Jasmine Crockett is a true Texas wild card and she’s more than capable of learning not to alienate her constituents. She reminds me of another fabulous Texas wild card, Governor Ann Richards.
As for this old white liberal Democrat, the last thing I want is another electable, safe, oatmeal candidate. We need to wake voters up and give them a reason to vote. Tyranny is muscling its way into power; milquetoast won’t cut it.
White, female, queer, liberal Democrat checking in here. When our feelings get hurt by words (my Mom's quote was always "the word is not the deed") we need to look at why.
Speaking from my position (white butch dyke) I can absolutely get behind the description of MTG as having a "butch built" body. It is a badge of pride for me, and if it is used as an insult to someone else (especially someone as distasteful as MTG), go for it.
Well, white, female OLD - and I agree, Ally & Diane. Allowing the right wing nit-pickers to pick apart this really sharp, intelligent LAWYER as if every word out of her mouth has to be (forgive me here) "politically correct"!
As Diane said - safe oatmeal candidates are NOT needed - if they ever were.
Amen!I agree completely!We need FIGHTERS,outspoken,telling it like it is,and unapologetic.I am so sick of the"milquetoast"crowd,who want everyone to"play nice and be polite"but dammit that won't stop the FASCISM that staring us in the face!
I'll take my girl Jasmine Crockett over these weak ass whiny liberal Dems all day long!We need a whole army just like her!
I have to add - I also remember Ann Richards AND her daughter who was head of Planned Parenthood for some time! I have much respect for both of them (and Jasmine).
Oh, I guess I need to add that I'm not a person of color, and I'm no longer a Texas resident. I'm interested in supporting black men and women in political races.
In recent years, I have recognized the pearl-clutching, nervous centrist that resides in and has effectively tamped down my justice-seeking, woman-powered spirit. I’m struggling with all the things, and I’m older and have fewer f*cks to give about some of those things, like coming to the table all prepared to negotiate, collaborate and compromise until our freedoms are unrecognizable. I have to see all the parts of our conversations and embrace the internal conflict. I’m standing here in the doorway, ready to keep talking. I’m queer and ready to say ouch and keep on talking. If we (white folks, liberal and pearl-clutching) don’t actively shake this stuff up it will just keep living in us, subtly shaping us and never making space for the mighty forces of change we humans can manifest.
Great stuff. I've got grave doubts about Dem prospects in TX. And Dems don't need to be alienating Butches or Latinos, two strong constituencies for them in the state I'm sure, but as anti-Trump Black woman power "fighter" Jasmine Crockett is it. Her charismatic persona gives the Dems a better shot than whatever milquetoast the centrists/moderates (I really don't know the diff so you'll have to tell us ab that some time) would come up with.
I was thrilled when the judge races were won by black women. I have hopes for Texas. And after the tariffs wiped some farmers out, I think they're likely to be hesitant to vote for Republicans.
Yes. Texas is worth fighting for (and about, and over...). And Crockett is a fighter in a very good way, and yes, this is a good time for growth on her part and on all of our part. Yes, campaigns are about winning. But - and - also about a chance to say what needs to be said.
Modern Republicans are an example of winning at any cost or who (besides ones self) bears it. What is worth fighting for? That is worthwhile? Heroes don't always win, but they strive for what is worthy: that enough people know in their hearts is precious.
White. Boomer. Not offended by her honesty. Give her grace. Love her quick wit. Wish I could vote for her (different state). She can stand the heat AND respond on her feet. This troubled country needs more folks in politics like her. And, protection from the white male bigots trying to run the table on our 'dime.'
Thanks for taking on this tough subject, so well done. As someone who knocked on doors for Obama, I too hope to "come out of this with a coalition that is more honest and more whole..." X, you're sure doing your part!
I need help here. I've sent campaign donations to Jasmine. My one reservation is related to her getting on the same level of MTG during their highly publicized repartee. I thought she was better than that. I don't want Democrats to mimic Republicans because they're so vile and lack integrity. I was disappointed in her for behaving in an undignified manner. Aside from that, I think she's sharp-witted and extremely committed to her constituents. But I think Talarico may beat her because he's never going to meet another politician’s insults with petty wrath. I'm concerned with the loss of respect I'm witnessing in the political sphere. It's frightening and disappointing. I want our lawmakers to be dignified.
Agree. Good governance is not aided by shouting louder.
It is the ‘content of her speech’ that will be judged in the world we want.
This, speaking as a senior white progressive retired civil servant, and JC $ supporter. As Xavier says, she’ll need to learn and grow, if she’s to grow her tent. If she can’t do this, she can’t win, so a big chunk of this is on her.
The people who love her, and her possible future, need to encourage this bigger perspective in her.
I think she should stay in Congress where she knows she can win again. She's not quite ready for prime time, imo. I'm afraid she'll lose if she runs for the Senate because Talerico is known for his dignity and emotional regulation. I can't imagine any of the our elder statesmen or stateswomen getting into a cat fight on the floor of the capitol and ridiculing another woman's looks, or mocking a person in a wheelchair by calling him "hot wheels." Granted, I loathe Greg Abbot and MTG, but those incidents indicated to me that she's not ready for the Senate, especially running against that particular Democrat.
Not from TX, don’t know her well as many of you, but Im a supporter of the intelligence, perspective (most of it), and courage behind ‘the mouth’.
But I’d guess if she’s going to be a successful politician at the next level, she will need to recognize AND address this elephant in the room. It is a bigger pond.
But this is what successful politicians must DO, and do persuasively.
She’s smart. If she’s sufficiently so, and of a certain ‘character content’, she will (in my view) soon find a way to a) address specific gaffs verbally, and b) demonstrate by actions that don’t come across as merely performative or transactional, that she’s committed to representing, with convincing respect, a bigger tent.
Perhaps another way to look at it - this is what the Democratic Party does now - SUBMITS! Doesnt speak up or speak out - says wait till 2028 & THEN we will do something - what that something is just never happens.
Look at the colleges, the media, the lawyers - knuckling under to dumpty - tell me, is that working for us or them?
I'm sure not saying we need to do as they do - BUT speaking out, telling it like it is, saying LOUDLY exactly WHAT these ignorant, arrogant posers are doing and have done - THAT is what all of us should be doing.
Frankly, watching Mamdani & how he ran his campaign - I am so ashamed of MY Senators in NY - neither endorsed him. What does that say about the DNC or the Party?
Our own bigger tent includes 95-99% of our ‘slow’ ‘leaders’, too. Let’s always give preference to a diverse majority over an ideologically purer minority!!. Next election matters too much! 👍😉😊
I'm a retired white guy in Pennsylvania with a liberal streak that goes back to the '60s. I can't come to Texas to help Jasmine Crockett, but I'm cheering from the stands and sending money.
What's in the back of my mind, though, is that I felt the same way about Fetterman when he started his campaign for the Senate. That hasn't turned out the way I would've wanted, as he turned into the most Republican-like Democrat that I can recall.
Fetterman is an odd one. It's almost like he's had a personality change. Or maybe he was always an asshole and we didn't know because he was so quiet and reserved. I can't figure him out.
I am an old white woman. I don’t watch tv but catch news reports via you tube subscriptions and Substack. I really enjoy watching Rep. Crockett work during congressional hearings. She is very smart and obviously does her research. I haven’t always liked some of her commentary about people, especially the comments cited here, because that’s what is focused on instead of the work she does. However, the comments have caused me to confront remnants of very early conditioning about what it means in our world to be “woman” and “black woman”. I appreciate her integrity, her strength, and her unapologetic articulation of structural racism in this country. I hope you are correct that she will grow in her public facing self away from personal rhetoric against people that is basically name calling. She is so much more than those comments she gets tagged with.
Mariantoon, you always zero in on the exact nerve I’m trying to hit. 😅
That “early conditioning” piece is the part I’m forever wrestling with in myself too, so it means a lot that you called it out as brilliant. Thanks for rolling with me through all these versions of XVOA and still showing up in the comments like, “yep, keep going.”thx
Boy, do I wish that we (the global we here) could get together. What I know about Black experience is whatever is less than 1 (spatial dyslexia does not comprehend the difference between < and >) on any imaginable scale. If you asked me to use one word to describe Rep. Crocket would be "spicy"; she is not bland, not sugar coated, and could possibly "burn" you; we need that in our rabble rousers. I love another Reader's comparison of Jasmine Crockett and Ann Richards. We need strong women.
I click a lot of the boxes here: white, liberal, queer, female. I will do what I can from afar to support Representative Crocket in her campaign. Go, Crockett!!*
* My little nod to equality; male elected officials are referred to their last name. We assume less formality with women and frequently use their given name. I hope to show my respect to her in this manner.
I like Jasmine. She represents energy. Her and AOC need to do something together. As for President. Newsoms gotta run and will run. I call it how I see it. A Newsom Shapiro ticket is a winning ticket. It’s like coaching you go with a different voice when you don’t win. Last coach was the older reserved you know what we want coach so now we’re going with a younger energetic voice.
Pasqual, man, I can hear you grinning as you type this. 😂 I’m with you on Jasmine-as-energy; pairing her with AOC would short-circuit half the GOP’s wiring. Newsom–Shapiro is an interesting “go with the different look” combo, but my little XVOA brain is still stuck on this question: if we don’t figure out how to get a Crockett-type voice through the Texas gauntlet first, what does any of that top-of-the-ticket stuff even rest on?
So wait…all these comments below saying Jasmine should curtail her speech and bring her divisive rhetoric down a notch in order to win her election….do you hear yourself? The actual president of the united states calls whole people of color from Somalia “garbage” and reporters “piggy” and the thousands of other disgusting things he does and not one person says anything to him, but if Jasmine wants to win her election she should change her tone? Absolutely not…
Will Jasmine Crocket win? That depends on one factor: Jasmine Crocket. If she practices politics, then she will win. If she commits political malpractice — and that is what John Cornyn's psychological projection leads him to believe she will do — then his belief that her candidacy is a gift makes sense.
But more to the point, unless I’m missing something, the idea that “centrist” is not the same as “moderate” is an expression of political malpractice, and if I am missing something, then it should be identifiable in the following logic.
When I continuously peel the metaphorical onion, I end up two philosophies. In any human interaction, a person is expressing the moral “I think, therefore I am testing my potentially erroneous assumptions” philosophy, or they are expressing the immoral “I think, therefore I am right” philosophy. Again, that’s just an assumption, but it seems logical to me.
When two parties (individuals or groups) interact, and the interaction is moral, then the interaction is between two “centrist” (aka moderate) parties. In that scenario, one party naturally adopts the “progressive” (liberal?) role by challenging the status quo, the other party naturally adopts the “conservative” role by protecting the status quo, and everyone wins.
What purpose does it serve to insist that “centrist” is not the same as “moderate” other than to immorally “other” an identifiable group (we centrists are the good guys and those others are moderates, or vice versa)?
It’s important to acknowledge that it takes two to tango. It’s equally important to acknowledge that it takes one to not tango. To be more specific, an immoral party has a short-term advantage, and a moral party has a long-term advantage. The ghost in the machine is when the moral party fights fire with fire. In that scenario, the short-term winner is John Cornyn because he has been deliberately practicing political malpractice for years. When an expert competes against an amateur, guess who wins? When two political candidates for one office are both committing political malpractice, everyone loses in the long term.
Just to put a bow on it, being moral is the opposite of being naïve. Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas were both moral and both the opposite of naïve. They may have lost a few battles, but the only thing anyone remembers is who won the war.
Anyway, now you have the opinion of one white liberal “peeking through the doorway.”
Just for the record, when Jasmine Crocket wins, my heart will sing.
Jasmine Crockett is a true Texas wild card and she’s more than capable of learning not to alienate her constituents. She reminds me of another fabulous Texas wild card, Governor Ann Richards.
As for this old white liberal Democrat, the last thing I want is another electable, safe, oatmeal candidate. We need to wake voters up and give them a reason to vote. Tyranny is muscling its way into power; milquetoast won’t cut it.
White, female, queer, liberal Democrat checking in here. When our feelings get hurt by words (my Mom's quote was always "the word is not the deed") we need to look at why.
Speaking from my position (white butch dyke) I can absolutely get behind the description of MTG as having a "butch built" body. It is a badge of pride for me, and if it is used as an insult to someone else (especially someone as distasteful as MTG), go for it.
What a powerful response Ally. Own it and celebrate it, don’t let the idiots define us.
Well, white, female OLD - and I agree, Ally & Diane. Allowing the right wing nit-pickers to pick apart this really sharp, intelligent LAWYER as if every word out of her mouth has to be (forgive me here) "politically correct"!
As Diane said - safe oatmeal candidates are NOT needed - if they ever were.
Amen!I agree completely!We need FIGHTERS,outspoken,telling it like it is,and unapologetic.I am so sick of the"milquetoast"crowd,who want everyone to"play nice and be polite"but dammit that won't stop the FASCISM that staring us in the face!
I'll take my girl Jasmine Crockett over these weak ass whiny liberal Dems all day long!We need a whole army just like her!
I have to add - I also remember Ann Richards AND her daughter who was head of Planned Parenthood for some time! I have much respect for both of them (and Jasmine).
Oh, I guess I need to add that I'm not a person of color, and I'm no longer a Texas resident. I'm interested in supporting black men and women in political races.
In recent years, I have recognized the pearl-clutching, nervous centrist that resides in and has effectively tamped down my justice-seeking, woman-powered spirit. I’m struggling with all the things, and I’m older and have fewer f*cks to give about some of those things, like coming to the table all prepared to negotiate, collaborate and compromise until our freedoms are unrecognizable. I have to see all the parts of our conversations and embrace the internal conflict. I’m standing here in the doorway, ready to keep talking. I’m queer and ready to say ouch and keep on talking. If we (white folks, liberal and pearl-clutching) don’t actively shake this stuff up it will just keep living in us, subtly shaping us and never making space for the mighty forces of change we humans can manifest.
I'm with you, sister!
Great stuff. I've got grave doubts about Dem prospects in TX. And Dems don't need to be alienating Butches or Latinos, two strong constituencies for them in the state I'm sure, but as anti-Trump Black woman power "fighter" Jasmine Crockett is it. Her charismatic persona gives the Dems a better shot than whatever milquetoast the centrists/moderates (I really don't know the diff so you'll have to tell us ab that some time) would come up with.
I was thrilled when the judge races were won by black women. I have hopes for Texas. And after the tariffs wiped some farmers out, I think they're likely to be hesitant to vote for Republicans.
Agreed.
Yes. Texas is worth fighting for (and about, and over...). And Crockett is a fighter in a very good way, and yes, this is a good time for growth on her part and on all of our part. Yes, campaigns are about winning. But - and - also about a chance to say what needs to be said.
Modern Republicans are an example of winning at any cost or who (besides ones self) bears it. What is worth fighting for? That is worthwhile? Heroes don't always win, but they strive for what is worthy: that enough people know in their hearts is precious.
White. Boomer. Not offended by her honesty. Give her grace. Love her quick wit. Wish I could vote for her (different state). She can stand the heat AND respond on her feet. This troubled country needs more folks in politics like her. And, protection from the white male bigots trying to run the table on our 'dime.'
Thanks for taking on this tough subject, so well done. As someone who knocked on doors for Obama, I too hope to "come out of this with a coalition that is more honest and more whole..." X, you're sure doing your part!
I need help here. I've sent campaign donations to Jasmine. My one reservation is related to her getting on the same level of MTG during their highly publicized repartee. I thought she was better than that. I don't want Democrats to mimic Republicans because they're so vile and lack integrity. I was disappointed in her for behaving in an undignified manner. Aside from that, I think she's sharp-witted and extremely committed to her constituents. But I think Talarico may beat her because he's never going to meet another politician’s insults with petty wrath. I'm concerned with the loss of respect I'm witnessing in the political sphere. It's frightening and disappointing. I want our lawmakers to be dignified.
Agree. Good governance is not aided by shouting louder.
It is the ‘content of her speech’ that will be judged in the world we want.
This, speaking as a senior white progressive retired civil servant, and JC $ supporter. As Xavier says, she’ll need to learn and grow, if she’s to grow her tent. If she can’t do this, she can’t win, so a big chunk of this is on her.
The people who love her, and her possible future, need to encourage this bigger perspective in her.
I think she should stay in Congress where she knows she can win again. She's not quite ready for prime time, imo. I'm afraid she'll lose if she runs for the Senate because Talerico is known for his dignity and emotional regulation. I can't imagine any of the our elder statesmen or stateswomen getting into a cat fight on the floor of the capitol and ridiculing another woman's looks, or mocking a person in a wheelchair by calling him "hot wheels." Granted, I loathe Greg Abbot and MTG, but those incidents indicated to me that she's not ready for the Senate, especially running against that particular Democrat.
Not from TX, don’t know her well as many of you, but Im a supporter of the intelligence, perspective (most of it), and courage behind ‘the mouth’.
But I’d guess if she’s going to be a successful politician at the next level, she will need to recognize AND address this elephant in the room. It is a bigger pond.
But this is what successful politicians must DO, and do persuasively.
She’s smart. If she’s sufficiently so, and of a certain ‘character content’, she will (in my view) soon find a way to a) address specific gaffs verbally, and b) demonstrate by actions that don’t come across as merely performative or transactional, that she’s committed to representing, with convincing respect, a bigger tent.
That is my hope, too.
Perhaps another way to look at it - this is what the Democratic Party does now - SUBMITS! Doesnt speak up or speak out - says wait till 2028 & THEN we will do something - what that something is just never happens.
Look at the colleges, the media, the lawyers - knuckling under to dumpty - tell me, is that working for us or them?
I'm sure not saying we need to do as they do - BUT speaking out, telling it like it is, saying LOUDLY exactly WHAT these ignorant, arrogant posers are doing and have done - THAT is what all of us should be doing.
Frankly, watching Mamdani & how he ran his campaign - I am so ashamed of MY Senators in NY - neither endorsed him. What does that say about the DNC or the Party?
Our own bigger tent includes 95-99% of our ‘slow’ ‘leaders’, too. Let’s always give preference to a diverse majority over an ideologically purer minority!!. Next election matters too much! 👍😉😊
I'm a retired white guy in Pennsylvania with a liberal streak that goes back to the '60s. I can't come to Texas to help Jasmine Crockett, but I'm cheering from the stands and sending money.
What's in the back of my mind, though, is that I felt the same way about Fetterman when he started his campaign for the Senate. That hasn't turned out the way I would've wanted, as he turned into the most Republican-like Democrat that I can recall.
Fetterman is an odd one. It's almost like he's had a personality change. Or maybe he was always an asshole and we didn't know because he was so quiet and reserved. I can't figure him out.
I am an old white woman. I don’t watch tv but catch news reports via you tube subscriptions and Substack. I really enjoy watching Rep. Crockett work during congressional hearings. She is very smart and obviously does her research. I haven’t always liked some of her commentary about people, especially the comments cited here, because that’s what is focused on instead of the work she does. However, the comments have caused me to confront remnants of very early conditioning about what it means in our world to be “woman” and “black woman”. I appreciate her integrity, her strength, and her unapologetic articulation of structural racism in this country. I hope you are correct that she will grow in her public facing self away from personal rhetoric against people that is basically name calling. She is so much more than those comments she gets tagged with.
Confronting remnants of early conditioning is brilliant!
Mariantoon, you always zero in on the exact nerve I’m trying to hit. 😅
That “early conditioning” piece is the part I’m forever wrestling with in myself too, so it means a lot that you called it out as brilliant. Thanks for rolling with me through all these versions of XVOA and still showing up in the comments like, “yep, keep going.”thx
Credit to Grace Sherer! Allways, keep going!
Boy, do I wish that we (the global we here) could get together. What I know about Black experience is whatever is less than 1 (spatial dyslexia does not comprehend the difference between < and >) on any imaginable scale. If you asked me to use one word to describe Rep. Crocket would be "spicy"; she is not bland, not sugar coated, and could possibly "burn" you; we need that in our rabble rousers. I love another Reader's comparison of Jasmine Crockett and Ann Richards. We need strong women.
I click a lot of the boxes here: white, liberal, queer, female. I will do what I can from afar to support Representative Crocket in her campaign. Go, Crockett!!*
* My little nod to equality; male elected officials are referred to their last name. We assume less formality with women and frequently use their given name. I hope to show my respect to her in this manner.
Yes trump v Kamala it was
This is Xcellent! 😏👍
I would love nothing more than for a rough-edged Black woman to win a statewide race in Texas. She is a brilliant bad ass who tells it like it is.
I like Jasmine. She represents energy. Her and AOC need to do something together. As for President. Newsoms gotta run and will run. I call it how I see it. A Newsom Shapiro ticket is a winning ticket. It’s like coaching you go with a different voice when you don’t win. Last coach was the older reserved you know what we want coach so now we’re going with a younger energetic voice.
Pasqual, man, I can hear you grinning as you type this. 😂 I’m with you on Jasmine-as-energy; pairing her with AOC would short-circuit half the GOP’s wiring. Newsom–Shapiro is an interesting “go with the different look” combo, but my little XVOA brain is still stuck on this question: if we don’t figure out how to get a Crockett-type voice through the Texas gauntlet first, what does any of that top-of-the-ticket stuff even rest on?
Yes that is the key getting them at the top of the ticket first in Texas. I think we have a legit shot.
So wait…all these comments below saying Jasmine should curtail her speech and bring her divisive rhetoric down a notch in order to win her election….do you hear yourself? The actual president of the united states calls whole people of color from Somalia “garbage” and reporters “piggy” and the thousands of other disgusting things he does and not one person says anything to him, but if Jasmine wants to win her election she should change her tone? Absolutely not…
But he doesnt just call "reporters" piggy - he calls FEMALE reporters piggy!
Exactly.
Will Jasmine Crocket win? That depends on one factor: Jasmine Crocket. If she practices politics, then she will win. If she commits political malpractice — and that is what John Cornyn's psychological projection leads him to believe she will do — then his belief that her candidacy is a gift makes sense.
But more to the point, unless I’m missing something, the idea that “centrist” is not the same as “moderate” is an expression of political malpractice, and if I am missing something, then it should be identifiable in the following logic.
When I continuously peel the metaphorical onion, I end up two philosophies. In any human interaction, a person is expressing the moral “I think, therefore I am testing my potentially erroneous assumptions” philosophy, or they are expressing the immoral “I think, therefore I am right” philosophy. Again, that’s just an assumption, but it seems logical to me.
When two parties (individuals or groups) interact, and the interaction is moral, then the interaction is between two “centrist” (aka moderate) parties. In that scenario, one party naturally adopts the “progressive” (liberal?) role by challenging the status quo, the other party naturally adopts the “conservative” role by protecting the status quo, and everyone wins.
What purpose does it serve to insist that “centrist” is not the same as “moderate” other than to immorally “other” an identifiable group (we centrists are the good guys and those others are moderates, or vice versa)?
It’s important to acknowledge that it takes two to tango. It’s equally important to acknowledge that it takes one to not tango. To be more specific, an immoral party has a short-term advantage, and a moral party has a long-term advantage. The ghost in the machine is when the moral party fights fire with fire. In that scenario, the short-term winner is John Cornyn because he has been deliberately practicing political malpractice for years. When an expert competes against an amateur, guess who wins? When two political candidates for one office are both committing political malpractice, everyone loses in the long term.
Just to put a bow on it, being moral is the opposite of being naïve. Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas were both moral and both the opposite of naïve. They may have lost a few battles, but the only thing anyone remembers is who won the war.
Anyway, now you have the opinion of one white liberal “peeking through the doorway.”
Just for the record, when Jasmine Crocket wins, my heart will sing.