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New name. Same mission.

We were The Firewall. Now we are The Fulcrum. And our name is not going to change again.

Quite simply, The Fulcrum makes much more sense because of what we're about – the only news organization focused exclusively on efforts to reverse the dysfunctions plaguing American governance. We see our democracy at a dangerous tipping point, and our aim is to leverage the debate toward restoring the system to good working order.


Especially once our website launches in June, you'll see that our mission is clear. Our original reporting, the news we gather from across the country and our opinion forum will be all about creating a journalistic pivot point, or fulcrum – "one that supplies capability for action," as Webster's says. We are nonpartisan, but we are rooting for the system to get better. For us, that means making our democratic republic less tribal, our elections more competitive, our politicians less beholden to moneyed interests, our officials more attentive to real evidence in their policy-making, our civic culture more engaged, and our Congress more effective and ethical.

"Give me a fulcrum, and I shall move the world," is an iconic Archimedes quote. And so, The Fulcrum we are.


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Trump’s 10-to-1 rule aims to cut red tape, but fewer regulations can mean weaker food safety, Head Start services, and checks on presidential power.

Wu Xiaoling/Xinhua via Getty Images

Trump’s 10-to-1 Rule Gives the Presidency Too Much Power

We only think about the plumbing in our homes when something goes wrong. The same is true for government bureaucracy. Rules, procedures, and bureaucrats operate largely out of sight, making sure food is safe, Social Security checks arrive, workplaces are safe, and children with disabilities receive the services promised to them by law. Yes, there is plenty of red tape in government, just as an old house can accumulate pipes that no longer serve much purpose. But ripping out pipes simply because there are too many of them is not much of a plumbing strategy. Yet the Trump administration has made the number of federal regulations it eliminates a measure of success. That raises a more important question: When does cutting bureaucracy stop making government more efficient and start making it less capable?

1. The Case for Cutting Red Tape

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Photo by José Matute on Unsplash

We The People

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln concluded the Gettysburg Address with a vision of democracy that has endured for more than a century:

“That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

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New surveys of nearly 20,000 battleground voters find bipartisan majorities say Congress ignores the public, and that more public influence would help.

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New surveys in battleground states and districts across the country, as well as nationwide, find that Americans—both Republicans and Democrats—believe Congress does what most Americans would do less than half the time.

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