Silicon Valley progressives, a major labor union and a centrist Democratic organization have joined forces to fund a startup think tank that focuses on politics, not policy. The New Politics Institute (NPI), unlike conventional think tanks that churn out white papers and policy briefs, will work to counter "[White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl] Rove and [RNC Chairman Ken] Mehlman on the other side," said Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN, formerly the New Democrat Network but now known just by its initials. NPI will be funded by venture capitalist Andy Rappaport and his wife, Deborah, as well as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), to the tune of $1.5 million to $2 million annually, and will be under the umbrella of NDN. The union will provide "considerable resources," NDN spokesman Guillermo Meneses said.With offices in both Washington and the San Francisco Bay area of California, the think tank will rely on a network of fellows to manufacture and disseminate its political products. Part of NPI will be incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(4) and other elements will be free to engage in campaign activity as a 527, Rosenberg said in a conference call with reporters.
In addition to its support from SEIU and the Rappaports, NPI has enlisted the help of Markos Moulitsas Zuniga of the popular liberal blog dailykos.com, as well as Trippi, to find innovative ways to deliver their ideas in a changing media landscape. Pollsters Sergio Bendixen and Mark Penn, SEIU official Gina Glantz and Theo Yedinsky, formerly of the Kerry campaign and currently with NDN, will all play a role in the new startup.
Zuniga was dismissive of the existing progressive thinks tanks' capacity to change the debate or influence elections in the Democrats' favor. "Policy think tanks are pretty useless," he said, without naming any in particular. "All the great policy white papers aren't going to do any good," he added. NPI will be focused on "building a Democratic Party that is focused on winning." In a minor disagreement with Zuniga, Rosenberg said that NPI would work in concert with groups like the Public Policy Institute and other progressive think tanks, insisting that that such like-minded organizations would draw on their separate expertise to develop and deliver progressive ideology. Rosenberg said NPI would focus on three specific themes: the ascendancy of the conservative movement, demographic trends and the demise of the traditional broadcast media.