At Daikin Park

Here we go again. This time on the front page of today’s Chron hard copy. Another story about African Americans and the State Rep. James Talarico campaign and the Democratic Party. This is what the media and MAGA wants to cover. Just playing into their hands. See how this story starts:

When a participant at a recent town hall meeting accused Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico of ignoring key issues for Black voters, the exchange shed light on a simmering rift that some Black leaders warn could drag down the state Democratic Party as it enters the final months of a pivotal midterm election.

Critics online were quick to dismiss the remarks from activist Kandice Webber as misrepresentative of Talarico’s broader standing with Black voters.

But Houston Democratic state Rep. Jolanda Jones said Webber’s criticism – that Talarico has paid mostly lip service to such issues as systemic racism and economic opportunity and equality – must be taken seriously. And, Jones said, those same criticisms can rightly be aimed at many of the Democrats seeking office in the 2026 midterms, and past candidates who relied on the votes of Black Texans while offering them too little in return.

“This is not about James Talarico,” Jones said at a listening session a few days later in Houston’s predominantly Black Third Ward, speaking to party leaders. “We’re trying to tell you what needs to happen and what needs to not happen in order to keep Black people loyal to the Democratic Party.”

There is something good about this story and it is at the end. See this:

Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, one of Texas’ longest-serving Black officeholders and an early supporter of Crockett for Senate, said race-related complaints about both Talarico and the Democratic Party writ large are overblown and unfair. Ellis noted that over the past 30 years, only four of the 11 Texas Democratic nominees for U.S. Senate have been white men. In addition, polling this cycle shows Talarico besting the party’s most recent Senate nominees, including Allred in 2024, by some 20 percentage points among Black respondents.

Ellis said Black voters would be shortsighted to sit on their hands in November.

“There’s just so much at stake,” he said. “And I’m convinced that African American folks in particular, because we have suffered so long, fought so hard to make a difference, by and large (will stay) with the party.”

At the town hall organized by Jones, Houston resident Larry McKenzie said Black voters must stay engaged, even if it means voting for someone other than their preferred candidate.

“It’s OK to be mad. It’s OK to be afraid,” he said. “It’s not OK to do nothing.”

Here is the entire read: James Talarico: Why some Black voters are frustrated with the Democrat.

Folks know how I feel about all this BS. Let me just say this. An African American woman was the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party ticket in 2020 and became Vice-President. Vice-President Kamala Harris also led the Democratic Party ticket in 2024. I don’t think I can say this about a Latina or Latino and the Democratic Party. Just saying.

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It is happening at Daikin Park this weekend. See the featured photo. I am sure Daikin Park will be rocking this evening. We are half a game behind the Rangers in the AL West. There are 52 games left to play, so this is a big series. We are 6-4 versus the Rangers this season and this weekend is the last match-up of the season with them. We have won 8 of our last 9 games. We are playing great baseball. Let’s hope we can keep it up this weekend.