Tim Ryan’s must-watch political speech
"Ask Me Anything" post-midterms session recording available for paid subscribers
On Tuesday night, I had the privilege of hearing the greatest speech I’ve ever seen live by an American politician. Following a disappointing loss, my good friend Tim Ryan conceded to his opponent, JD Vance, in the US Senate race for the state of Ohio.
Watch it here:
Why was it so powerful?
It was the greatest explanation of American exceptionalism that's been delivered in many years.
It was the most beautiful articulation of the meaning of an American election that I’ve ever heard. It seems absurd that he had to say what he did, but he had no choice, given the last two years of political chaos we’ve experienced in the country. What he said was the most important and necessary thing that any person in his position had to say in that moment. He asserted that it was his privilege, as the Democratic nominee for the state of Ohio, to concede an election to a man, who in my view, is the lesser man. There was no ego. There was no drama. Congressman Tim Ryan did his duty, and he did it like a true leader.
I want to say this again. We live in an age of narcissism and rage. We live in a time during which cowardice and insanity have become the currency of political fame and attention. We live in an era of corruption and institutional decay. We are surrounded by selfishness and taking from the most privileged and powerful elites in the nation. They have devoured America’s middle class with rapacious indifference and fantastical theories around “value” that have removed human beings from the equation in a country built on the pursuit of happiness.
I have worked in American politics, media and business at the very highest level. American politics has always been my passion and love, but it has also led to great disillusionments. It has tested my faith, and has broken it at certain moments.
Tim Ryan gave me a great gift. He restored my faith in almost everything by letting me get to start most mornings with a phone call with him. Each day, started with a laugh and got better from there. Tim Ryan is precisely the type of person Teddy Roosevelt spoke of in his speech detailing the obligations of citizenship in a republic. Tim and Andrea Ryan are ordinary people who did something extraordinary. They didn’t debase themselves or America in the pursuit of high office. They didn’t lie or manipulate. Tim Ryan lifted people up and connected them together with a message built around an imagination of better. Tim Ryan inspired people. He did it with conviction, decency and grace. He is not a savior, but he is a man of the highest integrity and character who stood tall. I couldn’t be prouder to call him my friend. I couldn’t be more grateful to him for the gift he gave me. He restored my idealism. He restored my faith. He is among the most exceptional people I have ever known. I am grateful to his entire team of idealists and believers for the chance to believe with them. It was a gift.
The loss is a moment in a life that has been dedicated to public service. Public service is honorable. Tim Ryan, the Congressman from Youngstown, Ohio, has spent 20 years of his life in service to his community and the United States. Tim Ryan made it better. That is the definition of honorable public service. What an honor it was to spend the closing days in this great adventure with him.
It was delivered without notes, and entirely from the heart. This guy is the real deal.
I also want to thank everyone who joined last night’s post-midterms “Ask Me Anything” session. I am so grateful for this vibrant, passionate community. Thank you as well to Suzy Shuster for moderating the session. We will continue to hone the format for future monthly sessions (yes, I know I can be verbose in my answers — I am a work in progress, after all!).
Many of you requested a recording of last night’s session, which you can find below the paywall. For those who aren’t subscribers, you can upgrade to paid to gain access to it, plus the full archive of my daily essays, including audio recordings. Thanks for considering this.
Steve