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- [00:00]
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- [00:30]
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- [01:26]
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- [02:01]
James Talarico
I think they feel conned. You know, same with a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump in the last election. They feel like they were voting for a party that promised to bring down costs, that promised to drain the swamp. And now, just a year later, they see that everything has gotten more expensive. Corruption is the worst it's ever been and they are not focused on the problems we face as ordinary Americans every day. Instead, they're focused on building this police state so they can accumulate even more power and wealth for themselves. Unless we identify how corrupt it is, how big money is at the root of this, we're really missing the big picture.
- [02:40]
Joanna Coles
I'm Joanna Coles, the this Is the Daily Beast podcast and I'm really excited to share the next conversation with you with someone who is really causing enormous excitement in the Democratic Party. He has been in the Texas Senate for the last four terms, he's a former public school teacher, and he's now got his eye on beating Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett for the Senate to represent Texas. I think it's fair to say that he actually came to national prominence on another podcast on Joe Rogan's podcast, which is really a space that for the most part, Democrats have feared to tread. James went there boldly and Joe Rogan at the end of it said, you should run for president. You're a good guy, you should run for president. Well, he's running for the Senate. He's in Texas. We had a far ranging conversation which involved when he was gonna produce grandchildren for his mom, how to deal with the situation in Minneapolis to what would Jesus do if he were confronted by Donald Trump? So I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and of course, let us know what you think. Comment on YouTube. Please sign up for the Daily Beast, both subscribe to the podcast and to the Daily Beast itself. We're independent media and we get to have interesting conversations like this because of subscribers and readers like you. So I hope you enjoy no time to waste. James Talarico, let's get into it. James Talarico, extremely excited to talk to you. Everybody's saying you're the great hope of the Democratic Party and God knows they need some hope. But without being too flippant, we've had, as you have pointed out, two American citizens peacefully protesting, shot in cold blood on the streets of Minneapolis by a masked police force. It feels like this could be an inflection point in American history, not just American politics. How did we get here?
- [04:57]
James Talarico
Well, you're right. ICE has shot a mother in the face, has kidnapped a five year old boy, has executed a man in broad daylight on our streets. And so I think it's past time that we tear down this secret police force and replace it with an agency that is actually going to focus on public safety. I, I personally believe that our law enforcement resources should be used to, to crack down on the cartels, not our communities. We should be deporting gang members, not small business owners. We should be hunting down human traffickers, not moms and babies. I think the vast majority of Texans, the vast majority of Americans agree with that position. But we have seen an administration that is using every lever of power at their disposal to, you know, grow their police presence across this country, particularly in Minnesota, where we're seeing it most acutely. And so this should be alarming to every American, regardless of your political affiliation, regardless of your beliefs or your background. This is government overreach at its worst, and it's about time that every American stood up against it.
- [06:16]
Joanna Coles
But, James, all of that sounds right, and yet the Republicans were voted in. This is a democratically elected government, and the Democrats somehow let immigration and the border slip through their fingers as policies that the voter had confidence in. So how do we get out of this situation? Because right now, the Democrats don't have any power, and it's another 11 months until the midterms, and they still might not win.
- [06:51]
James Talarico
And you're absolutely right. It was the failures of the Biden administration on our southern border that got us into this mess. My family is from the border in Texas. My mom grew up in Laredo right there on the Texas Mexico border. And so I feel like we Texans understand this issue better than most people around the country because we live with the. The challenges and the benefits of immigration on a daily basis. And I think most Texans, most Americans are actually in the same spot on this issue, despite how divisive it is. I've said that I think our southern border should be like our front porch. There should be a giant welcome mat out front and a lock on the door, meaning we can both welcome immigrants who want to live the American dream, make us richer and stronger, and we can also keep people out who mean to do us harm. Most Americans, most Texans, want an immigration system that is pro immigrant and pro security. But for the past two decades, they've only had. They've had a political party in the Democratic Party that seems to be pro immigrant and not too concerned with security, as we saw in the Biden era. And then they vote in the Republican Party, as they did in 2024, and they see a party that seems to be pro security and anti immigrant and now anti American, given that they are rounding up American citizens. And. And I think you're seeing the American people reject that kind of extremism as well. So what they're looking for is a party that can both champion immigrants and the American dream and also champion public safety. And I hope that our party can chart that new path on this issue and hopefully get us out of this nightmare that we're all living in.
- [08:40]
Joanna Coles
Do you feel that Democratic leadership at a national level actually exists at this point? I mean, we had President Obama and President Clinton both come out and say, whoa, this is not what American values are. But they're both figures in the past. You are being talked of as an American Democratic leader of the future. But where is the leader today of the national party?
- [09:06]
James Talarico
Well, I think that's why. Why we need a new generation of leaders stepping up to take control of our. Of our party, because national Democrats have been feckless. They've been weak. They have not met the moment, and that's why our party is in the wilderness. All I'm trying to suggest is that there is something to be learned out in the wilderness. The wilderness is where new ideas and new leadership and new movements come forth. And so I think we should embrace this time in the wilderness so that we can. We can find ourselves again as. As a party, but also as a country. And it's in moments like this when you really do discover what our true values are. It's. It's been said before that it's. It's when it's most dark. That's when you see the stars. And I do believe that in this moment of crisis for our country and. And. And for our world, you are seeing new leaders step up all over this country. And. And that gives me a little bit of hope, which we've been starved of for so long.
- [10:14]
Joanna Coles
How do you deescalate the situation that we're in in Minneapolis?
- [10:19]
James Talarico
Well, you know, I think we need a. A mass protest movement not just across Minneapolis, not just across Minnesota, but across this country. Our forebears gave us the tools that we need in this moment. And the tools of nonviolent direct action are what led the civil rights movement through very dark and difficult times. It's what guided labor organizers and farm workers and suffragettes during similar moments of crises. And so I think that's. We have to fall back on that legacy in this moment. And so using the tools of nonviolent direct action, which we're seeing in Minnesota with these brave protesters, you're seeing it in cities across the country. I think we have to double down on that as we start to build campaigns and build movements to win political power in November of this year, you have to do both. We have to have immediate direct action to respond to the. The abuses of power that we're seeing in Minnesota and across the country. And we have to be building campaigns so that we can win at the ballot box and be able to win power, so that we can push back against this extremism and this corruption.
- [11:35]
Joanna Coles
So you've been in the state Senate in Texas for four terms. What are you hearing from your Republican colleagues about how they feel the national Republican Party is showing up at the moment? Because this can't be good for Republicans as well as it might be an opportunity for Democrats?
- [11:54]
James Talarico
Well, I'm hearing from Republican voters on a daily basis in this campaign. You know, I've been traveling all over Texas over the course of the Senate campaign, holding packed rallies in town halls from Beaumont to El Paso, from Amarillo to Brownsville and everywhere in between. And I have so many people coming up to me at these events who tell me that they're not Democrats, that they're independents or they're Republicans, or they're just disillusioned with politics as a whole. And all of them, regardless of where they are on the political spectrum, all of them are deeply disturbed by the extremism, the corruption, the government overreach that they're seeing in Minnesota. And so there's a real moment here to build a big tent, a. A real coalition that can win power in this country and start to get us back on track and protect our Constitution and our fundamental freedoms. It's our job to start organizing that movement and building that coalition.
- [12:59]
Joanna Coles
And John Cornyn, the senator in your state, was. I think it was his vote that pushed through the big, beautiful bill. Correct. So what are. What are his Republican supporters saying at this moment?
- [13:16]
James Talarico
I mean, I think they feel conned. You know, same with a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump in the last election. They feel like they were voting for a party that promised to bring down costs, that promised to drain the swamp. And now, just a year later, they see that everything has gotten more expensive. Corruption is the worst it's ever been. And they are not focused on the problems we face as ordinary Americans every day. Instead, they're focused on building this police state so they can accumulate even more power and wealth for themselves. And so that's why I said from the very first day of this campaign that the real fight in this country is not left versus right. It's top versus bottom. It is all of us, whether you're more conservative or more progressive. It's all of us versus the people at the very top who have corrupted our political system and who are trying to. To steal as much power and money for themselves as possible.
- [14:12]
Joanna Coles
And when you say the top, you mean billionaires? Right.
- [14:14]
James Talarico
I mean, billionaires and their puppet politicians because they, The. The billionaire megadonors can't do anything on their own. They buy politicians who then in turn write the rules in favor of these billionaires. You know, you're seeing this in Venezuela, where, you know, Donald Trump in the last election promised American oil executives a great deal. That's a direct quote. In exchange for a billion dollars in campaign contributions from those oil executives. And those executives flooded the President's campaign coffers with cash. And then just a few weeks ago, the President returned the favor by gifting them the nation of Venezuela, home to the largest oil reserves in the country. So we can. We can get on shows like this and talk about how reckless and how unconstitutional that intervention was, but unless we identify how corrupt it is, how big money is at the root of this, we're really missing the big picture. And so that's why I'm trying to call out this broken, corrupt political system, this broken, corrupt economic system, so that we can understand where the true problem lies. That's the disease, the politicians, the extremism that we're seeing. That's all the symptoms. And I think we're not going to get out of this mess until we focus on the system itself.
- [15:33]
Joanna Coles
Although I'm not sure if the oil executives thought that Donald Trump was going to hand them Venezuela as part of the big deal. I mean, we heard the CEO of Exxon saying that Venezuela was basically uninvestable at this point. They may have thought he meant a different. A different deal. But I wanted to ask you something. You came to national prominence last year because you did an interview with Joe Rogan, who has sort of been verboten on the Democratic side. And I wanted to ask you, what did you learn from that experience?
- [16:05]
James Talarico
Yeah, I've been surprised that people to this day still talk about that interview with, With Rogan. You know, I. I had a real. I had a blast on that podcast. And, you know, I was struck by how warm and. And open and curious the host was. And it allowed for us to have a real conversation. You know, he didn't have a list of questions. He didn't have an agenda. He was just trying to have a, you know, a regular conversation like you would with a friend at a bar. And sometimes the conversation goes into weird, you know, rabbit holes. Sometimes it's 10. It goes into these different tangents, but that's what makes a conversation interesting. And I think it's why so many people listen to his show. And so I learned, I think, on that on that show that we can really build bridges across all these. These manufactured divisions. We're a lot more alike than we realize. And someone like Joe Rogan may get a reputation as, you know, being unwinnable or, you know, being someone we don't have anything in common with as Democrats, but, you know, I found the opposite. I found that he and I had a lot more common ground than. Than we both realized. And so that, to me, just emphasizes the importance of engaging in these. These conversations across lines of difference. It takes a little courage and can be a little risky. I went on that show without any idea what he wanted to talk about. I didn't have a list of topics or questions, so it took a little bit of. It was a. A bit of a risk to go on that show, but I think he and I actually connected in a genuine way, and I think that was helpful for a lot of his listeners.
- [17:55]
Joanna Coles
Well, he suggested you run for president. He said you were a good guy. Is he going to vote for you? Can he vote for you in your. In your. In the Senate primary?
- [18:05]
James Talarico
I don't know. I assume he's registered to vote in Texas, and, And if he is, I would love to earn his vote, whether it's in the primary or in the general election, but I'm not sure where he's registered, and I don't know how he's going to be voting.
- [18:18]
Joanna Coles
Well, James, I think your team should find out. He's very influential. Are you going to ask him?
- [18:25]
James Talarico
Sure, I can ask him. What do you. I can ask him for his vote. And, you know, I think I'm, you know, more concerned with. With reaching out to his listeners, you know, all over the state of Texas and earning their trust and earning their support in this election. But, yeah, wouldn't, would, wouldn't. Wouldn't turn away Joe Rogan if he wants to vote for us.
- [18:49]
Joanna Coles
So, so let me ask you something. Much has been made of the fact that you're a man of faith. You're. Are you still in seminary as we speak?
- [18:57]
James Talarico
I am. You know, I, I graduated from seminary last May with a. A degree, a master's of theological studies. But I, I am still on the path of learning, of earning a master's of divinity, which is the degree that I need to get ordained in the Presbyterian Church, which is my ultimate goal. So, still on the seminary path, so to speak.
- [19:21]
Joanna Coles
So I have several friends, all in midlife, who've recently finished seminary school. So I called them to ask them what I should ask you. And the first one who is a comedy writer, oddly, who's finishing up at Princeton Seminary, wanted to know if you thought Jesus was woke.
- [19:43]
James Talarico
I guess it depends on how you define woke. You know, I do think that Jesus, you know, was. Was going to the root of our many problems, going to the, to the root of so much of what we long for as human beings. It's why Jesus was truly radical. That's what that word radical means, to go to the root. And, and so in that way, he was really talking about the most fundamental aspects of our being and was trying to get us in touch with that. You know, every time you read the New Testament, you'll notice that when Jesus is asked a question, he never gives a direct answer. He always tells a story. And that's because his goal is to bring us to our own awareness. If he was trying to, you know, teach us something to memorize, he would have sounded a lot different. But like all great teachers, whether it was Jesus or Buddha or Moses or Muhammad, they are trying to help us connect with our. Our deepest selves. And, and that requires something different than just, you know, memorizing rules or, or repeating creeds. It. It requires, you know, coming to your own awareness. And, and so I think that's. That's what. What the gift that Jesus still gives us 2,000 years later.
- [21:13]
Joanna Coles
So what would Jesus say if he. If he was confronted with Donald Trump?
- [21:20]
James Talarico
Well, you know, I. I think, you know, Jesus told us to love our enemies. And, and that kind of love is sometimes uncomfortable, it's sometimes confrontational. Oftentimes love is. Is confused with a sentimental feeling or being nice or being polite. That's not what true love is, at least not in my experience, and certainly not when we look at the life and death and teachings of Jesus. That kind of radical, dangerous love sometimes requires that we stand up to bullies, that we flip over the tables of injustice. And, and so I think he would advocate for that kind of nonviolent resistance and holding out hope for, for not only this country, not only for our values and for our neighbors, but also for our enemies, too. The goal is to win, in the words of Dr. King, a double victory, a victory for our neighbors and a victory for our enemies at the same time. And, and to me, that that's probably what Jesus would advise us to do at this moment of crisis.
- [22:27]
Joanna Coles
I'm very curious about, as I think are a lot of people the difference between being Christian, which is what you are, and you're finishing off your master's in the Presbyterian Seminary and a Christian nationalist, and I think for a lot of people, there's some sort of confusion. Can you explain to us the difference? Cause it's the same God.
- [22:54]
James Talarico
Well, but there is nothing Christian about Christian nationalism. It's an oxymoron. It's a contradiction in terms, because the love of Jesus of Nazareth was a universal love that can't be confined to the borders of a nation. It can't be confined to a political party or an ideology, can't be defined to a race or a gender or even a religion. It's something that should transcend even religious boundaries. And so that's why Christian nationalism is so dangerous, because it's a perversion of the Christian tradition. It's a perversion of the teachings of Jesus. And the goal of Christian nationalism is to accumulate wealth and power for the people at the very top. In the name of Christ. It is using our faith tradition to try to hurt our neighbors, which is exactly the opposite of what we're supposed to be doing as Christians. So that's why it's incumbent upon me as a Christian, to speak out against this perversion of my faith and the subversion of our democracy.
- [24:04]
Joanna Coles
James, hold on one second. We just need to take a word from our sponsors.
- [24:10]
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- [24:14]
James Talarico
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- [24:19]
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- [24:20]
James Talarico
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- [24:23]
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- [24:29]
James Talarico
Wait, no subscription?
- [24:30]
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- [25:12]
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- [25:19]
James Talarico
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- [25:34]
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- [25:47]
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- [26:53]
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- [27:00]
Joanna Coles
And I'm back with James Talarico, who's running to be the Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas. We're recording this on Tuesday evening and just before we managed to connect, Ilan Omar, the representative in Minnesota, was delivering a dress to various people and someone ran up to her and threw a liquid on her, which looks in the moment, certainly very frightening. Your opponent, your Democratic opponent in the Democratic primary for the Texas. Well, for the Senate, Jasmine Crockett, said she now has to wear a bulletproof vest. You're about to qualify as a priest. Why on earth would you want to go into politics right now instead of running a ministry which sounds more peaceful and perhaps more effective?
- [27:51]
James Talarico
Well, I mean, you. We've seen in Minnesota and across the country how members of, of the clergy, priests and pastors and rabbis, have been thrown to the ground by ICE agents and have been persecuted themselves just for living out the gospel and living out their religious values. And so I, I would say that any, any position of public trust, whether it's a elected official, a public servant, whether it's a, a minister. You know, it requires that we speak truth to power. It requires that we stand up to bullies on behalf of our vulnerable Neighbors, and that that's going to entail some danger. Again, we talked about the love of Jesus not being a sentimental feeling. It is a dangerous thing that love demands a lot of us in these types of moments. And, you know, I think about Alex Preddy, the, the man who was killed by ICE agents over the weekend in Minnesota. He was a, a VA doctor. He devoted his life to serving American veterans and serving his neighbors. And in his final moments, he stood between a masked man and one of his neighbors, risking his life to protect hers. And that, to me, is what real courage looks like. It's not hiding behind a mask. It's not shooting a man in the back. It's not lying to cover it all up. In a world full of cowards, we should all be more like Alex Preddy. And, and I think our country needs us right now. She needs us all to have that kind of courage. Whether we're an elected official, whether we're a faith leader, whether we're a VA doctor, a teacher, or just an ordinary citizen, we all have to step up in this moment of crisis and act with courage on behalf of our country.
- [29:53]
Joanna Coles
What did you think of Erika Kirk's response to her late husband Charlie Kirk's assassination?
- [30:02]
James Talarico
Well, you know, I know that she had called for, for, you know, her supporters to love their enemies. And of course, I think that's a very Christian concept. It's, it's harder to put into practice than it is to preach. I certainly know that myself. I think everybody, you know, experiences that, that difficulty. But it is a, A, an admirable and noble pursuit to try to love our enemies. And it's, I think, critical in a democracy. The only way this American experiment is going to continue is if we can learn to love each other through our disagreements and despite our differences. I think the only way democracy is going to survive around the world is if we find a way to love our enemies again. That doesn't mean you're not going to have disagreement. I mean, part of the, the, the radical nature of that teaching is that it acknowledges that you're going to have enemies. If you speak truth to power, if you stand up for your neighbors, you're going to run into resistance. But the, the thing we're called to do is to. Is to love the people on the other side of that fight just as much as we love the people that we're standing up for. And again, that's, that's almost impossible to do. But it is the secret, I think, to, to saving this democratic project all over the world.
- [31:24]
Joanna Coles
So in your own journey of faith, what's been or who's been the hardest thing to forgive?
- [31:32]
James Talarico
Well, you know, in the Texas legislature, where I serve, we have been, you know, engaged in a lot of very difficult conflicts. Conflicts over public education, conflicts over healthcare access, conflicts over a woman's right to control her own body in our state. And those are life and death debates, because people die because of the decisions made by members of the Texas legislature, particularly by the Republican majority. And, you know, when I'm engaging in these fights, when I'm standing up for my constituents, you know, I. I feel myself getting angry. I feel hate begin to. To grow in my heart toward my opponents, toward my enemies. And. And so it's really hard to. To see through some of these conflicts, especially when they are so consequential for so many people that I love and care about in our state. And.
- [32:31]
Joanna Coles
Well, I think. Doesn't Texas have the most restrictive abortion laws at this point in the entire country?
- [32:36]
James Talarico
Exactly right. And. And because of that extreme abortion ban, we have women dying in emergency room parking lots because they can't access basic health care because their doctors are too afraid to provide that care to them. And so this is killing women in our state as we speak. And so to try to, you know, to continue to work with those colleagues after they pass such a morally monstrous piece of legislation like that is incredibly difficult. And, you know, I. Again, I'm. I'm an imperfect Christian like everybody else. I really struggle with how to love my enemies when. When my enemies are. Are hurting my constituents and hurting people all over our state. But again, the key is how do you stand up to those bullies without becoming a bully yourself? That. That's. That's the line we're supposed to walk, because I think everyone knows.
- [33:32]
Joanna Coles
Well, how. How do you do. How do you do that?
- [33:34]
James Talarico
Well, I think it's one. Recognizing that, you know, the people that you're confronting, the people who are inflicting so much harm, they are human beings, too. And if we can recognize that all of us have, you know, deep flaws, all of us are imperfect, then it's. It's easy. It's easier to. To figure out how to. How to hold out hope for their salvation, to hold out hope that they will have a change of heart, that they will see the error of their ways. You know, that you're not always going to see that in your lifetime, but if you can hold on to that hope in that redemption, then I think it ultimately will prevail in the long run.
- [34:25]
Joanna Coles
You Speak very much with the rhythms of a preacher. And I know your grandfather was a Baptist preacher, and I understand that that may work in Texas. Do you think it works outside of Texas, where people are perhaps less reliant on religion and much more conflicted about state and religion and someone talking about their faith as openly as you talk about yours?
- [34:52]
James Talarico
Well, you know, anybody who's seen my work in the state legislature knows that I'm the fiercest defender of the separation of church and state. I was raised to believe that that boundary in our First Amendment is a sacred boundary. And I have stood up to Christian nationalism at every turn. I have rejected any attempts to. To create a. A state religion, to elevate Christianity over all the other beautiful faith traditions in the world. I've stood up for our atheist and agnostic neighbors in Texas. And so, you know, I try to model a responsible relationship between politics and faith, between church and state. That's part of, you know, what I. What I'm trying to show in the state legislature. And I'm also trying to be very sensitive to the religious trauma that a lot of people hold and a lot of people carry, because organized religion has hurt a lot of people in this country. And. And so I try to be very sensitive to that when I talk about this in public. And I try to always remind people that I know plenty of Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, agnostics, atheists, who are more Christlike than some of the Christians serving in public office in. In this state and in this country. And so I'm less concerned about what you believe. I'm more concerned about how you treat other people, because to me, that's the true testament to your belief system.
- [36:22]
Joanna Coles
So when you hear someone like the vice president saying that he hopes that his wife, who is of Indian descent and I believe was brought up in Hinduism, he hopes that she will convert to Christianity. What do you think?
- [36:37]
James Talarico
Yeah, I'm surprised they're still married if you have that kind of attitude. You know, I would remind the vice president that so many of. So many of the heroes of Jesus's stories in the New Testament are people of different faiths. If you go back and read the parable of the Good Samaritan, maybe the most famous of Jesus's parables, the hero of that story was. Didn't belong to Jesus's religion. The Samaritans were a different religious group. The Samaritans were the sworn enemies of Jesus's listeners. And Jesus lifts up that person from another faith as an example of what it truly means to, to love your neighbor as yourself. So I feel like that those kind of parables should be a reminder that people from other faiths can teach us something and that we should be open to learning from these other beautiful faith traditions. You know, it's, it's almost like telling someone who speaks a different language that they should only speak English. I think our world would be poorer if we only had one language. I think all, you know, this rich tapestry across our country, across our world just is such a gift to all of us that we should appreciate and cherish and protect and that's. That should be true in people's families too. I know so many people who are in interfaith marriages and from what I've learned from those couples is that they both grow in their faiths by learning and cherishing the faiths of their partner. There's something beautiful about that kind of union. And so I, I don't know where the vice president is coming from on that.
- [38:21]
Joanna Coles
And James, we just need to take a quick word from our.
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- [40:52]
Joanna Coles
See Terms Advertisers. And I'm back with James Talarico from Texas. So you're very well known in Texas. You're less well known on the national stage. Joe Rogan podcast notwithstanding, Jasmine Crockett, who you're standing against for the Democratic primary, said that she had better name recognition, she had more experience on the national stage, that she was very appreciative of your experience at the city, state level, but that she would be a better candidate for Senate because she just has more experience, more name recognition. And right now the Democrats need to do whatever they can to get into government. What's your response?
- [41:40]
James Talarico
Well, that's going to be for the voters to decide. They get to pick who they want as their nominee and what kind of experience they value. And if they want more DC Experience, they have a candidate in this race who has that. But if they want someone who has experience teaching in a classroom in an underfunded public school, if they want someone who has experience as a type 1 diabetic struggling to afford insulin, if they want the experience of a, of a fighter in the trenches of the Texas legislature who is still able to pass major bills that, that transform the lives of working people in our state, then they should be able to choose that kind of experience, too. I think different kinds of experience are valuable. And we shouldn't just value once one type of experience over, over others. And there, you know, there's probably value in people who know Washington, have been in Washington and understand the ways of Washington. That may be valuable in some, in some instances. But I think in this moment, people are looking for an outsider. They're looking for Someone who's going to change the system, not someone who comes from the system.
- [42:51]
Joanna Coles
So one of the other things that she implied, though she didn't accuse you of this, but she raised a question over it, was that Bowen Yang, the comedians Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers had gone on as slightly, what seemed like suddenly random attack on the congresswoman, saying no one should give her money. It will be a complete waste of money to spend any time on her campaign whatsoever. And when I asked her about where that came from or why they seem so animated by not giving her money, she sort of implied that there might have been setups for it. So I wanted to ask you if you were anything to do with that.
- [43:31]
James Talarico
No, I know, I've heard, I've heard her say this a few times, but I don't know those two people. I didn't even know the podcast existed. Neither me nor our campaign, nor any of our supporters had anything to do with that. And I learned about it along with the rest of us. So thanks for the opportunity to clear it up.
- [43:53]
Joanna Coles
All right. To clear that up. So it was nothing to do with you?
- [43:56]
James Talarico
No. And after everybody was talking about this, I listened to the clip and I think they talked about me not knowing anything about me. And so, you know, I think if I had set that up, I would have made sure they knew something about me before that, before the show started. So.
- [44:12]
Joanna Coles
Okay, well, they're both suddenly very interested in your Senate race, so that's probably a good thing. It's bringing more attention to it. And the. And I'm going to ask you the same question I asked the congresswoman. And after I asked it, after I asked it, she accused me of making her sound like a loser, which was not my intention. But what are you doing when you're not campaigning? You know, what's your personal life like? How do you relax?
- [44:37]
James Talarico
Yeah, well, my family is very important to me. My whole extended family lives in Round Rock, Texas. My hometown, my parents, my grandparents, my aunts, uncles, my cousins, my sister and her brother in law, and my baby niece, Jane. I became an uncle three years ago for the first time. And congrats. It's been the, the joy of my life watching my baby niece grow up into a very curious, kind, silly toddler. And, you know, any chance that I can get off the campaign trail and steal a few minutes with her, I jump at that opportunity. You know, I also very much enjoy hiking. I go to Big Bend every year. I go to Los Maples every year. These are two of our, a national and a State park here in Texas, in the Austin area. We have beautiful trails. I have a hiking trail right behind my house in East Austin. And so, you know, I, I, I love to, to be out in nature. I love to, to be alone. There's so much on the, so much time on the campaign trail that you're with other people. And it's really nice to have the opportunity to disconnect and, and be by yourself with, in the natural world. And then I also love to read. I was a language arts teacher, and reading has always been a great source of comfort and inspiration and escapism at times. And so if I'm not hiking, if I'm not with my family, you'll probably find me with a book. That tends to be how I relax.
- [46:09]
Joanna Coles
I'm hearing that you're not married. Are you dating either gender? I'm just curious because you're living in a very conservative state where by now you should have four children.
- [46:18]
James Talarico
Well, yes. You know, I'm 36, and, you know, my, I'm surprised maybe my mom puts you up to that question because she's also, she's also wanting to know when she's gonna get another granddaughter or a grandchild. So it's in the works. I'm, I'm working on it. I'm, you know, I know that's what, what my parents want to see. And, and in all, in all, all due time, uh, I'm sure, uh, I'm sure they'll get into the grandkid. And I do, in all seriousness, you know, I do want to have a wife and kids one day. And, you know, my, unfortunately, my career and my seminary work has, has kind of taken over my life in recent years, but it is a goal of mine, and, and I do want to have a family of my own at some point.
- [47:03]
Joanna Coles
I'm going to connect with your mom, and we're going to, we're, we're going to work on it together. I have sons, so I'm always interested in this issue. I've got two questions for you. If you are to win this race and you get to the Senate, you will be the youngest member of the Senate. At the same time, the Democratic establishment is behind Janet Mills, currently governor of Maine, who would be, at 78, the oldest member going into the Senate if she gets elected in the primary, should there be a cutoff? Is 78 too old to be going into the Senate?
- [47:41]
James Talarico
Well, you know, I've been pretty outspoken about the need for a new generation of leaders to step in. Our step up in our party. And we need more millennials like me, but also Gen Zers stepping up to take the mantle of leadership in the Democratic Party. Our, you know, our. Our more senior elected officials, they, they have invaluable wisdom and experience that is really important. And I've learned so much from my more senior colleagues in the state legislature, people who have been doing this work for a lot longer than I have. And so we need this balance. We need new blood, new ideas, fresh perspective, fresh energy. And we also need the wisdom and the experience of our older colleagues. It's a balance that we need to strike right now that we don't have a balance. We only have, you know, people my grandparents age running things in this country. And so that's why I'm so passionate about stepping forward as a young person running for this seat, but also helping other young people all over the state also step up and win public office, because we do need that, that balance in our party to be able to lead into the future.
- [48:46]
Joanna Coles
So if you do get elected to the Senate, if you get through the primary and you get to the Senate, would you be in favor of a new Democratic leader in the Senate? Has Chuck Schumer's time come and gone?
- [48:59]
James Talarico
Well, I definitely think that we need new leadership at every level in our party. And I'm sure that if we win a Senate majority, there's going to be a competitive race for Senate Majority leader in our caucus. And so I'm going to do what I did as a member of the State House when I was a member of the Democratic Caucus. I'm going to sit down with every candidate, including Leader Schumer, if he's running again. And I'm going to have some tough questions about their vision, their values. I'm going to weigh those conversations and then make a decision. But I think my record and what I've said in the past about needing some new blood in our party will definitely color my thinking on that decision.
- [49:44]
Joanna Coles
And what would the first question you ask him be?
- [49:47]
James Talarico
Well, I think I would ask any member who's running for that critical office of majority leader is how do they stand up and hold this administration accountable? Because right now, we don't have checks and balances in our government anymore. We've got a rogue executive branch that is violating the Constitution, blatantly violating our laws. And so I want to know that we have a majority leader who is tough enough to stand up to this president, stand up to this administration, and be able to. To finally reinstitute checks and balances. In our government.
- [50:21]
Joanna Coles
When you listen to Donald Trump and you see what he's doing, do you have concerns for his health?
- [50:28]
James Talarico
Well, I mean, I think anybody of Donald Trump's age, you know, we should be thinking about their health, both physical and mental health. And, you know, I think we've seen that the president throughout his career has lied about his health on multiple occasions. So I think these are legitimate questions to ask and legitimate concerns for the American people to have.
- [50:51]
Joanna Coles
All right. Well, James, as we wished, Congresswoman Crockett, best of luck in the race and I hope you will come back and talk to us. Very interesting talking to you and you know, congratulations for creating a lot of drama around what you're doing or a lot of attention, I should say, not drama attention.
- [51:12]
James Talarico
I really appreciate it and thank you for the, for the conversation and the time.
- [51:17]
Joanna Coles
Okay. To be continued and good luck at seminary.
- [51:19]
James Talarico
Wonderful. Thank you. See you soon.
- [51:25]
Joanna Coles
Well, you can definitely hear the grandfather preacher in James's cadences and the way he speaks. And you can see why so many people are excited by him and are hoping that he will go from state level Texas to national level. But I want to know what you think, so leave us a comment in YouTube. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already. We are independent media so we appreciate your support. And remember, whatever else you are doing as our first lady would have us be beast. Big thanks to our special bebeast tier of members. Here they are. Yvette Johnson, Methinks Batsy o' Farrell Mills and Lynn's Shelby, Max Cubitt, David Sherry, Thomas Moore, Maria Voltain, D. Huger Watts, Cynthia Lund, John H. Overocker, Deb K. Ostrander, Sandra Clark, Travels with Carl, Andrew Beaver, Capinator Harry Clark, Dawn McCarthy, Daniel dog lover M. Griner, Die Stone, Fulvia Orlando Herbie, Andrew Mellor, Tattnall, Val Love, Francisco, Will Hutchison, Andrea Hodel, Bocock D.C. sharon Shipley, Connie Rutherford, Karen White, and last but never least, Heidi Reilly. And thank you to our production team, Devon Rogerino, Ryan Murray, Rachel Passer, Heather Passaro and Neil Rosenhaus.
- [52:58]
James Talarico
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James Talarico
Want more great listens? Check out our comedy podcast the Last.
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James Talarico
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James Talarico
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Joanna Coles
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James Talarico
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