I had coffee with Steve Ward this morning.
First an observation. Whoever wins in CD-6 is going in to a Democratic controlled congress. If they want to be effective, they are going to have to talk to and work with the Democratic members. Out of the 4 running in CD-6 Steve is the only one (so far) willing to talk to me. Guys, if you can't handle the softball interview I do, how on earth are you going to be effective in Washington?
Ok, on to the meeting. Steve is all about getting the job done. It was refreshing to hear a Republican who spoke of the need to pass budgets, of work the government needs to accomplish, of finding consensus to get legislation passed. Steve does believe in government. A smaller government than most Democrats believe in but he does see a necessary role for government.
He also sees a responsibility for legislators to step up and complete the necessary work in front of them. That a budget must be created and passed. That transportation must be addressed. That the conflict between TABOR and the various forced funding amendments must be resolved.
He also takes a lot of pride in the fact that he has passed budgets and bills in his political career. That is how he measures the job he has done and he takes a lot of pride in what he has accomplished.
The big issue that animates him, after doing his job properly, is energy. Having fought in the Middle East he understands first hand that we are presently funding both sides in the war on terror. And in this case, we can never win.
He also understands that drilling everywhere in the U.S. is not enough. That we have to move beyond oil. He was very animated discussing this and he walks the walk too having a hybrid car, motorcycle, plus then 2 regular cars in his family.
He didn't really talk about what he sees as what we do to move beyond oil except for his use of a hybrid. Based on what he did say about needing to move beyond oil I am sure that he has thoughts on that, but it's interesting he didn't bring them up.
The one other issue he discussed was Iraq. He quoted T.E. Lawrence on how you do not want to invade an Arab country. Don't do it! But we're there. He did speak very sensibly to this saying that we need to come up with a workable plan, discuss what it will cost in terms of money and people, and then do it.
He has the typical military officer's disdain for farting around with no plan on what to do. And he clearly does not want to see lives wasted to no good effect. He did not say what the plan should be (which I think is a good thing) but that there must be one that makes sense.
He finally talked at length about constituent service, both helping constituents and, more importantly, knowing how to apply pressure on the federal bureaucracy to force them to do what is needed. He was very respectful of Pat Schroeder's ability to reach into the system and get them to respond to people in Colorado.
So what do you get with Steve in Washington? First off, you get someone who will be effective in a Democratic controlled Congress (and Administration). Someone who will find common ground. And someone who will help the Republicans find a way back to appealing to the moderate middle.
He will focus some on energy and Iraq. And he brings a sensible point of view to each. But I think more than those, his approach to working with others, and paying attention to getting things done, will make him excellent at constituent service. And he clearly will work his ass off.
