The President's Desk

June, 2010

"It's not just comforting but essential to have sane countervailing voices like Demos to remind us that government action is necessary to plan for the common good, to set proper rules for economic activity and to be a bulwark against predatory practices in the private sector."

-Bob Herbert, The New York Times
April 9, 2010

Dear Friend,

I don't need to tell you that 2010 has been full of big challenges for our country. From the continuing recession to the devastating Gulf oil spill, we are seeing the damaging consequences of more than 30 years of failed conservative policies and weakened government oversight. Efforts at change abound, but--stymied by a conservative undertow--they often fall short.

Demos--with support from individuals like you--has been working for the past ten years to bring attention to the failures of such policies. Right now we are providing bold solutions, based on sound research, to change public thinking and government responses to such challenges. Demos sees a way to a better future, and with your help we are making it happen.

Demos is proud to be celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2010. In May, we brought together 600 friends and supporters to mark this milestone, to rededicate ourselves to the work that lies ahead in our second decade, and to recognize the amazing leaders below:

Master of ceremonies Maria Hinojosa and Demos President Miles Rapoport	Awardee Elizabeth Warren, new Board Chair Amelia Tyagi, and Awardee and outgoing Board Chair Stephen Heintz.	Awardee Tavis Smiley	Washington, DC Director Heather McGhee and Awardee Elizabeth Shuler.

Changing Policy: Demos and Financial Reform

Demos was one of the very few groups to champion the idea of comprehensive financial reform several years ago, when it seemed all but impossible. Up against a banking lobby spending over $1 million a day to block such efforts, but with critical support from our donors, Demos continued to push for reform.

Today, Demos is proud that our research around the failures of deregulation and our advocacy for stronger government oversight played a key role in last month's passage of historic financial reform legislation. Thank you for your help in making this victory possible.

Click below to view Demos' recent reports targeting the corrupt practices at the heart of the financial collapse, used by policymakers to craft amendments to the winning legislation.


Reforming the Rating Agencies By James Lardner	The Consumer Financial Protection Agency By Heather McGhee	Six Principles for True Systemic Risk Reform By Nomi Prins & Heather McGhee

This is just one example of Demos' work to ensure the economic well-being of American families, and to create a new conversation about government's necessary role in our economy and in providing for the common good.

Through new projects, Demos is

making the case for stronger investment in vital public programs and infrastructure--countering the fear-based messaging of deficit hawks--and offering a "fiscal high road" that will leave America in better shape for future generations;
beginning work to transform the way our country measures economic success, and ideas for developing a more sustainable economy that is environmentally and socially just;
advancing reforms to remove barriers to participation and ensure that all Americans have a voice in our democracy and can act to move our country in a new direction.

Changing the Course: Demos and a New Direction for America

Conservative think tanks have had tremendous influence in policy and in shaping public views over the past three decades--due in large part to investments in messaging their beliefs to the public and policymakers. This has been made possible by individual donors who wanted to change the direction of the country.

Like you, Demos believes it is possible to counter these failed messages, to reshape the debate, and to move our country in the right direction--and, as a leading institution for progressive thought--we have achieved victories to prove it.

Demos can continue to make a difference for millions of Americans, but we need your help to do it. To help meet the challenges America faces today, it is essential that Demos have the funding and capacity to get our ideas out front and center.

In giving a gift today, 87 cents of every dollar you donate will directly help us expand our research and produce more reports, put more progressive voices in the media, and develop more policies to solve our problems and transform our country.

We hope you will join us in creating a new direction for America by donating to Demos today--any amount helps.

Warm regards,
Miles Signature
Miles Rapoport
President

P.S. Demos is working to counter the failed conservative policies that have dominated for too long, to reshape the public conversation about what is possible, and to move our country in the right direction. Please join us by making a gift today.

December 18, 2009

September 14, 2009

Statement on the Resignation of Van Jones.

The forced resignation of Van Jones is a serious loss to our country. Van Jones has been a superb leader for the environmental community, and played a pivotal role in envisioning and bringing into existence a crucial alliance between the environmental movement and efforts to bring good jobs into poor communities of color around the country. His vision, his voice, and his organizing skills would have been a great asset to the administration's environmental and job-creation efforts.

We know that this will be only a temporary setback to Van Jones' critical work. Van will continue his leadership role; it is who he is. His work in Oakland and nationwide has inspired people. We are proud to have had Van as a member of Demos' Board, where he served until his appointment to his White House role. We are eager to have him return to the Demos Board, and eager to work with him in the future.

We also know that the temporary success of the unfair, politically motivated attack on Van Jones will encourage similar campaigns against other people serving or considering serving in the Obama Administration. We want to join with others in repudiating the kind of attack that was directed against Van, and in vowing to respond aggressively and proactively in the future.

Miles Rapoport
President

January 20, 2009

Moving the Country Forward

The whole journey has been a joy to behold. The huge throngs of people, Sunday and today, eager to be part of this new moment in history; the thousands of volunteers yesterday; the vistas of civil rights veterans, hip-hop youth, Pete Seeger, Tuskegee Airmen, Abe Lincoln's bible, and more, all filled the last few days with an awesome sense of history. It feels very much like a very new beginning.

And then today, in 18 minutes of carefully chosen words and ideas, President Barack Obama signaled a very new direction for America. With strong evocations of our country's history, and nestling his pledge for change in the universal cape of our oft-interrupted journey toward justice, President Obama made a sharp break with the past eight years of domestic and foreign policy, and signaled fundamentally new directions. All of us at Demos applaud heartily and are eager to be part of helping him move the country forward.

He was very clear that our economy needs to be restructured, ending years of market fundamentalism, deregulation, and the disregard for whether our economy generates broadly shared prosperity or reaches only a privileged few. He spoke with energy about the new role for government, setting as his benchmark its effective engagement with people struggling to improve their circumstances. He articulated a very different way of engaging the world, ready to join with others in a far more respectfully engaged and interdependent way. He pledged a return to constitutional principles and the application of our ideals even in the war on terror. And he called on all of us to serve, to care, to think about each other and the future of our planet-- to engage energetically in the practice of democracy.

President Obama has long since proved that Just Words are more than 'just words'. But we also know that only with the common efforts of government, citizens, unions and thoughtful business leaders, grass roots organizations, and policy centers like Demos, can the combined energy for the new overcome the inertia and resistance of the old.

We look forward to being part of that work. For today, we applaud the graceful yet clear way the new direction has been set. Congratulations, President Obama.

Miles Rapoport
President

December 4, 2008

Dear friend,

The election of Barack Obama (a founding Board member of Demos) marks not just a partisan shift, but the end of an era in American political life. Americans have indicated that they are open to a new story: one of economic fairness and an end to unbridled markets, far greater racial tolerance, a larger sense of community and less individualism, a renaissance of civic engagement, and a new and different role for America in the world. Demos has been working for these values for the past eight years and is ready to make the most of this historic opportunity.

All evidence points to a major shift in the outlook and perspective of Americans, but the character of the next era is very much yet to be defined. Obama's election has restored hope for the promise of America, but no president has ever changed the course of the country alone. It is people like you who will ensure that his presidency achieves the much needed change that Americans deserve.

FDR had his brain trust and Reagan had think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute. President Obama and Congress are going to need think tanks like Demos, and your support will allow us to provide new policy ideas and to shift public opinion in ways needed for them to succeed.

Demos has worked diligently since opening our doors in 2000 to increase our impact on policymaking and the public debate. We are now well positioned to make important contributions at this critical moment for America. In the past year, we advanced policies that registered hundreds of thousands of new voters in the 2008 election. In North Carolina alone, 155,000 new voters entered the rolls through our efforts--over 10 times the margin by which Obama won the state. Our research and congressional testimony around predatory lending and abusive credit card practices has led to new action by the Federal Reserve and a Congress poised to enact meaningful regulation in 2009. And our groundbreaking research on how to reframe the conversation on government will continue to strengthen the efforts of advocates across the country as they fight for healthcare, environmental protection, and social investment.

With your partnership, Demos will be able to strengthen our impact in the following ways:

Defend and support new initiatives for change. President Obama and the majorities in Congress and in many statehouses will be under sharp attack the minute they begin to act boldly, as we hope they will. We will be ready to defend and rally support for progressive values and proactive policies.
Identify and frame emerging issues and recommend new policies going forward. New circumstances will continue to generate new issues, and just as Demos produced pioneering work on the burden of debt, the economic challenges facing young people, and democracy-enhancing policies like Election Day registration, we will continue to identify important issues that require national attention.
Push the boundaries of the public debate. Some changes aren't possible without first building public support. On issues like taxes, the size and proper role of government, broadening civic engagement and further expanding the vote, restoring effective regulation, debating the proper size and focus of the defense budget, and America's proper role in an interdependent world, Demos can help to shape public opinion and move the debate forward.
When necessary, take the stance of principled critic. Demos has defined itself by an unfaltering commitment to its values and principles. We believe being headquartered in New York, outside the D.C. beltway, makes us different from other think tanks, and enables us to act beyond the political imperatives of the moment. We will undoubtedly be disappointed by some of the political compromises that will be made in the period to come. Upholding our integrity and bringing forward incisive and constructive criticism is one role Demos will maintain in order to push for real and lasting change.

Over just eight years, Demos has established our expertise, created a body of groundbreaking work in our programs, and built a diverse and talented group of staff and Fellows working on critical issues. However, we can not compete in the battle of ideas without increasing our scale and our influence. Conservative think tanks like Heritage and AEI have budgets of $25 to 50 million. The pharmaceutical industry spends $20 million a year on lobbying. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce spends $50 million.

Demos currently has a budget of $5 million, and we are bursting at the seams with ideas, plans, and energy. With your support, we will be able to compete against these special interests in shaping public opinion and policy, bringing our democratic values powerfully into the public debate. We can play a major role in making something truly different happen in Washington and in state capitols next year. But we need your help to make it happen.

You surely have given generously in the recent election, and we are aware of the challenges the current economic situation presents. But there has never been a more important time to invest in Demos. We have the ability to win reform policies that have been stymied for years, to push for bolder forward-looking change, and to enrich the public debate--all to achieve the goal of a better America where equality and opportunity are attainable by all.

Please consider partnering with Demos to ensure this moment in U.S. history lives up to its promise. The best is absolutely yet to come, and we hope you will make it happen with us.

With determination and appreciation,

Miles Rapoport
President