James Talarico

We had trust.

We had love for one another.

And he said, when we talk about immigration, you always say we shouldn't punish children for the decisions their parents make.

And suddenly it dawned on me that I was morally inconsistent here, that for these homeschool kids, this may be the only opportunity they have to interact with kids of their own age and to participate in a community like that.

So I ended up crossing party lines.

I got a lot of heat from the education groups and my colleagues.

I voted for that bill.

It passed.

I then got to meet some of the kids who participated in the program.

It was life-changing for them.

And we can talk about countless examples of that where not only has a Republican done something risky, but I've done something risky in return because we're both out on that ledge of love.

We were talking earlier about politics doesn't move people anymore.

I mean, you read Common Sense by Thomas Paine.

You read Lincoln speeches.

You listen to Fannie Lou Hamer.

You read Dr. King.

And that changes the game because your politics should grow out of that morality.

There's a sequence here.

And I feel like what we're suffering from now, people start with their politics and then try to figure out the morality on top of that when it should be reversed.

Who are we as human beings?