The surprise victory of Republican Mayra Flores in a House district in South Texas that has been held by Democrats since 1871 made waves in press reports across the country. 

Whenever Republicans make inroads into Democrat bastions and threaten their monopoly, it isn't a question of if, but when far-left media assassins will react by spewing vitriol.

The venom emanated in the form of a piece in the New York Times by Jennifer Medina, which focused on Flores and two other Latina GOP candidates, Monica De La Cruz and Cassy Garcia.

Medina begins by claiming that the Trump era gave rise to "the far-right Latina" who shunned moderates and embraced the far-right by wearing their support for Trump on their sleeve.

Medina mentions Flores's call for Biden's impeachment, her refusal to accept that Biden had been legitimately elected, her branding of the Democrat party as the "greatest threat America faces," her tweets with QAnon hashtags, her pro-life views, and her support for border security.

Medina refers to Flores's campaign slogan — "God, family, country" — claiming it was meant to appeal to "traditional values" of her majority-Hispanic district in the border city of Brownsville.  Medina also mentions that Flores's campaign received support from evangelical churches and that her pastor carried out a "Make America Godly Again" outreach campaign.

The Rio Grande Valley where the three Latino candidates grew up is called politically liberal yet culturally conservative since churches there are packed on Sundays, American flags flutter from various houses, and law enforcement is revered.

Medina describes the working-class background of Flores, De La Cruz, and Garcia with the expected cynicism.

While Garcia was a lifelong conservative and a Republican, Flores and De La Cruz began as Democrats, but their realization that Democrats take Hispanic voters for granted led them to become Republicans.

Medina cites Trump flipping rural Zapata County and narrowing the Democrat margin of victory in the four Valley counties in 2020 as proof that conservative culture was beginning to exert influence.

Medina points to Republican leaders and strategists who say Flores's victory is proof that Latino voters are increasingly shifting to the right.  There is also mention of Democrats who dismiss Flores's victory as a fluke because it was a low-turnout special election in which 28,990 people cast ballots and that Flores will face "popular" Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in November.

Medina mentions House speaker Pelosi brushing her arm against Flores's 8-year-old daughter as the two stood side by side after her swearing-in.  The piece obviously disputes the fact that it was a shove against the child, despite Pelosi's deplorable behavior being captured on camera.

There is mention of Flores's tweet in response to Pelosi's conduct.

I am so proud of my strong, beautiful daughter for not allowing this to faze her. She continued to smile and pose for the picture like a Queen.

No child should be pushed to the side for a photo op. PERIOD!! https://t.co/TA50EntDoq

— Mayra Flores For Congress (@MayraFlores2022) June 27, 2022

There is also mention of Flores's dismissal of the Jan. 6 investigations because her district is focused on rising inflation.

So what do we make it?

The piece doesn't directly attack the Latino candidates but attempts to portray them as religious zealots and conspiracy theorists who are intolerant, bigoted, angry, and anachronistic.

The undercurrent of disdain is evident through its oversimplification and tone.  The condescension is particularly evident in the mention of God, religion, patriotism, and respect for law enforcement.  The words "traditional values" are mentioned in quotes.  The NYT probably thinks these are quaint notions that need to be abandoned. 

As her own oath of office coincided with the Jan 6 hearings, Ms. Flores largely dismissed the proceedings.

“Honestly, my district doesn’t care about that," she said. “My district is struggling to pay their bills."

The MAGA Latina goes to Congress. https://t.co/gORkxzrrTs

— Jennifer Medina (@jennymedina) July 6, 2022

Flores's dismissal of the Jan. 6 show trial meant, according to the Times, that she is anti-democratic, and her concern for inflation is simply irrelevant.

Mainstream papers such as the New York Times function as a mouthpiece for the Democrats and reveal a great deal about the liberal mindset.

The Democrats have, in recent times, appointed themselves as the advocates for Latinos, African-Americans, women, LGBTQ+ people, etc.

They claim to be brimming with empathy for these minority groups.  They claim to stand against racism, sexism, misogyny, patriarchy, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, and all other forms of bigotry.

The best way to test these claims of compassion is to see how the Democrats react when individuals from these minority groups develop a mind of their own and differ from them.

When Sarah Palin presented a challenge to the Democrats in 2008, they displayed rabid misogyny.

When African-American Herman Cain topped the polls during the 2012 GOP primary, the Democrats reacted to it in the vilest racist manner.  Jon Stewart did a rude caricature of Cain, doing a stereotypical black accent.

Trans Olympian "Caitlyn" Jenner was labeled a "disgrace, hypocrite" for Pride Month because of his conservative beliefs.

Mayra Flores, Monica De La Cruz, and Cassy Garcia are merely the latest addition to this list.

The truth is that the Democrats see minority individuals only through the prism of their demographic groups.  Democrats, hence, presume that all individuals from any minority group think alike and have identical aspirations.  They assume that Latino-Americans support an open border only because Latinos from abroad will be crossing the border. 

While dealing with minorities, the Democrats demand loyalty and expect servility.  In doing so, they regard minority individuals as subjects rather than citizens.  They frequently talk down to them and lose their temper if members of the minority groups dare to differ.

The NYT never fails to prefix the names of people they disagree with "far-right" or "alt right," which are code words for crazy, violent, ignorant, and intolerant.

There are no prefixes or coded insults for far-left politicians, obviously.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in sharp contrast to Flores, was hailed as a political "star" by the same NYT.

The Times' profile of Rep Ilhan Omar, an Islamist who despise the U.S., was very complimentary: they portrayed her as a principled revolutionary who is tackling discrimination.

This is why the NYT has no credibility left.  It ceases to be a force that can influence voters and change the direction of elections.  It merely preaches to the converted and deludes itself into thinking it is an influencer.

So how must the GOP react to all this?

First, they must stop interacting with the NYT.  Talking to an adversary works when the opponent has an open mind.  The NYT is a propaganda outfit that has vilified Republicans for ages.  Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  The GOP must remember that the New York Times will never evolve, hence it is wise for Republicans to stop all access.

The other problem with newspapers is that words can be misinterpreted and twisted.  A quote can be stripped from its context to present the speaker in a negative light.  Quite often the misquote travels halfway around the world while the context is getting its boots on.  If Republicans do want to appear in far-left forums, they must ensure that it is through a live broadcast.

It also may be time for the GOP to stop being defensive about the term "far right."  In being defensive, they are accepting the pejorative Democrat narrative that the right wing is a bigoted, uninformed, and violent group populated only by "bitter clingers" and "irredeemable deplorables."

The truth is that the right stands for freedom, liberty, peace, prosperity, and dignity of the citizen.  It also stands for the respect for law and order and for free-market capitalism that enables upward mobility based on hard work and merit.  This is not something to be embarrassed about but proud of.

Image: Screen shot from Fox News video via YouTube.