I just got back from a three-week vacation. A wonderful time to step back, relax, and give myself some space from politics, energy policy, and the daily news cycle. And in that space, one conclusion became clear…
All the blog posts I’ve written — about how the Democratic Party needs to change, or about the self-defeating energy policies we’ve adopted here in Colorado — weren’t moving the needle.
Plenty of people agreed with what I wrote. But agreement isn’t change. And preaching to the choir doesn’t move the needle. One of my hard rules in business was: if something isn’t working, no matter how much I wish it would, it’s time to pivot.
Governor?
So my thought was, maybe I should run for governor. First off, it’s an open seat with two credible candidates. That’s perfect because voters are already set up to consider both candidates. It’s not that big a reach to have a 3rd candidate.
Second I can self-fund. So while A.G. Weiser and Senator Bennet are spending most of their day in a room making fund raising calls, I can drive all over the state talking to everyone & anyone.
My goal would not be to win. It would be to present my policies, the policies I think the Democratic Party needs to embrace. If I’m right about these policies then I would at least come close and hopefully win.
I’ve written extensively about the reforms I believe the Democratic Party needs — not just to win elections, but to earn back the trust of the voters we’ve lost. It’s easy to suggest that other candidates should run on those ideas. It’s harder to step up and be the one to do it.
Fundamentally I think the Democratic Party can be:
A party that is focused on the concerns of the broad electorate.
A party that governs with competence, not just passion.
A party that wins by appealing to the broad middle - not by talking to the activist base.
I believe the Governor’s office is the ideal place to test these ideas. It’s a powerful role, one where ideas can translate into action, but Colorado is still small enough that a campaign grounded in conversations, not just soundbites, is possible.
And… No.
Something I consistently told people working for me at Windward was “I don’t care if you make me happy, I care that I appreciate you.” I talked to a number of people about running and one of them asked a very good question:
Was I sure that my policies were different from those of Weiser and/or Bennet?
Because spending a couple of million dollars and travelling around talking to people non-stop for 8 months to then have, in the debates, one or both of the other candidates say “I agree with Dave’s policies” - that would suck.
A.G. Weiser was gracious enough to talk with me on this. And #*&%! Does he agree with me 100%? Of course not. But on most of what I think are the key issues we’re close. On a couple of them I think his ideas/approach is better than mine.
A campaign of significantly different ideas - that would have been interesting. A campaign of similar ideas - that’s a waste of time & money. The last thing we need is a 3rd white male proposing the same solutions.
So to the individual who suggested I verify my policies would be different - I’m not happy with you, but I do appreciate you.
I’m not going to run. It would have been very interesting, exciting, (and exhausting) to run. But I don’t have this burning desire to be governor. My desire is to help the Democratic Party figure out what it should strive for going forward.
So back to the drawing board on what to do next.
Weiser vs. Bennet
I don’t think my suggestions for the Democratic Party are moderate per-se. Or liberal. Rather they’re focused on improving life for people with a government that is effective and light-handed.
Phil Weiser is clearly of a similar mind on this.1 And in general presents these ideas better than I have. And by better, I mean in a way that more people are likely to embrace them - which is important.
As to Senator Bennet - who knows? His website is broad platitudes. Politicians try to avoid specifics because that’s where the hard choices are and that will gain some voters, but lose others.
What’s interesting is Phil Weiser is out there talking to everyone and their family.2 Senator Bennet is not. And historically in Colorado the candidate who interacts with more voters - wins.
And if the candidate who advocates for policies that will lead to a resurgent Democratic Party wins - who cares if their name is Weiser instead of Thielen. (To be honest I do care - but a lot less than invigorating the party.)
Do not take anything I advocate for as representative of A.G. Weiser’s policies, priorities, etc.
You got me excited that you might run.
Anyhow, hopefully you can gain the governor's ear.
The goal of the democrats should be making life more affordable. That helps the poor more than a 100 government programs. Too many Dem policies seem to be hard in pursuit of more ethereal objectives and goals - not necessarily bad, out of context, but all forcing costs higher on the poorest in society.
Climate change is a worthy goal, but you can't solve the problem by doubling the price of energy. Just practically speaking, people won't tolerate it, and you will fail.
A generation ago, some affluent donors, innovative tech folks, political strategists, and leaders of progressive groups got together and charted a new path for the Colorado Democratic Party [see the book for a couple of outsiders describing the process: The Blueprint: How the Democrats Won Colorado (and Why Republicans Everywhere Should Care)]. I wonder if you could spark interest in a new effort.
We are finding out just how the limitations on government revenue will not only continue to constrain state government, but will actually block sustaining the lean government TABOR has required. State government certainly cannot take on new initiatives, locking us into narrow ranges for programs. And as you have observed in the realm of energy, there really isn't a way to effectively plan for what is coming in the not-so-distant future. I'd suspect the same is true for employment threatened by the uses of AI, the distinct possibility of a substantial reduction in the federal commitment to health care, for any new scourge like the pine beetle or avian flu , the decline in state revenues when oil and natural gas diminish like coal has, or the multiple ravages coming from climate change.
While Shad Marib and the Democrats have begun to evolve, with a renewed focus on downballot races throughout the state and modified approaches to unified campaigns. I'm not certain they are planning for a likely future with a registration of 20% Democrats, 17% Republicans, and 60% Unaffiliated. And Gov. Polis and the current Democratic legislature have not shown an approach to consistently maintain a competition of ideas followed by broad commitment to "the best" outcome.