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American Institutions Network

From 2019-2019, R Street’s American Institutions Network (AIN) focused on the protection of democratic norms and American institutions by fostering discussions, partnerships and action. A collaborative discussion group, AIN aimed to shift today’s policy discussions away from politically-charged headlines to focus on the underlying institutional and cultural shifts that are threatening America’s form of government. Our points of focus were:

 

Congress as the First Branch: Congress must provide a real check of power to the executive branch and assert its place as the “first branch”, ensuring that the executive operates within legal, ethical and statutory bounds. Congress must retain its ability to legislate through normal, established, and traditional legislative procedure and channels.

 

Professional, Honest Government Institutions: Government agencies must not be used to monitor, attack, or punish political opponents. Regulatory structures must be appropriate, unilateral, and long-term. Information that is being used to inform decision making must be reliable and accurate. Information provided by government officials should be honest and grounded in empirical fact.

 

An Independent Judiciary: America’s judicial branch must be respected as apolitical, including, but not limited to, rejecting outcome-based views of justice and politicization.

 

A Free Press: The press must be identified and seen as a viable check on political power rather than a political propaganda tool itself. It must be re-established as an institution of our republic.

 

Civil, Loyal Opposition: Political dialogue and debate are essential to America’s form of government. As such, mutual tolerance, the understanding that competing parties accept one another as legitimate, should be consistently practiced. Information that is released to the public and used in public discourse by our political leaders must be trusted as true and accurate. Additionally, forbearance, or the idea that election-winners exercise respectful and appropriate restraint when wielding power rather than treating politics as winner-take-all, is necessary for the continuation of national stability.

Filter Listing

In the News Democratic Institutions, Electoral Reform, Federal Government Affairs, Governance

Electoral Federalism: Centralized or Decentralized Elections?

Matt Germer Nov 14, 2022 Constitutional Conversations
In the News Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs, Governance

High inflation locked in as major campaign headwind for Dems: ‘Motivating issue’

Matt Germer Oct 17, 2022 Fox Business
In the News Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs, Governance, Political Civility, Restoring the First Branch

Radio: What Senator Ben Sasse’s Retirement Means for Republicans

James Wallner Oct 14, 2022 Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson
Coalition Letters Competition & Antitrust, Federal Government Affairs, Finance and Trade, Free Press, Governance, Media Reform, Online Content Policy, Regulatory Reform, Technology and Innovation

Groups Urge Senators to Oppose JCPA

Josh Withrow Sept 27, 2022
Analysis American Institutions Network, Federal Government Affairs, Governance, Vote Alerts

R Street Urges Senators to Oppose the DISCLOSE Act

Theo Menon Sept 20, 2022
Podcasts Democratic Institutions, Electoral Reform, Federal Government Affairs, Governance, Politics in Question Podcast, Transparency

Podcast: How does electoral reform happen?

James Wallner Sept 14, 2022 Politics in Question
In the News American Institutions Network, California, Democratic Institutions, Governance, State Policy

Team Biden’s non-response and other commentary

Steven Greenhut Sept 20, 2021 New York Post
Real Solutions American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Governance

Character Matters: An R Street Q&A Series on Character Education — Jean-Claude Brizard

Andy Smarick Aug 27, 2020
Real Solutions American Institutions Network, Governance

Character Matters: An R Street Q&A Series on Character Education — Jennifer A. Frey

Andy Smarick Aug 18, 2020
In the News American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Governance

Does Educational Pluralism Build Civil Society?

March 17, 2020 NCEA Talk

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