Those of us who desperately want to see the back of this dismal Conservative government should take heart from the recent local elections in England.We should also be encouraged by the successes of the centre left around the world, which has defeated the political right in elections in Australia, Germany, Spain, Portugal and the US, after a dramatic decline in support for social democratic parties after the 2008 financial crisis.
But if we can learn one thing from these recent successes, it is that there is nothing inevitable about the return of social democracy. Granted, after the pandemic, many voters have grown weary of the failure of the political right to address their need for security and prosperity as they face the cost of living crisis. But voters everywhere remain sceptical of the ability of politics and politicians, from all parties, to act in their interests. They are sceptical too of the capacity for government to change their lives for the better, at a time when we badly need to renew the modern state in the face of the perma-crises hitting all our nations.
The metaphor that the pendulum inevitably swings back from right to left and back again ignores the simple fact that of the 123 years of the Labour party’s existence, it has only been in power for just over 30 of them. If there is a pendulum, it gets stubbornly stuck on one side. The UK Labour party needs to take learning, not comfort, from the tentative revival of the centre left.
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) partnered with Progressive Britain to host their 2023 conference, Ambition for Britain, featuring Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer MP and leading center-left politicians and thinkers. As part of an ongoing dialogue between the U.S. and U.K., Will Marshall, President of the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), and Claire Ainsley, Director of PPI’sProject on Center-Left Renewal, led a panel discussion providing a global perspective on the need for a strong center-left alternative to right-wing populism and nationalism.
“Now more than ever, the United States, United Kingdom, and other countries need strong center-left parties to turn back the tide of rising reactionary nativism and nationalism,” said Will Marshall, President of PPI. “The UK Labour party is working to expand their voting base to build bigger governing majorities. Ahead of the next U.S. election in 2024, the Democratic party must take a similar approach to win back working-class voters.”
“Across the world, center-left parties are seeing a revival in voter support as the political right fails to answer the everyday challenges of today and tomorrow,” said Claire Ainsley, Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal and former Executive Director of Policy to Labour leader Keir Starmer. “The UK Labour Party can take inspiration and learn from their success, as well as heed the warnings that right-wing populism has not gone away. Center-left parties across the world can work together and learn from each other to continue winning and creating lasting coalitions.”
Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer highlighted recent local elections where the Labour party had its strongest result in more than a decade, winning in all parts of the country and winning back many Brexit voters.
The Project on Center-Left Renewal is focused on working with center-left parties in Europe and around the world to exchange ideas and compare notes to build winning coalitions that last. Last month, members of the project traveled to Australia to meet with members of the Australian Labor party, who won the recent 2022 federal elections. Their recent victory in the New South Wales state elections means they are in government in every state except Tasmania.
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org.
Republicans seem to be racing backward in time, resurrecting old tenets that defined their party’s outlook in the 1920s and 1930s: Christian fundamentalism, nativism, protectionism and isolationism.
Long discredited by events, these reactionary shibboleths are risen from the dead and lurching like zombies across the U.S. political landscape. We hear their echo in today’s red state crusade to stamp out women’s reproductive rights, the hysteria over immigrant hordes “replacing” whites and the Trump administration’s high tariff policies, which remain on the books despite having failed to reduce U.S. trade deficits.
The former president also dredged up the hoary isolationist slogan, “America First” to signal his rejection of key pillars of America’s post-war internationalist strategy — open trade, security alliances and the formation of world bodies dedicated to collective problem-solving.
The United States used to offer the world an attractive model for a free and prosperous society dedicated to the rule of law, civic inclusion and popular self-government. Now, when others look to America, they see democratic dysfunction, epitomized by paralyzing partisanship, national disunity and a defeated president’s attempted coup on Jan. 6, 2021.
That the man found to be the architect of that plot, former President Donald Trump, has the gall to again seek the office he betrayed, is another disconcerting sign. It shows that the antibodies that traditionally have protected our country against demagogues and extremism aren’t working.
But instead of dwelling on the dismal prospect that Republican voters may for a third time award Trump their party’s nomination, let’s imagine for a moment what living in a healthy democracy would be like.
Jasmine Stoughton, Project Director of the Mosaic Project at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), released the following response in reaction to President Biden’s reelection campaign:
“President Biden has led our country out of chaos, bigotry, and destruction from the Trump Administration, fighting to protect our democracy at every turn. As extremists across the country are working to take away our fundamental freedoms, President Biden continues to fight back.
“President Biden has made tremendous progress fighting for gender equality — from protecting reproductive rights, to increasing opportunities for women-owned small businesses, to prioritizing affordable and accessible childcare. We still have a long way to go, and we urge President Biden to continue creating equal opportunities for women across the country.
“Furthermore, it is with deeds not words that President Biden has proven his commitment to equality and diversity, creating one of the most representative cabinets in history. Appointing diverse and qualified leaders is among the most important elements of successful governance.”
The Mosaic Projectis a network of diverse women with expertise in the fields of economics and technology. Mosaic programming aims to bring new voices to the policy arena by connecting cohort members with opportunities to engage with top industry leaders, lawmakers, and the media.
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org.
If President Biden delivers on his promise to bring a new era of jobs and prosperity to blue-collar America, it could be a game changer with working-class voters in the U.S. and beyond.
The Democrats may hold the presidency and, narrowly, the Senate, but their declining vote share among working-class voters and places means they face a much narrower path to victory. Combined with their falling support among Hispanic voters, and an electorate not confident that the country is on the right path, the Democrats face significant challenges ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Looking across the Atlantic provides some painful lessons in what happens when center-left parties overlook their working-class base. Working-class voters began to pull away from the British Labour Party during the New Labour government years. But it wasn’t until the arrival of Boris Johnson’s brand of Conservatives in 2019 that Labour lost working-class voters and constituencies in historic numbers. That delivered the Conservatives an 80-seat majority in the House of Commons, and for Labour, its worst defeat since 1935.
It’s been 15 years since the 2008 financial meltdown plunged America into the Great Recession. Our economy has bounced back, but the populist fury the crisis ignited has yet to burn itself out.
It manifests itself on the far left and right as general hostility to big business and, more recently, to Big Tech in particular. Fortunately, the populists’ reckless drive to break up America’s most innovative and globally competitive enterprises seems to be sputtering.
That could prove liberating for Democrats, who will never outcompete rightwing demagogues when it comes to stoking economic grievances. Instead, Democrats need a post-populist economics that inspires hope in America’s ability to innovate rapidly, generate abundant growth and opportunity and outpace China in the race to master frontier technologies.
If you’ve kept up with my series of writings this past month, it’s easy to see a common theme emerge. February is Black History Month and over that time, I’ve touched on different areas in which the Democratic Party has let the African American community down by not embracing reforms that could truly unleash Black potential. This final installment will take a different tack: Instead of looking at what Democrats can improve on, this piece looks at the progress Democrats have made for the Black community.
It’s no secret that for decades the African American community has been a crucial component of the Democratic coalition. Ever since the New Deal, Democrats have made inroads with our community and after pushing the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts through in the 1960s, Democrats have largely locked up the Black vote. While it’s clear that there are still areas in which government policy can both enhance and get out of the way of Black success, the Democratic Party has made strides since then towards improving the lives of African Americans and empowering their vote.
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Progressive Policy Institute hosted its first annual series of policy conversations, featuring a salon dinner and a comprehensive policy forum on Capitol Hill. The events focused on health care, workforce, privacy, content moderation, and education. The panels were moderated by PPI’s women policy experts and featured special guests Rep. Suzan DelBene and Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman.
“The Progressive Policy Institute has been leading the charge in Washington to uplift diverse women’s voices to the forefront of policymaking. PPI’s leading women experts make up some of the sharpest and brightest minds in public policy, and we are proud to showcase their knowledge and expertise,” said Will Marshall, President of the Progressive Policy Institute.
“Millions of Americans do not have control over their personal data and sensitive health information. In a post-Roe era, the risks and consequences of this are only heightened. One of the most foundational things that lawmakers can do to protect our information in the digital age is pass a national data privacy standard,” said Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA). “I want to thank the Progressive Policy Institute for convening this discussion on the importance of quickly passing a strong national privacy law that puts people in control of their data.”
The salon dinner — moderated by PPI’s Director of Workforce Development Taylor Maag and featuring Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman — focused on driving gender equity in today’s economy, bringing esteemed leaders in workforce development fields to discuss labor force participation, and persisting gender gaps in STEM and other in-demand pathways.
The policy forum hosted on Capitol Hill consisted of four panel conversations and kicked off with “A Mosaic Moment,” giving attendees the opportunity to network with PPI’s policy experts. PPI President Will Marshall provided opening remarks, and Mosaic Program Director Jasmine Stoughton highlighted how the Mosaic Project is changing the landscape for women in policy.
The “Privacy in a Post-Roe World” panel featured Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA), and was moderated by PPI’s Director of Health Care Policy Erin Delaney and Director of PPI’s Innovation Frontier Project Jordan Shapiro. The panel focused on the future of access to health care resources, the tech sector’s response to securing personal health care data, and what tools are currently available to consumers to protect their health and privacy.
The “Internet as an Organizing Tool for Women’s Movements” panel explored examples of how women have pushed back against institutional inequities and, globally, authoritarian regimes using online platforms. Highlighting the ability for women to share their stories on the internet, the panel discussed how the current model of internet regulation in the United States supports these types of voices. The panel was moderated by PPI’s Technology Policy Analyst Malena Dailey.
“The New Politics of Education” panel, moderated by Co-Director of PPI’s Reinventing America’s Schools Project Tressa Pankovits, focused on how the evolving political landscape around education and parents rights. Taking a look at how women are leading in the education space, the conversation covered how the landscape has been politicized and what elected officials and educators can do to ensure moms are heard while also putting students first.
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org. Find an expert at PPI and follow us on Twitter.
Britain could hardly have had a less trustworthy leader than Boris Johnson, and it is tempting to see untrustworthiness as an individual failing, one that can be rectified by a person of greater character. Having worked closely with him, I have no doubt Keir Starmer possesses the integrity that the office of prime minister demands. But a search for the ideal politician can only end in disappointment. And it misses the deep crisis of trust in modern democracies.
Only 37 per cent of people in the UK say they trust government to do what is right, according to the most recent Edelman Global Trust Barometer. The Truss-Kwarteng mini-Budget debacle and the traumas of the Johnson premiership have made a bad situation worse. But comparative countries do little better. In the US, just 42 per cent trust their government; in Australia it’s 45 per cent. By contrast, faster-growing economies enjoy much higher levels of faith in their leadership – for example, 76 per cent in Singapore say they trust their government to do the right thing.
As voters we are all too aware of the multiple crises we face, both in our personal lives and as a nation. Economic confidence has disintegrated, with the UK especially badly affected. Less than a quarter of Britons expect to be better off in five years’ time, and three quarters believe the government and public services will offer little support in the years ahead, according to the Ipsos global tracker.
Conservatives and progressives that support this kind of legislation remain ready to take the populist hammer to America’s biggest tech companies, with little regard for the long-term consequences. Each has their own seemingly separate reasons, but many of these can be traced back to political vendettas. And for what? Do we really want to risk America’s national and economic security to settle a grudge?
Today, the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) announced Sam Knapke has been hired as its new Congressional Policy Fellow to be placed in the office of the New Democrat Coalition (NDC). This fellowship program is designed to support the NDC’s policy staff as they craft pragmatic policy solutions to address the nation’s toughest challenges.
“I am beyond excited to partner with PPI and join the New Dem team. Working to advance the legislative priorities of communities across the country has long been a career goal of mine and I look forward to enhancing the coalition’s policy staff,” said Sam Knapke.
PPI’s Congressional Fellowship program provides fellows with a unique opportunity to gain valuable Capitol Hill experience and learn more about the legislative process by working within the NDC. As a Policy Fellow, Knapke will report directly to NDC staff and support its legislative team by analyzing legislative issues and proposals, developing and coordinating staff and Member briefings, and managing NDC and stakeholder relationships.
Knapke is currently finishing up his master’s degree in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Knapke comes to PPI with experience working in the State Department and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates.
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org.
As one of the largest ideological caucuses in the House of Representatives, the New Democrat Coalition is solutions oriented caucus seeking to bridge the gap between left and right by challenging outmoded partisan approaches to governing. Its Members are committed to pro-economic growth, pro-innovation, and fiscally responsible policies. Learn more about the NDC and its members by visiting newdemocratcoalition.house.gov.
By Markose Butler, Director of Community Outreach and Training
It’s no secret that Democrats have long controlled major coastal cities of the United States. Politicians running as Republicans have not won city-wide election in any of the 10 largest cities since Michael Bloomberg’s first election as New York City mayor, and in many cities, it’s literally been decades. Yet despite the remarkable loyalty showed to Democrats by Black voters, they have completely abandoned these voters on the most important issues to their daily lives.
The truth is, the Black community hasn’t benefited from improvements in urban economies or quality of life, and we remain disproportionately represented as the victims of crime. It’s long past time for Democrats to take concrete actions that actually move the needle and provide for the needs of Black Americans.
In recent decades, the nation’s urban centers have emerged as engines for job creation. From 2004 to 2015, job growth was concentrated in the 94 largest cities in the U.S. and especially in just four cities: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle. While this does show that cities run by Democrats can produce economic growth, this concentration has also contributed to large scale migration to a handful of large cities that has resulted in a massive housing crisis in large metros nationwide.
An Introduction from PPI’s Government Relations team…
Two years into President Biden’s first term, a narrow Republican majority in the House threatens to thwart the historic progress made by his Administration. Kevin McCarthy and the House Republican Caucus have already threatened to drive the U.S. into default, engaged in partisan investigations, and neglected to lay out a sound legislative agenda. Once again, a divided government endangers real progress.
At PPI, we hope President Biden will see Tuesday’s State of the Union address as an opportunity to chip away at the partisan stalemate that has taken hold of American politics. With Republicans content to do nothing but obstruct and finger-point, President Biden should play the long game and start charting the Democratic Party on a course to build a lasting, durable majority that is capable of withstanding the electoral swing every two years.
In order to achieve this goal, the President ought to focus on ways in which the party can dramatically expand the size of its coalition. In the 2022 election cycle, independent voters broke in large numbers for the Democratic party, making a dramatic difference in key states and races all across the county. President Biden should make a direct appeal to these voters and other working class Americans by offering a clear vision and compelling solutions to issues that polling shows they care about like crime, immigration, inflation, and the economy. The President should consider embracing cultural moderation and directly address the concerns of vital constituencies that far-left progressives have been alienating.
In terms of policy, this means embracing the innovation economy, not trying to break it up, reducing inflation and debt, and adopting an export-oriented trade policy. It means ending the disparity between the huge amounts of money Washington invests in college-bound people and the paltry investments it makes in the skills and career prospects of the non-college majority. It means championing public school choice and accountability rather than the K-12 status quo that’s failing low-income families. It means climate pragmatism that recognizes that we can achieve our greenhouse reduction goals through intelligent use of all energy sources and innovations like carbon capture and storage.
Finally, the President should unequivocally affirm America’s support for Ukraine and reject anti-democratic movements both abroad and at home. Free nations across the globe are dealing with the rise of authoritarianism, and America must show to the world that America will stand strong to defeat it.
Below, our experts at PPI have presented more bold policy suggestions and radically pragmatic solutions for the Administration to consider as they build out the agenda for the final years of the President’s first term.
PPI’s Ben Ritz, Director of the Center for Funding America’s Future, released the following statement about the omnibus spending package:
Once again, Congress has waited until the last minute to carry out its most basic responsibility: funding the federal government’s normal operations. Thanks to a combination of brinkmanship and procrastination by leaders on both sides of the aisle, lawmakers will soon be forced to choose between voting for roughly $1.7 trillion of spending with little time to review legislative text or shutting down the government. This is no way to run a country.
The omnibus appropriations bill increases federal discretionary spending next year at a rate faster than overall economic growth. Boosting fiscal stimulus is exactly what lawmakers should not be doing with inflation still running at over 7%. Instead, Congress should be pursuing a fiscal policy that supports the Federal Reserve’s efforts to rein in rising prices.
It’s disappointing that, despite the increase in overall spending levels, it appears appropriators have failed to fund federal R&D efforts at the targets authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act passed earlier this year. The omission of much-needed permitting reforms also will reduce the efficacy of infrastructure investments Congress passed earlier this session. Together, these decisions represent a setback for the restoration of bold public investment that this Congress had been on track to accomplish.
But the package could have been worse. With the exception of some retirement provisions that are offset by gimmicks, the omnibus is mostly free of deficit-financed tax cuts that usually ride on end-of-the-year packages such as this. Although it would have been best for negotiators to agree on a fiscally responsible compromise to restore the pre-2022 tax treatment of R&D expenses and some expansion of the Child Tax Credit, their decision to omit these policies rather than to further fuel inflation by borrowing to pay for them was the right one.
It’s also good news that the omnibus will strengthen democracy at home and abroad through improvements to the Electoral Count Act and additional military assistance to help the Ukrainian people stand up to Russia’s brutal war of conquest.
Perhaps the next Congress could notch another win for democracy by following a rational and transparent budget process next time around. That shouldn’t be too much to ask of America’s elected representatives.
Will Marshall, President of the Progressive Policy Institute, released the following statement following the news that Kyrsten Sinema is registering as an independent:
“After ceaseless attacks by left-wing ideologues, it’s no surprise that Kyrsten Sinema has become the U.S. Senate’s third independent. Rather than follow Republicans down the rabbit-hole of extremism and ideological conformism, the Democratic Party should be a welcoming place for elected leaders who think for themselves. To build solid majorities and break the stalemate in American politics, Democrats need to expand their coalition, not shrink it.”
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org.
