I’m energized by the continued dedication and impact we see across the Bridge Alliance, especially after a time of rest and reflection post-Thanksgiving. Our collective work is more vital than ever, and I’m excited to share some recent highlights and thoughts with you.

The ongoing discussions surrounding ethics in Congress have been punctuated by the expulsion of George Santos, bringing the importance of integrity in public office into focus. This situation serves as a reminder of the vital need for ethical leadership and accountability in governance.

In contrast, the legacy of Sandra Day O’Connor offers us inspiration. Her belief in coalition building among diverse perspectives on the bench echoes our values at the Bridge Alliance, but O’Connor’s contributions went far beyond her groundbreaking role on the Supreme Court. Her vision in founding iCivics also resonates deeply with our mission, highlighting the transformative power of civic education in fostering engaged and informed citizens. I also see the connection to our other goals: Well-informed and principled, are essential in holding our political systems and media accountable, paving the way for a hopeful future.

It’s a potent reminder that the collective work we’re doing to move this vision forward couldn’t be more important, or more critical. Your involvement and insights are crucial to our journey. Please feel free to share your thoughts or suggestions on these topics or any other areas you believe we should focus on.

Together, we are not just envisioning but actively constructing a more promising democratic landscape.

Featured Content

A More Perfect Union (Article) December 6th: Democracy as the Foundation that Grounds Us

AllSides (Blog) December 1st: News Companies' Botched AI Usage is Bad for Everyone

Business for America (Report) November 14th: Corporate Political Backlash

Divided We Fall (Article) November 29th: Is a Balanced Budget Amendment Realistic?

Essential Partners (Guide) November 15th: 8 Signs of Polarization in Your Context

iCivics (Blog) December 1st: Honoring the Life and Legacy of Our Founder

Interactivity Foundation (Article) November 30th: Just Imagine...Dishonoring Veterans

Independent Voter Project (IVN) November 30th: The Parties' Candidate Dilemma Is a Nightmare of Their Own Making

Issue One (Press Release) December 1st: Members of Congress have a responsibility to uphold the highest ethical standards

National Civic League (Article) December 1st: Using Democratic Innovation to Rebuild Trust between Elected Officials and Citizens 

RepresentUs (Article) November 29th: Santos and the Machine: Why Corruption Thrives in our Broken System

The Horizons Project (Newsletter): THE VISTA: November 2023

Podcasts

American Public Square (At the Square) November 28th: Special Episode: David Axelrod & Michael Steele

Ballotpedia (On the Ballot) December 6th: What's the RCV landscape look like across the country?

Common Ground Committee (Let’s Find Common Ground) November 21st: The Soul of Civility

DaviesContent (How Do We Fix It?) December 1st: Imaging a Better Future. How Doomers Prevent Progress: James Pethokoukis

The Democracy Group (Future Hindsight) December 4th: Best of 2023: Radical Acts of Justice

Citizen Connect Featured Events

Braver Angels (December 7th @ 7:00 pm EST) The Race to Control Reality; The Russian Narrative vs. Reality

R Street (December 11th @ 10:00 am EST) Reducing Regulatory Costs and Timelines for Power Plant Development 

Bipartisan Policy Center (December 11th @ 11:30 am EST) Medicare Reform: A Bipartisan Solution

American Promise (December 12th @ 5 pm EST) 2023 Speaker Series – Trevor Potter

Living Room Conversations (December 12th @ 7 pm MST) Trust in Elections Conversation

Featured Fulcrum Articles

Beau Breslin, December 6th: Sandra Day O'Connor's legacy has been dismantled

Rick LaRue, December 6th: Holiday reads: A handful of books offer to get the election year spirit

Cynthia Richie Terrell and Rob Ritchie, December 6th: Winning proportional representation: How the U.S. can follow New Zealand's lead

Laurette Laliberte, December 6th: Why I left the Republican Party after 20 years to vote independent

Jack Miller, December 1st: A crisis creates clarity for donors

Staff, November 28th: America’s political orphans

In The News

American Promise (Politico), December 4th: PACs connected to foreign companies spent nearly $20 million in last year’s elections

Ballotpedia (Axios) November 26th: Lawmakers are ditching Congress at a record pace

Election Reformers Network (Bridge MI), November 30th: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs Michigan election law overhaul that aims to prevent ‘chaos’

RepresentUs (Raw Story) November 27th: These 10 legislators have broken a federal disclosure law, just like George Santos

UVA Center for Politics (The Hill), December 1st: Liz Cheney warns US ‘sleepwalking into dictatorship’