New Political Winds in California?
Last week Jerry Brown was inaugurated as Governor of California. Whatever you think of this Democratic Party survivor (he’s 72 and was a former two-time California governor), you have to admire his winning 54 % of the votes in November with little money, over corporate billionaire Meg Whitman who reportedly spent more in her campaign than Al Gore did running for President.
Lisa and I met Brown when he came to Wisconsin in the presidential campaign of 1980. The Wisconsin primary was his last stand; if he lost, it was all over.
He stayed two nights at our house in Milwaukee. (This story is detailed in my book “The Odyssey of a Practical Visionary”.) Willis Harman, Stanford professor and renowned futurist, had called me, saying that people had questions about Brown. Although by reputation he’d attracted many non-traditional followers and idealists and articulated astute policies, he’d never shed the “Governor Moonbeam” label of years past. Harman said Brown had a lot to offer, the critics could be wrong, and he represented views not found elsewhere. Would I assemble a microcosm of leaders in southeast Wisconsin to hear him out—politicians, church people, academics, business, the media?
That evening he leaned on the mantel in front of our fireplace for three hours, dialoguing with the 50 people gathered. Afterward, some of us continued into the small hours. It was a tour de force.
A “Milwaukee Journal” reporter covered the meeting in a long piece. A sample quote from Brown: “The old system, old assumptions, old values, no longer apply…It is a threatening idea to those who identify with the old system…(which is) planned obsolescence, waste and pollution. We need to be more frugal, more self-reliant, more caring about others. We need a new path…”
Before everyone left, including the usual skeptics, I asked for feedback. The general comment: “If someone like Brown were elected, American politics would change almost overnight.”
The next day I followed him around to campaign stops—labor unions, hospitals, a factory. At each place he told them exactly what they wanted to hear—like all the other politicians. Was the previous night’s lucid discussion just a charade?
Late the second night we talked for two hours. Since he asked for my observations and I knew I’d not have another chance, I said: “Jerry, you have the opportunity to take a stand as a new kind of politician. I heard this from many folks you met last night. You’re still young, dynamic, politically savvy, well-known, from a respected political family (his father Pat had been a popular California governor) But your talks today were the same old stuff. You blew it. There was nothing to differentiate you from every other candidate. Was the meeting last night just “BS”?
He responded: “To be candid, I didn’t come to Wisconsin to be a new kind of politician. I came to lay the groundwork for winning the primary to save my campaign. I have volunteers here from around the country to help me win—they have no money, are sleeping at the Y. Some may be interested in what you say but this is the way politics works.”
This was 30 years ago. He only won 12 % of the primary vote, and withdrew his candidacy.
Now he is again Governor of California—a top national leader. His challenges are almost overwhelming: a huge State debt, a $90 billion budget gap, and a political climate of gridlock.
This week he stood up: “We’re going to face the music”—no smoke and mirrors. He’s committing to do what few other politicians won’t do: cut expenses in a massive way (the Democrats oppose) and raise taxes significantly (the Republicans oppose). He says this means taking tough choices, facing up to vested interests on all sides.
This is the kind of responsible leadership we’ve been demanding for years from our political class: to confront the federal debt, to solve a whole range of urgent problems.
Will Brown pull off this kind of heavy lifting in California that America desperately needs?
STAY TUNED.
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