“Almost from the moment James Talarico became the Democratic Senate nominee in Texas, the Republicans have circulated ads and attacks suggesting that he is not man enough, not Christian enough, not carnivorous enough — not Texan enough — to flip a conservative seat,” the New York Times reports.“As the midterm elections approach and one of the most expensive races in history gets nastier by the day, the vice president has gone even further, joining the fray with a not-so-subtle joke criticized as homophobic.”