Rewrite Goes North, Expanding Democratic Access, the Tax Debate, and More

1. Pointing the Way Forward

At the 2017 Progress Summit in Ottawa, Roosevelt President and CEO Felicia Wong spoke to Broadbent Institute Executive Director Rick Smith about the way forward for American progressives and the need for an economic message centered on rewriting the rules. Listen to their conversation on the Rabble podcast.

2. Students Push to Increase Democratic Access

On our blog, the members of Roosevelt @ Cornell explain why the New York Votes Act introduced by NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman would bring much-needed reforms to absentee voting, early voting, and voter registration, among other measures. Plus, Roosevelt @ Humboldt student Nick Thomas explores his 10 Ideas proposal for campaign donation vouchers.

3. A Shadow Banker at the Fed

Roosevelt Fellow Mike Konczal tells The Intercept’s David Dayen that Randal Quarles, the private equity banker and hedge fund ally whom Donald Trump is expected to nominate as the Federal Reserve’s vice chair for supervision, could move the ball backward on financial reform at a time when we need to go further.

4. The Trouble with Corporate Taxes

On Facebook Live, Roosevelt Program Manager Eric Harris Bernstein talks to Communications Manager Alexander Tucciarone about the motivations behind the Tax March, what to look out for in the coming tax debate, and why the GOP’s proposals will likely lead to more wealth concentration and less competition.

5. Punting on China

Roosevelt Fellow Todd Tucker writes that the Trump administration’s decision not to label China a currency manipulator, which the president had promised to do on the campaign trail, is only a byproduct of a decades-long breakdown in norms of cooperation that once encouraged nations to help their trading partners restore balance.

What We’re Reading:

In Dissent magazine, Julia Ott examines how the tax code’s preferential treatment of capital gains income gave rise to the 1 percent over the last century, and why eliminating it would help to deliver a stronger democracy.

Events:

Join us on Wednesday, April 26 at 7:30 a.m. for our next Big Ideas Breakfast, “Bridging the Divide: Tax Cuts & Taxpayers,” featuring Brookings fellow and author Vanessa Williamson, Roosevelt Senior Economist Marshall Steinbaum, and National Network Director Joelle Gamble. Click here to RSVP.