Copyright 2000 The Chronicle Publishing Co.
The San
Francisco Chronicle
JUNE 3, 2000, SATURDAY, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A2
LENGTH: 811 words
HEADLINE:
Democrats Try Silicon Valley Message;
Party centrists adopt pro-tech
stand on issues
BYLINE: Carla Marinucci, Chronicle
Political Writer
BODY:
Democrat Jane Harman says
she has no regrets about her unsuccessful campaign to become California's first
"digital governor."
But in 1998, the concept may have been just a bit
ahead of its time.
Now, just two years later, the universe has changed.
An increasing number of Democrats have joined Harman in the quest to make
technology issues -- from computer literacy to privacy concerns -- an integral
part of the political landscape.
"This is where the economy is," said
Harman, who is challenging Republican Steve Kuykendall to regain her old 36th
Congressional District seat near Torrance, a region where technology businesses
have sprung up like weeds. "Congress ignores this message to its detriment. It's
an opportunity message."
Harman was one of a crowd of increasingly
high-profile centrist members of the New Democrat Network who descended on San
Francisco this week to underscore precisely that message.
Nearly two
dozen members of the NDN political action committee -- which describes itself as
"a venture capital fund for the Democratic Party" -- came to hunker down inside
the futuristic Sony Metreon megaplex with some of Silicon Valley's leading
innovators, including Yahoo founder Jerry Yang and Netscape co-founder Marc
Andreesen. The goal: to get tutored on everything from how to improve classroom
computer training to tackling problems with computer privacy.
In
election year 2000, "everyone will try to talk technology issues," said Harman.
"The question is: is it old talk -- or digital talk, with a real understanding
of the matter?"
The increasingly easy mixing of politicians and tech
innovators in the Metreon's steel-and-glass landscapes underscored how
dramatically Internet technology -- which has transformed the way millions of
Americans live and work -- has accomplished an equally dramatic reshaping of
politics.
Silicon Valley's Technology Network, a co-sponsor of the
retreat, has become one of the most powerful advocacy groups in Washington -- a
prodigious political donor and powerful lobbyist for issues that include
research and development tax credits, H1-B visa reform, and permanent
normal trade relations with Beijing, which passed the House last week.
"The Internet is probably the greatest force for the advancement of
democracy that we've seen in the history of mankind," said Central Valley Rep.
Cal Dooley, who chairs the "new Democrat" coalition. "Our commitment as
Democrats is not to turn our backs on traditional values," said Dooley, "(but)
to expand the base of the party."
Particularly in a presidential
election year, that means targeting the powerful swath of "moderate middle" and
independent voters with the help of an agenda that's trade-oriented and fiscally
conservative, though more socially liberal on issues like education and
abortion.
Dooley has found company in other Bay Area Democrats who are
on the forefront of the movement: Reps. Ellen Tauscher of Walnut Creek, Anna
Eshoo of Atherton and Mike Thompson of Napa.
Joe Andrew, who chairs the
Democratic National Committee, said one hope is that the outlook of a breed of
"New Democrats," like Harman, will help provide the critical edge in the party's
attempt to take back control of the House.
"The six seats we need can be
found right here in California," he said. So look for Democrats to make those
contests a clear choice, he said, between "the New Economy party or the Old
Economy party."
Not everyone is enthralled with the agenda.
Some
consumer groups have expressed concern about technology-supported moves to give
electronic signatures equal standing with written ones, and want Congress to
regulate privacy on the Internet, even as the industry opposes such moves.
Eric Roman, a member of Global Exchange, an activist group particularly
concerned with trade issues -- which also staged a brief protest at the NDN
meeting -- said the huge political contributions from Silicon Valley have given
tech leaders unfair access and undue influence with those who shape policy.
"The politicians are simply accepting the issues of Silicon Valley," he
said, "and not really listening to the people who want fair trade."
But
Andreesen said that both the economy and politics have been forever changed by
the innovations coming out of Silicon Valley. This election year will prove
exactly how much: "It's a really dramatic shift from four years ago," he said.
"Both parties are competing" for support from the industry's economically
conservative yet socially liberal leaders, he said. "And both have very good
agendas."
Harman said it's up to Democrats to convey that the increasing
technology emphasis on American lives, and politics, is a reality -- and not
necessarily a scary one. "It's about voters interacting with government," she
said, "and how government interacts with its citizens."
GRAPHIC: PHOTO (2), (1) Jane Harman,
former candidate for governor., (2) Marc Andreesen, co-founder of Netscape.
LOAD-DATE: June 3, 2000 
