As the backlash against woke culture intensifies, it was hardly surprising that some political figures would come to regret remarks and tweets from the era when signaling progressive values felt necessary, roughly spanning 2014 to 2024. Republicans are aiming to derail James Talarico, the Democrat running for Texas’s Senate seat, by reviving his most cringe-worthy comments from that period—such as his claim that God is “non-binary” or his vow to run a “meat-free” campaign in Texas to combat climate change. (To top it off, he was pictured wearing a COVID-19 mask; this was in April 2022.)

Talarico today says he wishes he hadn’t framed those statements that way.

“There are some statements that I certainly regret,” he told CBS News. “Ken Paxton is deliberately clipping my cringey remarks to distract from his own track record of corruption.”

Talarico’s acknowledgement that the remarks were indeed cringe-worthy speaks volumes. We have traveled a long road since the woke epoch, when even Republicans were careful to distance themselves from the impression that they were culturally conservative. (In 2015, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R–Pa.) proudly asserted Caitlyn Jenner was a woman if she said she was a woman.) The aim was to project understanding and thoughtfulness.

Today, politicking with a conscience is considered a lame move, and both parties strive to project the exact opposite image: that they are tough, not gentle. Look at the slew of Republicans ridiculing Talarico’s looks and demeanor, implying or declaring outright that he’s not manly, perhaps feminine, or even gay. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller referred to Talarico as Texas’s “first transgender candidate,” which amounted to a jab at his appearance. In reply, the Democrats’ X account shot back: “shut up you ugly fuck.”

That remark drew its share of hand-wringing from many conservatives, including podcaster Katie Miller, Stephen Miller’s wife. I get why she defended her husband…but if you dish it out you should be prepared to take it. You can’t keep railing about Democrats being all unmanly freaks and then melt down when they punch back and call you ugly.

Katie Miller has stepped even further, exposing the Democrat behind the X post and trying to mock her and spur repercussions.

Paulina Mangubat is who runs @TheDemocrats account. She’s 30, unmarried with no kids.

Put your name on it next time.

This is what a sad, unhappy, female Liberal looks like. It’s why Pew reports 50% of them have been diagnosed with a mental condition. https://t.co/qLeIVQZtSf pic.twitter.com/xpGQzRLyfg

— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) May 27, 2026

For good measure, she appeared on Fox News to complain further about the harsh X post, and suggested that mocking her husband bears some relation to anti-Trump violence like the unsuccessful White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attack. The Millers appear to believe their side can be as vicious as they like, and if the other side responds, that response counts as violence.

Almost makes you nostalgic for the woke era, doesn’t it?

This Week on Free Media

I’m joined by Amber Duke to discuss Spencer Pratt’s bid for mayor in Los Angeles, the pope’s stance on artificial intelligence, and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s warnings toward landlords he alleges neglect their duties.

Worth Watching

I’m not exactly a horror-film aficionado, but I do have a soft spot for found-footage style movies. I adored Cloverfield and Chronicle, in particular. So I’m intrigued by Backrooms, which has just hit theaters. The trailer looked sufficiently compelling that I revisited some of the web series that inspired the project. It’s quite eerie and captivating.