Launching 'Democracy's Rebirth'

Launching ‘Democracy’s Rebirth’

America’s democracy suffered a direct hit on Jan. 6, 2021, not from a foreign enemy but from home-grown entities acting with outside assistance. How can we recover?

Dick Simpson, a political professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, highlights a path back in his book “Democracy’s Rebirth: The View from Chicago.” Simpson writes with a hard-won knowledge hewn by decades on the front line of Chicago politics.

Simpson and Thinkinc. have known each other for decades, and we are thrilled to work with him on the launch of “Democracy’s Rebirth.” As a kickoff event, Thinkinc. worked to organize a free-and-open-to-the-public discussion of American democracy between Simpson and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who wrote the foreword to “Democracy’s Rebirth.” (See our news release below.) We set up TV and radio media appearances and news coverage on WGN’s “Political Report,” ABC-7 Chicago News, CBS Chicago News, WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight,” Fox-32’s “Flannery Fired Up,” WVON-AM radio with Rufus Williams, WBBM Newsradio, NPR’s Chicago outlet WBEZ-FM, Politico’s Illinois Playbook, and Axios Chicago. We also worked with journalists at the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times to create news articles. Below is just some of the coverage we garnered.

Beyond traditional media, Thinkinc. set up a robust social media campaign. Simpson allowed us to post daily on his behalf to his Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, attracting a stirring amount of engagement. We created a short, shareable video of young voters discussing the attack on democracy and vowing to attend the book launch event.

Turnout was fantastic, demonstrating wide interest in the fight to save democracy.

An alderman from 1971-79, Simpson was a leader in the Windy City’s burgeoning North Side lakefront-liberal independent movement. In a city with so many battle lines, Simpson learned to deftly negotiate the entrenched politics that still keep Chicago from reaching its full potential. Fighting on the battleground led Simpson to become an outspoken advocate for good government and he remains a first call for journalists seeking context and commentary on all matters related to politics and governance.

Democracy is not a given. Throughout the world we’ve watched in outrage as nations fight against a surge of authoritarianism disguised as nativism. Simpson shows how America can overcome our fractious factions and return to healthy, legitimate political discourse. It’s well worth your read.