View videos from "The Next Democracy" event

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From: The Brennan Center for Justice

The Next Democracy

We wanted to let you know about a remarkable gathering we convened last month at White Oak Conservation Center in Florida. "The Next Democracy" brought together leading thinkers, activists and government officials to envision a 21st Century democracy, and what we need to do to get there.

We are posting video interviews with some of the participants on our website -- Rick Hertzberg of the New Yorker, Anna Burger of SEIU, Elaine Kamarck of Harvard, Dahlia Lithwick of Slate.com, Christopher Edley, Jr. of Berkeley law school, and others.

>>Please click here to check out these and other interviews.

At its core, the economic crisis is a political crisis. It stems from years of weak participation, money-drenched politics and a retreat from the rule of law. To solve our problems will require more than policy victories. We must make sure to use this moment to revitalize our democracy and our broken government, so we don't face another crisis like this. We need fresh thinking and new energy.

At The Next Democracy, we discussed voter registration modernization to add every eligible citizen to the rolls ... exciting new campaign finance reforms that boost the impact of small donors through matching funds ... redistricting reform to assure accountability and avoid partisan gerrymandering ... National Popular Vote to end the Electoral College ... the Employee Free Choice Act and other steps to empower workers ... ways to widen national service and expand civic literacy ... and more.

We didn't all agree on all these issues, of course, but we left with palpable excitement about the idea that this moment of great challenge for the country will be one of those times when we once again widen the circle of democracy.

Again, please click here to check out these illuminating interviews, and the rest of our website.

Best regards,
Michael Waldman Executive Director
Brennan Center for Justice
at NYU School of Law
New York, NY


Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law 161 Avenue of the Americas, 12th Floor New York, NY 10013 212.998.6730 phone 212.995.4550 fax brennancenter@nyu.edu


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