Goodbye Tom Davis, the IT Community Will Miss You

Friday morning I attended an Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) National Capitol breakfast. Congressman Tom Davis was the speaker, a Republican representing northern Virginia. Davis announced last year he would not be standing for re-election. He’s widely credited with being the most informed member of Congress on government IT and procurement issues. Here’s an interview he gave to Federal Computer Week after he made his decision:

http://www.fcw.com/print/22_10/features/152280-1.html

Davis’s decision to retire could be seen as a byproduct of a changing northern Virginia. His second wife Jeannemarie Devolites Davis lost her state senate seat last year, despite great efforts by Davis to assist in her race. These included having NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg speak at a campaign event on her behalf, which had to be a Virginia state campaign first. Davis had been rumored to be interested in running for John Warner’s senate seat, but Jim Gilmore secured the Republican party nomination. Here’s a Washington Post article that speculated about the couple’s plans last November: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/09/AR2007110902515.html

Davis sounded wistful and disillusioned with the political status quo as he addressed a packed house at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner. He made no bones about the fact he would like to make some real money, after 14 years of public service. He mentioned he hadn’t had a free weekend with his wife in three and a half years, and would like to disprove the saying that the “only cure for Potomac fever is embalming fluid.” That got a big laugh.

He was frank about the general lack of understanding in Congress about government procurement issues. In fact he said that Congress tends to “regulate by anecdote.” Some exceptions he mentioned were Republican Darrell Issa of California and Democrat Jim Moran of Virginia, who understand the issues and try to see both sides. An example of misunderstanding he gave was the brouhaha over the number of contractors in Iraq. Davis asked how many federal employees would be willing to go — probably none.

He said the lack of bipartisanship was very frustrating, and now was the time to get out with the House Republicans looking to be the minority party for some time. Mixed in with some amusing anecdotes, he gave an interesting analysis of where Capitol Hill politics stand right now.

• Nothing but the Omnibus Appropriations Bill will pass and be enacted during the current session
• The crisis of how to handle the upcoming retirement of the Baby Boomers is not being addressed, and it has the potential to wreck our country’s competitiveness
• If McCain is elected, he will be able to veto but not enact legislation, due to Democratic House and Senate majorities
• It’s distressing how the public doesn’t reward politicians who tell them unpleasant truths. As an example, Davis pointed out the Republican primary in Michigan, where Romney beat McCain when McCain tried to say that manufacturing jobs are not coming back and re-training is needed
• To a greater extent than any recent contest, the contest between McCain and Obama is a generational one — seniors will support McCain, and Obama’s success may depend on how many young people vote
• As ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Davis played a big role in the steroids hearings. He said it’s painful to watch lives be changes and reputations ruined as in the cases of Clemens and McGwire. But he also said he’s in regular contact with the father of Taylor Hooton, a teenager who committed suicide after using steroids, and Davis is proud of the attention the Committee has brought to the issue

It’s too bad politicians can only address issues like this on their way out. Davis is my representative, and I’m sorry he’s leaving public service. The general consensus of the room was that he will have his pick of corporate boards to serve on, and will remain a force in the local tech community.

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