NDN Blog

On Friday afternoon at Netroots Nation '09, Simon Rosenberg and NDN Fellow Mike Hais hosted the panel "America's Millennial Makeover." You can watch the entire 60 minute session in the video clip below. The video opens with a five minute intro from Simon, followed by Mike's slides and expert analysis about the values, beliefs, culture and trends of the Millennial Generation. The video concludes with questions from an eager audience and a more general discussion of the politics of the Millennial Generation. If you have a few minutes, it's definitely worth checking out.

NDN is now accepting applications for the following positions:

Deputy Development Director
Location: Washington, DC

The Deputy Development Director will manage NDN’s institutional membership program and work as part of the Membership & Development team in raising NDN’s annual budget.  Specific responsibilities will include member servicing, renewals, prospecting and solicitation, as well as the management and scheduling of our DC-based member programming.  Applicants should have 3+ years of relevant development/fundraising experience (campaign fundraising, PAC management, or experience in member-based programs is highly valued), as well as competency in data management systems (such as NGP), strong interpersonal and organizational skills, and ability to work independently on assigned projects.  Applicants must be experienced and capable in dealing directly with donors/members and effective and comfortable in making direct solicitations.  The position reports to the VP of Membership & Development. Salary and benefits package commensurate with experience.

How to apply: To apply for the Deputy Development Director position at NDN, please send a resume and a cover letter indicating your availability to jobs@ndn.org.

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Events Coordinator - The Events Coordinator reports directly to the CEO and is responsible for working with the entire staff at NDN to execute all of the organization's events, as well as all department-specific events. Key areas of responsibility include:

• Managing all aspects of NDN events and meetings
• Designing and executing pre and post production of events
• Working with Communications Department to draft language and manage marketing campaign for all events
• Working with Development Department to design and execute development strategy for all events
• Working with Communications Department to run livecast and other technological aspects of NDN events

In addition to being friendly and outgoing, successful applicants will have 3+ years of relevant experience, great attention to detail, organizational skills and a positive attitude. Web experience is a plus. The position reports directly to the CEO. Salary commensurate with experience.

How to apply: To apply for the Events Coordinator position at NDN, please send a resume and a cover letter indicating your availability to jobs@ndn.org.

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As our nation and world mourn the loss of Senator Kennedy, I'd like to honor this true American hero's contribution to the fight for social justice issues. Many of today's articles discuss the late Senator's commitment to reforming health care, and rightly so. But we must not overlook the fact that the Lion of the Senate did not limit himself only to this cause. He dedicated his public service career to the fight against all moral and social injustices. Here is one example of his work to reform our broken immigration system--an issue that touches the very core of who we are as a nation.

In the speech that follows, Senator Kennedy reminds us that, as Americans, we are fundamentally a nation of immigrants:

We cannot turn our backs on our heritage as immigrants. Not today, not yesterday, not tomorrow. They are our past, they are our present, they are our future.

Plans for lunch on Thursday? Stop by NDN, either in person or online, this Thursday, August 27th and catch Simon's monthly presentation of "The Dawn of a New Politics." We'll start serving lunch around noon here in our offices located just a few blocks from the White House and go live with the presentation at 12:15 pm. But if you aren't in DC or can't pull yourself away from your desk, you can always watch the presentation live online. You can even submit questions and Simon will answer them in real time.

As always, these events are free and open to the public. But be sure to RSVP if you plan to come to NDN for the presentation. (No need to RSVP if you're going to watch online.)

See you on Thursday!

Check out these recent essays from Simon to preview some of his arguments in the Dawn of a New Politics:

Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century. July 24, 2009, Demos. An essay which ran as part of a leading British think tank's series of essays on the future of center-left politics.

Obama: No Realist He. June 16, 2009, Huffington Post. Simon offers some thoughts about Obama's global brand in the early days of the Iranian uprising.  The essay drew many comments in its more than 24 hours on the front page of Huffington Post.

Making the Case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Why We Need it This Year. April 30, 2009, Huffington Post. Simon lays out 7 reasons why Congress should tackle immigration reform this year, or early next.

The Long Road Back. November 18, 2008, NDN Blog. Following the Democratic Party's electoral victories in 2008, Simon wrote this piece to offer some thoughts about the disconnect between the modern GOP leadership and modern Americans.

On Obama, Race and the End of the Southern Strategy. January 4, 2008, NDN Blog. At the height of the 2008 primary season, Simon wrote this essay reflecting on the composition of the field of contendors for the Democratic Party's nomination and how meaningful nominating (then Senator) Obama would be for liberating America from the pernicious era of the Southern Strategy.

The 50 Year Strategy. November/December 2007, Mother Jones. Simon and Peter Leyden offer a landmark vision for how progressives can win and prosper for many years to come.

On August 27th at 12:15 pm, you're invited to have lunch at NDN while Simon Rosenberg presents his famous and enormously worthwhile presentation "The Dawn of a New Politics." If you plan to join us at NDN, please RSVP. If you can't have lunch at NDN, have lunch with NDN by tuning in at 12:15 for our live webcast.

Once a month over lunch you can see Simon's presentation "The Dawn of a New Politics," either in person here at NDN or live online. This engaging presentation makes a big argument about how politics is changing in America today, and offers ideas and strategies for how progressives can replicate our 20th century success in this new and dynamic century. Simon constantly updates his slides to include the latest in media, demography and politics.

Check out these recent essays from Simon to preview some of his arguments in the Dawn of a New Politics:

Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century, from Demos' Open Left Project
Obama: No Realist He, which held the front page of Huffington Post for over 24 hours
Making the Case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Why We Need it Now
The 50 Year Strategy, published in Mother Jones Magazine
On Obama, Race and the End of the Southern Strategy
The Long Road Back

Simon has delivered his presentation "Dawn of a New Politics" all across the country over the past several years: At the DNC in Denver, twice for the House Democratic Caucus, on the Google campus, and recently before members and staff of the DSCC and DAGA, among many other gatherings.

Following an energizing weekend in Pittsburgh at the annual Netroots Nation convention, the NDN Team is back in Washington, fired up and ready to go! In case you missed our tweets in real time, we'd like to take this opportunity to recap some highlights from the weekend:

• On Thursday afternoon, Simon spoke on a panel about the Right Wing Media's Hatred of President Obama. Joining Simon on the panel were Paco Fabian of America's Voice, Ari Rabin-Havit of Media Matters, and James Rucker of Color of Change. This panel was a great example of the power of the netroots to turn ideas into action: since the convention, groups like Color of Change and Media Matters have succeeded in getting over a dozen companies to pull their TV ads from Glenn Beck's program on Fox News.

• On Thursday night, Simon helped open the convention with an inspiring speech just before President Clinton addressed the over 1,300 attendees at the evening plenary. In his remarks, Simon reflected on the Clinton era, the ongoing fight against the Right, and the rise of the netroots in this new political age. This set the tone for President Clinton's speech, in which the President spoke about the importance of this moment for the future of the progressive movement and the ability of the netroots to organize and affect the conversation about crucial public policy issues in unique and unprecedented ways. This article from the WSJ discusses the President's speech and quotes Simon.

• Over lunch on Friday, NDN hosted a special sneak preview of 9500 Liberty, a powerful new documentary about the immigration battle in Prince William County, VA. Film makers Annabel Park and Eric Byler took questions from an eager audience after the screening. Those who caught the special screening of the film seemed as moved by it as we here at NDN were, as 9500 Liberty was truly the "tweet-talk" of the convention. Check out what these tweeters had to say about the film here. 

• Simon and the NDN team wrapped up our formal role in NN09 on Friday afternoon with a panel about the changing attitudes and values of America's new youth. Simon joined NDN Fellow Mike Hais for a panel discussion about America's Millennial Makeover. Simon and Mike received rave reviews during the Q&A for their smart analysis and predictions about the future of progressive politics given the values and priorities of the Millennial Generation. 

On behalf of the entire NDN Team, I'd like thank to the organizers and attendees of Netroots Nation for making the convention such a success. See y'all in Vegas for NN10!

NDN is heading to Pittsburgh for Netroots Nation 2009. We're excited to once again be a sponsor and participant at this important gathering of center-left politics. We're officially hosting three events (more on that below) but Simon and the staff will be around all weekend and we're eager to catch up with old friends, make new friends and take advantage of all NN09 has to offer.

For our old and new friends, here's where you're sure to find us this weekend:

Thursday, August 13th

4:30-5:45 PM, Room 303: The Root of the Right Wing Media's Hatred of President Obama
Simon will join Ari Rabin-Havt of Media Matters Action Network, Paco Fabian of America's Voice, and James Rucker of Color of Change for a discussion about the right wing media's slander of President Obama.

Friday, August 14th

12:15-1:30 PM, Room 406: Special Sneak Preview of 9500 Liberty
Join Simon and film makers Eric Blyer and Annabel Park for an exclusive sneak preview of the most politically sensitive and strategically instructive revelations in the upcoming documentary 9500 Liberty about immigration and electioneering. 

4:30-5:45 PM, Room 301/302: America's Millennial Makeover
Simon will join NDN Fellows and co-authors of the book Millenial Makeover Morley Winograd and Mike Hais for a timely discussion about the politics of the Millenial Generation, its implications for public policy and the future of the political parties. 

We can't wait to see you in Pittsburgh!

As this new age of Obama unfolds, Simon continues to update his argument and presentation The New Dawn to reflect the latest in domestic and global trends. You have a standing invitation to join Simon and NDN for the most up-to-date version of Dawn in person at NDN or live online during Simon's monthly lunchtime presentations.

Simon's July presentation will be this Thursday, July 23rd at noon. Click here to RSVP for the event (especially if you want a free sandwich!). If you can't make it to our offices, you can watch Simon and Dawn online here.The live webcast will start at 12:15 p.m.

If this month doesn't work out for you, pencil in Thursday, August 27th for the August presentation.

And remember: If you can't have lunch at NDN, you can always have lunch with NDN by tuning into our live webcast of the presention. Our high-tech event space makes it easy for you to watch, listen and interact with us. You can even submit questions for Simon online and he'll answer them live!

It's the remix: Simon will once again appear on Fox News' Your World With Cavuto this afternoon at 4 o'clock sharp to debate the impact of the stimulus package with host Neil Cavuto. Simon and Neil had a heated exchange about the stimulus shortly after President Obama took office. Simon has written some interesting stuff on the economy recently so Neil has asked him to come back for another round.

Check out the clip from last time below. But I'm warning you: watch at your own risk if you have a weakness for Sicilian pastry desserts...

Bet ya a box of cannolis this afternoon will be worth the watch!

In celebration of the Fourth, President Obama used his weekly address to speak about patriotism and the power of the American spirit. President Obama explained that throughout history, each generation of Americans has faced its own set of unique challenges. But just as each generation faced tough times, each generation found the strength to overcome them by believing that, in America, anything is possible. It is this sense of pride in America and in our fellow Americans that President Obama asks us to bring back as we confront our contemporary challenges.

Our list is long and continues to grow everyday:

We are facing an array of challenges on a scale unseen in our time. We are waging two wars. We are battling a deep recession. And our economy – and our nation itself – are endangered by festering problems we have kicked down the road for far too long: spiraling health care costs; inadequate schools; and a dependence on foreign oil.

The length and nature of this list explains the need to act now. We can't wait and we can't listen to the naysayers who defend the status quo. To those people, our ever-eloquent POTUS had this to say:

These naysayers have short memories. They forget that we, as a people, did not get here by standing pat in a time of change. We did not get here by doing what was easy. That is not how a cluster of 13 colonies became the United States of America.

On this distinctly American holiday, I hope you'll join me in doing what President Obama asked by celebrating not only the birth of our nation but also what it means to be an American.

You can read the full text of the transcript or check out the full video address below.