Leaked text messages involving Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego show the senator sharply criticizing his own party. Human Events obtained the messages, which include Gallego alleging that Democrats are “not allowing no men to men” and “women to be hot.” Gallego also wrote, “We used to be the party of sex, drugs, and rock and roll,” The Daily Caller reported.
He continued, “Now Dem women look like Dem men and Dem men look like women.”
A screenshot of the exchange begins with a message from an unidentified Republican correspondent who told Gallego, “… I think it’s time that somebody with a cool head and a solid plan could rise to the top of your party.”
“Oh man have you met my party?” Gallego replied. “I have been yelling at them this the whole time.”
The correspondent then sent Gallego a photo of Democratic Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro with the in-picture caption, “If erectile dysfunction had a face.”
“They aren’t wrong!” Gallego responded.
DeLauro, 82, is known for her short purple hair. “We look like the not fun party,” Gallego continued. “Always telling and correcting people.”
Gallego subsequently addressed the leak in an interview with ABC15’s Ben Brown. “It’s very heartbreaking that someone that I served with and have known and been really good friends with for 20 years decided to … leak some of these messages,” Gallego explained.
“But I’ve been very clear about where I think the party needs to be, I think we have to be an open and bigger tent party, and so this is just a reflection of everything I’ve said,” he explained without apologizing for making the remarks.
Gallego is not a stranger for knocking his own party as he did last November after President Donald Trump won the presidential election.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Gallego acknowledged that Democrats were too quick to ignore actual economic challenges Americans in the lower and middle classes faced.
“Look, I think really the economy is what resonated with people. And that’s what I heard in Arizona a lot. People were worried about the cost of everything. And I think some of the frustration was that we were spending money, but not necessarily helping people. And that’s also — ” Gallego began before host Jake Tapper cut him off.
“Spending money like in Ukraine, you mean?” Tapper asked.
“Yes, exactly. And part of my frustration was, we would love nothing more to help you out, but also, we don’t have the votes from Republicans. But even getting to that discussion starts going down a long conversation. The biggest lesson we have to learn here is, when people are hurting economically, they’re going to take care of themselves first. And that’s what we have seen for the last — change elections for the last 20 years. And I think it’s important for Democrats to remember that from now on. You have to take care of people at the bottom line. You have to give them some level of economic security, especially Latino men. Latino men believe they can work themselves out of any problem. Like, I remember growing up, when I didn’t have enough money to travel back home for Christmas, I just went and worked extra hours,” Gallego said.
Tapper jumped in and asked, “When you were a Marine?”
“When I was at school. And so I would — I literally went to a convention center and threw on a costume and handed out leaflets, right? That’s the mentality of Latino men,” Gallego said.
“This election — I’m sorry — this time is the first time I’d ever heard many of them say, ‘I just don’t feel like I’m doing anything to provide for my family. I don’t feel like I’m bringing them security.’ Until we actually focus on that and understand that, we’re going to have problems really bringing them back into the Democratic fold,” Gallego said.
