Just got this email from our friend Kenny Baer about the new issue of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas -
Today, the Spring issue of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas is available on our website, in bookstores, and in our subscribers' mailboxes - and it might be our most important issue yet.
The 2008 election offers America something we haven't had in a long time: the chance to begin not just a new presidency, but a new era of progressive reform. The collapse of conservative economic policies and neoconservative foreign policies gives us the opportunity to fundamentally reshape the landscape of the ideas debate in America. But this won't happen if we confine ourselves to criticizing the failures of President Bush, somehow pretending that what John McCain offers is simply a third Bush term, or offering the same old answers ourselves. In 2008, we have the chance to forge a 21st century progressivism - and chances like this don't come along very often.
That's why in this special issue of Democracy, we're offering 20 big ideas, each of which could be an important part of a new progressive agenda. A wide-ranging group of thinkers - including Lael Brainard, Larry Sabato, Michael McFaul, Robert Frank, and Jeanne Lambrew - answer the question "What's next?" Ideas like ending foreign aid as we know it, a cap-and-lease system to curb carbon emissions, a home guard, tradable water rights, after-school coupons, and community insurance aren't at the forefront of our national debate - but they, and the other ideas we're presenting, will be. Already before this issue was released, Jason Bordoff's piece on "Pay as You Drive" auto insurance was praised by the Washington Post's Sebastian Mallaby as the kind of idea the presidential candidates should be offering.
Also in this issue, Democracy continues our track record of tackling the looming challenges facing our nation. As the subprime mess engulfs Wall Street, Joshua Kurlantzick takes a look at the sovereign wealth funds that have been riding to the rescue - and offers a way to regulate them. And the Asia Society's Jamie Metzl examines the coming "arms race" in genetic engineering and how we can prevent it from destabilizing the world. Our usual complement of responses and reviews includes essays by current New York Times bestselling-author Susan Jacoby on progressives' misplaced faith in faith based initiatives, Michael Tomasky on Ron Paul conservatism, former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt on the future of the Internet, and Kenneth Baer on how to restore democracy to our presidential nominating process.
Finally, we want to note two important accomplishments. First, it is our honor to announce that Democracy was chosen as the Best New Publication by the Independent Press Awards from among the 700 new publications that debuted last year. For that, we thank you - our loyal readers. Second, this April marks the publication of Andrei Cherny's new book, The Candy Bombers: The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America's Finest Hour. The entire Democracy team welcomes this important contribution to America's postwar history and the ongoing debate of how the United States can use its soft power to win over its enemies and build a democracy where many thought it could not survive. To read the new issue, visit us at www.DemocrayJournal.org, subscribe to our print edition, or ask for us at your local bookstore.
You can find all this wonderful stuff here. Enjoy, and congrats to my friends Kenny and Andrei for their great work in launching this excellent new journal.
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