As I work my way up the food chain of our Democratic officials I am more and more impressed. I always wondered how Senator Salazar did so well as a politician because at the mass-media level he is good but nothing spectacular. But one on one he is exceptional. One of the best I have ever met. Both in terms of his grasp of the issues and how he comes across.
To me one of the signatures of a smart self-assured person is their willingness to ask questions on subjects that they are supposed to know. We spent the first 5+ minutes with him asking me about the blog-o-sphere. He clearly understands that it now matters a lot. But he also clearly has not been visiting (and we all have such great insight available for him). Very curious, very aware that it matters, and very insightful questions digging in. I would not want to be questioned by him if I had something to hide.
So what drives the Senator? 'Ohana. 'Ohana is Hawaiian and the best translation is family but it is much more than that (see the movie Lilo & Stitch for a good definition). His parents, his family history, his culture, his background, that permeates everything. It's what drives him, but it also is the responsibility that he has to live up to.
He, and all of his siblings, are the first generation in their family to go to college. He grew up poor on a farm, is Hispanic, and now is a U.S. Senator. (Similar to LBJ who also grew up very poor on a farm.) Ken Salazar is living proof of the the truth of the American Dream and he knows that and treasures it. (His parents clearly did an amazing job raising their kids.)
He definitely takes the Senatorial view of the issues. The biggies to him are getting us out of Iraq, resolving the energy problem, and health-care. And he also wants to get Rocky Mountain National Park designated a wilderness area. So a focus on the big issues we face as a country and one state level issue.
Energy is the one he talked about at length. He used the standard "Manhattan Project" for how to approach it. But he was on top of it discussing different technologies, the output we can get from solar and wind farms, the use of saw-grass (and no mention of corn), etc. So he clearly is doing homework on this issue. No mention of nuclear or any hydrocarbon technology.
I asked him about the FISA bill and what was real interesting about his answer was that he said that the bill addressed a number of issues that need to be codified in law and that we need to get it taken care of so we can move on and address other issues. (He said he needed to read the bill before deciding if he would vote for it although his discussion of what he was looking for makes a yes very likely.)
What I found interesting about this was his focus on the Senate getting the job done. That the law addresses a number of items that need to be in statue. Not if the law was perfect, but that it was necessary to legislate and that requires that the Senate come up with an acceptable bill they can pass so the work is accomplished.
I think this speaks to what we have seen from Senator Salazar from the "Gang of 14" to today, an effort to find an acceptable compromise that can pass. By definition he's going to have people more upset with him than the average Senator because a good compromise tends to have everyone equally unhappy. But the legislators who accomplish these compromises are absolutely essential to the legislative process.
The Salazar family have been called the Kennedy's of Colorado. I'll wait to see some from the next generation before saying that myself but it would not surprise me to see it play out that way. If so, I think we as a state will do very well by them.
