On another professional note, I want to express my appreciation to some of the particularly great and generous colleagues I’ve had the privilege of learning from and working alongside over the past decade: Ron Brownstein, who first suggested this specific angle for a book; Major Garrett, who made time for young reporters and never acted as though we were anything but peers; and Tim Grieve, who made a big bet on my career long before I had done anything to warrant his confidence. I’m also gratified to have called the following people colleagues: Beth Reinhard, Nancy Cook, Alex Burns, Dan Friedman, Richard Just, Nick Tell, Steve Heuser, and the entire Politico Mag staff. Also, because I drew from so much of my past work in reconstructing this storyline, I want to make a special point of thanking the people I’ve shared important bylines with: Billy House, my tutor in covering Congress; Alexis Levinson, my partner on the 2016 debate circuit; Rachael Bade, Elena Schneider, and of course, all my former Hotline comrades.
I can’t possibly begin to thank the hundreds of sources who fed me information for this book and for so many other stories over the years. (Not that many of you are dying to be named.) That said, I would like to thank two politicians and their staffs in particular: John Boehner and Ted Cruz. While they couldn’t be more different—hence one calling the other “Lucifer”—both of these men and their operations, from the top down, have always been accessible and helpful to me, even when my coverage was harsh. They both understand that, even when I’ve had to kick them in the teeth, I approach my job, and my relationships with their teams, with the utmost objectivity, fairness, and commitment to truth. Speaker Boehner and Senator Cruz, it remains my mission to bring the two of you together over some bottles of red. We could make it a Netflix special, or maybe even pay-per-view. Think it over.
It was some seven years ago that I was first asked to deliver a speech to Georgetown’s Government Affairs Institute about the fratricidal nature of Congress and the challenges facing party leadership. What a blessing it has been to go back, again and again, revising and updating that speech and giving it countless times more in the years since. Not only did I discover terrific people along the way—Josh Huder, Worth Hester, Mark Harkins, and Kristin Nicholson, to name a few—but the speeches became an organizing ritual by which critical elements of this book’s narrative came together. To my friends at GAI, keep up the great work—and don’t expect my fire-and-brimstone routine to lighten up anytime soon.
I’m also grateful to Daniel McCarthy and the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship Program, which provided grant money to help with my costs pertaining to travel, research, and transcription. It was an honor to be selected for the fellowship, and I highly encourage other young journalists to apply in the years ahead.
An unsung hero in the completion of this book is Clara Martin, our friend and part-time nanny, whose help with the boys was indispensable during some of the dimmest stages of my writing marathon. Thanks a ton, Clara.
Philippians 4:13 reminds us, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” This book is proof positive. Coming off an exhausting midterm election stretch and facing some significant personal challenges, there was no reasonable expectation that I could write this manuscript in three months. Looking back, those three months are a blur; I’m not quite sure how it was done. But I do know that Christ strengthened me throughout. And I do know that, despite my straying from the path, He loves me and forgives me.
Lastly, I want to thank the Detroit Lions, my first love and foremost tormenter, for turning in such a wretched performance in the 2018–2019 season. My timetable for producing this book was already unforgiving; had the boys in Honolulu blue put a compelling product on the field, I would have been robbed of two hundred valuable minutes each Sunday last fall. (Also, I found that listening on the radio is considerably less stressful than watching on television.) To the Ford family, Bob Quinn, Matt Patricia, and above all, Matthew Stafford: Now that I’m finished, feel free to go out and get that elusive second playoff win since 1957. Forward down the field!