• Home
  • Opinion
  • Quizzes
  • Redistricting
  • Sections
  • About Us
  • Voting
  • Events
  • Civic Ed
  • Campaign Finance
  • Directory
  • Election Dissection
  • Fact Check
  • Glossary
  • Independent Voter News
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Subscriptions
  • Log in
Leveraging Our Differences
  • news & opinion
    • Big Picture
      • Civic Ed
      • Ethics
      • Leadership
      • Leveraging big ideas
      • Media
    • Business & Democracy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Impact Investment
      • Innovation & Incubation
      • Small Businesses
      • Stakeholder Capitalism
    • Elections
      • Campaign Finance
      • Independent Voter News
      • Redistricting
      • Voting
    • Government
      • Balance of Power
      • Budgeting
      • Congress
      • Judicial
      • Local
      • State
      • White House
    • Justice
      • Accountability
      • Anti-corruption
      • Budget equity
    • Columns
      • Beyond Right and Left
      • Civic Soul
      • Congress at a Crossroads
      • Cross-Partisan Visions
      • Democracy Pie
      • Our Freedom
  • Pop Culture
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
  • events
  • About
      • Mission
      • Advisory Board
      • Staff
      • Contact Us
Sign Up

Mark Botsford

    FollowUnfollowFollowing
    Big Picture

    It can happen here: Latin America's lessons about autocrats unpunished

    Mark Botsford
    January 21, 2021
    Ecuador dictator Rafael Correa

    Donald Trump reminds Botsford of how other autocrats, like Ecuador's Rafael Correa, combined falsehoods and grievance politics to create an enemy.

    Franklin Jácome/ACG/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Botsford, a contributing editor, for The Fulcrum, has spent most of his career providing strategic advice to more than a dozen Fortune 500 companies doing business in Latin America.

    Keep ReadingShow less
    autocracy

    Join an Upcoming Event

    View All Events
    Big Picture

    6 of the most important democracy books of the past 6 months

    Mark Botsford
    March 13, 2020
    political books
    Sara Swann/Getty Images

    "Groaning bookshelves about our divisive times" are one of the main features of the publishing world these days, Kirkus Reviews notes. So we identified six books, all published since last summer, that are particularly worthy of note in a campaign season when the faulty functionality of American democracy is getting discussed more than in any previous modern election.

    The authors come from the political left, right and center — but they all have a broadly similar panoramic view of the dysfunction plaguing our democracy. And their prescriptions for reversing the decline have more in common than not. What they all agree on: The principles of our Constitution are under assault and the citizenry's only chance at a successful counter attack is by embracing a broad array of plans for strengthening democratic institutions.

    Keep ReadingShow less
    big picture
    Get some Leverage Sign up for The Fulcrum Newsletter
    Follow
    Get some Leverage Sign up for The Fulcrum Newsletter
    Follow
    Contributors

    Reform in 2023: Leadership worth celebrating

    Layla Zaidane

    Two technology balancing acts

    Dave Anderson

    Reform in 2023: It’s time for the civil rights community to embrace independent voters

    Jeremy Gruber

    Congress’ fix to presidential votes lights the way for broader election reform

    Kevin Johnson

    Democrats and Republicans want the status quo, but we need to move Forward

    Christine Todd Whitman

    Reform in 2023: Building a beacon of hope in Boston

    Henry Santana
    Jerren Chang
    latest News

    Taking flight into difficult but meaningful conversations

    Debilyn Molineaux
    4h

    The power of libraries to connect communities

    Annie Caplan
    Cristy Moran
    4h

    Podcast: Break out of your bubble: Talk to a stranger

    Our Staff
    4h

    Podcast: Inequitable ability: Electoral and civic challenges faced by those with disabilities

    Our Staff
    21h

    Is reform the way out of extremism?

    Mindy Finn
    21 March

    Changing pastimes

    Rabbi Charles Savenor
    21 March
    Videos

    Video: The hidden stories in the U.S. Census

    Our Staff

    Video: We asked conservatives at CPAC what woke means

    Our Staff

    Video: DeSantis, 18 states to push back against Biden ESG agenda

    Our Staff

    Video: A conversation with Tiahna Pantovich

    Our Staff

    Video: What would happen if Trump was a third-party candidate in 2024?

    Our Staff

    Video: How the Federal Reserve is the shadow branch of the government

    Our Staff
    Podcasts

    Podcast: Break out of your bubble: Talk to a stranger

    Our Staff
    4h

    Podcast: Inequitable ability: Electoral and civic challenges faced by those with disabilities

    Our Staff
    21h

    Podcast: A tricky dance

    Our Staff
    14 March

    Podcast: Kevin, Tucker and wokism, oh my!

    Debilyn Molineaux
    David Riordan
    13 March
    Recommended
    Taking flight into difficult but meaningful conversations

    Taking flight into difficult but meaningful conversations

    Big Picture
    The power of libraries to connect communities

    The power of libraries to connect communities

    Big Picture
    Podcast: Break out of your bubble: Talk to a stranger

    Podcast: Break out of your bubble: Talk to a stranger

    Podcasts
    Podcast: Inequitable ability: Electoral and civic challenges faced by those with disabilities

    Podcast: Inequitable ability: Electoral and civic challenges faced by those with disabilities

    Podcasts
    Is reform the way out of extremism?

    Is reform the way out of extremism?

    Threats to democracy
    Changing pastimes

    Changing pastimes

    Civic Ed