Courage in the People’s House
By Joe Neguse
Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2023
Books by politicians come with titles like “The Will to Fight,” largely “written” by presidential aspirants to establish faux gravitas, with the more prosaic goal of increasing name recognition early in an election cycle. Joseph Neguse, a Colorado Democrat now in his fourth term in the House of Representatives, took a different approach with “Courage in the People’s House,” a series of focused mini-biographies of mostly unknown House members dating from Reconstruction, whose “acts of determination and bravery..shaped our country as pioneers” (4). The book is clearly and thoughtfully presented and most Americans, who may not know their own Senators and certainly not their individual House member, should find Neguse’s subjects compelling, still relevant and praiseworthy. While “Courage in the People’s House” is not an overt, short term marketing tool, Neguse’s protagonists, be they Democrats or Republicans, reflect positively on his life story and outlook and make him a very appealing centrist role model.
Beyond their popular obscurity, Neguse’s nine subjects had much in common. Many checked at least one of these boxes: born outside the United States, member of a disadvantaged group and faced various forms of discrimination in their personal and professional lives. And yet, once in power they showed a willingness to work with their oppressors. While pushing for full rights for African Americans during Reconstruction, Joseph Rainey (R/SC) called for restoration of citizenship rights for former Confederates. After mine owners tried to have him arrested and attempted to bribe him to leave his home to quell labor unrest, William Wilson (D/PA), who worked in Scottish coal mines at age 9, still respected that owners’ and miners’ interests were fundamentally different and had to be accounted for, which helped pave the way for Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal. Adolph Sabath (D-IL), a Jewish, Czech (i.e. nonfavored) immigrant, played endorsement hardball to get racist President Woodrow Wilson to veto immigration restriction. They didn't always succeed and some were punished for their success; Wilson lost his seat when a socialist split the progressive vote and handed the election to a Republican and Oscar Stanton De Priest’s (R-IL) principled opposition to the New Deal, in a district that directly benefited from it, led to his loss to a Democrat in 1934.
What stands out among these men and women - a note here that Neguse’s studies of modern members like Shirley Chisolm (D-NY) and Barbara Jordan (D-TX) were not included in the review by their virtue of being generally better known - was their strong, true Christian faith and tempered realism. The strengths of their beliefs notwithstanding, they recognized that there were many others who opposed them, rightly or wrongly, and that their views had to be balanced into the equation if the nation is to move forward. Contrast them to today’s faux Christians who use their supposed faith as a smokescreen for their own intolerance and cruelty and politicians who call the nearly 50% of the nation that don’t share their views delusional fanatics and who abandon any pretense of principled ideology in the name of pure partisanship.
As for any ulterior motives in writing this book, a quick examination of Neguse’s time in Congress belies any concern. He clearly chose subjects that mirrored his profile to a large extent. He’s a first generation American, perhaps even a birthright citizen, whose parents left Eritrea in 1980. He did not dwell on any difficulties from his childhood, focusing on the US as the greatest democratic republic the world has ever known (2) and making the most of his educational opportunities - University of Colorado, University of Colorado Law School - before entering a life of issue driven public service. In 2023, he was ranked as the 18th most bipartisan member of the House by the Lugar Center at Georgetown University.
It's important to note that there’s nothing about the 2d Colorado District that forces Neguse to be this way. His is the definition of a safe seat; he’s won his four elections by an average of 30.4 points in a district that Kamala Harris carried by similar numbers in 2024. If he wanted to raise his national profile through partisan showboating, there would likely be no electoral penalty; Neguse could easily become Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D/NY) and Jim Jordan (D-OH) – heard of them? - numbers 435 - 436 on the Lugar list. But he chose the Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME) route, who supported the US military while advocating for expanded roles for women, which was opposed by Carl Vinson (D-GA), the powerful Chair of the House Armed Services Committee. Vinson ended up with an aircraft carrier named after him, but perhaps its “coed” crew made her the ultimate winner.
By shunning the spotlight and emulating his heroes, Neguse frees his time and energy to work with his colleagues on his issues - the environment, education and gun control (5). His “Courage in the People’s House’s” subjects would be proud of him, and one only hopes members like him, like they, receive the praise they all deserve.