For Immediate Release
Contact:
Tammy Sun/Kyra Jennings
(202) 546-0007, press@dlc.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) today released the latest edition of BLUEPRINT magazine, How America Can Win Again, in which DLC leaders Al From and Bruce Reed summon Democrats to seek out new answers to our country's central challenges and offer Americans a positive agenda.
Today the nation faces threats from sides: radical extremism that jeopardizes our safety, competitors that challenge our economic might, and social obstacles that make it harder to raise our kids. Yet, at a time when we should be coming together to confront these problems, our politics are more polarized, our leaders more divisive, and our political system badly broken.
In their new political memo, From and Reed argue that it is time to move beyond partisan bickering and take up national causes greater than any party in order to defeat terror and save the American dream. "No political party deserves to win unless it lays out a plan for Americans can win," From and Reed state.
From and Reed offer specific policy proposals that meet the four greatest challenges of the next decade:
- Put Security First . To preserve our freedom and our way of life, America needs to prevail in the war on terror. To do this, we must increase Armed Forces by 100,000 troops; allow military recruiters on campus; and reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.
- Create an Opportunity Society. The country needs a strategy for long-term economic growth, not short-term political gain. Government should use new technologies to create high-wage jobs; cut subsidies and invest in innovation and education; and pass a tax reform plan aimed at benefiting American families.
- Stand Up for American Values. After all this talk about family values, it is time for new ideas that value families. We can help parents raise kids by adopting a uniform media rating system and banning marketing of violence to children. Also a greater focus should be placed on national service.
- Reform a Broken Political System. The line must be drawn between public service and private gain. For starters, Washington should pass lobbying reform to close the revolving door and ban partisan gerrymandering to offer voters a real choice.
"If we want to meet the greatest challenges of the next decade, we must leave behind the acrimony of the last decade, and unite to put our country first again," From and Reed write. "American politics must find a higher purpose, because America has a higher calling: to be the engine of opportunity and freedom, at home and throughout the world."
Childhood for Sale
by Michele Stockwell, Director of Social and Family Policy at the Progressive Policy Institute
Today's consumer culture is not only more pervasive and invasive than ever before, it has a new darling: America's children. Marketing campaigns are targeting kids in surprising and troubling ways, from using "alpha kids" for word-of-mouth campaigns to product placement on hybrid "advergames." In this special report, Stockwell describes proven unhealthy effects of this unprecedented commercialization of childhood, and provides nine specific recommendations policymakers can enact to help parents do their job. "Policymakers can help parents shied their children from some of the culture's corrosive influences by demanding more responsible and age-appropriate marketing that does not exploit children's cognitive or psychological weak spots or push them too quickly into adulthood," Stockwell concludes.
Valuing Patriotism
by Will Marshall, President of the Progressive Policy Institute.
American voters know that 9/11 put national security back at the center of politics. To compete in America's heartland, Marshall argues, Democrats must challenge Republicans' claim to be the authentic voice of American patriotism by offering a responsible, progressive patriotism of our own. He explains, "Democrats need to show the country a party unified behind a new patriotism determined to succeed in Iraq and win the war on terror, to close a yawning cultural gap between Democrats and the military, and to summon a new spirit of national service and shared sacrifice to counter the politics of polarization."
Revitalized Center
by Artur Davis (D-Ala.)
The vital center in Americans politics is shrinking, leaving an ascendant, radicalized left and an embittered, reactive left. Yet, even in this cynical atmosphere, Rep. Davis sees a market hungry for new ideas, and an opportunity for New Democrats to reassert themselves as a strategic and philosophical force to be reckoned with. "If we act boldly enough, New Democrats can fill a creative space in our party," Rep. Davis writes. "It is critical in the next two election cycles New Democrats develop a set of ideas and policies that reflect our own agenda about the character of our county." Davis calls on Democrats to establish a coherent governing philosophy, consistent with core Democratic values, and offers some general themes for Democrats to focus on, including rural poverty, education reform, and retirement security.
Seize the Legacy
by Marshall Wittmann, Senior Fellow at the Democratic Leadership Council
In 1992, Bill Clinton succeeded because he gave Americans a new progressivism that played against type and employed conservative means to achieve progressive ends. "Clinton offered a modernized progressivism that broke the so-called Republican lock on the White House and, more importantly, the stale left-right political paradigm," Wittmann argues. "Perhaps, the task before us is to build on and, indeed, modernize the Clinton agenda of opportunity, responsibility, and community." He calls on Democrats to rally around the New Democrat legacy bequeathed to them by the former president, in much the same way that Republicans took up the mantle of President Reagan, in order to challenge today's polarized politics.
Chinese Challenge
by Edward Gresser, Director of the Trade and Global Markets Project at the Progressive Policy Institute
While a vast Asian Union is aiding China's explosive growth, America is offering an inadequate response, often denying the existence of a real competitive challenge. Gresser looks at the unique historical circumstances of the past 50 years that have brought China to this economic point, and argues that America must raise its own game in order to respond to the current trend. "The pressure of Asian competition is not a reflection of residual stress of the 2001 recession. Nor is it an artifact created by unfair trade practices and currency tricks. The Asian challenge is real, and our ability to meet it will decide whether we should still lead the world in 2020," Gresser concludes.
Blueprint: Ideas for the New Century is the flagship policy journal of the Democratic Leadership Council. Media wishing to speak to any of the Blueprint authors may contact the DLC's communications office at (202) 546-0007 or press@dlc.org.
