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Our Approach to Polarization and Gridlock

Joe Goldman

February 1, 2013

I thought it would be useful to dedicate a few early posts on our new blog to explaining a bit more about our priorities and the organizations in which we have invested. With this post, I’ll start by talking about our grantees working to encourage greater bipartisan problem solving. Future posts will discuss informed participation and creating a more responsive political system. There is no shortage of data supporting the observation that our system has become more polarized and less productive in recent years. While it used to be the case that there were dozens of Congressmen who ideologically fell between the most liberal Republican and the most conservative Democrat, that number has essentially fallen to zero. Certainly, it is no coincidence that our most recent Congress produced the fewest laws in modern history.

While polarization is not necessarily a bad thing (it clarifies choices and motivates participation), the checks and balances of the American political system require our two parties to work together in order for our system to function. Standard and Poors’ explanation for why it downgraded our nation’s credit rating provides a good example for what happens when the ability of Members of Congress to reach principled agreements breaks down. The polarized state of our political system is the result of major political trends that have emerged over several decades, like the regional realignment of southern conservatives to the Republican party and the increased competitiveness for control of Congress since 1994 that has resulted in a permanent campaign environment. At the Democracy Fund, we our under no illusion that there is an easy fix to the situation, but we believe that the current status quo is untenable. To that end, we have been inspired by the work of many organizations trying to make the system work better. Five organizations in particular have received initial grants from the Democracy Fund in order to work on this issue.

The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Democracy Program has marshaled its considerable research and convening capacity to analyze procedural and electoral reforms that have the potential to make a modest difference and reshape political incentives. For example, BPC is currently evaluating reforms that have been enacted by states to improve their redistricting processes and primary elections. They have also produced recommendations about how Congressional rules should change to make the institution work better.
The National Institute for Civil Discourse is a new institution created after Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot in Tucson in 2011. While no one believes that simply being polite will solve our problems (or that such a goal is even desirable), the basic ability to have conversations about important challenges is a prerequisite to governing in a system like ours. When each side sees the other as the enemy or control by the other side as illegitimate, then the ability to solve problems becomes impossible. NICD and its high profile national board have launched several initiatives to work with members of Congress, state legislatures, media leaders, and others to foster greater trust, civility, and collaboration in our political system.
The Democracy Fund has also supported the Faith & Politics Institute in convening an ideologically diverse group of high profile faith leaders in order to explore the role that they may play in improving the state of our political discourse. Faith leaders hold a unique moral authority in our society and represent millions of Americans. We have been impressed by the genuine and sincere concern that these leaders have brought to the conversation and their personal commitments to contribute to making things better. The group is currently developing a plan for how faith leaders can make an impact over the long-term.
All too often, Americans live in echo chambers in which their assumptions about the world are reaffirmed by the media that they consume. The New America Foundation is working with Professor Talia Stroud at the University of Texas to conduct a series of experiments that seek to understand how media can better expose their readers to other points of view. New America is also supporting research to understand how media can more effectively correct misperceptions and deceptions in ways that overcome cognitive barriers.
Finally, Bloggingheads.tv has launched a unique program, called The Good Fight, which exposes the readers of ideological media sites to civil discussions between pairs of leading thinkers from both sides of the aisle. We’re eager to learn from this program about the degree to which exposure to thoughtful, civil dialogue can impact viewers when they know and trust at least one of the people participating in the dialogue. For example, this dialogue between Brad Smith and Heather Gerken on campaign finance reform shows that advocates from the Left and Right can find some areas of common ground on a highly polarized topic.

The Democracy Fund is still very much in learning mode on this issue and look forward to exploring different strategies for addressing it. While we do not believe there is any silver bullet for reducing hyper-partisanship, we are committed to finding ways that we can make a positive contribution to shifting the political incentives that are driving today’s political behavior. We hope you’ll join us in this important endeavors.

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Why I created the Democracy Fund

Pierre Omidyar

January 15, 2013

If anyone was surprised this summer when Gallup announced that only one in ten Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, it was only because they expected the number to be lower. While many honorable, talented men and women represent us in Washington, it is hard to find anyone who feels proud about how our political system is working today.

With good reason, Americans fear that our voices are not being heard in the halls of Congress above the din of big donors and lobbyists. We watch with dismay as our governing institutions have ground to a halt, unable to agree to a budget for the federal government or to pass legislation necessary to meet our greatest challenges. And who can blame Americans for being turned off by a political discourse that is so dominated by the demonization of opponents and deceptive political rhetoric?

When I founded eBay many critics did not believe that “strangers” would buy and sell from other “strangers” over the web. I believed then (as I do now) that the critics were wrong – that people are basically good and would generally operate with trust and goodwill if given the chance. Seventeen years later, eBay still thrives as a community forged by trust and open, transparent communication.

I have seen firsthand technology’s incredible ability to break down barriers and empower individuals to improve the world around them. Technological innovations offer us a powerful tool to overcome many vexing problems. But technology is often not enough. I have also witnessed the vital role that a healthy political system can play in harnessing the energy of the public and building the political will necessary to achieve our greatest goals as a society. While technological innovation and private enterprise are essential ingredients to unleashing the ability of individuals to create change, I believe they must be complemented by good governance and ethical leadership to be truly effective.

Over the last decade, a significant portion of my philanthropy has focused on leveraging technology in ways that can increase the transparency and effectiveness of our government. Omidyar Network grantees like the Sunlight Foundation and Code for America have transformed how we think about the openness of government and the ability of citizens to both hold government accountable and contribute to its ability to solve problems. More recently, I have experimented with new models for how the media can more effectively inform and involve the public through the creation of Honolulu Civil Beat in my home state of Hawaii.

The Democracy Fund will build upon this ongoing work as a new and distinct initiative. The fund will support social entrepreneurs and others working to directly address the conditions that threaten the ability of our government to represent the public’s highest interests, to retain the public’s trust, and to meet the many great challenges that we face. While technology and innovation will remain important to its approach, the initiative will also apply other strategies, like advocacy and policy reform, as well as facilitating communication and collaboration across differences to solve problems.

Specifically, the Democracy Fund is driven by three core beliefs:

First, we believe that our democracy must put the public first in the governance process. We will support efforts to strengthen the public’s voice so that leaders respond to their constituents over large donors and special interests.

Second, we believe that a healthy political system requires a better informed and more active electorate. We will support efforts to equip Americans with tools that allow their voices to be heard and gain easier and better access to the information they need to become engaged and hold our legislators accountable.

Finally, we believe that our government must have the capacity to solve problems constructively if it is to retain the trust of the public. We will support those working to increase dialogue across partisan divides and increase the ability of our system to function through procedural and electoral reforms.

The Democracy Fund will prioritize bipartisan approaches that reflect these principles because we believe sustainable solutions to our problems are only possible with the support of people from all sides.

I am under no illusion that there was a “golden age” in which our politics were pure and unfolded as they have been described in classroom textbooks. Indeed, American democracy is – and always has been – imperfect. We have vigorously (and sometimes violently) disagreed with each other. We have seen egregious corruption and incivility in our campaigns and our governance. And all too frequently, prejudice and fear mongering have produced leaders and policies of which we are now ashamed.

But despite our many limitations, the American republic has often worked quite well. Over time, we have become increasingly more representative, tolerant, and inclusive. Our leaders have risen above their differences to overcome historic challenges. And millions of Americans have rolled up their sleeves to contribute to a robust and dynamic civic experiment that has been the envy of the world.

As a first generation American who came to this country when I was still young, I continue to be inspired by the founding vision of the American republic and believe that through innovation, dialogue, and bipartisan reform we can take steps that will help us realize that vision.

Together, I believe that we can bring our country closer to Abraham Lincoln’s ideal of a government that is truly of, by, and for the people. It is my hope that the Democracy Fund can make significant contributions to reaching this goal.