1. Nearly all Americans agree on a common set of goals.  

This often gets lost in the heated political rhetoric of today, but across parties we generally agree on our         hopes for our country.  These commonly held goals include:

1. A strong economy in which people are able to participate

2. A healthy environment. This includes addressing climate change

3. Greater access to affordable healthcare

4. Access to high quality education

5. Secure borders

6. The right to vote

7. Safe communities

8. World class infrastructure 

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Progress towards these goals will benefit most Americans, and will make our country stronger and

more competitive.

Most policy issues are related to one or more of these goals.  Where important policy issues fall

outside of these, we will address them, but the vast majority of our work concentrates on these goals. 

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2. Progress on these goals is possible.

Our history proves it.  In nearly all these areas, the United States is a better, stronger country than we were 20, 50, and 100 years ago. 

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3. We are, however, falling far short of our country’s potential.

We know we can do much better in each of these areas.  To help understand this, CPP compares the US to the 16 other advanced countries with populations over 8 million.  In most of the areas in which relevant metrics are available, the US ranks below average, and that is not acceptable. See our scorecard here.

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4. Better policies are essential to progress on these goals.

This was true in the past, when sound economic policies, environmental regulations, investments in              infrastructure, and landmark legislation like the Clean Air Act and the Voting Rights Act paved the way to      better outcomes for Americans. And it is true now, as we grapple with challenges old and new.

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5. It's hard.

Creating, adopting, and executing better policies is hard work.  The best policies are not always obvious, and the best answers may change over time as we learn and gain experience.  It is much easier to attack ideas, or to divert attention to unimportant issues.  We support candidates who are committed to doing the hard work of making our country better. 

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6. Progress requires both the government and the private sector.

The facts are clear – the private sector can’t accomplish these goals by itself, and neither can the government. We believe true progress requires the best from both.

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7. Political discourse would be more productive if our politicians and the media focused         more on important goals and the best policies to pursue them.

Too much of the discussion among political leaders, the news media and social media revolves around      polarizing side issues and misinformation.  We should expect our political leaders to work for us, and the    best way for them to do that is to focus on the hard work of crafting better policies.  We believe “better        policies” include those that further the eight goals, benefit Americans, and make our country stronger.  

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8. We are non-partisan.

All candidates are welcome to access our papers.  We proactively reach out to candidates who support constructive policies, not because of their party affiliation.  

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9. We believe the best way for the Center for Policy Progress to help the US pursue these       goals is by providing clear, concise facts on policies to candidates who are committed         to positive change.