Demos (U.S. think tank)

Demos
Formation	2000; 21 years ago
Founder	Charles Halpern, David Callahan, Stephen Heintz
Type	Think tank
Headquarters	New York City, New York, United States
President	Taifa Smith Butler
Revenue	$14,672,624 (2018)
Website	demos.org

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Demos is a liberal think tank based in the United States.^[2] Founded in 2000, Demos' stated mission is to "power the movement for a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy."^[3] The organization's president is Taifa Smith Butler, formerly of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.^[4]

History[]

Founding[]

Demos was conceptualized in the late 1990s by Charles Halpern, President of the Nathan Cummings Foundation (1989–2000). Halpern wanted to create a counter-force to the growing influence of the many right-wing think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and establish a multi-issue organization that would focus on progressive policy development and advocacy. David Callahan, a Fellow at the Century Foundation, and Stephen B. Heintz, Vice-President of the EastWest Institute, joined Halpern in helping to found Demos.

Founding board members included Arnie Miller, of Isaacson Miller, an executive search firm; David Skaggs, a Colorado Congressman; and future President Barack Obama, then an Illinois State Senator.

Heather McGhee lead the organization from 2014 to 2018

In March 2000, Demos opened its first office in New York with Stephen B. Heintz as President. In this first year, Demos' work focused on solving economic inequities and increasing civic participation by developing a more inclusive democracy. These two areas continue to be a large part of Demos' core work. In 2001, Heintz stepped down and was replaced by Miles S. Rapoport, Connecticut legislator (1985–94) and Secretary of State (1995–98).

In March 2014, Rapoport left Demos to become the President of Common Cause, a watchdog group.^[5] Heather McGhee, formerly the Vice President of Policy and Outreach at Demos, became the organization's president.^[6] McGhee is now a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos. In 2018, Demos named Sabeel Rahman as the new president.

In 2016 Demos fired blogger Matt Bruenig after he called the Center for American Progress's president Neera Tanden a scumbag.^[7]^[8]

Issues[]

Voting rights[]

Demos was part of a settlement in a lawsuit, filed in 2005, alleging Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Governor Bob Taft, and their predecessors failed to protect the fundamental rights of eligible Ohio voters to cast a meaningful ballot, as required by the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.^[9] The settlement was binding and required the state to provide for uniformity and consistency in Ohio election procedures so that the opportunity to vote can be enjoyed equally by all Ohio citizens.^[9]

"Economic justice"[]

Demos advocates for what it refers to as "economic justice", which entails an equitable distribution of economic power to the benefit of the common worker.^[10]

References[]

^ "Demos FY2018 Form 990" (PDF). Retrieved 2 August 2019.
^
E.g.,
- Douglas-Gabriel, Danielle (December 31, 2017). "A new way emerges to cover college tuition. But is it a better way?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-07-19. 'If you're making a bet on students by their major, there's a chance of reinforcing existing inequalities,' said Mark Huelsman, a policy analyst at Demos, a liberal think tank.
- Nirappil, Fenit (June 24, 2016). "District campaign donors are disproportionately white, wealthy and male, report says". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-07-19. D.C. politicians are funded by donors who are whiter and wealthier than the constituents they serve, an analysis by the liberal think tank Demos found.
- Edsal, Thomas (April 27, 2016). "How the Other Fifth Lives". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-07-19. The accompanying chart, which shows voting patterns by income in the 2012 and 2014 elections, illustrates this phenomenon (it was created by Sean McElwee, a policy analyst at Demos, a liberal think tank).
^ "About Demos - Demos". www.demos.org.
^ "Let Me Introduce Myself". Demos. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
^ "Former Connecticut Secretary of the State Miles Rapoport to lead Common Cause". 14 January 2014.
^ Dick, Jason (28 January 2014). "Meet the New Boss at Demos - Downtown Moves". Roll Call.
^ "Progressive blogger fired for calling Hillary Clinton ally a 'scumbag'".
^ matt, yglesias. "Bruenighazi: how a feisty Bernie blogger's firing explains Democratic politics in 2016". VOX. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Rosenfeld, David (November 8, 2011). "Righting the Voting Income Gap". Pacific Standard. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
^ "Economic Justice". Demos. Retrieved 2021-08-28.

External links[]

Official website

[1] "Demos FY2018 Form 990" (PDF). Retrieved 2 August 2019.

[2] E.g.,
Douglas-Gabriel, Danielle (December 31, 2017). "A new way emerges to cover college tuition. But is it a better way?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-07-19. 'If you're making a bet on students by their major, there's a chance of reinforcing existing inequalities,' said Mark Huelsman, a policy analyst at Demos, a liberal think tank.

Nirappil, Fenit (June 24, 2016). "District campaign donors are disproportionately white, wealthy and male, report says". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-07-19. D.C. politicians are funded by donors who are whiter and wealthier than the constituents they serve, an analysis by the liberal think tank Demos found.

Edsal, Thomas (April 27, 2016). "How the Other Fifth Lives". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-07-19. The accompanying chart, which shows voting patterns by income in the 2012 and 2014 elections, illustrates this phenomenon (it was created by Sean McElwee, a policy analyst at Demos, a liberal think tank).

[3] Douglas-Gabriel, Danielle (December 31, 2017). "A new way emerges to cover college tuition. But is it a better way?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-07-19. 'If you're making a bet on students by their major, there's a chance of reinforcing existing inequalities,' said Mark Huelsman, a policy analyst at Demos, a liberal think tank.

[4] Nirappil, Fenit (June 24, 2016). "District campaign donors are disproportionately white, wealthy and male, report says". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-07-19. D.C. politicians are funded by donors who are whiter and wealthier than the constituents they serve, an analysis by the liberal think tank Demos found.

[5] Edsal, Thomas (April 27, 2016). "How the Other Fifth Lives". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-07-19. The accompanying chart, which shows voting patterns by income in the 2012 and 2014 elections, illustrates this phenomenon (it was created by Sean McElwee, a policy analyst at Demos, a liberal think tank).

[3] "About Demos - Demos". www.demos.org.

[4] "Let Me Introduce Myself". Demos. Retrieved 2021-08-28.

[5] "Former Connecticut Secretary of the State Miles Rapoport to lead Common Cause". 14 January 2014.

[6] Dick, Jason (28 January 2014). "Meet the New Boss at Demos - Downtown Moves". Roll Call.

[7] "Progressive blogger fired for calling Hillary Clinton ally a 'scumbag'".

[8] tt, yglesias. "Bruenighazi: how a feisty Bernie blogger's firing explains Democratic politics in 2016". VOX. Retrieved 1 December 2020.

[drosenfeld-9] Jump up to: ^a ^b Rosenfeld, David (November 8, 2011). "Righting the Voting Income Gap". Pacific Standard. Retrieved July 5, 2016.

[10] "Economic Justice". Demos. Retrieved 2021-08-28.

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