Courage Can Save Us

"But Todd had made a point of building relationships across the aisle, what he calls “a reservoir of trust and goodwill.”" "“We also discovered a mutual animus toward the Chinese Communist Party,” Todd says."

"Brian assured him he had thirteen Republican votes, “ironclad.”" "All thirteen Republicans in Brian’s bloc held firm and provided the winning margin."

"Republican leaders had stopped calling Brian. In his view, they knew where he stood. He had told them what he needed changed to get his vote. They knew how to reach him if they made his changes."

"This is not hard if you feel like you don’t share the values of a particular group of constituents. But it becomes very challenging—and requires what I would call moral courage—to stand your ground with people whose values you share."

"“It’s always easier to vote no,” says John Connell, Todd’s chief of staff for fifteen years. “But we had to compromise on stuff. He always took those votes—acknowledged their shortcomings—but approached it with kind of a realistic perspective. And he never hid the ball from his constituents.”"

"In his initial twelve months, Wes proposed ten priority bills and signed all ten into law, each with bipartisan support."

"Seth recalls, “A vet came up to me in Nevada and said, ‘I decided that if a Marine serving in Congress can find the courage to ask for help, then I can, too.’”"

"“Can you live with yourself if you pass on it?” he’ll ask. “Or will you always look back and say, ‘What if?’"

"He opened with a question: “Are you here to do something, or to be something?”" "If they wanted to do something, to legislate and shape outcomes, Dan said they would need to build relationships across party lines, keep their word, and resist the urge to speak out on every cultural flashpoint."

"“If you do this job and you’re always worried about the political consequences, it’s just not fun,” he says. “If I lose an election because of something I voted for, or something I said that I know to be true, so what?"

"“Obviously I work for the president and he’s in the opposing party, but I never felt that made a difference. We always just talked about the substance.”"

"“Pick the one that’s easier for you to explain,” Manchin advised Mark."

"“She likes to say the Navy taught her that you lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way,” Jason says. “And Mikie’s not someone who just stands there.”"

"“Mikie ran the race her way,” says her onetime campaign manager turned adviser Mollie Binotto. “Based on her values, her strengths, to show people who she was and what kind of leader she would be.”"

"“I just have one piece of advice,” the Speaker said. “Do not spend a second trying to be like them. Make them try to be like you. If you do that, you might actually have a shot at winning this thing.”"

"He often remembers his older brother’s advice: “Once votes are done, get on the train and get the hell out of D.C. Get back home to be with your bosses.”"

"Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended."

"“I applied Marine Corps Leadership 101 to the campaign,” Phaneuf recalls. “Look out for your people, give them a clear plan, and hold them accountable. We listened to advice from our general consultant and pollster, asked tough questions, made decisions, and ruthlessly executed.”"

"That night in Baghdad, John came to understand an Army saying that he would carry for the rest of his life: “Mission first, people always.”"

"“They taught us to be objective by listening to both sides,” Lorron recalls. “They taught us to seek advice from people we respected—but to make our own decisions in the end.”"

"“Always have a smile,” he says, describing his approach to service as a junior officer. “Always be energized. Work hard. Know what the priorities are for the boss. Get’em done.”"

"“I will never let anyone bring me to my knees like that,” he says. “If you’re going to get my vote, you’re going to earn it."

"“Dig into it,” he says. “If you read a book, follow the sources. Find out who paid for the book.”"