I'm not Ken Gordon, but a friend forwarded this email from him and I thought it might be of interest to Democrats and Republicans alike.

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How to be in the majority

I spent my first eight years in the Colorado legislature in the minority.  In those days Democrats were in the minority in both the House and the Senate.  This had been true for decades, and achieving the majority seemed like a distant dream.  Now, however, Democrats are in the majority in the Colorado House and Senate.  We have a Democratic Governor and in Washington we have majorities in the House and Senate and now, historically, the Presidency.

In some ways being in the majority is more of a challenge than being in the minority.  There is a tendency to become arrogant and isolated.  There is also a tendency to try to disproportionately help the interest groups that contributed to your success.  This is perfectly understandable, but can become another pitfall.

Here are three suggestions for the new majorities.

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1.  Respect the Minority.

I believe that the core value of the Democratic Party is respect for others.  This is why we seek to improve education for all children.  This is why we believe that everyone should have health care.  It is why we believe in civil rights for minorities.  The Republican party cares more about freedom and the individual, and Democrats care more about justice--as in equal opportunity--and the community.  I say this with respect.  America needs to seek both freedom and justice and balance the needs of the individual and the community.

There is, however, a tendency to look at the other party as the enemy.  This tendency is often exacerbated by negative campaigns.  It is reinforced by interest groups that support one or the other party, and it probably taps some deep-seated, atavistic desire to belong to and support your own tribe.

Democrats need people to respect and have confidence in the actions of government.  Maybe even moreso in Colorado because of our great use of the tools of direct democracy, initiative and referendum.  If people don't feel that public schools do a good job educating children, they won't support adequate funding for those schools.  If they don't feel that government can create an efficient and competent health care safety net, they won't elect leaders who feel that everyone should have access to health care.  If they see elected officials engaging in petty fights and taking cheap shots at each other at the Capitol the people will be less inclined to support our decisions about how to spend their tax dollars.

Since respect for others is core to the Democratic party's values and motivation, petty fights with the minority undermines our message and fights our ability to accomplish our goals.  I can't tell you how many times I have seen Democrats jump into a particularly nasty political fight because they feel they have something really trenchant to say which will win the fight for their side.  They don't realize that by engaging in the fight, they have already lost.

Even though Democrats now control the levers of power, we need to remember that about half the people in Colorado and in the country are not Democrats.  True leaders will try to work for the benefit of all of the people and not just the 51 or 52% who supported their side in the last election.  To do this they will have to resist, to some extent, the centrifugal force created by their own support groups and the tendency to identify with and support only your own tribe.  I didn't make this up.  In fact if someone could tell me the source of this quote I would appreciate it.  I have heard that "being a leader means disappointing your friends at a rate they can absorb."  I think that is well said, and it is the hard part about being in the majority.

2.  Have the courage to lead:

In America these days it seems that every politician needs to see the results of a poll before they are willing to take a position.  I think it is important to know and honor the positions of your constituents, but if you ask them in a poll they will tell you they want more services, lower taxes and a balanced budget.  Sometimes being a leader means telling people the true thing that they do not want to hear.  Sometimes being a leader means asking people to make a sacrifice.  I am reminded of Churchill telling his people when they stood alone in Europe against Hitler's Germany that all he had to offer them was "Blood, sweat and tears."  I compare this to President Bush who told America at his December 20, 2006 press conference "I encourage you all to go shopping more."  This was at a time when the administration was saying that our fight against Islamic extremism was the equivalent of the fight against Nazi Germany.

You can be an elected official without having the courage to move away from the middle of the bell-shaped curve, but you can't be a leader.

3.  Respect the people:

I know every elected official thinks that they do this, but I can't tell you how many times I have seen legislators commit their vote to another legislator or lobbyist before they have heard public testimony or floor debate.  In fact it is the norm.  I did it one time in my first session.  I told a lobbyist that I would support a bill before the committee hearing (committee hearings are where the public gets to testify).  Then I listened to the testimony.  I remember thinking, "Boy am I on the wrong side of this bill."

From then on I told people that asked me for a vote that whereas they may be making very good points I never committed before I heard the testimony and the debate.  In the Capitol lobbyists are ubiquitous and they frequently have connections to large support groups and contributors, but you don't have to please them in this way.  Hear them out and treat them with respect, but don't commit at an early stage on a bill.

One last thing, I know many people think that the system is dysfunctional, too dominated by wealthy special interests and campaign contributions.  They blame the elected officials and the interest groups, and it is true that they deserve blame.  But the people also need to look in a mirror.  In a democracy the people are sovereign.  We hire elected officials to work for us.  But like any other employee they need supervision from employers who are paying attention.  If the people don't know who their Congress people or State legislators are, if they don't know how they vote on important issues, if they never tell them how they feel, then naturally special interests will fill this vacuum created by the lack of participation by the citizens.

Money has too much power, but it can be counteracted by people power, if the people choose to become educated and participate.  But it takes a little work and in our prosperity and freedom we have neglected the work.  I know many people are happy about the election of Obama, but he will not be able to do what you want him to do, and what he wants to do, unless he is supported by a knowledgable and active people.  It is not enough to vote and then go back to your own private concerns for four years.  You wouldn't hire employees for your business and then fail to supervise them.  We can't do it in our public responsibilities either.

Too often, Americans act like they are the children and that the elected officials are the adults.  In fact the reverse is true.

I hope you are doing well and as always do not hesitate to write back with comments or questions.  Feel free to forward this email, republish in some other forum, or to send me the addresses of people who you feel would like to receive these emails.

Sincerely,
Ken Gordon
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Senator Ken Gordon, District 35-Denver
Web: www.kengordon.com
Email: ken <at> kengordon.com

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