Nick Penniman
Washington, D.C.
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Founder & CEO of the democracy group @IssueOneReform. Former publisher, editor, reporter. Author of “Nation on the Take.” Human, not bot.
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Articles by Nick Penniman
Welcome to Vibecamp, an IRL Gathering for the Terminally Online
“This is Protein,” says the woman in all black sitting cross-legged in a hammock. Ten yards away, a middle-aged man is taking off his shirt in the center of a circle of 30 or so people sitting in the grass. We watch on as he extends his arms, closes his eyes, and then — slowly, as if on a display platform — begins to rotate. The sitters stare up at him, smiling and murmuring. Receiving their energy, he smiles back.
Drain the Slop | The Point Magazine
Drain the Slop | | It’s 8:15 p.m. on Friday, June 12th, and we’re at the base of the Lincoln Memorial, a few hundred of us, for the UFC Freedom 250 press conference, the curtain raiser for the president’s birthday weekend, whose culminating fight the mini jumbotrons on either side of us tease as “The Most Historic Sporting Event of All Time.” The crowd is pretty well mixed—mostly groups of young guys along with the families and couples, but the races and ages are all covered.
Fulton County FBI raid previews Trump’s 2026 election interference plan
In late January, I watched in horror as the FBI conducted a raid at a local Georgia elections office — a raid based on debunked conspiracy theories. At a U.S. District Court hearing on the fate of the seized ballots, an expert witness hammered that point home. In describing the affidavit used to obtain the warrant, former U.S. Election Assistance Commission official Ryan Macias told the court that, “[t]here’s no basis in reality for most of the witness statements.
‘The Last Waltz’ turns 50
There’s a moment in “The Last Waltz” that comes at about the 34 minute and 53 second mark, at the onset of the last chorus in Neil Young’s performance of “Helpless,” which a friend of mine once singled out, when we were arguing the film’s best scenes, as a jib door to transcendence.
How Do We Put Checks on a Runaway Executive?
The Founding Fathers created America with the hope that the three branches of government—legislative, judicial, and executive—would balance one another and restrict one lever from wielding too much power. As we enter our 250th year as a nation, it is clear that our system of checks and balances are failing to reign in an unrelenting Executive. However, Nick Penniman, Founder and CEO of Issue One, reminds us that there are real, feasible steps backed by the Constitution we should enact.
A resistance of form: Zadie Smith’s “Dead and Alive”
“But perhaps I am asking the question the wrong way around,” Zadie Smith writes at one point in her essay “Fascinated to Presume: In Defense of Fiction,” which can be found in her new collection, “Dead and Alive.” It’s a typically Smithian line: an expression of self-doubt signalling the arrival of a new insight whose veracity you, the reader, will likely not doubt at all.
Reel Critic: “One Battle After Another” is a rediscovery of subject
In retrospect, it makes peculiar sense that, of all contemporary American directors, Paul Thomas Anderson would prove best-equipped to make the decade’s first great “Movie About Our Times.” The cokey, affecting mania of his early films (“Magnolia,” “Boogie Nights”); the strange, libidinal inexplicability of his later ones (“Phantom Thread,” “The Master”); and the unabashed, operatic clamor of his big one (“There Will Be Blood”) are united in his latest project, “One Battle After Another,”...
Breaking the Shutdown Cycle
Congress has once again driven the nation into a federal government shutdown. The ritual has become drearily predictable: angry finger pointing, bad-faith (or nonexistent) negotiations, market volatility, and federal workers now wondering when—not if—their next paycheck will come. At this point, such budget-related brinkmanship has become as much a part of the political calendar as the State of the Union. That should be remarkable.
The Presidency Is Too Powerful. Congress Needs To Step Up.
The country commemorated Constitution Day this week, a day that recognizes the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1787. This op-ed will be the first in a series that outlines a cross-partisan vision to restore congressional authority, as outlined in Article I of the Constitution, and protect our system of checks and balances.
Americans know something is wrong: Nick Penniman on the need for change
Happy Constitution Day! Even though Trump is actively ripping our founding document to shreds, we can still hold it in veneration, as what’s happening in America now is certainly not what the Founding Fathers had in mind.
People are ready for reform. Is Congress?
Today is Constitution Day, a day most of us would normally treat as just another ordinary day. But these are not ordinary times. We know it. We feel it. We see it all around us. Whatever vision the Founders had of a free, prosperous, and vibrant society in which diverse voices are respected, not shot down; in which the real power resides with the people; in which our elected leaders lead with humility and in pursuit of a greater, common good feels almost otherworldly now.
In Their Own Words: Veterans Protest Cutbacks at Rally on the National Mall
Since January, roughly six thousand veterans have been fired by DOGE. The Department of Veterans Affairs, where former service members make up more than a quarter of the workforce, is set to lose another 80,000 workers under VA Secretary Douglas A. Collins’s proposed cutbacks. Veterans’ advocates fear that staffing cuts could severely impact care for millions of former service members.
Column: This election night, the media can better explain how results work Original
Column: This election night, the media can better explain how results work
This election night, the media can better explain how results work
Workers prepare mail-in ballots for counting, Nov. 4, 2020, at the convention center in Lancaster, Pa. (Julio Cortez/AP) Watching election night on cable or network news is a great national tradition. Memorable moments arise as the networks announce their projections in key states. Anchors and commentators demonstrate extraordinary understanding of the unique politics of hundreds of cities and counties across the country.
This election night, the media can better explain how results work
Watching election night on cable or network news is a great national tradition. Memorable moments arise as the networks announce their projections in key states. Anchors and commentators demonstrate extraordinary understanding of the unique politics of hundreds of cities and counties across the country. As the results of the most consequential election on the planet unfold, there's a powerful sense of shared witness. But our polarized politics has revealed a serious flaw in election night coverage.
This election night, the media can better explain how results work
Johnson is the executive director of the Election Reformers Network. Penniman is the founder and CEO of Issue One and author of “Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It.” Watching election night on cable or network news is a great national tradition. Memorable moments arise as the networks announce their projections in key states.
A Journal of Ideas
Sign up for our print edition! Four issues a year, $24. Or give the gift of Democracy to a friend or family member. Sign up for our email newsletter! We'll send periodic reminders of what's new and what's coming. Democracy is an independent organization. Readers and donors like you make what we do possible. We thank you for your support!
Bipartisanship Reinvigorated
By The Editors from Fall 2024, No. 74 – 1 MIN READ Too often, when progressives talk about ways to save and strengthen democracy, they’re talking only to themselves, with grand plans to transform the system dramatically. Ideas that will win only liberal support may be laudable, but let’s face it—in today’s Washington, they’re probably going nowhere. Meanwhile, believe it or not, there are proposals that have bipartisan support. Might it make more sense to start there?
Yes, the Parties Can Work Together
A s readers of this journal know so well, few eras have been as pivotal for American democracy as the present. After years of petty political strafing, partisan gerrymandering, the bipartisan embrace of Big Money, deluges of disinformation, and the bulldozing of democratic norms and standards, our nation finds itself at a crossroads that few of us could have imagined even a decade ago.
Liberal Patriotism Is Not About Flag-Waving Original
The distinction between patriotism and nationalism is not a new or semantic one, but many on the left have always been unpersuaded by it. As Katha Pollitt wrote in Dissent in 2010, “How different are they really?” Aren’t both credos, she asked, “saying a version of the same thing: America is superior because I was born there?” In this view, pride in country—no matter how measured or qualified—blinds us to our flaws, drags us into war, and enables “America First” demagogues like Donald Trump.
74
Sign up for our print edition! Four issues a year, $24. Or give the gift of Democracy to a friend or family member. Sign up for our email newsletter! We'll send periodic reminders of what's new and what's coming. Democracy is an independent organization. Readers and donors like you make what we do possible. We thank you for your support!
It’s time to close the loophole that lets tech run wild
A quiet, agreeable and incredibly important hearing was recently held by the House committee that oversees the tech industry a few days ago. While too many congressional hearings can quickly devolve into showmanship, this one remained thoughtful and bipartisan. What was the topic that generated such agreement? Changing a fundamental law that governs the way the Internet — particularly social media companies — operate.
It’s time to close the loophole that lets tech run wild
6 hours ago As you’ve almost certainly heard, Verne Lundquist will complete his 40th and final Masters broadcast on Sunday, closing the book on one of the most iconic careers in sports journalism. Earlier this week, he ranked Jack Nicklaus’ green-jacket charge in 1986 and Tiger Woods electric chip-in in 2005 …
Social Media Companies Are Having a Bad Moment
Activism / What if it were the start of a movement? Ad Policy It would require, at this point, an unprecedented display of rhetorical gymnastics—or perhaps the miracle unearthing of some consensus-reversing data—to argue with any coherence that social media has been good for the American psyche.
Social media companies are media companies. Congress should start treating them that way.
This week, the Senate is again summoning the CEOs of the biggest social media companies to Congress — some by force of subpoena. Once again, they’ll be asked to explain why their platforms are so unsafe. Why they allow our kids to be exploited, harassed and even bullied to the point of suicide. Why their algorithms are designed to reward divisive, false and defamatory content.
There is a bipartisan path forward on election and voter protections
Many of us were disappointed to see crucial democracy reforms fall short in the Senate last week. Our political system is broken. The public is losing trust in our institutions. And an anti-democratic movement has emerged in our country in recent years that’s eerily similar to ones that have severely infected once-vibrant democracies in Eastern Europe, East Africa and South America.
OPINION: Six things we must do to save our democracy and protect our elections in 2022
As we turn the final pages on a tumultuous 2021, all this week The Fulcrum will share a year-end series of guest commentaries from a distinguished group of columnists on the current state of electoral reform and what we may expect in the upcoming year. Penniman is the founder and CEO of Issue One, a crosspartisan political reform organization, and author of “Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It.” Our democracy is under attack.
In the debate about much needed democracy reforms, we should agree on some basic facts
Senate Republicans recently voted against bringing a sweeping democracy reform bill to the floor for debate. The result was no surprise. Nor were the arguments made by the few Republicans who spoke against the For the People Act.
How Biden Can Rebuild Democracy & Heal America's Soul | RealClearPolitics
How Biden Can Rebuild Democracy & Heal America's Soul | RealClearPolitics
President Joe Biden has pledged to rebuild our democracy, to "restore the soul" of our country. One month into his administration, it's clear the task will require bold, courageous action. Our nation's soul is in desperate need of repair. President Donald Trump did more damage to our democratic institutions in four years than any president in recent memory.
How Joe Biden can rebuild democracy and heal America's wounded soul
President Joe Biden has pledged to rebuild our democracy, to “restore the soul” of our country. One month into his administration, it's clear the task will require bold, courageous action. Our nation’s soul is in desperate need of repair. President Donald Trump did more damage to our democratic institutions in four years than any president in recent memory.
Frank
This interview with Eric Segall, author and professor, was conducted and condensed by franknews. Eric | I've been teaching and writing about Constitutional law for 30 years at Georgia State University College of Law here in Atlanta. My specialty is the Supreme Court. If you ask law people about me, they would say that I am very much a Supreme Court critic. frank | What does it mean to be a Supreme Court critic?
America has to rebuild democracy amid recovery from national crisis
As protests continue to erupt in our cities, and the Covid-19 crisis persists, a profound soul searching is taking place across our exhausted land. It first seizes us as confusion and anger, underscored with pain and mourning. Then it re-emerges as a gut-level understanding that the path forward can’t look like the one behind us, but that we are not clear how to pave the new path. What is clear is we’re all aching to begin anew. It’s time for a great reset. But how does that reset start?
The Russians are Coming on Apple Podcasts
21 min In 2016 and 2018, foreign actors including Russia, China, and Iran interfered in our elections and tried to disrupt our political system. Here’s how we can stop them from succeeding in 2020. 21 min
Foundations, it’s time to give 1% of your assets to fix Democracy
This op-ed by Nick Penniman and Ian Simmons originally appeared in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Today, the foundations of our republic are cracking. The rule of law, the underpinning of our entire system of government, is being challenged from the White House. Foreign powers are interfering in our elections. Congress is gridlocked and consumed by hyperpartisanship.
Foundations, It’s Time to Give 1% of Your Assets to Fix Democracy (Opinion)
Opinion December 12, 2019 PREMIUM CONTENT FOR SUBSCRIBERS. SUBSCRIBE TODAY By Nick Penniman and Ian Simmons Issue One and the Foundation for Civic Leadership Today, the foundations of our republic are cracking. The rule of law, the underpinning of our entire system of government, is being challenged from the White House. Foreign powers are interfering in our elections. Congress is gridlocked and consumed...
No silver bullets
"In the grand scheme of human history, democracy is still a germ of an idea," writes Nick Penniman. Penniman is the CEO of Issue One, a cross-partisan political reform group. (It is incubating, but journalistically independent from, The Fulcrum.) I started Issue One five years ago to recruit more voices from inside and outside Washington into the movement fixing our ailing democracy.
Penniman: We must conquer election interference
By NICK PENNIMAN Monday Jun 17, 2019 at 2:00 AM Our country is facing a national emergency. Foreign actors will continue to attack the infrastructure of our elections and interfere with how we choose our leaders. The president even told ABC News last week that he would consider listening to foreign governments with opposition research on his opponents in 2020.
Penniman: We must conquer election interference
By NICK PENNIMAN Monday Jun 17, 2019 at 2:00 AM Our country is facing a national emergency. Foreign actors will continue to attack the infrastructure of our elections and interfere with how we choose our leaders. The president even told ABC News last week that he would consider listening to foreign governments with opposition research on his opponents in 2020.
Protect elections with Honest Ads Act
June 14, 2019 at 5:51 am Updated June 14, 2019 at 9:47 am By Special to The Baltimore Sun Our country is facing a national emergency. Not a single credible person in the federal government disputes the fact that foreign actors will continue to attack the infrastructure of our elections and interfere with how we choose our leaders. The president even told ABC News this week that he would consider listening to foreign governments with opposition research on his opponents in 2020.
Commentary: Honest Ads Act aims to minimize foreign election interference
Our country is facing a national emergency. Not a single credible person in the federal government disputes the fact that foreign actors will continue to attack the infrastructure of our elections and interfere with how we choose our leaders. The president even told ABC News this week that he would consider listening to foreign governments with opposition research on his opponents in 2020.
Commentary: Honest Ads Act aims to minimize foreign election interference
Our country is facing a national emergency. Not a single credible person in the federal government disputes the fact that foreign actors will continue to attack the infrastructure of our elections and interfere with how we choose our leaders. The president even told ABC News this week that he would consider listening to foreign governments with opposition research on his opponents in 2020.
Commentary: Honest Ads Act aims to minimize foreign election interference
Our country is facing a national emergency. Not a single credible person in the federal government disputes the fact that foreign actors will continue to attack the infrastructure of our elections and interfere with how we choose our leaders. The president even told ABC News this week that he would consider listening to foreign governments with opposition research on his opponents in 2020.
The special counsel’s report confirms sweeping and systemic foreign interference in our elections.
Here’s what we knew long before Robert Mueller’s redacted report was released: Foreign governments and anti-American forces want to disrupt U.S. elections. They want to destabilize the sacred processes at the core of our democracy and others around the world. They want to divide the electorate. They want to discredit our form of government so that the stock value of authoritarianism rises. At the center of this drama is Congress and our elections.
Three Lessons Learned From the For the People Act
COMMENTARY Last week, in the face of rising authoritarianism around the world and with their new majority in the House, Democrats passed the most robust package of democracy reform proposals in a generation, albeit along a strictly party-line vote. It was an important moment for the political party whose candidates ran on a reform agenda in the 2018 midterms, and whose 2020 presidential hopefuls are embracing the same messaging.
Curing Philanthropy's Blind Spot: One Percent for Democracy
Symposium | Everyone's Fight: The New Plan to Defeat Big Money By Nick Penniman Ian Simmons from Winter 2013, No. 27 – 21 MIN READ Tagged LobbyingPhilanthropy Early in 2009, in the heat of the battle on Capitol Hill over financial reform, Senator Dick Durbin was interviewed by a Chicago radio host about how the negotiations were going.
Issue One - news you need
Michael Beckel Dec 10th, 2018 Congress Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (D-MA) was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election in October 2007. In August 2017, she announced that she would not be running for another term, saying she wanted to enjoy more time with her “wonderful and growing family.” Tsongas first represented Massachusetts’ 5th Congressional District.
Why are members leaving Congress?
The 116th Congress will have the largest, most diverse incoming freshman class in a generation. But this milestone wasn’t achieved just because a bunch of incumbents lost. Well before November 6, more than 50 members of Congress voluntarily chose not to seek re-election and cleared the way for newcomers to compete for a lot of open seats. Only once since 1930 has the number of voluntary departures been higher than it was this cycle.
Why Are Members Leaving Congress?
The 116th Congress will have the largest, most diverse incoming freshman class in a generation. But this milestone wasn’t achieved just because a bunch of incumbents lost. Well before November 6, more than 50 members of Congress voluntarily chose not to seek re-election and cleared the way for newcomers to compete for a lot of open seats. Only once since 1930 has the number of voluntary departures been higher than it was this cycle.
Commentary: Is America a 'Nation on the Take'?
America stands at a historic crossroads. One path leads to a renewal of our Democratic ideal, the other to government by the few, the rich and the powerful. So argue Wendell Potter and Nick Penniman in their new book, “Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts our Democracy and What We Can do About It” (Bloomsbury). Potter will be familiar to Center for Public Integrity readers as a former health insurance executive turned critic, Center columnist and author.
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