Welcome to the first edition of what will be twice-monthly free posts for all subscribers, coming to you on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Want more in-depth looks into the movement for a New Way in our politics? Consider becoming a paid subscriber and get weekly content, exclusive access to intimate conversations and resources to help you as a leader.
You’re someone who believes we need a New Way in our politics. I know you are even if it exhausts you to think about trying to do anything about it yourself. Don’t worry, you’re in good company according to the latest Pew survey which found that 65% of Americans “always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics.” I want to help you navigate it all and find constructive ways to engage. We’ve got to figure it out. That’s why I’ve started New Way Politics.
I’ve personally been trying to tackle some of the nation’s biggest problems and chart a New Way in our politics for nearly a decade - and for 17 years total in the field. It truly is exhausting, I know. I had to take a significant break after the 2020 election. But even as hard as it seems, you are someone who has a passion for a particular problem, challenge or need you see in our system – and you want to help.
As a way to help you understand what is happening now in our politics and to provide constructive outlets and connections for action I’m going to focus a good bit of my posting here on highlighting the work of others who are in this New Politics space and giving you ways to engage. The majority of my writing here will be geared toward that.
Anatomy of a Movement
What does it look like and how will I know?
I have to be honest, I’ve hesitated to call what is happening a “movement.” We throw that term around way too loosely these days. Many of us have seen moments emerge over the past decade in our politics but we find ourselves deeply disappointed when that moment fails to become a movement for lasting change.
What this ultimately leads to is a lot of disparate, if well-intentioned efforts, diffusion of resources, and worst of all a lack of the truly creative and innovative unity and collaboration for the good that is necessary to bring creative disruption and change. The people are feeling it. According to that same Pew study “today, Americans’ views of politics and elected officials are unrelentingly negative, with little hope of improvement on the horizon.”
Between the lack of cohesion and an uncertainty about whether the American people really wanted it, I have held back from saying we have a movement on our hands. I’m not hesitating anymore. I now believe there is truly a movement for a New Way in our politics. The people are desperate - and they are seeking true leadership. Leaders are starting to work together and think more deeply about collaboration. But it’s going to take a lot more work to see it really grow.
Perhaps we should go back to the basics. What is a movement? As I said in last week’s post: A movement is a group of people, with leaders and shared purpose, who work together to bring about lasting change.
Before we get too excited, let me say: my first rule of movements is that you can’t create a movement. Movements are born, not made. They emerge organically from moments of need or crisis. But wait – don’t despair. You can lead a movement. You can join one. You can grow one. And you can feed one. They are living, breathing things because they are made up of people. The people are always the movement. You are the movement.
Where are we now?
Many young ideas or cultural moments had all the makings of a real movement. They had a strong foundational idea and uniting core motivation. Charismatic voices. A receptive audience. But nearly every time a moment fails to grow into a movement it’s because there is a lack of two things. First, they are missing some of the key 8 types of leaders (which I’ll explore in detail for paid subscribers - join if you’d like more of that!) Second, moments that fail to become movements lack thoughtful collaboration between the key leaders.
When a movement is afoot, there is a tremendous amount of activity, much of it organic and happening without much coordination simply because people are hungry for change and doing whatever they can. We’re in that time now in the New Way Politics Movement. A small group in Illinois might start meeting and discussing how to solve a certain problem, while unbeknownst to them, another group of people in Colorado are thinking about and working on the same problem. A group of neighbors on one block might be talking over beers about meeting the needs of the community in which they live while, two streets over at a baby shower the same conversation is happening.
When these groups learn about one another and begin talking about ways to work together, you’re on the cusp of a movement. But will it coalesce? Will leaders emerge? Will real plans and progress be made?
There’s often another irony at play: as soon as you put some arbitrary organization in charge, or try to give a movement a catchy name on your own, a special thing about the movement dies – and you are at risk of smothering it. This isn’t to say that a strong brand, key organizations or central coordination is bad. It may well be necessary. But these things, in and of themselves, are not the movement.
Real movements that lead to lasting change cannot be harnessed or cajoled or manipulated easily. To be sure, people will try. They always do. But real movements always find a way to avoid being controlled by any one person or group. It’s the magic of the wild and powerful beast.
The “Civil Rights Movement” was never a single organization, though it had some prominent ones. It was never a single leader, though King was incredibly important. Many of the most consequential moments that drove the movement forward were led by small, dedicated local leaders who had a tremendous amount at stake and for whom the success of their cause had direct and even existential impact. Think of Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham, St. Augustine.
I would argue, in fact, that any situation in which the entirety of the so-called “movement” is encompassed in a single organization or small set of leaders is not likely a movement at all. The real, lasting change emerges when these elements begin to come into contact with one another and the wild, magical beast is tamed just enough to ride – though never losing its ferocity and hunger. We’re in a critical time for the New Politics Movement to figure out who we are, what we care about and how we will work together. With that backdrop, let’s explore some of the key elements at play today.
Knowing the Parts, Seeing the Whole
Naming the buckets of work
In the coming months I will roll out an impactful framework for leaders within the New Politics Movement. Before we get there, though, I thought it might be helpful to survey what I see as the big “buckets” of work in this movement so you can familiarize yourself. For this exercise I owe a debt to groups like Represent Us and their American Democracy Summit which just wrapped last week, the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers and Andy Moore and also to Walt Roberts and the Inter-Movement Impact Project.
These buckets relate to, but do not fully encompass my eight types of leaders framework I previewed last week. If you have more, or want to participate in upcoming posts with highlights of these buckets, email me!
Democracy Reformers
These are the groups and leaders working on systemic reforms to our democracy. They are not all complementary to one another, but they share a thread of believing that systemic change is key to a healthier nation. This includes working towards things like:
Open Primaries
Fusion Voting
Ranked Choice Voting - plus other candidate selection methods like approval voting and more.
Campaign Finance Reform
Proportional Representation
Mobile Voting
Deliberative Democracy Models
Social Justice Warriors
These groups are working to right wrongs they perceive as fundamental to the social fabric of a thriving nation. They are diverse and motivated by different things - but share a fierceness of purpose and a focus on human dignity. They include groups fighting for:
Racial and Ethnic Equality
Class or Economic Justice
Identity Rights and Protections
Religious and Ideological Rights and Protections
New Way Candidates, Elected Officials & Parties
A New Way in our politics will not emerge without elected leaders who want to see it happen. They are not just outcomes of a system or pawns in a game - they are integral in the movement and we need more of them to run, win and govern. And in order for them to thrive, they need political parties - a tribe - supporting them. Much more on that in upcoming posts. These include:
Independent and New Party Candidates
Major Party Candidates running in new ways
Elected Officials at the Federal, State and Local level leading in new ways
New Parties
Organized factions within the two major parties
Benefactors
These are the donors and supporters who see the need for change and are putting their resources, time and legacy to work to see it grow and build. This space is way too thin to meet the moment right now, but there are some groups and people beginning to lean in more. Broadly, the New Politics Benefactors include:
Pro-democracy funding entities (mostly 501 c3 and c4 groups)
Family Foundations
Individual Major Donors
Grassroots Donors & Volunteers
Note: I very specifically include volunteers here - I believe Benefactors are not just rich people - but those who give sacrificially of their time and talents – as with the thousands of women who supported both sides of the Civil War – or the family who hosts every neighborhood watch meeting and always provides snacks and drinks.
Thinkers
This is an interesting time for thinkers in politics. Traditional media and think-tanks still hold significant influence, but more and more a movement thinker can advance their work via places like this - upstart publications - or YouTube. Any real movement for lasting change must have sound, clear intellectual and philosophical underpinnings. A movement that has not thought critically about the “why” behind its motives and goals will ultimately fail to bring change as it crashes up against criticism and reality. In the New Way Politics space, these include:
Institutional Think Tanks
Traditional Media Writers (particularly opinion writers)
New Media Start-ups
Academic Institutions
Individual Thought Leaders
Curators
These are the cultural influencers who knowingly push boundaries with their art and presence. Every movement for real change has them. Curators are the translators and storytellers of the movement who help “everyday people” connect with the message. They are able to say and sing and write and create in ways that bring the core ideas and goals of the movement to the masses. Did listeners of Bob Dylan’s songs turn them into plans for protests? Maybe not directly. But did Dylan’s songs provide the soundtrack – and deeply resonant and difficult language for the movement? Absolutely. Curators for the New Way Politics Movement are still emerging, and we need many more, but they include:
Artists & Musicians
Pop-Culture Icons
Podcasters & YouTubers
What’s coming next?
In the coming months, for paid subscribers, I’ll explore each of the eight types of leaders across a movement, define them, and talk about the skills and characteristics of each. I will focus a lot of energy on how we interact and work together to bring lasting change. With each type, you can look for how you fit and it is my hope that you’ll find your place in the movement or movements you care about.
More broadly, the twice-monthly free posts will highlight some of the people and groups from the buckets above and help you connect with them. Have a great one to feature? Email me! And if you want to help support the work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thank you for reading and I look forward to your feedback!