New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman

Since the 1970's, the American right has invested billions of dollars on promoting lower taxes for the wealthy, smaller government, and "market-oriented" solutions to every problem. Over three decades, conservatives have built a message infrastructure of think tanks and foundations that is completely unmatched by progressives, not just to develop conservative ideas, but to relentlessly promote them in the media, and directly to policy makers.

Clearly it has paid off. America has gone from the days when President Richard M. Nixon declared that "we are all Keynesians now," to today when House Majority Leader Tom DeLay says that "in the face of war, there's nothing more important than cutting taxes."

Click here to donate $50 or more to help DMI fight the right wing agenda and promote progressive policy.

As a progressive state legislator I am frequently dismayed by the incredible volume of memos, white papers, and sample legislation I receive from conservative policy think tanks -- and an almost deafening silence from the progressive side.

In New York State, we have made critical gains politically in recent years, reducing the once-ironclad Republican majority in the State Senate to only four seats. But to beat the conservatives in the war of ideas -- both here and around the country -- progressives must fight on both the political and policy fronts. And on the policy front, we simply don't have the ammunition we need. That's why the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is so critically important. They present innovative ideas in an accessible and useful way, framed through the progressive lens of what best serves the interests of the middle class.

If you'd like to help DMI turn the tide against the neoconservative ideology which has dominated American politics since 2001, please click here to donate $50 or more.

With hard-hitting publications like the DMI Injustice Index, the Institute offers progressive alternatives that put the prosperity and growth of the middle class first. The Drum Major Institute's Marketplace of Ideas series is also tremendously valuable to me as a state legislator. At these events, my staff and I hear not just theorists and academics, but policymakers from around the country who have successfully implemented programs that foster social and economic justice. It is a great venue to exchange ideas and learn from the experiences of other progressive policy makers, so their successes can be replicated.

Progressives need the Drum Major Institute, and more organizations like it, to outthink the right -- and restore vigorous debate where wrong-headed consensus currently prevails.

New York State once led the country as a model for effective, progressive public policy. With aggressive political leadership backed up by innovative policy proposals, we can do so once again. The Drum Major Institute is an important voice in this effort. I urge you to support them as generously as you can.