New Democrat Update - October 2004
THE NEW DEMOCRAT MOVEMENT: TAKING ACTION
In the Information Age, progressive politics will take hold only if it is built around a governing philosophy, rooted in a coherent set of values and ideas. To build a new progressive majority coalition, that governing philosophy must meet the current challenges faced by the middle class and those less fortunate.
In a society increasingly dominated by the media and the Internet, distilling the ideas and values of a governing philosophy into credible, understandable “talking points” is also important. Of course, all of the above require leaders and resources to spread the word.
Our party must realize that long-term success cannot be achieved by exclusively focusing on the next election. It requires an investment of time, effort and money - an infrastructure of organizations - that develop like-minded leaders, while constantly delivering messages and ideas to influence the public debate.
The first and essential piece of the New Democrat infrastructure is the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). Founded in 1985 (the Colorado chapter was created in 1991), the DLC “is an idea center, catalyst, and national voice for a reform movement that is reshaping American politics by moving it beyond the old left-right debate.”
Under the leadership of founder and CEO Al From, the DLC seeks to “define and galvanize popular support for a new public philosophy built on progressive ideals, mainstream values, and innovative, non bureaucratic, market-based solutions. At its heart are three principles: promoting opportunity for all; demanding responsibility from everyone; and fostering a new sense of community.”
Its mission is to provoke debate within the Democratic Party and the public at large about international, national, state and local policy and political issues. The organization advances innovative policy ideas through a network of elected officials and community leaders.
Staying in touch with the DLC is easy. You can subscribe to the New Dem Daily, an email newsletter filled with the latest “pithy news, commentary and analysis” Monday through Friday. For the longer view, the DLC publishes Blueprint, the New Democrat movement’s flagship policy journal. Blogger types should check out NewDonkey.com.
The DLC’s affiliated think tank, the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), is the public policy research institute arm of the movement. Led by Will Marshall, its mission is to define and continually update the “Third Way,” a governing philosophy that adapts “enduring progressive values to the new challenges of the Information Age.”
Similar in nature to the DLC, the PPI develops policy initiatives that move beyond the failed politics of entitlement and the right’s social abandonment agenda. Instead, it embraces equal opportunity for all, special privilege for none; a government that gives citizens the tools to solve their own problems; and an ethic of mutual responsibility between citizen and society.
The PPI publishes a number of useful and insightful e-mail newsletters. Folks wrestling with the big challenges of health care policy should subscribe to the Health Policy Wire. For those especially interested in education reform, the PPI publishes the 21st Century Schools Project Bulletin, as well as Eduwonk.com, a daily blog. The “Trade Fact of the Week” provides interesting tidbits on the world economy. Finally, no enviro should miss the monthly State Environment Exchange.
E-mail notification is available when new publications are released. You can always view the latest DLC/PPI reports by visiting News Flashes on the Colorado DLC web site.
Another critical part of the infrastructure is the New Democrat Network (NDN). Founded by Simon Rosenberg, its original focus was to elect and financially support the campaigns of “public servants at all levels of government who believe that the Democratic Party needs to find ways to lead our country into a new era while holding true to our most cherished values.”
As a Washington-based political action committee, NDN has raised tens of millions of dollars, helping to elect hundreds of candidates at all levels. For example, it has contributed and raised thousands of dollars for Ken Salazar U.S. Senate’s campaign and John Salazar’s quest for the U.S. House of Representatives.
In the last 18 months, NDN has taken on another important mission - organizing leaders around the country to implement initiatives that “modernize progressive politics, build a new and durable Democratic majority, and advocate for an agenda that will create a better future for our children.” Right here in Colorado, it is conducting a radio and television campaign to communicate the Democratic agenda to the state’s Latino community.
NDN is spending another $1 million in Colorado as part of a national media campaign to promote its policy agenda entitled, “A Commitment to Hope and Progress.” It has also just released a new national strategy memo that empowers Democrats to more effectively fight for their agenda and values.
The work from these efforts has proven to be very especially valuable to elected officials and candidates. Good governing, as well as a coherent message and agenda, requires a significant amount of intellectual firepower, effort, energy and time. Developing one “on the fly,” especially in the heat of a campaign, almost always yields very poor results - a candidate with no message, a set of initiatives that have no overriding theme, or both. When voters do not know or understand a message, they will not support it.
The right has had a significant head start on building a 21st century political infrastructure. Rob Stein, a national Democratic political operative, estimates that conservatives have spent more than $300 million annually, over three decades, to promote their right-wing agenda.
Nonetheless, the values and ideas of the New Democrat movement will ultimately prevail because they more effectively meet the new economic and social challenges of the Information Age. That, combined with a growing and stronger political infrastructure, is sure to make the transcendency of progressive politics a reality.
GETTING TO THEM EARLY
To close the achievement gap between disadvantaged children and their peers, Colorado should invest in early childhood education. Quality preschool improves children's life chances and benefits society by increasing both long-term education outcomes and earning potential, while reducing delinquency and the costs of remedial education.
A PPI report released just last month says it best. “Children who attend prekindergarten programs that prepare them to read and build cognitive, verbal, and social skills go on to do measurably better in school and life than their peers who do not. They score higher on academic achievement tests, they get better jobs, and they are less likely to become dependent on welfare or engage in criminal activity.”
A strengthened Colorado preschool program will save taxpayers money in the long run. The Families and Work Institute found that for every $1 invested in a young child's health and welfare, society saves $7 in remedial education, juvenile crime and welfare expenses in later years - a rate of return that would make any venture capitalist envious. According to the Colorado Department of Education, the state's preschool program, despite being woefully underfunded, has saved as much as $7 million over a three-year period, just in special-needs classes alone.
The program should include a strong, research-based curricula aimed at developing early academic skills, and a requirement that lead teachers hold a bachelor's degree and receive specific training in early childhood education. Just as important, the state should promote choices among programs and have strong accountability systems, aligned with K-12 standards, that monitor quality in services and children's school readiness.
Colorado should not let such a lucrative opportunity pass by.