The upcoming Democratic National Convention in Denver is just one of the reasons politically inclined people are consumed by the primary contests. Dissatisfaction with the status quo has crossed partisan loyalties and the front-loaded primary and caucus calendar is — so far — interesting and full of surprises.
I’m already on record as agreeing with my 26-year-old son, Ben, who says, “It’s time for you baby boomers to push away from the table.” I think Barack Obama represents the new generation of leadership this country needs if we are going to turn away from the hyper-partisan bickering that characterizes public debate.
Most of my female friends and a majority of the progressive-leaning men I know are supporting Hillary Clinton, partly because she is a proven commodity — smart, tenacious and tough.
A surprising contrarian to Clinton’s support, however, is my former boss, Federico Peña, who served as Clinton’s secretary of energy (1997-98) and transportation (1993-97).
Peña does not operate by seat-of-the-pants intuition or emotional reaction. He is analytical, cerebral and evaluates important decisions very carefully. I wanted to know why he endorsed Obama’s candidacy for president early last September. I sat down with him last week in his downtown Denver office, where he is currently a managing principal of a private equity firm he joined in 1998.
Peña responded that of the top candidates, Obama was the only one who “shares my view on Iraq; has a very good position on energy independence; understands the complexity and importance of public education; believes in comprehensive immigration reform and has a realistic, implementable position on health care reform.”
He added: “Perhaps most important, I believe he is the only candidate with the God-given talent to bring people together. That’s not something you can be taught. You don’t go to the John F. Kennedy School of government to learn to be a unifier. You either have it in your soul, your DNA, or you don’t.”
Peña was also attracted to Obama because of similarities he’d observed between his experience 25 years ago as a 36-year-old state legislator and criticisms lodged against the 47-year-old U.S. senator from Chicago.
In 1982, Peña sensed an undercurrent of discontent among diverse communities in Denver that didn’t believe they had been part of the power structure in Denver. Civic leaders brushed Peña’s ambition aside, saying he was too young, needed more experience and was doing just fine in Colorado’s legislature.
Peña feels that it’s time for a big change, and that Obama has the ability to “change the political climate in Washington in a way that no one else can.”
“Obama has the ability and the instincts to dialogue with countries like Iran or Pakistan. His background, the way he was raised. He went to school with Muslims. When you are in a room with him, you can see he is a strong person — tough, firm, compassionate. He is a man of steely character.”
I asked Peña what the biggest challenge to Obama’s success might be. “Is there time in the next six weeks for him to touch enough people to communicate that strength? I don’t know. But I know that one important measure of the ability to govern is the ability to run a good campaign. We are doing that and the polls are clear: Barack Obama is the only Democrat who can beat every Republican in the field.”
Imagine: a unified America.
Susan Barnes-Gelt (bs13@qwest.net) served eight years on the Denver City Council and was an aide to former Denver Mayor Federico Peña.
