By Donnie Wisenbaker
Decades working on behalf of the Republican Party and Texans to build a stronger America where conservative principles thrive has taught me one thing: When a politician tells you what he believes, we ought to listen.
James Talarico once described capitalism as part of a system of oppression that should be dismantled. Now, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate is partnering with billionaire Kamala Harris surrogate Mark Cuban to push a sweeping expansion of government's role in health care.
Those two facts are not unrelated.
Talarico and Cuban claim they are taking on so-called health care "monopolies." What they're actually proposing is another step toward government-controlled health care, with more bureaucrats, more mandates, and more political control over decisions that should remain between patients and doctors.Viewed in isolation, their proposal is concerning enough. Viewed alongside Talarico's own statements about capitalism and private enterprise, it's a warning sign Texans should not ignore.
During a 2020 Sierra Club climate forum, Talarico grouped capitalism with white supremacy and climate change, describing them as "oppressive systems" and speaking about dismantling the ways they work together. Those are not the comments of someone who simply wants to make health care more affordable. They are the comments of someone who fundamentally distrusts the free-market system that has made America the most prosperous nation on earth.
That worldview matters because it helps explain the philosophy behind his health care agenda. This proposal goes far beyond reducing costs or increasing competition. It relies on government intervention, government mandates and government power as the answer to nearly every problem.
And standing beside Talarico is Mark Cuban.
Cuban is frequently presented as a successful businessman bringing private-sector expertise to public policy. But his political record tells a different story. This is a man who served as a Kamala Harris campaign surrogate in 2024, a Biden administration ally and a vocal Trump opponent since 2016. His partnership with Talarico is just the latest chapter in his long history of advancing the Democrats' big government agenda. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz recently highlighted the tension between Cuban’s stated belief that taxes influence behavior and his support for Talarico, writing that Cuban’s “support for James Talarico makes the contradiction even stranger.”
His partnership with Talarico is not some bipartisan effort to improve health care. It is part of a broader political project that consistently favors bigger government and greater federal control.
While Talarico wraps his agenda in the language of fighting corporate power, the practical result would be empowering another monopoly: the federal government.
Conservatives have seen this movie before. Government-controlled systems always promise lower costs and better outcomes. What they often deliver is more bureaucracy, fewer choices and less accountability. The people making the decisions are no longer patients and doctors. They are regulators, administrators and politically connected interests who never have to live with the consequences of their mistakes.
The proposal also raises legitimate questions about Cuban's own interests. His very own Cost Plus Drugs company stands to benefit from a health care system increasingly shaped by government intervention and political favoritism. Texans should be skeptical whenever powerful political actors promise reforms that conveniently position themselves to profit.
My work as chair of the Hopkins County Republican Party and former positions working on behalf of the Republican Party, has given me a front-row seat to hear from everyday Texans about what they want, and that’s a limited government, a free market and individual freedom. When it comes to affordable health care, that does not mean Washington taking over larger portions of their lives.
Texas has become the nation's economic powerhouse because we chose a different path from states dominated by progressive politics. Families, businesses — and Mark Cuban, before he was a billionaire —have flocked here because we believe in free enterprise, personal responsibility and individual liberty. We should not abandon those principles now.
This election is about more than health care. It is about whether Texas remains committed to the ideas that made it successful in the first place.
James Talarico has made clear that he views capitalism with suspicion. Mark Cuban has spent years supporting politicians who favor expanding government power. Together, they are asking Texans to trust government with even greater control over one of the most personal and important areas of life.
Texans should say no.
Our health care decisions belong out of the hands of Washington bureaucrats, billionaire political activists or politicians who believe the free-market system should be dismantled.
Donnie Wisenbaker is the chair of the Hopkins County Republican Party and former State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) committeeman.
