Third Way Foundation

From Pacific Foundation Wiki

Grantee: Third Way Institute Amount of Grant: $25,000 Date of Grant: January 28, 2008 Grant Purpose: General Operations

Third Way was able to use the grant proceeds in conjunction with other funding sources to strengthen the organization’s operations over the past nine months and advance a 21st century progressive agenda.

While progressives dominated much of the 20th century, the governing majority we used to advance our agenda was dependent upon the support of a solid bloc of Southern segregationists in Congress and statehouses. That coalition thankfully has disappeared, and if progressives are going to create a new and sustainable majority both in Washington and in states, our policy ideas must be designed to address the dramatically changed economic, security and cultural circumstances of a new century. These ideas must win public support far beyond the 21% of the population that self-identifies as liberal/progressive. The fight to advance a progressive policy agenda comes down to winning over the large number of people holding beliefs that make up the more practical and less ideological center of the country.

That means the central task for this generation of progressives is to hold true to our core principles while finding modern policy approaches and communication strategies that ensure that our ideas resonate deeply with the 45% of the nation that self-identifies as moderate (including registered Independent voters, 59% of whom define their political views as moderate). Given this historic and daunting challenge, Third Way works to significantly expand the base of public support for progressive ideas and values.

Working toward that end, since the beginning of the year, Third Way has released and circulated the following policy and message products, focusing on three areas:

Economic Issues affecting the Middle Class Purpose: To design and advance a 21st century economic agenda that speaks deeply to middle class Americans and helps them succeed in a globalizing economy.

• Report: Shaken, Not Stirred – Findings from recent focus groups on Americans and the Economy
• Memo: Trade and the Middle Class – Recent Focus Group Findings
• Memo: Getting to Yes with the Middle Class – An American Success Agenda
• Memo: Tax Receipt – What You Paid For

Culture and Social Justice Issues Purpose: To design and advance a 21st century culture agenda that seeks common ground on divisive social issues and repositions progressives as advocates of mainstream American values.

• Memo: Handling the Culture Wars
• Memo: How to Talk About ENDA Support
• Memo: The DC Gun Ban Case – How to Talk About It
• Memo: Getting Ahead of the Crime Wave
• Report Summary: The Impending Crime Wave

National Security Issues Purpose: To design and advance a 21st century progressive security agenda that forcefully protects US interests and helps close the multi-decade security trust gap facing progressives.

• Memo: Winning on National Security – Results of New Public Opinion Research
• Memo: Foreign Leaders
• Memo: Taking the Fight to Our Enemies – A New Frame for the Iraq Debate
• Memo: The Blunted Spear III – The Iraq War and US War-Fighting Ability

All of these policy and messaging products can be viewed on the Third Way website, which can be found at www.thirdway.org. In addition to issuing the products described above, Third Way has also held numerous public briefings and meetings on these issues during the year, bringing significant media attention to the progressive point of view on these issues.