The Madison Initiative has had some productive back and forth with David Callahan of Inside Philanthropy this summer—here’s his initial critique of the Initiative and our response. David subsequently talked with Madison Initiative Director Daniel Stid to discuss our strategy and how it’s beginning to unfold. While we have agreed to disagree with David on some issues, his post from earlier this week, Inside the Madison Initiative: Here Is How Hewlett is Taking On Polarization, provides a helpful overview of the early efforts on the Madison Initiative. We especially appreciate his point that “There are no rigid milestones or metrics or predictive models here. Rather, Hewlett’s plan is to engage in three years of exploratory funding of work that could point the way to more moderates getting elected, reduced gridlock in Congress, and more constructive public engagement in civic life.” And while it’s clear that we see the world a bit differently, we appreciate the discussion of our work that’s come out of Callahan’s blogging.
