My lunch with Jared

I had a nice lunch with Jared Polis today. We ate at Tom's Tavern - great burgers. And the bottom line? I think he clearly would make a good Representative. Mostly I let him talk (politicians seem to be happy to talk, and talk, and...) and so this is what I got from him mostly unsolicited.

Being a U.S. Representative is one of the most thankless jobs in politics. You have very little impact as there are so many in the house. At the same time you are expected to take care of a million constituent requests that come in. I did ask about this and he had a very realistic view of what the job would be like.

He is also essentially doing that now. Every night he is at one or more community events. And he talked about them in a manner that made it clear he finds the events interesting. Running gives him an incentive to go get more involved and he enjoys that.

He was also very realistic about the limits on a freshman Representative and what they can accomplish. He knows he will not write the new health plan legislation or set the direction on Iraq. So what he laid out as what he will work on was both reasonable and, I think, really good choices.

First for Jared is clearly education. That shows in his efforts to date and it was clear in how he talked about it today. What he would do, what he has thought about, what all of the problems are. At root a vote for Jared is a vote to have this seat focused on improving education in this country. And a single Representative can make a difference on this issue. Because almost everyone is in favor of improving education.

Second is intellectual property issues. Patents, copyrights, and how all of this should work in today's world. I did not expect this. But our intellectual property system is beyond broken, especially for software and drugs. And as he said he both has a lot of knowledge and experience on this issue and it is an area where a single Representative can make a difference. This impressed me because it shows a good balance making use of his knowledge and doing so on an issue where a freshman Representative can have an impact. This to me shows very good judgment.

Third is health insurance. He realizes that he will have little to no impact on what is written. But this clearly does matter to him. And he is a strong supporter of single payer. So he will pay attention to this issue, influence it as much as he can, and be a clear vote in favor of single payer.

And that is the Jared Polis I met today. There was some discussion of other issues (can a political discussion occur that does not mention Iraq?). But the above are the main points. And while part of what was discussed was Jared selling himself, this is what he is selling about himself. And this is what we will get.

Bottom line - he understands the job, appears to embrace the constant contact required of campaigning and holding the job, and shows a very sensible decision on what he would do in Washington. And his number 1 job will be education - which I think is the biggest issue facing this country today.

I haven't decided who to vote for but I definitely would not be upset if he were to win.

Coming next - coffee with Will Shafroth on 8/20

Comments

[Thomas R. Crane]

Your vote is the only endorsement that really matters

The Camera has covertly endorsed Will Shafroth by giving him a front page headline highlighting the other papers' endorsements. The Camera has, as well, more than evened the financial score among candidates by its numerous article headings emphasizing the amount of money Jared Polis has put into this campaign.

I thought 'big money' usually means a candidate's independence is compromised to represent 'big money's interests' rather than those of his/her constituents. These numerous articles make it appear that Jared's money is somehow tainted? As a self made young entrepreneur, Jared does spend his own money to voice articulately views he shares with his constituents re: energy sustainability, the environment, the war, and healthcare, etc.

With a new President, we will be facing new challenges. Thomas Friedman's book, the "World is Flat" speaks to the 21st century as "the new found power of the individual" vs. the multinational) to collaborate and compete globally". And, "in a flattening and shrinking world.....it will be shaped by a much more diverse non-Western, non white--group of individuals." "The lever is not horsepower or hardware but software ---in conjunction with the creation of a global fiber-optic network that makes us all next door neighbors" (Friedman,2005)

Jared Polis knows the state of this changing world because he's engaged in it both professionally (since his company start up during Princeton years)and through his public service. He understands the educational issues facing the youth of this entire Metropolitan region by spending his own money, shame on him, to fund cutting edge responsive 21st century schools and address key educational policy considerations through his foundation.

As the greatest national debt ever is being faced by our country, our Congress needs the foresight to understand the global stage of economics, business, research, and technology as well as the complexities of fiscal concerns around critical policy priorities (inter)nationally.

Jared Polis is a suitable U.S. Congressional candidate in these arenas.

Tom Crane
P.O. Box 7033
Boulder, CO 80306

[Mike Ellis]

Now I want to hear more about Jared's ideas on intellectual property. Plenty of people want to fix the system, but most of the ideas would make the system so much worse, especially for the small inventor. Is Jared one of the many that would make things better for Microsoft, or is he one of the few that is willing to look at real inventors and their needs?

[windbourne]

So, what exactly is his view on patents exp. WRT software? And the same for econ.

[Kathy Guyton]

I agree that education is a good #1 issue. I agree that we need someone strong, smart, and energetic to help make good decisions about education in Washington. But I don't think Jared Polis is that person.

Mr. Polis has a history and a reputation for throwing money at education no matter what, hoping that will fix the "problem." Now, let me say, that I'm as liberal as they come. I *want* my taxes raised for education. But tossing money at BVSD with no reasonable oversight, no reasonable plan, and a board that routinely ignores its constituents, is not going to fix anything. That's what Mr. Polis advocated in our bond election last year, and that's what he made happen. (He was the single largest--by far--contributor to the Pro-3A campaign.)

If he wants to make education his number one issue, Mr. Polis needs to be much smarter about it.

For my part (and I have NOTHING to do with her campaign--never met the woman)...

Give me Joan Fitz-Gerald any day.

BTW, if you really want to know about education issues in Boulder, go to www.bvsdwatch.org

Thanks for listening.