This Open Source Coder Wants to be a Congressman

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2014/03/coder-congress/

by digital55 • 12 years ago

108 60 12 years ago

wired.com

robgering• 12 years ago

Here's the link to his GitHub page: https://github.com/dhcole

emackn2• 12 years ago

yeah, you should dig into that.

smacktoward2• 12 years ago

The patent system. Online privacy law. Bitcoin regulations. Net neutrality rules.

I applaud anyone who's willing to roll up their sleeves and get involved with the democratic process. It's the only way we're ever going to get this country moving again.

That being said, however, it's generally not a great idea to build a campaign around issues that 99% of the electorate has never heard of and/or cares nothing about. NJ-2 is pushing 9% unemployment -- all those jobless people are going to be worried about things other than Bitcoin or patent reform. Not to mention their friends and families, and all the people who aren't unemployed but are teetering on the brink.

Cole's campaign site (http://coleforcongress.com/) is long on bio and short on issue positions, so it's possible that Wired is misrepresenting his platform, of course. (I hope they are! I'm a Democrat, I would love to see the Dems pick this district up.) But it's also possible that they are not; not articulating issue positions cuts both ways.

This is a classic mistake that techies keep making when throwing their hat into the ring -- assuming that the issues that techies are buzzing about are the same ones that everyone is buzzing about. (For an example, look back to the 2002 campaign of Tara Sue Grubb in North Carolina: http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2002/08/54693, http://books.google.com/books?id=5DMSVPEv86gC&pg=PA92&lpg=PA...) Maybe that's true in a few tech-heavy districts, but in the vast majority it's very, very far from the mark. And being out of touch with what your would-be constituents are buzzing about is not how you win elections.

carleverett• 12 years ago

He's not running on those issues though, his main running points were job creation, student debt, climate change, and education. From the article:

"Cole is quick to downplay his alligence to the tech industry, which is increasingly under fire for being out of touch with the rest of the country. “Software developers aren’t the only ones under represented in congress,” he says. “Teachers, people in business other than CEOs, service workers, lots of people don’t have a voice in government because it’s really expensive to run a campaign."

humanrebar4• 12 years ago

I wouldn't call teachers or non-CEO businesspersons underrepresented. The NEA and the US Chamber of Commerce are consistently among the top political donors. Depending on your definition of service workers, several unions are also among the top donors.

http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/

sanderjd• 12 years ago

Maybe instead of rolling up sleeves and jumping into the democratic process, what techies really want to do is figure out how to get people buzzing about what they're buzzing about, and then jump into the midst of that process.

wcummings2• 12 years ago

No Bitcoin option for donations! :(

anigbrowl• 12 years ago

Soliciting donations in currencies other than the US dollar while running for Congress would look bizarre and unpatriotic to most people, not to mention that it might be interpreted as an attempt to circumvent laws on political donations.

noarchy• 12 years ago

I applaud anyone who's willing to roll up their sleeves and get involved with the democratic process. It's the only way we're ever going to get this country moving again.

I'm not sure I agree. I think that this industry provides tremendous potential to bring real change to our society. Politics does not. Maybe politics has potential in some remote, hypothetical scenario, but in the real world it is more of a dead end, than anything. Imagine how much the potential of someone like a Gates or Jobs would have been wasted, had they pursued politics, rather than the things they actually did, that changed the world.

spikels4• 12 years ago

If this guy is really something different, why does he sound like every other politician?

“I’m running to tackle the issues that most affect families in South Jersey, like too few jobs, too high student debt, the need to act on climate change and the opportunity to make vital investments in education and infrastructure,” he says. “On those and many other issues, the leadership of the House of Representatives have obstructed any attempts at moving our country forward.”

And why does he repeatedly belittle coding?

“I’d been involved with computers since I was a little kid,” he says, “but what I learned in college is that there were a lot opportunities to apply problem solving at a larger level."

“Software developers aren’t the only ones under represented in congress."

You would think in an interview with Wired you could be a little less the generic politician. It would be interesting to hear his thoughts on healthcare.gov or, as he wants to represent Atlantic City, online gambling. Hopefully that would elicit responses other than cliches.

smacktoward2• 12 years ago

why does he repeatedly belittle coding?

Because most people aren't coders, and tech is going through a wave of bad PR right now. You wouldn't go around touting a career as an exec at BP right after the big oil spill, either.

spikels4• 12 years ago

I guess you think the anti-tech sentiment is worse than I do. But this makes him seems even more the generic politician: take a poll then decide who you are and what you believe. How can he expect to win by blending in with his competitors? I would hope he brings something to the table that his advisors won't make him run away from. This is sad.

cruise02• 12 years ago

How are either of those quotes belittling coding?

unethical_ban2• 12 years ago

And why does he repeatedly belittle coding?

The same reason other articles on HN in recent days/months/years have: People spend their efforts on sexting apps and Candy Crush ripoffs instead of tackling "real change".

It's hard, complex, and I don't really blame young talent for going after the big money... but it can look pretty frivolous at times.

humanrebar4• 12 years ago

When was the last time you dropped off a check for your travel agent and picked up a paper map on your way out?

Software changes things a lot. Efficiencies let people spend their time, money, and energy on bettering their lives in other ways.

npizzolato2• 12 years ago

Maybe because too few jobs, too high student debt, climate change, poor education, and poor infrastructure are real problems that his constituents (and presumably he) cares about.

And I have no idea how you can read that article and think he's belittling coding. The first quote is about applying problem solving learned while coding to bigger problems on the national scale. If you read past the first sentence in your second quote, he's just naming other under-represented groups he hopes to cater towards. In education, he talks about teaching computer science at a younger age.

Fomite2• 12 years ago

You have a really odd definition of "belittling".

spikels4• 12 years ago

It means to reduce the importance of something - right?

He gets asked about being the only developer in Congress if he were to win and the response is “Software developers aren’t the only ones under represented in congress." In other words being a developer is not important.

He describes being programmer since child hood then in the same sentance says “what I learned in college is that there were a lot opportunities to apply problem solving at a larger level." In other words there are more important thinks than programming.

So the Wired reporter is all about isn't it cool that your a developer running for Congress and all he wants to do is change the subject. Move along - nothing to see here.

I completely understand that being a nerd programmer is not the classic political profile and there may be a backlash against techies going on. What surprised me was in an article on tech-friendly Wired it was downplayed so much.

tipiwi• 12 years ago

I love the fact that this guy is bold enough to believe he can run for Congress. Americans have such a powerful open minded attitude... He will probably fail but will give more visibility to the issues that matter most to him. He will also learn a few things about politics and press along the way and who knows what he can do next with this knowledge. I say go for it!

unethical_ban2• 12 years ago

But he believes that the U.S. House — rather than state or local government — is the perfect place to start. “I’m running to tackle the issues that most affect families in South Jersey, like too few jobs, too high student debt, the need to act on climate change and the opportunity to make vital investments in education and infrastructure,” he says. “On those and many other issues, the leadership of the House of Representatives have obstructed any attempts at moving our country forward.”

---

Thinking like this is why we have a gigantic, anti-Constitutional federal government. Why can't he work on infrastructure in NJ at the state or local level? Why can't he work on jobs programs and economic incentives for businesses in NJ?

Climate change is the only thing listed that needs action above a state level.

astrange• 12 years ago

Most of the effects of student loan debt are caused at the federal level. They're the ones providing loan money and making it impossible to discharge debt while not setting any price controls. My loan has a … 7% interest rate?

humanrebar4• 12 years ago

Student loans are effectively nationalized right now, so it has become a national issue, but your point is well taken.

davecolenj5• 12 years ago

I respect the balance of federal vs state policy and don't seek to tip it. As others have pointed out, these are issues that the federal government regulates. I'd be happy to see states take on more of the burden on job creation, but national infrastructure projects are often some of the most cost-effective ways to create jobs and open up new economic opportunities. These are public goods that are not able to be privatized. Would love to hear your specific suggestions on ways this can be more balanced.

ericd3• 12 years ago

A politician that replies to comments on HN! Thanks, in for $25, and good luck.

AnthonyMouse2• 12 years ago

Thinking like this is why we have a gigantic, anti-Constitutional federal government. Why can't he work on infrastructure in NJ at the state or local level? Why can't he work on jobs programs and economic incentives for businesses in NJ?

Because nobody else does. If your state's legislators aren't bringing federal money into your state while all the other states' legislators are passing federal programs funded by your state's taxpayers, you are going to alienate your constituents and lose your seat. Nobody is interested in less federal funding unless it also means lower federal taxes.

The problem is fundamentally that some states aren't pulling their weight, paying substantially less in federal taxes than they receive in federal funding, and those states' legislators (who incidentally are largely Republicans) have absolutely no interest in turning off the federal spigot. So if you're from the North East or the West Coast, you can't really do much to keep Uncle Sam's hand out of your pocket, at which point it becomes extremely attractive to put in for your own boondoggles to try and claw some of it back.

It's not ideology, it's political arithmetic. If you don't like it, figure out how to prevent the South from diverting such a massive quantity of federal dollars into their defense contractors.

pilom3• 12 years ago

Nobody is interested in less federal funding unless it also means lower federal taxes.

Except for the crazy Republicans (governors mostly) who voted not to accept federal dollars for public transit funding or who voted not to expand Medicare coverage "Because its part of Obamacare and thats bad!" The Federal government would have paid for it?!?!

itsdrewmiller2• 12 years ago

Geez hacker news, talk about a can't win! The top comment is complaining that he needs to have a broad appeal instead of focus on tech issues and the second highest is complaining he sounds too generic and should talk more about niche online issues.

I know Dave personally and will say that if the healthcare.gov debacle bothered you, there is probably not another person in the world with as clear a view into that dysfunction and with the passion to end it.

spikels4• 12 years ago

Sorry but he is clearly playing down his involvement with tech in the article - oddly to Wired - for exactly the top comment's reasons. I hope it is not a barrier to being a politician. His website is upfront about being an "engineer" and even "entrepreneur" but still mostly generic.

I would love to hear about his experience with the healthcare.gov mess and his thoughts on how to avoid these problems in the future. There are dozens of similar extremely important federal governmant IT project experiencing similar problems.

polskibus• 12 years ago

I read the headline and thought that it's about Stallman becoming a Congressman. I'm slightly disappointed.

davecolenj5• 12 years ago

I'd love to jump into this discussion. If you've got specific questions about what I stand for, fire away. Generally, though, my campaign focuses on the issues of job creation and education, because those are the most pressing issues I see here where I grew up in South Jersey. Every family has a story about someone who lost a job, spent too long unemployed, maybe lost healthcare in the process, and had to settle for a less stable job without benefits, less pay, or an hourly schedule. And everyone knows someone saddled with $30k in student loan debt settling for a minimum wage job after a degree, because the entry level jobs are gone or filled by those with more experience.

My district as a whole has not weathered the recession as well as many employed in our profession have. That's my top focus. I'm happy to engage a debate on how we do that or hear your thoughts.

I am not diminishing the work developers do in any way. I think the article's mention of "downplaying" just serves to put that in context of the issues I'm focusing on. Being a developer, having had the chance to work with an incredible team and contribute to growing a new company, give me important experience and a novel perspective compared to those who usually run for office at this level. I've tried to capture that here: https://medium.com/p/ce7c0dc63aaa

As for something unique, I have actually worked on government IT systems, as well as private sector ones. Go watch a Congressional hearing on a tech issue. Tell me you think more of us shouldn't be sitting in that room setting the record straight. Congress should represent all people, and include all professions like engineers and developers, not to mention people under 40.

Also, we're just a few weeks into the campaign, but next week I'll be posting a more detailed policy platform on http://coleforcongress.com, so I hope you'll sign up and stay engaged.

To the cynics, as I said in the comments of the article:

Yes, the influence of money in elections is corrupting, but I refuse to give up on the idea of representative democracy. I'm willing to fight for it, even if the deck seems stacked. I see no shame in giving it my all.
And it's a simple formula for how we win: less money from more people vs more money from less people. If people like you and me who recognize the system is broken put our necks on the line, work together, and contribute what we can, we will win. There are more of us who want to fix the system than those who benefit from it.
So why not join me? http://coleforcongress.com

dllthomas2• 12 years ago

So, I'm sure you're aware there's not a magic "jobs" lever when you get to Capitol Hill that's just set in the wrong position. What kinds of proposals do you support that you hope might help solve the problem (or lessen the pain of it)?

davecolenj5• 12 years ago

If only! Here's where I'm at now:

- Raise the national minimum wage and index it to the cost of living increases

- Extend unemployment benefits to workers who have lost their jobs and haven't been able to get back into the workforce

- Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire long-term unemployed workers and prohibit discriminating against the long-term unemployed when hiring

- Establish a work-sharing program that allows workers to collect unemployment assistance when employers choose to reduce hours instead of layoffs

- Provide incentives to employers for hiring unemployed veterans

- Support workers' rights to organize through the Employee Free Choice Act as well as trade laws that protect labor

- End tax incentives for companies that ship jobs overseas

- Fund school construction and modernization projects including urgent repairs, energy-efficient upgrades, and wiring for high-speed internet access

- Establish a National Infrastructure Bank to invest in infrastructure repair and expansion projects that will create millions of jobs nationally and open new economic opportunities

What do you think will work?

davidw• 12 years ago

After reading so many whiny comments on sites like this about how "woe is us, it's impossible to do anything, because I clicked on a facebook like button, and some serious issue didn't go away immediately", I just wanted to say that it's great to see someone really get involved. Good luck!

djb_hackernews• 12 years ago

The intersection of jobs and software development is interesting to me.

With both politicians and business leaders lobbying for the expansion of H1B and related work visas, the nature of how those visas are currently used, and the repeated findings that there isn't a STEM shortage I wonder where you stand on such things.

To provide some topics you can reply to:

* H1B visas should be a last resort. They should either be more expensive or more restrictive.

* H1B visas should not have citizenship tied to the employer, if they are that badly needed their citizenship should be fast tracked

* Employers should be more incentivized to provide training programs for US citizens before hiring foreign workers

* Similar to Obamas focus on creating a university rating, a school should also need to report foreign student graduation rates and if they stay to work on a foreign worker visa. There are graduate programs that merely exist to allow foreign students a way into this country which ultimately drives up the cost of education, displaces citizens from the classroom, and then once they graduate they get the job that the citizen isn't qualified for (because she was priced out and displaced)

warfangle2• 12 years ago

H1B visas should not have citizenship tied to the employer

Absolutely agree with you. That they are reeks of indentured servitude.

dchichkov2• 12 years ago

I would suggest taking a global perspective and thinking what should be good for the world and not only US. Think trade, cultural exchange, international collaboration in research (think of recent publications that often have hundreds of names on them, from many countries).

When you start thinking globally, term like 'foreign worker' would start sounding ridiculous to you. And protectionist policies probably would stop making any sense as well.

On the other hand, naturalization should take some time. Fast track citizenship doesn't make much sense, as it does take some time to get the culture of the place [e.g to serve public duties, like jury duty, etc].

ericd3• 12 years ago

What do you think about campaign finance reform? Have you ever thought of any reasonable way to tackle that, given that the most powerful senators/representatives who could put this together typically have the best fundraising engines and probably want to maintain that advantage against upstarts?

It seems like fixing this is a prerequisite to fixing many other broken aspects of the govt.

wellsjohnston• 12 years ago

lol he made the whitehouse website...not exactly an "open source coder"

emackn2• 12 years ago

but WH.gov is Drupal ;)

julienchastang• 12 years ago

We already have one coder/entrepreneur in congress, Jared Polis, member of the US House from Colorado's 2nd congressional district. We could, of course, use more elected representatives like Mr. Polis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Polis

pilom3• 12 years ago

Seriously! How is Boulder Colorado the only district that has been able to elect a coder? I'm looking at you California.

warfangle2• 12 years ago

If/when he gets in office he should put the bills he sponsors, cosponsors etc up on github as diffs to the main corpus of US law.

This Open Source Coder Wants to be a Congressman

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