Sen. Bob Casey (D., Penn.) praised hard work and initiative in statements at a luncheon in Harrisburg, Penn., Monday:
SEN. BOB CASEY: Look, I think—what I would say is that—I would say in my own life: Everyone knows that when someone builds a business and is successful, they’re successful for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons they’re successful is that they work hard—usually, sometimes they just get lucky but often, most of the time, at least in terms of people I’ve talked to over the years, it’s hard work. You study hard in school, you’ve got to work hard to develop capital or access to capital, you’ve got to take risks that sometimes put you in a jam for a while, and then you’re fortunate to overcome that. All the while, everyone of us would acknowledge that you don’t do everything on your own—we have roads or infrastructure, we all participate and help that individual. But I think individual initiative, and drive, and skill and expertise should be accorded recognition.
President Obama de-emphasized the role of individual hard work in business success in campaign remarks earlier this month.