New blood coming to Congress?

The other day I had breakfast at the Dennys in San Clemente with Pat Maciariello, an energetic and level-headed conservative running for Congress in California's 45th District. (That's the Orange Country district adjacent to my district, the 49th, which is represented by the extremely capable Darrell Issa.) The 45th is currently represented by Rep. John Campbell (R), who is retiring, so it's an open race, and Pat is up against some seasoned pols, particularly Mimi Walters.

Pat brings a good deal of business experience to the table, plus a passion for free markets, limited government, lower taxes, and pro-growth policies—so you can see why I'm enthusiastic about his candidacy.

I'm also impressed with his willingness to take time out from a successful business career and use a good deal of his own resources to enter this fray. His motivation is simple: to change the world for the better, by helping to create a more favorable policy climate in Washington that promotes business, growth, and prosperity. He's an excellent listener, by the way, which tells me he is a good thinker and not an ideologue.

Our paths crossed thanks to a mutual friend and because Pat is the son of my favorite prof at Claremont Graduate University, Joe Maciariello. Since the days I was fortunate enough to work as the TA in his Benefit-Cost Analysis class, Joe has gone on to become arguably the world's foremost expert on the life and works of the renowned management expert Peter Drucker (whom I was also lucky to have as a prof). Pat's credentials are rooted in a solid academic background (Notre Dame, Columbia Business School) and the mentoring of a very capable father.

I'm compelled to admire and support someone like Pat, one of those relatively rare citizen politicians who feel the need to "give back" to the country that has enabled their success. We need more people like him who know how the world really works, and fewer of those who make a career out of politics. His enthusiasm is refreshing, and he reinforces my belief that the future holds the promise of better policies and more job opportunities than we have now.

http://votepat.com