The O’Toole Chronicles: Doing what others won’t

One of the coolest and most memorable lines in the movie The Usual Suspects comes when Verbal Kint explains the legend of Keyser Söze, and the lesson isn’t about crime or notoriety — it is about resolve.

The line, and the point of this message, is that victory belongs to the person willing to do what everyone else can’t or won’t. The rise to power of the Turkish character Keyser was predicated on his iron will to perform acts of dedication that all others would shy or melt away from. Let’s let that sink in and pivot to our politics.

There are a few modern-day politicians who come to mind, ones I have witnessed possess this iron will and carry on with absolute resolve and absolute conviction, even in the direst of circumstances. Steve Adubato Sr., Brian Stack, and Bobby Franks are ones I have seen possess a Söze type of mentality. I know there are others, but I can tell you firsthand that these three had an iron will to press on and execute a carefully laid-out plan — and, with it, a stunning and impressive run of victories. What is it that these types have that others don’t? I can tell you what they don’t have.

Too many elected officials spend their careers trying not to lose rather than trying to accomplish something meaningful. You know the type – the individual who plays it safe, doesn’t want to offend anyone, and in that vein won’t get anything meaningful done. I can name hundreds of Assembly and Senate members I served with who spent most of their time plotting to hang on for the next term and got little done in the legislature other than slapping their names on apple-pie bills and taking the ride to Trenton.

Politicians like Big Steve, Brian, and Bobby, who adopt a little Keyser attitude, leave their mark when others don’t. They are willing to take on the difficult vote before it becomes popular. They resolve problems even when the political risk seems high. They speak uncomfortable truths instead of carefully manipulated talking points. They are willing to put everything on the line to right a wrong, even if it means losing the next election. Sounds novel.

Maybe that courage and will means forming bipartisan coalitions to address the timeless issues that never get fixed — health care, taxes, inequality in education, economic concerns, and other seemingly intractable problems.

History remembers the risk takers — the leaders who changed the trajectories of their once downtrodden communities and refused to play it safe. They were the ones willing to absorb the body blows today in exchange for a better tomorrow. The real political lesson buried in that one line from the movie gives us great instruction: success belongs to the leader who is prepared to do what others simply won’t.

This holds true for campaigning. We have seen some upstart candidates win recently because of their will to run hard, make pledges, and out-hustle their opponents. Hats off to these insurgents, regardless of party or ideology, as they show us a pathway to break the mold of the politics of yesterday and forge ahead with a newer model. A caution to the winners: you need to deliver, or expect a short tenure in office.