democracy is a work in progress

Viewpoints

How the Red-Blue Narrative Kept Us from the Real Story of Rising Extremism in a Fracturing GOP

The takeover of the Republican Party by anti-democracy extremists and the intra-party friction it generated, on full display in the House of Representatives’ battles over the House speakership this year, has been the big political story of this century. Only now is the story [...]

America is an Inclusive Democracy

If you haven’t yet realized that we are beyond politics as usual, consider the reaction we had after posting our updated problem brief, Threats to Voting Rights, to Facebook: Someone posted in reply “#WeAreNOTaDemocracy” and within moments, someone else had liked the post. America [...]

January 6: The Future We Choose

Americans are facing a choice between government by a frequently shifting set of powers that are reliant on a constant framework for rulemaking (“democracy”) and one immoveable power that bends the rules at will to suit its needs (“authoritarianism”). When my daughter sought her [...]

Our National Priorities

What are our national priorities? Fiscal responsibility, apparently, is not one of them. Otherwise, Republicans in Congress would not use the debt ceiling – and the threat of default – as a bargaining chip. Or is it less a bargaining chip and more a device [...]

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Steady as we go

With all that's going on in the world, it's sometimes hard to stay focused on the problems that keep us from becoming a more perfect union. That's what good leadership is supposed to do – keep us centered so that we can solve the [...]

Remaining Focused Despite the Insurrection

The country survived the insurrection, but the perpetrators and their allies across the country, their supporters in Congress and state and local governments, and of course, their instigator-in-chief are still out there. The good news is that a large majority of Americans, including some [...]

Responding to a Shaken Faith in Democracy

We are Natasha Raman and Colin Fennelly, two students studying political science, public policy, and law at Dartmouth College. We thoroughly enjoyed writing and researching for The American Leader this past summer. Most Americans grow up believing that American democracy is invincible. We were [...]

Celebrating the Women’s Suffrage Movement

We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are [...]

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Leader Profiles

  • Jenny Zimmer: Movement Organizer

  • Nate Hine and Nellie Pennington: Advocates for Children

  • Don Henninger: Building Trust in Arizona Elections

Progress Updates

  • Election-Related Decisions Indicate Courts Still Favor Democracy

  • Protecting Voting Rights and Our Elections

  • The Great Economy Project Finds Common Ground

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