James Talarico

Earlier today I posted a blog on George Takei, who has taken up the fight against homophobia and racism very late in life.  I took interest because I'm always looking for a way to get engaged in the struggle against injustice now that the U.S. seems to have taken a giant step backwards. I no longer have the mobility to get out into the street and bang pots and pans which, all things being equal, I would probably find the most satisfying. And I worry about losing friends when I go at them for their very understandable decision to prioritize their own mental health by tuning out on the news.  I don't have a lot of money to send to political candidates, and every time I do I feel like a heel for not sending it instead to Doctors Without Borders, the Southern Poverty Law Center or Planned Parenthood - to name but three really worthy causes.

The very least I can do, I think, is to stay focused on people I hope have at least half a chance of taking down the billionaire oligarchs we are now at the mercy of, and encourage others to throw their support behind them.  That's what I'm trying to do here, by calling attention to, of all things - and can you believe it? - a Christian pastor.  His name is James Talarico, and he's from Texas.

I'm a huge Pete Buttigieg fan.  What's not to love?  A gay man who, when he talks, tends to say all the things I'd like to say, only he says them better. I love it that he's not only smart as they come, but appears to be a great husband and father, as well as an effective politician. I wish him success in running the race to the top political offices in the land, including, let's hope, even the presidency.  "Slow and steady," I want to urge him; "Don't burn out too fast."

Now I've found another guy - not a gay man this time, but, of all mind-blowing things, a Christian pastor - who I am inclined to want to put out there as a second Pete Buttigieg, somebody very smart and very articulate who inspires trust and models humility, dignity and decency.  The complete antithesis of what comes to mind with the word politician.

James Talarico is still young.  He was born just a year and three days before I turned fifty.  I know; at 85 everybody looks young, but although I don't apologize for being what the world sees as a geezer, I also don't want to make the mistake of being an ageist. I trust my body into the hands of doctors and dentists in their thirties; I can do the same for politicians, if I try.

Because I came to know that homophobia, especially in America, tends to find its primary support in organized religion, especially in clerical hierarchy-centered Roman Catholicism and fundamentalist Protestantism, I have spent many years of my life bashing religion.  It has taken me a lot of time to listen to my own advice and see Christians in a more nuanced way. But just as I have been able to reduce the complexity of ethical systems to a simple commitment to avoid violence and deceit, I'm with James Talarico in being able to see true and good Christianity as a commitment to the commandments to love one's God and one's neighbors. I remain a non-theist, but I admire nobody more than I do Christians who dedicate their lives to putting these two principles into practice.

I became a fan of Gavin Newsom the day I heard him speak in a church in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco when he was still mayor. He earned my everlasting gratitude for the work he did in making same-sex marriage a reality, a move which launched what would eventually become national policy.  I also connect with Kamala Harris on a personal level because of a shared local identity - I know the schools she went to as a child.  And when Bernie Sanders speaks, I am happy that the last time somebody asked me where my political affiliations lay, I responded "with the Democratic Socialists." I also feel good (usually with some reservations here and there) about Kentucky's Governor Andy Beshear, New Jersey's Cory Booker, Minnesota's Amy Klobuchar, Connecticut's Chris Murphy and Georgia's Jon Ossoff. I think if the Democratic Party ever finds a way to circle the wagons on an agreed-upon agenda, we may rescue the country yet. And there are more. There's Tim Walz and Josh Shapiro and JB Pritzker and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others standing in the wings just off stage.

But as these guys jostle for positions in the executive or legislative branches of government on the Democratic ticket in the next presidential election, let's not lose sight of others with leadership qualities who may take some time yet to make themselves better known and gain the right kind of experience to be the kind of leaders we've been missing.

Like Pete Buttigieg and James Talarico.  I know you know Pete Buttigieg.  But if you are not familiar with James Talarico, have a look at this: