His courage? He's switching parties. He's getting primary'd by another Republican because Amash likes two things...himself and attention.  He knows he can't win as a Republican.  He got  applause because the people who went and watched him were on the left.  Don't think for a second that Grand Rapids is ever in a million years going blue.  You know better than that.

Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg got applause on Fox News Town Halls.  That doesn't mean they're winning conservatives over.  It means that the people in the audience are like minded and want to hear what they have to say.