James Talarico thought he had Ken Paxton in a box. After GOP Railroad Commission of Texas nominee Bo French posted a photo from the UT student section and said the problem in Texas is “far worse than anyone imagined,” Talarico quoted John Cornyn and went straight at Paxton: Condemn this “blatant racism,” or “cower to extremists.” Paxton didn’t take the bait. He condemned racism — then pointed at Talarico’s own record. White men as America’s top terror threat. Praying to overcome his own “whiteness.” The substance underneath it is the part polite Texas will not say out loud: Generations of Texans poured money into UT, H-1B pressure at public universities is a live fight, Abbott already told state campuses to pause new H-1Bs, and a lot of families believe Texas kids are losing ground at the school their taxes built. You can argue about the photo. You cannot pretend the enrollment fight is a hallucination.Pat also covered: CIA and 9/11: Did the agency have a shot to stop it — and miss? Abbott and Paxton: Is the Texas GOP about to give the state away? An anti-Israel film called “Naza” gets a 25-minute standing ovation. Talarico walks Matthew 25 like a campaign sermon. BYU wins, and college football is finally back.Was Talarico asking a moral question, or running a campaign ambush? Have you watched Texas change and been told you’re not allowed to notice?If you want unfiltered truth and commonsense analysis that cuts through the noise, hit subscribe and turn on notifications.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices