I Accidently Bullied Andrew White
Centrism’s last stand in the land of power outages and potholes.
Look, I know we’re all supposed to “be nice” and “remember we’re on the same side.” I’ve heard it. I’ve even said it. But sometimes, speaking plainly feels like bullying to people who are used to being gently agreed with.
So yes. I accidentally bullied Andrew White.
He posted (again) about how winning in November means “moving to the center.” Then he clarified that what he really meant was “winning in March means moving to the center.” Then he shared an NYT editorial board headline: “The Partisans Are Wrong: Moving to the Center Is the Way to Win.”
And very calmly, very reasonably, I responded that compromising with fascists is not a political strategy.
He told me to stop. Which only made it funnier. 😬
But here’s the thing, White keeps calling himself an “Independent Democrat.” I’m still not convinced that’s even a real political identity. Have you ever met someone who called themselves an “Independent Democrat” before?
Regardless, we do not live in neutral times. Which is 100% the EXACT SAME mistake Colin Allred made last election cycle.
We have a president deploying the National Guard into cities to kidnap our neighbors. We have public officials openly calling their opponents enemies of the state. We have babies going hungry in the wealthiest country in human history, and Democratic leadership is responding with sternly worded letters and some very dramatic sighing.
This is not a season for moderates. Lone Star Left has already endorsed Gina Hinojosa for the next Governor of Texas, but we are not going to win by begging fascists to please stop being mean if we meet them halfway across the burning bridge.
Now, let’s talk about what Andrew White has actually been doing on the campaign trail.
Because while Texas is on fire, schools are underfunded, hospitals are closing, people are getting evicted from their homes, and fascists are marching with their faces covered, White has been making videos about… his indigestion. And buying new hats.
It’s not that candidates can’t show personality. It’s that we’re no longer living in a personality politics era. We are in the “If we don’t get our shit together, basic freedoms are gone in two years” era.
And then came Nick Pappas.
Nick was running the “I’m the folksy populist outsider here for the forgotten Texans” campaign. And I’ll give him this, I thought he genuinely meant it. He talked to real people, he didn’t posture like a consultant-built candidate, and for a minute, I think he believed he could be the one to break through.
But then he got mad about one line in an interview.
He got upset that Gina Hinojosa said she worked with some MAGA Moms, including Moms Who Were At January 6, to block vouchers last session. And let’s be clear:
She did not join them. She did not align with them. She did not “find common ground” on fascism. They showed up to oppose vouchers. She used everybody she could to stop vouchers. That’s called doing the job.
If you are fighting a fire, you don’t ask whether the neighbor holding the hose voted for Trump. You grab the hose and stop the fire.
But Nick saw that line and instead of asking “What does solidarity look like in a war for public education?” he said:
“Actually, I think I’ll drop out and endorse… Andrew White.”
Which is fascinating.
Because if your whole political identity is “I stand with working people against a corrupt system” and your first real moment of pressure sends you running into the arms of the candidate whose entire brand is “What if we just didn’t upset anybody?” then I have some unfortunate news…
You probably were never the populist you claimed to be.
Populism is not a costume.
It’s not “speaking slowly and saying Texans deserve better.”
Populism is choosing a side.
Gina chose the side of public schools and working families.
Nick chose the side of the guy making TikToks about his heartburn after a SlimJim.
And the thing about Andrew White’s hats-and-stomach-pain videos is that they’re not harmless. They’re saying:
“Nothing is really urgent.
Nothing is on the line.
We just need to be polite and patient and meet in the middle.”
Meanwhile, the far right is openly saying the quiet part out loud.
Centrism is surrender.
Which brings me to the US Senate race.
We know that centrism is a failed strategy in Texas, because we’ve seen WAY TOO MANY Democratic candidates over the last decade think they’ll play the middle and win Republicans over. Yet, all they do is alienate the base. In 2024, Colin Allred played the middle. He had that whole alliance-thing with Adam Kinzington and Liz Cheney, and around 1.4 million Democrats stayed home.
Allred has tried to rebrand himself this election cycle as a “man for the people,” fighting for working families. He’s also been aggressively campaigning to the Black community, a vital voter bloc he ignored last time around.
As part of Allred’s new image, he’s said he won’t take money from Corporate PACs, but his latest FEC filing shows he accepted $42,000 from J Street PAC. Not a corporate PAC, but a national, issue-advocacy PAC that backs candidates aligned with its Israel-Palestine policy agenda. The DC donor circle.
From the JStreet PAC’s About page:
Not too long ago, Allred was confronted at a campaign event about his support for AIPAC and refused to disavow it. Ultimately, will that be a campaign point in the 2026 primary for Texas Democrats?
Last cycle, voters motivated by that issue largely skipped the primary and then stayed home in November, another casualty of the “vote blue, vibes only” strategy.
Even if Palestine isn’t a political issue in America in November 2026, like it was in 2024, Allred is too big a risk for Texas Democrats to have him as the top of the Senate ticket. 1.4 million Texas Democrats stayed home in 2024. We can’t afford that again.
At the end of the day, this isn’t complicated.
If you step into a statewide race in Texas and you are not aligned with the Democratic base, you are not going to generate the excitement, turnout, or loyalty required to win, not at the top of the ticket, not down-ballot, not anywhere. We have tried the “centrist, unity, maybe-the-Republicans-will-like-me” candidates for years. They do not convert Republican voters. They just depress Democratic ones.
If you don’t know what the Texas Democratic base wants, read the Texas Democratic Party Platform.
It didn’t fall out of the sky. It was written, line by line, by delegates from every corner of this state, activists, organizers, precinct chairs, teachers, nurses, union workers, moms, retirees, veterans, and the people who actually knock doors and turn out votes. It is the clearest expression of what our coalition stands for. It is the map. It has always been the map.
And if that’s not enough, go outside your club meeting. Go to the Progressive Women’s groups. Go to the Black churches. Go to the Latina moms organizing mutual aid. Go to the unions, housing justice meetings, community gardens, border organizers, and student coalitions.
They will tell you exactly what they need and exactly who they will not turn out for.
Because here’s the truth, Texans can spot a real populist. Even when we get fooled for a minute, we always figure it out. This is a state where millions of us live without stable healthcare. Where rural hospitals are closing and whole counties have no OB-GYNs. Where the power grid fails when it gets too hot and too cold. Where we white-knuckle our steering wheels on I-35 at 80mph because we have to drive one or two hours to work. Where the state government keeps telling us we should be grateful for less and thankful for suffering.
We need fighters who are willing to pick a side, publicly, unapologetically, and without getting in bed with the people burning the house down.
If Democrats want to win in 2026, we cannot nominate candidates who make us tired before the fight even begins. We need candidates who make us believe again.
Texas is not red. Texas is exhausted. And exhausted people don’t show up for a message of “maybe, if we’re quiet, they’ll stop.”
They show up for someone who says, “We deserve better, and I will fight like hell with you to get it.”
That’s the campaign that wins. That’s the coalition that turns out. That’s the future we’re building.
November 4: Constitutional/TX18/SD09 Election
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Andrew cannot meet the moment…thanks for the soft bullying that helped to remind us. Team Gina 100%!
Michelle, We need more "bullies" like you. Say what you believe, mean what you say and if it sounds mean, maybe it is. People need to hear the truth, even when it hurts their feelings. I am sure you have heard "no pain, no gain" in athletics. The same is true in politics. So let them have it, both barrels, full on, truth. If it hurts, maybe they should reconsider their position. Rich S, Octogenarian, Contrarian and once a Texan.