Civic America has changed. The local forms of participation have faded, and new national advocacy organizations relying on direct mail fundraising have mushroomed. While there are some benefits to the new forms of advocacy, the shift has hurt our shared sense of democratic citizenship.
Money, Politics, and Power
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
America’s Parliamentary Election
The 2000 presidential election, we’ve all heard, is “front loaded” because early primaries are likely to decide the nominations, and candidates consequently have had to accumulate money and support long in advance. But this past year, the race became front loaded in another way- many people were already bored when it had scarcely begun. Very […]
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The Devil in Devolution
Turning power back to the states has gained wide support. But there’s a reason for national decisions: One state’s solution may aggravate another state’s problems.
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The Big Tilt
It’s not just how many take part in politics; it’s who. Inequality is more pronounced in America than in other democracies, and it’s growing.
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Below the Beltway: New Labor, New Democrats — New Alliance?
Washington, D.C. On April 27, Al From, the president of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), and Will Marshall, the president of the DLC’s Progressive Policy Institute, had lunch with John Swee ney, the president, and Steve Rosenthal, the political director, of the AFL-CIO. These four people had met but had never talked amicably or seriously […]
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The Mythology of Centrism
Pundits have misinterpreted Tony Blair’s and Bill Clinton’s victories as centrism triumphant. But voters chose leaders committed to stopping Thatcherism and Reaganism and restoring broad prosperity.
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El Governador
Is Hispanic support for George W. Bush a genuine political phenomenon—or a case of targeted campaign spending run riot?
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George W.’s Compassion
George W. Bush can cut taxes and speak Spanish, too. But is compassionate conservatism anything more than Gingrichism with a human face?
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The Broken Engine of Progressive Politics
The gears of the American change machine — presidents, parties, and social movements — no longer work together. A new view of America’s major political transformations, from Jefferson and Jackson down to the current disarray of progressive forces.