How to ensure the US remains a democratic country | Mike Berkowitz (2021)

Context and Motivation

• Mike Berkowitz leads Third Plateau (advisory for impact philanthropists) and the Democracy Funders Network (cross-ideological donor community), focusing on sustaining US liberal democracy for 50–100 years.
• His work emerged organically post-2016, driven by the realization that saving democracy requires coalitions across ideological lines rather than within them.
• Berkowitz identifies the primary threat as "illiberal democracy" or "soft authoritarianism" (e.g., erosion of rule of law, executive power consolidation) rather than 20th-century style totalitarianism.
• He notes over 250 bills introduced in 2023 across 43 states aimed at rolling back voting rights and restricting participation, which he views as a significant threat to free and fair elections.

Key Risks and Trends

• Norm Erosion: Many democratic safeguards (e.g., DOJ independence, election certification) function as customs/norms rather than hard laws, making them vulnerable when leaders feel no moral obligation to uphold them.
• Toxic Polarization: Political identity has become "stacked," where partisan differences are viewed as existential threats, replacing the goal of compromise with the goal of defeating the "other" tribe.
• Civil Society Decline: Local journalism has been decimated, removing a key accountability mechanism for elected officials and reducing community agency.
• Civic Disengagement: There is a dramatic decline in civic education and a perception of "voyeurism" in politics, where citizens feel disconnected from the federal bureaucracy they cannot influence.
• January 6th Reaction: While the event itself was concerning, the reaction was more alarming; a majority of the Republican Party remains in denialism, and elected officials often cower to a vocal, extremist minority rather than defending democratic norms.

Three Strategic Levers for Reform

• Political System Reform:
  • Voting Rights: Berkowitz advocates for automatic voter registration and expanded mail-in voting, noting that language like "mail-in" triggers opposition while "absentee voting" is popular.
  • Redistricting: Eliminating partisan gerrymandering in favor of independent commissions to reduce incentives for extreme partisanship.
  • Primary Systems: Moving away from low-turnout partisan primaries, which reward extremism; Alaska's "top-four" nonpartisan primary with ranked-choice voting is cited as a model that enabled Lisa Murkowski to support Trump's impeachment.
  • Reform Debate: While agnostic on the specific "best" method (e.g., ranked-choice vs. multi-party systems), he emphasizes testing reforms at the state/local level and avoiding reliance on ballot initiatives, which often have unintended negative consequences.
• Revitalizing Local Journalism:
  • Funding Gap: The commercial model for local news has collapsed; philanthropy must act as a major revenue driver for the foreseeable future.
  • Strategies: Support for nonprofit journalism models (e.g., American Journalism Project), membership models, and potential public funding at the state/local level to avoid federal propaganda risks.
  • Impact: Stronger local news provides accountability for local officials and fosters a sense of community agency, reducing reliance on polarized national narratives.
• Building Social Cohesion:
  • Contact Theory: Direct interaction between ideological opponents reduces stereotypes and builds understanding; this requires creating spaces for cross-cutting interaction.
  • In-Group Moderates: Efforts are needed to support "in-group moderates" who criticize the worst impulses of their own party, as their removal often precedes the rise of extremism (e.g., Rwanda example).
  • Local Action: Focusing on shared local concerns (e.g., infrastructure, community service) allows citizens to build new identities that supersede partisan divides.
  • Workplace Norms: Suggests workplaces could remain less political to allow for cross-ideological collaboration, contrasting with the current trend of corporate political staking.

Donor Strategy and Organizations

• Allocation Priority: Berkowitz recommends focusing resources at the state and local levels, where political reforms (voting rights, redistricting) can be implemented more effectively than nationally.
• Republican Engagement: A critical strategy is building support among Republican elites and legislators for voting rights, as the "democracy agenda" has historically been too closely wrapped in progressive ideology, alienating conservatives.
• Specific Organizations Recommended:
  • Protect Democracy: Uses litigation and advocacy to prevent authoritarian subversion of the executive branch.
  • Campaign Legal Center: Focuses on voting rights and campaign finance law.
  • Voting Rights Lab: Works specifically to build cross-partisan support for election integrity.
  • One America Movement & Over Zero: Focus on reducing political violence and building social cohesion through community projects.
  • More in Common: Researches the "exhausted majority" to inform strategies that move beyond the most extreme tribal identities.
  • American Journalism Project: Supports local journalism through venture philanthropy and model testing.
• Evaluation Metrics: Acknowledges that while voting outcomes are measurable, impact in social cohesion and advocacy is harder to track; funders should look for "progress in direction of travel" and momentum rather than short-term policy wins.

Forward-Looking Statements and Lessons

• Historical Parallels: Berkowitz warns against the "American Exceptionalism" that assumes stability; historical analogies (Weimar, Roman Republic) suggest democratic decay is a plausible risk if norms are abandoned.
• Long-Term Horizon: He emphasizes that recovering from authoritarian populism can take decades and that institutions do not fight for themselves; sustained, multi-decade effort is required.
• Political Transformation: The current era represents a fundamental shift in political alignments; the goal is not to make conservatives think like liberals but to create a cross-ideological commitment to democratic principles.
• Philanthropy's Role: The "civic miracle" of the 2020 election was the result of unprecedented private philanthropy funding election administration, a role that should ideally be state-funded in the future.
• Unmet Needs: Significant uncertainty remains regarding how to effectively combat disinformation and the influence of highly partisan broadcast media (e.g., Fox News, Newsmax) without violating free speech principles.