Government Works Weekly #11

Jobs, Events, and the Roosevelt / Biden / Harris Legacy

Welcome to your weekly roundup of opportunities, events, and information about how government works—and how government can work better—to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities. 

APPLY YOURSELF – jobs, internships, and other ways to get involved

• [NEW] Communications Program Officer, Open Government Partnership [preferably Brussels or Washington D.C.]

• [NEW] Program Coordinator, Member Services, Open Government Partnership [Brussels]

• [NEW] Manager/Facilitator, Public Service Leadership Institute, Partnership for Public Service [Washington, D.C.]

• [NEW] Senior Director, Finance and Operations, Centre for Public Impact [Remote / USA / deadline 5 Aug.]

• [NEW] Senior Vice President, External Affairs, Common Cause [Washington, D.C. / Hybrid]

• [NEW] Freelance Senior Associate, Media Relations, Involve [UK / Remote / deadline 31 July / STC until 31 Oct.]

• [NEW] Digital Democracy Research Officer, Democracy Reporting International [Berlin / deadline 20 Aug.]

• [NEW] Democracy Officer (Senior Media Advisor), Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance, USAID [Washington, D.C. / deadline 5 Aug.]

• [NEW] Associate Director, Council of Councils, Council on Foreign Relations [Washington, D.C. / projects related to international institutions and global governance]

• [NEW] Chief Counsel (and more), League of Women Voters [Washington, D.C.]

• President & Chief Executive Officer, Partners In Democracy [Massachusetts / deadline 1 Aug.]

• Consultants for Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) Researcher Pool, Open Government Partnership [Various / deadline 31 July]

• Director, Global Programmes (and more), International IDEA [Sweden / Belgium / deadline 31 July]

• Congressional Innovation Fellowship, TechCongress [deadline 5 Aug.]

• Inclusive Democracy Manager (and more), Virginia Civic Engagement Table [Virginia or D.C.-based / Remote / deadline 18 Aug.]

• Director, State and Local Government Affairs (and more), Center for American Progress [Hybrid / Washington, D.C.]

• Associate, Programs, Partnership for Public Service [Washington, D.C.]  

• Research and Operations Assistant, Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress [Washington, D.C.]

• Director of “Free Them All: The Fred Hiatt Program To Free Political Prisoners” (and more), Freedom House [Hybrid / Washington, D.C.]

• Policy and Research Analyst (and more), New York City Office of Technology & Innovation [NYC]

• Deputy Director, Strategy & Design (and more), Democracy International [Bethesda, MD]

• Global Digital Democracy Advisor (and more), International Foundation for Electoral Systems [Arlington, VA]

• Counsel, Democracy Program (and more), Brennan Center for Justice [Washington, D.C.]

• EGAP New Member Application 2024, Evidence in Governance and Politics [deadline 30 Sep.]

• Senior Associate, Research & Policy, Managing Fiscal Risks (and more), Pew Charitable Trusts [Washington, D.C.]

• Director of Democratic Institutions (and more), Roosevelt Institute [Remote]

• Research Data Analyst (and a bunch of Civic Designer roles), Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation [Hybrid]

• Vice President for State Network Strategy (and more), Center on Budget and Policy Priorities [Hybrid / Washington, D.C.]

• Director of Curriculum and Design, Public Service Leadership Institute, Partnership for Public Service [Washington, D.C.] 

• Associate Director, Special Projects, Elections & Voting (and more), Democracy Fund [Hybrid / Washington, D.C.] 

• Senior Program Associate, Democracy Program (and more), The Carter Center [Hybrid / Atlanta] 

• Program Analyst, Democracy, Rights, and Governance Initiative, Packard Foundation [Berkeley, California]

UPCOMING EVENTS – webinars, conferences, and other human things

• 30 JULY: Human Learning Systems - Introductory Webinar [Centre for Public Impact]

• 30 JULY: Nonpartisan Voter Engagement “How To” for Nonprofits [National Council of Nonprofits and Nonprofit VOTE]

• 31 JULY: Statehouse Futures Summit [Run For Something Action Fund, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, and Democracy Policy Network]

• 31 JULY: Unlocking Artificial Intelligence’s Possibilities in Federal Government [GovExec, HP and Intel]

• 31 JULY: The changing landscape of economic opportunity by race and class in America: New data and policy implications [Brookings]

EYES & EARS – reading, podcasts, and other good stuff

Going forward, I aspire for this section to be more than U.S. politics, I swear. I want to have a global perspective; focus on the mid- and long-term, not just “news”; highlight policy over politics, etc. But man, as a former D.C. denizen now living abroad, I have a tremendous sense of FOMO right now. It’s been an interesting few weeks! 

[Becoming Unburdened] Freedom Isn’t Free (Kamala’s Version)

I am looking forward to seeing how Vice President Harris and her future running mate continue to introduce their vision to the American people. One thing I and others have noticed¹ is her rhetorical focus on “Freedom”, which has long been a space contested and even owned by the Right. I think that is smart, and I am glad to see it. 

Source: Elizabeth Wagmeister, Exclusive: Beyoncé gives Kamala Harris permission to use her song ‘Freedom’ for her presidential campaign, CNN, 22 July 2024.

While her walk on song is now famously Beyonce’s “Freedom,” her message is focused on this idea too. From her first meeting with staffers² at her campaign headquarters:

Our fight for the future is also a fight for freedom.  Generations of Americans before us have led the fight for freedom, from our founders to our framers, to the abolitionists and the suffragettes, to the Freedom Riders and farmworkers. 

And now I say, team, the baton is in our hands. 

From her campaign kickoff speech³ in Wisconsin:

Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate?

And from her first campaign ad:⁴ 

We choose freedom. The freedom not just to get by, but to get ahead. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to make decisions about your own body.

As the veepstakes are heating up, this focus reminded me of another campaigner from the 2020 Democratic primary that might make a good addition to the VP’s ticket. 

Can you guess who said the following? (see footnotes for answer)⁵

The principles that will guide my campaign are simple enough to fit on a bumper sticker: freedom, security, and democracy.

First comes freedom: something that our conservative friends have come to think of as their own… let me tell you freedom doesn't belong to one political party.

Freedom has been Democratic bedrock ever since the New Deal. Freedom from want, freedom from fear.

Our conservative friends care about freedom, but only make it part of the journey. They only see "freedom from."

Freedom from taxes, freedom from regulation…as though government were the only thing that can make you unfree.

But that's not true. Your neighbor can make you unfree. Your cable company can make you unfree. There's a lot more to your freedom than the size of your government.

[Progressive Vision] Roosevelt Institute on “The Good Life” 

Speaking of rhetoric and vision, yesterday (24 July 2024) the Roosevelt Institute hosted a gangbuster presentation on “Envisioning the Good Life: The Need for a Progressive Vision.” Without exaggeration, this is one of the more hopeful political conversations I have seen in a long time. 

You can see the event recording here, and what follows is a description from the event announcement: 

Earlier this year, the Roosevelt Institute published The Cultural Contradictions of Neoliberalism: The Longing for an Alternative Order and the Future of Multiracial Democracy in an Age of Authoritarianism. Its authors argue that neoliberalism has created a culture of isolation, shame, and despair. As appetite for an alternative moral order has grown, the political Right has been savvy in its ability to leverage mass culture to manufacture consent for and advance its vision of what society should look like. The political Left, on the other hand, has struggled to articulate a clear vision of the good life, focusing more narrowly on the nuances of policy design and implementation. The authors call on progressives to ground their politics and policy decisions in a bold vision of what it means to live well.

In June, the Roosevelt Institute, in collaboration with The American Prospect, published a follow-up essay collection that seeks to begin that conversation—what is the progressive vision of what it means to live a good life? In their essays, contributors from a range of backgrounds answer and raise some important questions and considerations: What are some of the essential elements of a progressive vision of the good life? What role do culture, policy, and politics play in realizing that vision? How can we break free from the neoliberal conception of what society should look like? And what action is needed to better not just our material conditions, but our inner worlds, too?

[In Remembrance] How Biden Muscled the Economy and Government Into Better Shape

Speaking of the Roosevelt Institute, I was moved by the recent post from Felicia Wong, Roosevelt’s President and CEO, on Biden’s strong economic legacy⁶ and use of “muscular government power.” The following quote is truncated, so do read the whole thing:

On the heels of President Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race this past weekend, it’s a good time to reflect on how those wins have actualized a once-in-a-generation economic paradigm change—reclaiming the importance of governance, and marshaling the power and investments of government to shape markets in service of American workers and families. We know now what we didn’t know before: that markets aren’t an end in themselves, and that economic power tends to concentrate if left unchecked. This is why we need more muscular government power.

[...]

From combating the pandemic and climate crisis to bolstering domestic supply chains, the Biden administration has deployed long-neglected government tools to address some of today’s biggest challenges and opportunities. 

[...]

…the progressive policies enacted throughout the Biden administration have ensured that more people have better jobs and have shown what government is capable of. These achievements represent the work of countless progressive thinkers and advocates, pushing an administration that knew that market supremacy couldn’t deliver what it promised.

Source: Felicia Wong, “The Economic Legacy of the Biden Years, and the Path Forward,” Roosevelt Institute blog, 24 July 2024. 

1. Kamala Harris on Freedom: It's not just a Beyoncé song — it's about reclaiming an American ideal [The Ink, 25 July 2024]

Harris' 2024 message: We're the party of "freedom" [Axios, 25 July 2024]

Harris Rallies Exuberant Democrats in Wisconsin: ‘The Baton Is in Our Hands’ [New York Times, 23 July 2024]

Harris Casts Trump as ‘Focused on the Past’ in Energetic Campaign Debut [WSJ, 23 July 2024]

2. Transcript: Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Wilmington, DE [The White House, 22 July 2024]

Video: Vice President Harris Speaks to Campaign Staffers in Wilmington, Delaware [C-SPAN, 22 July 2024]

3. Transcript: Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Political Event [The White House, 23 July 2024]

Video: Vice President Harris Campaigns in Milwaukee [C-SPAN, 23 July 2024]

4. Kamala Harris Launches Her Campaign for President [YouTube, 25 July 2024]

5. Transcript: Remarks Announcing Candidacy for President in South Bend, Indiana [The American Presidency Project, 14 April 2019] 

Video: Pete Buttigieg's Official Campaign Announcement Rally [C-SPAN, 14 April 2019]

6. Adam Tooze, who it is fair to say has been a bit of a sharper critic of Biden in some respects than the Roosevelt Institute, comes to a similar conclusion about Biden’s economic legacy in the most recent episode of his podcast with Cameron Abadi [“Biden’s Economic Legacy,” Ones and Tooze, 26 July 2024]. Also, it looks like they are doing a live taping of this podcast in D.C. in September… wish I could be there!