Five Questions with Mid-Career Student Joe Negron
by Mia Zuckerkandel on November 19, 2008 in Features
Joe Negron has a Blackberry, but he keeps track of his schedule on a scrap of paper. There isn’t a lot of free time in that schedule, because in addition to taking classes, Negron is also running for a seat in the Florida State Senate, advising more than a dozen clients at the law firm where he is a partner, and spending time with his family. His wife and his two younger children, who are both teenagers, moved to Cambridge to be with him this year.
This isn’t Negron’s first run for public office. From 2000 to 2006, he served in Florida’s House of Representatives. In his last term, he was the chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
This summer, Negron was a John McCain delegate at the Republican National Convention. Negron was an early supporter of McCain’s bid and says he helped raise a lot of money for the GOP presidential candidate.
Is it hard to be a Republican at HKS?
It’s a challenge to articulate a viewpoint of limited government. Many times, the prevailing point of view is that if there is a problem, government has to provide a solution to that problem. I am a very strong believer in individual liberty and individual freedom. I think there are some problems that must be solved by families and non-profits. Government cannot fix everything.
Did you feel a bit lonely after election night?
I’m actually looking forward to the dawn of utopia that the Messianic figure is going to bring to the United States. [Negron smiles.]
From a professional point of view, I admire the ability of Barack Obama to generate the enthusiasm and loyalty that he has. If the Republican Party can duplicate that, it will be quite an accomplishment. While I disagree with Obama’s policy remedies, I admire what he was able to accomplish. He was in the state senate five years ago. I tip my hat to him.
What lessons do you think Republicans can learn from McCain’s loss?
I think Republicans need to talk about how government can run in an efficient and effective manner. People expect government to do certain things. We need to talk about how government can impact the lives of ordinary Americans instead of telling Americans what we don’t want government to do.
I don’t think McCain could have won. You had a very unpopular president, a very unpopular war, and the economy in the tank. And with the demographic changes in America…I think McCain did the best that he could in an adverse situation. In an ironic sort of way, Bush beat McCain twice – once in 2000 and once in 2008.
What advice do you have for your classmates who are thinking about running for office one day?
Politics is primarily a social endeavor, not an intellectual endeavor. The sooner the candidate learns that the better. Politics is about feelings, relationships, moods. It’s not about facts. It’s not something you can look up in a book.
The best thing you can do to learn is to work on someone else’s campaign. In order to build a reservoir of good will, which every candidate needs, you have to invest time in other people. Sometimes candidates come to the scene and think it’s all about them and what they offer the people. I find that the most successful candidates are the ones who have built up a reservoir of good will that they can tap into when it’s their turn.
We are all extraordinarily privileged to have the opportunity to study here. That’s a tremendous gift and a blessing. But it should never be used in a way that purports to place us ahead of other people. I have an enormous respect for the capacity and intelligence of ordinary Americans, who go to work every day and look after their neighbors. Sometimes it’s tempting for students of government to think they know best.
Negron is a lifelong Floridian. This is the first time he has lived outside the South.
How are you adjusting to life in the Northeast?
I have reluctantly concluded that I need to buy a real winter coat here. The thick jacket I have been wearing just isn’t cutting it.
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