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The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Julián Castro's quiet moral radicalism

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Politics, News, News Commentary, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.511.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 September 2019

⏱️ 65 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I’m careful about inviting politicians onto this podcast. Too often, questions go unanswered, and frustrated emails flood my inbox. So I only bring on candidates now if there’s a conversation directly related to themes of this show. In this case, there is. There’s a quiet moral radicalism powering Julián Castro’s presidential campaign. Laced through his policy agenda are proposals to decriminalize the movements of undocumented immigrants, to involve the homeless in housing policy, to establish American obligations to those displaced by climate change, to protect animals from human cruelty. This is an agenda to expand the moral circle. To redefine who counts in the “we” of American politics. I asked Castro if this wasn’t all a step too far, if Democrats didn’t need to play it safer to eject Trump from office in 2020. This broader moral vision, he replied, “is not just trying to backfill the negative. It gives people a positive purpose that they can reach for. That’s what I’m trying to do.” This is a candidate interview worth hearing. Book recommendations: Influence by Robert Cialdini The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley Read the transcript of this interview here Want to contact the show? Reach out at ezrakleinshow@vox.com News comes at you fast. Join us at the end of your day to understand it. Subscribe to Today, Explained Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

When you drive a Chevy electric vehicle, you're getting more than a way to get from point A to point B.

0:06.0

You're saying goodbye to gas stations and how low to open roads.

0:09.0

With the growing network of public charging stations, you'll be able to charge your EV while you shop, work, or do whatever you want to be doing with your time.

0:17.0

Chevy is making EVs for everyone, everywhere. Go to chevrelay.com slash electric to learn more.

0:25.0

First, sweet tarts dare to combine sweet and tart. But they didn't stop there.

0:33.0

Now they've combined soft and bouncy to bring you new sweet tarts, gummies fruity splits.

0:39.0

A uniquely delicious dual-sided gummy with one side that's sweet and the other side that's tart.

0:46.0

But entirely smooth and squishy. A powerfully perfect combo.

0:52.0

Sweet tarts dare to combine.

0:55.0

It's amazing today that some of the strongest response that you get from people on an issue is with regard to issues surrounding how we treat animals.

1:06.0

And yet, that's hardly ever talked about in our politics at the federal level.

1:22.0

Hello, welcome to the show on the Vox Media podcast network.

1:26.0

Something I always appreciate about this audience is that you guys do not flock to the big names.

1:31.0

And in fact, often get upset at me when I have big name people on who do not answer the questions, all that clearly.

1:36.0

So I try to be careful if I'm going to have a politician on to make sure that there is a real reason to have this conversation.

1:42.0

Something that we're dealing with on the show, a theme that we're exploring that they can actually speak to.

1:48.0

Not that you just get a bunch of political talking points.

1:50.0

And so there's been something that has been nagging at me as I've watched Hullian Castro's campaign.

1:55.0

Castro is, of course, running for president.

1:57.0

He was Barack Obama's secretary of housing and urban development.

2:00.0

He was mayor of San Antonio.

2:02.0

It's kind of a rising star, Democratic politician for some years.

...

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