Working toward an open, fair democratic process, with equitable opportunities for full participation, in order to restore dynamism and growth to the American economy and society.
The cause of restoring American democracy demands more than just new laws or new norms — we need a new rationale, not only for legal purposes, but also for public understanding of the problem and solutions.
The cause of restoring American democracy demands more than just new laws or new norms — we need a new rationale, not only for legal purposes, but also for public understanding of the problem and solutions.
Good politics might be described as the art of cloaking your special interest in the general interest. But when you become the symbol of big money in politics, it is very hard to pull off this sleight of hand.
Money is now an independent force, unaccountable to voters, candidates or parties. “I approve this message,” often adorned with “because” and a slogan, has become so familiar that it’s an easy joke, symbolizing the idea that the candidate is accountable for his campaign.
Yes, fear has a playbook. And while the political environment has changed importantly in the last decade, many of the same dynamics still apply, or are lurking ready to resurface.
On this election day, read what Mark Schmitt, director of New America’s program on political reform, has to say about three big ways this election season may change how money impacts politics.
In a Google Hangout this week, New America’s Mark Schmitt and Katherine Mangu-Ward, Managing Editor at Reason, weighed in on tough issues ranging from dark money’s influence on elections to the real impact of Citizens United v F.E.C., and McCutcheon v F.E.C.. Don’t worry if you missed it the first time around: watch the full conversation to find out what these experts have to say about the future of campaign finance.
There have been many attempts to curb exorbitant executive pay. But we won’t fix the problem until we address the nature of the corporation.
“That’s the core conflict within the centre left of the Democratic party, but it is hard to say exactly how it is fixed,” says Mark Schmitt, of the New America Foundation.
Experts at New America’s Political Reform Program and Markets, Enterprise and Resiliency Initiative have been closely following McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission. Following this morning’s Supreme Court ruling striking down overall limits on political campaign contributions, New America experts shared their thoughts.
Mark Schmitt, Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation and Executive Editor of The American Prospect, offers a response to Alan Wolfe's recent New American Contract Policy Paper critiquing libertarian paternalism.