John Podesta: Making Policy That Benefits All Americans

John Podesta, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C., and former Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton, hosted the Zuckerman Fellows at the Center during their April field trip with a lunch of Potbelly sandwiches. As we ate, he spoke with clarity and passion about the country’s urgent need to make better policy.

The Center, which Podesta founded, seeks to bring a progressive outlook into American policymaking—an outlook based, said Podesta, “on the belief that an open and effective government can improve the lives of everyday Americans by playing an active role in solving social and economic problems.”

As a veteran of the political system, Podesta gave the Fellows a realistic appraisal of the challenges that face anyone who wants to make policy improvements in critical but polarizing areas such as education reform and health care. “There’s a lack of political will to do what’s right for the American people in these areas,” he said. “That’s why we’re here, to make the connections between government policy and the things working Americans need to realize their dreams.”

The Fellows found Podesta’s optimism inspiring. His quick, incisive responses to our questions on issues from universal healthcare to the Democratic party and from religion in politics to 2008 Presidential candidates impressed us, as did his confidence about the possibility of building support for good policy.

—Esther Warshauer Baker