James Talarico

And in fact, I see the major problem in, at least in my party, is politics that doesn't move anyone or moves them in unhealthy directions.

Because you can move people toward anger or you can move people toward hope.

We have had a politics that moves people toward anger and toward fear and toward division and hate.

We've had that for 10 years on both sides of the aisle.

I think the reason that I'm getting traction on these platforms

The reason I'm standing out is because I'm moving us toward hope.

Well, I think we have to recognize the asymmetry between the two sides of our political discourse.

And I don't mean parties, but I mean people who are a little more conservative, they want to hold on to what we have, or maybe backwards, regressive is a better term for that, or those who are a little more progressive and they want to move us forward.

Those are two different jobs.

Trying to get us to move backwards requires certain appeals.

Getting us to move forward requires certain appeals.

The mistake too many Democrats have made is adopting the tactics that work for the regressive side of our discourse, the Trumpian side of our conversation.

And that's things like fear and hate and anger.

That's what gets someone to look backwards and think we got to go back to what was.

But to move someone forward, you've got to inspire, you've got to excite, and you've got to cultivate a little bit of hope because that's the only thing that'll get you to move forward.

And I should say, some of those Trump voters are in my family.

Many of them are my constituents.

I first got elected to the legislature when I was 28 years old, had never run for office before.

I was a former teacher.

And I was running in a district that had voted for Donald Trump two years before I ran.