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LISTEN: The NewDEAL Forum, a national group that leans center-left, held its annual summit in Atlanta and invited a few Democratic leaders to participate. Lawmakers' Donna Lowry reports in this week's Lawmakers Huddle.
Some Georgia legislative leaders are learning beyond the Capitol to enhance their effectiveness when the General Assembly reconvenes next year.
The NewDEAL Forum, a national group that leans center-left, held its annual summit in Atlanta and invited a few Democratic leaders to participate.
In this week’s Lawmakers Huddle, host Donna Lowry sat down with some legislators and the summit’s CEO to discuss insights into what they hope to accomplish to improve wins for Democrats.
TRANSCRIPT:
Donna Lowry: More than 50 policymakers from across the country attending the NewDEAL Forum Ideas Summit kick off the event at an Atlanta hotel with a video welcome from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens
Mayor Andre Dickens: Effective and ethical government is built on compromise. Whether you're from a big city or a small town, we all want better lives for ourselves and our children.
Donna Lowry: Next, remarks from Atlanta Democratic state Rep. Scott Holcomb.
Scott Holcomb: Georgia is a battleground state that will play a pivotal role in the direction of our country for years to come. NewDEAL leaders in Georgia have worked tirelessly to get us to this point, and we're not done yet.
Donna Lowry: Holcomb became a NewDEAL Forum leader in 2013.
That means the self-described “selective center-left” organization tapped Holcomb as a rising Democrat to join its nationwide network of state and local elected officials.
DEAL in the name stands for Developing Exceptional American Leaders.
NewDEAL Forum CEO, Debbie Cox Bultan:
Debbie Cox Bultan: We have spent the last 15 years going around and finding people who are exceptional in governing states and cities where they live. And so we invite them to join us, and then we try to support them. There's a lot of groups who are out there trying to elect the right people, not as many groups who're trying to support elected officials in their governing. And so, we bring them together, we share ideas, we do some leadership development.
Donna Lowry: Among the newly selected future leaders: House Minority Caucus chair, Rep. Tanya Miller of Atlanta
Rep. Tanya Miller: I am here because I am fortunate enough to be part of the NewDEAL leaders. You know, what I find most interesting, and I think Debbie touched on this, is there's a difference between campaigning and governing. And you know, in politics, we focus a lot on campaigning, but what happens when you win and it's time to govern? And the NewDEAL leaders offers an opportunity for us to be around like-minded policymakers who care about data, who care about facts, who cares about making government work for the people. It is not partisan, believe it or not; we don't, you know, shake our fists at the sky in anger. We get together and we really learn from each other. We try to figure out what works, what works to make people's lives better. We focus a lot on kitchen-table issues: the economy, jobs, health care, the environment, really important democracy, really important things that I think every leader should spend a significant amount of time thinking about and collaborating on.
Donna Lowry: House Minority Caucus Whip, Lawrenceville Rep. Sam Park ,is another Georgian now a NewDEAL Leader.
Sam Park: I'm honored to be a part of the NewDEAL family. I think this is a matter of really restoring and bringing things back to how government should be. It's about effective government, delivering for the people and addressing their everyday needs, from health care, economic security, housing. And if we do so, whether it's left or right — whether the idea comes from the left or the right, I should say — if it's the best solution to the problem, I think that's best to build trust with the people and to continue that virtuous cycle of earning their trust, delivering results, and continuing to ensure that the people are getting what they deserve, which is good public policy that improves their quality of life. And that’s what NewDEAL is all about.
Donna Lowry: Rep. Park believes Georgians care about health care, housing and economic security. He says the two-day summit allows for a cross-pollination of ideas in those areas. The group hopes that pollination grows into wins for Democrats.
For Lawmakers Huddle, I’m Donna Lowry.
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