Good Riddance, Jasmine Crockett
Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance
The results of Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Texas delivered a clear political message: voters are tired of listening to Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
And thank fucking god she lost, because I am too.
Crockett, who spent much of her short national career cultivating a reputation as the politician who can constantly be wrong the loudest and with the most attitude, was defeated by Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who was nowhere near as prominent on national television and who many people have likely ever heard of.
Crockett quickly blamed everyone but herself, chalking up the loss to confusion over polling locations and a late court decision involving Dallas County as factors in the outcome, but the result likely reflects something deeper than a single election-night dispute: people have just had enough of her bullshit.
Crockett’s style, to the best of my understanding, has been create a massive annoying self-centered spectacle first, then address the actual issue and facts later, if at all.
This led her to become a frequent presence on cable news and social media, where sharp insults and dramatic soundbites tend to travel faster than detailed policy proposals. It’s an approach that can be effective for building a national following, particularly among activists whose supporters are also activists looking for any unjust cause to scream about without understanding.
The problem, however, is that viral moments apparently don’t translate into confidence at the ballot box. Eventually voters start wondering whether their representative is spending more time crafting the next viral clip and doing her nails instead of performing the less glamorous work of actual governing.
The contrast between Crockett and Talarico was difficult to miss. Talarico ran a campaign that emphasized policy and a more conventional tone. Crockett leaned into the fiery persona that made her a social media favorite. And hey, there is certainly an audience for that brand of politics, but apparently not quite enough of one in her own district.
And thank god, because we can all tolerate idiots in politics — and we do, on both sides of the aisle — but an idiot with the volume turned up to 11? That’s unbearable.
Who can forget some of Crockett’s public statements over the last few years? During one television appearance discussing immigration policy, she delivered a line that quickly circulated across the internet.
“It is not a criminal violation to enter the country illegally. It’s not. It’s not criminal. It’s not a crime. It’s not a crime,” she said on MSNBC in March of last year...(READ THIS FULL COLUMN, 100% FREE, HERE).