Thomas Paine articulated a vision for change

It’s been a bedrock of this blog to avoid any direct political references associated with campaigns. I take it very seriously and have not breached that obligation in any fashion in order to: a) build credibility with my readers and b) ensure that a direct link allowed by the House administration to my blog from my official legislative website, a nearly useless site by any stretch, is protected.

Yet I do have some thoughts about 2012 that are relevant to many of the larger challenges we face today.

For all practical purposes the 2012 governor’s race in Washington is in full force. Attorney General Rob McKenna has been slowly, methodically and structurally organizing his race for governor for years. And it appears that he’s in full force. Rep. Jay Inslee has been doing the same from his vantage point in Washington, D.C. Other names include Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon, state Sen. Lisa Brown and others since Gov. Chris Gregoire is clearly not running for a third term.

The list of names is filled with extremely bright, energetic, passionate and insightful advocates for their causes. I honor their years of public service and their many accomplishments.

For me, the teachable moment–and the interesting systemic issue– at this early stage in a wide open, hotly contested race that will cost tens of millions of dollars is how little experience McKenna, Inslee, Reardon and Brown have outside of government. Despite anxiety about the scale and scope of government on the right, and the hunger for progressive change on the left, it is fascinating to see how narrowly we are looking for leadership. Where are the names of business leaders, academics, entrepreneurs and others?

I realize, of course, that governing is complex and clunky. I realize it is not easy to understand the inner workings of how legislation moves through the process. I realize that having a deep domain of knowledge about various public policies is vital to effective governing. We all know that success in business does not lead to success in government or the other way around.

But in a romantic way I also treasure the notion of real people living real lives bringing a fresh, enthusiastic, energetic perspective to governing. It is the very ideal of Thomas Jefferson’s vision not from a jaded perspective but from a heart-felt, sincere and moving point of view.

I have blogged before about the power of the institutional bureaucracy, the outright hostility that the infrastructure of government feels when pushed to change, and yet we have no choice but to courageously tackle tough issues anew. We need governors who have lived lives outside of government in order to maintain just enough passion for action to push for change but not so self righteously that they are completely marginalized by ineffectiveness.

There is no one strategy or tactic that is assured to bring effective leadership to the state level, and the proverbial ‘leadership’ versus ‘management’ model is just a simplistic notion of how change happens. Gov. Dan Evans, arguably the most influential and effective governor in state history, brought about change in many core systems because we was boldly direct with the public and they responded to that conviction. Other governors have been extremely effective in some areas, less so in others.

On some level, for me personally Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004 seemed to be missing a subtle empathy gene for how business works. I don’t say that from a right wing, anti-government perspective but from a look-at-the-ceiling-at-3 a.m.-perspective. I don’t say it critically or in a way that disrespects their accomplishments at the time, only that somehow you could feel that they didn’t have a breadth of experience outside of government in a way that they could relate to real people living real lives. And, of course, I do not pretend that those with a lifetime of government experience are somehow disinclined to advocate for change and reform. But I do think they have a level of acceptance and a patience that those of us from outside of government refuse to accept. Perhaps we will become disillusioned more quickly or will fail to achieve our agendas of reform, but when government is only one chapter in your life that is not necessarily failure. Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, as the romantics among us say.

In this case, when our state cries out for serious and structural reform in so many areas, patience is not necessarily a virtue. We need more elected officials with an impatience for progress on the tough issues of our time.

Thomas Paine was an effective leader for change not simply because he questioned old assumptions but because he had the courageous honesty to articulate a bold vision for a new nation.

We need the folks measuring the governor’s chair in 2012 to articulate a genuine vision, policy foundation and agenda for why they want the job that goes beyond the proverbial ‘it’s my turn’ rationalization, excuse and explanation.

We live in historic times that call for bold leadership formed from a rich tapestry of public and private sector experience. As we face ongoing deficits into 2012 and a roaring need for government and systems reforms, we must demand that those lining up for the job stand for something greater than themselves.

Your partner in service,

Reuven.