In 1971, corporate attorney Lewis Powell wrote a memo for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that laid out a blueprint for building long-term political and ideological dominance by the right. Over the next 50 years, this blueprint evolved into a powerful, well-funded conservative infrastructure that has shaped media, courts, academia, public policy, and elections. Its latest manifestation-- Project 2025-- represents an alarming escalation: openly proposing martial law, the suspension of the Constitution, and the violent repression of dissent.
The progressive movement has no equivalent infrastructure. While there are excellent think tanks, advocacy groups, and grassroots organizations, they are fragmented, under-resourced, and often short-term in their focus. Meanwhile, right-wing forces work with billion-dollar budgets and multi-decade strategies. The left is effectively fighting with bows and arrows while the right uses nuclear drones.
Over two decades ago, I called for the creation of a Progressive Policy Development and Promotion Infrastructure and Ecosystem (PDPIE)-- a long-term, collaborative effort to counter the Powell strategy.
When I wrote about this need 20 and 21 years ago (here, here, Chaunce?? ? ? €™s Garden, more recent articles) I hoped, when it was created, that the Center for American Progress would lead the way, but it turned out to be centrist, corporatist, and disconnected from transformative goals. True progressive values-- universal healthcare, worker ownership, economic justice-- still lack a unified home infrastructure.
There are dozens of promising organizations today-- from the Roosevelt Institute and People's Policy Project to the Sunrise Movement and Social Security Works. Yet they have never come together to form a comprehensive PDPIE. What we need is coordination, not duplication. What we lack is shared vision, infrastructure, and storytelling capacity to reframe public discourse and shift the political imagination.
This effort must be independent from the Democratic Party and billionaire influence. It must be funded through grassroots donations and alliances with funders who respect democratic and justice integrity. Nearly $470 million was raised in small donations for Kamala Harris's presidential run-- this shows what's possible.
Our short-term goal is to produce a Progressive "Powell Memo"-- a foundational document to guide long-term planning. Our initiative, tentatively called the Arc of Justice Alliance, is assembling advisors, media allies, movement leaders, and scholars to help shape this strategy. We aim to develop a 50-year plan with concrete 10-, 20-, and 30-year benchmarks.
This work will focus on:
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Shared long-term goals
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New communications infrastructure
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Bottom-up democratic participation
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Strategic unification of existing orgs
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Cultural storytelling and narrative framing
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Credible public endorsements and thought leadership
We've already begun recruiting respected thinkers and movement leaders to join us. We believe in the bandwagon effect: strong names attract stronger allies. With nearly 20 key participants already on board, we're building momentum toward a national launch.
We invite you to help. Are you a leader, strategist, artist, or visionary? Do you know someone who should be involved? The future of democracy depends on what we build together-- before it's too late.
Let's create the infrastructure our values deserve.
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