In CD-2 we have an embarrassment of riches with the 3 amigos. Up until now I have enjoyed that luxury, three contenders any one of which I would be happy to see representing us in Washington.
But now we come to the flip side of this choice - I have to pick one. And as a delegate to the Boulder county convention, I have to pick now, not in August. Although I don't think much will change between now and then.
First off, here is how I see them:
Joan Fitz-Gerald: Joan is another Nancy Pelosi. I expect to see Joan in the leadership within 10 years and using that position as an effective liberal voice. I think her leadership time here in the state Senate, first in the minority, and then with a slight majority, with both Republican and Democratic governors, makes her ideally suited for this role. And she will get things done.
Jared Polis: Jared is a wild card. He will work for many goals that are impossible, and will concentrate on issues where his passion takes him (education will get a lot of that). Jared will have a higher failure rate because of his impossible goals. But he will also have some successes on goals that no one thought had a prayer. He will bring a unique voice that does not see limits.
Will Shafroth: Will is Mark Udall redux. Will will perform the blocking & tackling of being an effective representative for our district. He will do the most for our district and the residents here from bringing home the bacon to constituent services. And he clearly will concentrate on environmental issues. It doesn't get the spotlight but this is exactly the job we need most representatives performing.
So to me the choice is not which one is "better." Nor is it who's policies are closer to mine, they are all pretty similar in how they would vote. It's what approach I think will be most useful not just for our district, but for our country.
I will be voting for Jared Polis at the County convention. There are way too many people in Washington who see the limits on what is possible, on what should be attempted, on what should be addressed, and work within those margins. Jared won't even notice those margins.
I am also impressed with how Jared in his campaign has continued to try very innovate ideas, and has learned how to frame them better so they don't cause him blow-back. He's been hammered for those innovative attempts and keeps riding forth to slay the dragon. I expect to see some amazing successes from Jared.
Not to mention, it will help to have someone who actually understands the high-tech world in Congress.
Update:
In the high tech start-up world the rule of thumb is try 100 things, 90 will fail. Keep doing the 10 that work, try 100 new - rinse, lather, repeat. If we could have more spectacular success with no increases in failures people would of course do that.
This is akin to FDR with The New Deal - if you really study it you find that they had a lot of failures as they kept trying. But they also had a lot of successes and saved the country. So yes, I am voting for someone who will have a higher failure rate, because it is the only way to also have a better spectacular success rate.
Jared will get some good laws passed that otherwise will never see the light of day.
