Senator Ron Wyden — It Takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change - with Senator Cory Booker

US Senator Ron Wyden is widely praised for coming up with sensible-sounding ideas no one else had thought of and making the counter-intuitive political alliances that prove helpful in passing bills. In It Takes Chutzpah, he offers a progressive leader's manifesto for being a courageous warrior during turbulent times. It is an inspirational guide to get important things accomplished with a combination of strong allies, persistence, and attention--that is, chutzpah. PURCHASE BOOK HERE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9780306835872?ic_referral=XwKlr_iL8GeMJWxz5vWNn9E_yvyNP6t1vAE329F7W2wwMx2dkfKUmy-Iv_WmQ__2CgQMRtwBhUmKnWstxTJU4A240vvvabW6ZApJH6ErLXavyAh6xjTXNOlBlfjiKpLz_9UkcQ "Chutzpah" is a Yiddish word that describes a trait that many Jews consider in-born. Ron explores chutzpah's long history and many interpretations and reclaims the word chutzpah for a new American generation, showing how it can be used for good to reclaim idealism and enact positive change. He shares "Ron's 12 Rules of Chutzpah" that enable any individual or group to achieve their objectives:  If you want to make change, you've got to make noise. In a world where everyone thinks and acts for the short-term, always play the long game. Leading is coaching: Whether in legislation or in life, you've got to bring people and ideas together around a shared goal. Show up every day prepared to play. There are only two paths you can take to progress: Start good things and stop bad things. Do both. Embrace the unscripted moments. Ideas are the seeds of change; find them and plant them wherever and whenever you can. Pay attention to your friends, because they can be far more unpredictable than your enemies. Don't push rocks up hills. Push boulders. They will fall back on you, but you'll gain the strength to get to the top. Be a principled bipartisan: Work with anybody who is serious about moving forward. Political capital doesn't earn interest and is worth nothing if you don't spend it. "Compromise" isn't about horse-trading bad ideas for each other; it's about blending good ideas into a whole that's better than the sum of its parts. Ron identifies several key values--free speech, health care, reproductive rights, a clean environment, and reigning in Big Tech--and draws on his decades of public service to stress that preserving those values means that loud brashness and boldness will be needed now more than ever. Ron Wyden, a Democratic Senator from Oregon, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 until his 1995 election to the U.S. Senate. Oregonians--and all attentive Americans--know Wyden as a senator who listens and innovates. The son of two refugees from Nazi Germany, he was born in Wichita and lived in Chicago, St. Louis, and Washington D.C., as his father Peter Wyden, a journeyman journalist and later a best-selling author, pursued his career and curiosity. Senator Wyden is in conversation with Senator Cory Booker. A United States Senator from New Jersey since 2013, Cory Booker has worked tirelessly to advance economic opportunity and equal justice, including leading efforts to advance criminal justice reform, increase wages and drive down costs to ensure hard work is fairly rewarded, address the scourge of gun violence, and protect all Americans’ ability to make their own healthcare decisions. As a tenant lawyer, city councilman, mayor, and now in the Senate, Cory has spent his career bringing people together to take on the problems we face and deliver real results. *recorded 1/16/2025