this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2026
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I think the Church is one of the few institutions that culturally values good rhetorical techniques.
They're all reading the same book, so the people that stand out are the ones who are expert public speakers and understand how to invoke feelings instead of just delivering a written message.
His style of speech screams 'pastor' to people who grew up in churches and for a lot of Texans that's very compelling.
I never thought about it that was; that’s a great point about the mechanism for differentiation.
I hadn't heard of him until today, but his messaging is on point and he isn't shying away from the populist messaging.
Having someone who has the ability to inspire is a pretty powerful skill. Obama is another good example, his experience as a professor provides similar rhetorical skills.
I mean, there's also some dangerous examples of charismatic populists in history... but I don't read this guy as being cynically manipulative (though, I can be fooled like anyone else).