Dan Adler is running for Congress in California's 36th District, an area from Venice to San Pedro. Dan running for Congress is a fantastic thing.
Dan Adler is standing up, a committed citizen. That is a fantastic thing.
Dan Adler is definitely right for me. I know him. I like him. He has a strong ethical compass, the son of a Holocaust survivor, a husband and father of two, a hopeful citizen legislator, something we need badly.
Dan should go to Congress for so many reasons. Not just because he doesn't come from our difficult and overly partisan political establishment -- which he doesn't. Not just because he hasn't been tainted by conflicts of interest -- which he hasn't. And certainly not because he agrees with the last person to talk to him -- which he doesn't. My passion to help Dan get elected is because I know him. I have known him since he was a student at Brandeis University. I have watched him since the day he came to California, 25 years ago. I have known him as a visionary, an "Imagineer" (a term coined by Walt Disney), an entertainment industry talent executive (that's an agent), a successful entrepreneur, and as a friend.
What I have seen Dan do in every part of his life is bring people together, create consensus, stand strong, get things done -- while being reasonable, supportive, and smart. Dan is the right age for a first-term representative: old enough to take advantage of a successful career and experience in the private sector, young enough to have a big future in front of him; optimistic enough but not too Panglossian. He is an innovator and a builder of bridges among people.
This is the first endorsement letter of my career. I have voted Democratic. I have voted Republican. I don't think I've ever missed a vote since I was 21 (18-year-olds couldn't vote until 1971).
I wish I lived somewhere between Venice and San Pedro so I could vote for Dan. This letter is the next best thing.