David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group runs off-the-record policy roundtables in Washington where senators and experts from both parties debate contentious issues. When Congress gridlocked on repairs, he financed the Washington Monument restoration himself, effectively forcing lawmakers to act on national landmarks.
David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group could be the best human being I've ever met in my life. Not what you think of when you think of as private equity. He started out in the D.C. area and he would put together these off-the-record conversations with experts in spaces that were being debated by Congress. And then he would invite a whole bunch of congressmen and senators and staffers from both sides. Later on his career, he super becomes wealthy and the Washington Monument starts falling apart. The cement starts cracking. It's a couple hundred years old. And Congress being paralyzed and incompetent, he steps in and says to Congress, "Hey, I'm gonna fix this. See if you idiots can get around to passing legislation, and I'd appreciate if you pay me back one of these days." And he basically guilted them into fixing all the national monuments.
