John Brandl's legacy: good intentions AND rigorous expectations

At John Brandl's rather wonderful funeral Monday, former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer said it just right when he described the legislator/policy analyst/professor as the embodiment of the idea that "principled leadership and politics are not incompatible,'' and that "loving-kindness is not incompatible with intellectual rigor.''   Hundreds of friends and admirers of the former state senator filled the Basilica of St. Mary to pay their respects.    The occasion was sad of course, but remarkably uplifting and forward-looking, as was an extraordinary living memorial earlier this summer at the Humphrey Institute,  attended by many friends after it was learned that Brandl was dying of stomach cancer.    Brandl's parting words to us were that he loved us, and we'll never forget that he asked us to say it back to him.   Obituaries and articles in the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune over the last few weeks provided instructive summaries of his powerful legacy in Minnesota's  policy-and-politics world. 

Those of us who knew John personally were always impressed by his unfailing kindness and warmth.   But the essence of Brandl's work might be summed up best in a phrase in the title of his best known book, "Money and Good Intentions are Not Enough.''  Brandl was a progressive and was described by his eulogists as an unapolegetic champion of the New Deal, a believer in government's responsibility to take care of people and to broaden prosperity.   But he also believed with equal intensity that results matter, that hard evidence of effectiveness ought to be applied to public sector interventions in the economy and our society,  and he had a profound respect for markets and free enterprise.   He pounded on the necessity of cost-benefit analysis.   It's hard to imagine a better role model for a practically progressive think tank, and his spirit and intellect will always be important inspirations for us at Growth & Justice.

Dane Smith