapped” Nicolás Maduro when he had actually been arrested. Her defenders at NBC said that foreign policy was not her field, but doesn't International relations have something to do with foreign policy?
Sadly, like Gavin Newsome, and Kamala Harris she is not presidential material. My point is that if the American Electorate decides to elect Marxists who are running this year, we might see AOC run and win the presidency in 2028 and see our nation fundamentally changed.
Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com