Ben Rhodes

It's a coherent and complete story

that connects the need to fundamentally reform our democracy to the outcomes that people care about in their lives, their jobs, their healthcare, their prices.

So that it's not just a kind of pointy head op-ed page democracy argument, it's an argument about how to make government work.

If you look at a James Tallarico in Texas, he's talking about, you know, and I found this in going back and looking at what makes these speeches consequential and connect.

It's when they're also truly authentic, when you're the only person on Earth who could be delivering this message.

And then I think that's something everybody who runs for president needs to keep in mind, not just what's my five point plan.

Why?

Why are you running?

Why?

Why you?

And when Tallarico talks about why he's running for Senate, he talks about his faith and how his faith compels him to want to care for his neighbor and to want to have a different kind of conversation in this country.

I think people are ready for that kind of message, not just policy again, like who are we as Americans?

How do we connect with one another?

What motivates the people that go into public life?

And then to your point about the rallies, I think AOC, what she does that is so important

is she's fearless and joyful in how she refuses to be intimidated by all these forces that are arrayed against her.

Joy is really important.

I was on the 2008 Obama campaign.

That was the most joyful exercise I've been a part of.

People wanted to be a part of it.