"Values" and "Social Justice": The Language of James Talarico

 "Values" vs. "Social Justice"

In American politics, a focus on “values” has for many years been code for social conservatism. Politicians who have spoken of “values” have taken tended to oppose things like abortion or gay rights, and they have supported the existing, hierarchical social arrangements. Such politicians have often rooted their views in one or another biblical religious tradition. The focus on traditional social arrangements has in our society gone along with support for “free enterprise” and low taxes.

In contrast, a focus on “social justice” has been code for social and political progressivism and a recognition of the reality of class conflict. Politicians who talk about “social justice” point to the injustices in our society and propose that we should eliminate or reduce them. In recent decades, that has meant support for changes in racial relationships and in gender roles. It also has an economic focus. Politicians who talk about “social justice” have favored government action to ameliorate the lives of Americans through things like a national healthcare system or public support for childcare.

Talarico Brings Together "Values" and "Social Justice"

James Talarico's way of speaking brings the politics of “values” and the politics of “social justice” together. On the one hand, he speaks in religious language and frames his views in biblical teachings. On the other hand, he is a politician of the left. He favors “social justice,” and he emphasizes the importance of class conflict. On his campaign web site, he says,

The biggest divide in this country is not left vs. right. It’s top vs. bottom. Billionaires want us looking left and right at each other instead of looking up at them. 

The people at the top work so hard to keep us angry and divided because our unity is a threat to their wealth and power. So, their cable news networks and their social media algorithms tear us apart.

They divide us by party, by race, by gender, by religion so we don’t notice they’re defunding our schools, gutting our healthcare, and cutting taxes for themselves and their rich friends. It’s the oldest strategy in the world: divide and conquer. 

Talarico’s positions on specific, political issues are often indistinguishable from those of a more traditional leftist politician like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Bernie Sanders, but unlike them, he does not claim to be a democratic socialist, and he does not use the language of democratic socialism. Instead, he draws on the American religious tradition by emphasizing its strong support for social justice. He says,

My granddad was a Baptist preacher in South Texas. He taught me that we follow a barefoot rabbi who gave us two commandments: love God and love neighbor. Because there is no love of God without love of neighbor. Every single person bears the image of the sacred; every single person is holy — not just the neighbors who look like me or pray like me or vote like me.
[The] billionaires want to keep us from seeing all that we have in common. They want to keep us from realizing there’s far more that unites us than divides us. Because once we do, we’ll come together — across party, across race, across gender, across religion — to fix what’s broken in our country and take back power for ourselves and our communities.
2,000 years ago, when the powerful few rigged the system, that barefoot rabbi walked into the seat of power and flipped over the tables of injustice. To those who love our country, to those who love our neighbors: 

It’s time to start flipping tables.

Talarico also says,

Politicians like John Cornyn and Ken Paxton claim to stand for freedom, family and faith,

• But you can't stand for freedom and control what we say, what we read, and what we do with our bodies. 
•  You can't stand for family and vote against paid family leave, affordable child care, or the right of every American to marry who they love
•  And you can't stand for faith and then warp and weaponize religion to hurt our neighbors

Talarico's Language Has Deep Roots in American Culture

This way of speaking is deeply rooted in American culture. It reaches back to f Frederick Douglass’s Fourth of July speech against slavery:

Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery – the great sin and shame of America!

We can hear, too, the cadence of William Jennings Bryan’s famous "cross of gold" speech:

You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.

Democrats Should Take Note

This way of speaking frames social justice in a way that resonates with Americans all across our country’s heartland, and the Democratic Party should welcome candidates for political office who talk this way. Most Americans support the policies that people like AOC advocate, but many do not respond to the language of “democratic socialism.” That language may play well to young, educated people in our cities, but to many Americans, it sounds foreign and vaguely menacing. 

Talarico offers a way of framing social justice with deep, American roots, and if Democrats want to win elections in the heartland, we would do well to accustom ourselves to hearing people talk as he does. His campaign for the Senate in Texas will test the value and strength of his style in American politics. We should pay attention.