Can Virginia Become Part of a Better South? An Interview with Andy Brack

In a South of the James first, Andy Brack, President of the Center for a Better South, talks about his experiences running a new progressive think tank focused on the southeastern US.  Brack, who co-founded the Center in early 2005, edits and publishes the S.C. Statehouse Report, a weekly legislative forecast and syndicated newspaper column. He also has a daily news service and communications strategy consulting business. A former press secretary for retired Sen. Fritz Hollings, Brack made a run for Congress in the Palmetto State?s 1st Congressional District. He earned a master's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor's degree from Duke University. He and his family live in Charleston, S.C.

1. Was there a crystallizing moment that motivated the start of the Center?
In the mid 1990s, Sen. Terry Sanford of North Carolina, along with folks like former Mississippi Gov. William Winter and Alabama publisher Brandt Ayers, got together a group of young progressive leaders from across the region at a conference in Wilmington, NC. These were a handful of people from each state who joined together to talk about what to do to stir the progressive pot. The group was urged to rekindle the spirit of the LQC Lamar Society, which was a group of progressives that included Sanford, Winter and Ayers in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The Society incubated a lot of movement toward progressive ideas at that time. It generated a book of progressive ideas called, "You Can't Eat Magnolias." But it didn't stick together as a formal group. It spawned, however, the Southern Growth Policies Board, which continues to push economic development ideas for the region. Essentially, the Society fell victim to its offspring.

By the mid-90s, Sanford and other saw the need for a new group. While the folks who met in Wilmington were enthusiastic, nothing happened. About 10 years later, we put together the Center for a Better South as a way to capture the lingering fervor over what Sanford tried to do in the mid-90s and to generate a new kind of LQC Lamar Society devoted to developing progressive ideas for thinking leaders in the South.

2. A lot of the initial references were to rekindling a spirit of politicians from the 1970's, who would you identify as current Southern politicians, governors, or senators who serve as reference points for the Center's thinking? Warner, Edwards, Easley?
There are a host of Southern leaders who exemplify the progressive spirit in various areas. Current and recent officials who provide inspiration include Gov. Mark Warner (D) for his attempt to bring everyone to the table to talk about real solutions; Sen. John Edwards (D) for his commitment to working people and trying to eradicate American poverty; NC Gov. Mike Easley (D) and former NC Gov. Jim Hunt (D) for their commitment to educational opportunity; Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) for common-sense solutions to nagging problems; and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) of Tennessee for pragmatic approaches to help people. Of course, we also are inspired by friends like Ayers, Winter and former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, whose commitment to a better South is second to none.

3. What does the Center have to offer to Virginia and Virginia progressives/centrists?
The Center for a Better South serves as a repository of ideas that can inspire progressives and thinking leaders. With our future white papers, we hope to be able to provide the fodder that will energize debates in statehouses across the region. In Virginia, for example, we hope our policy proposals, such as a coming late spring offering on progressive tax reform alternatives, will get leaders and policy wonks to look at some things differently.

On a daily basis, folks in Virginia can get inspired by reading our ThinkSouth blog, which is a roundup of interesting news and ideas from the region. About a dozen contributors across the region make this blog a good place to catch up on stories that you might have missed and that include ideas that might work in your area.

4. What's been the biggest impediment(s) to getting more participation by Virginians?
Time and funding. Right now, the Center operates on a shoestring budget as we continue to wait on the IRS to approve our tax-exempt application. We recently have undertaken a fund-raising effort, which is helping (you can give at: www.bettersouth.org/give.htm). But until we have more money, it will be hard to do the good work that needs to be done. By the way, we're planning a trip to Virginia in the next couple of months to spread the word about what we're doing.

5. How soon do you think it will be before progressive/centrist ideas help deliver the South back to the Democratic column?
The Center is a pragmatic and progressive think tank, but it is non-partisan. It seeks to develop ideas that thinking leaders, who can be of any party, can use to help the region move forward in a positive way. Our goal is to provide ideas to help move the debate forward. As we've described to reporters in the past, the Center is kind of like a policy baseball pitcher that throws "idea strikes" over the plate. We don't really care who is batting - - or who hits the ball out of the park. But we want to provide the pitch that allows them to score that home run.

Thanks to Andy for that great information. For more information about the Center, go to its website at: www.bettersouth.org. Also, be sure to check out the ThinkSouth blog at: www.thinksouth.org.

Disclosure: Conaway Haskins is a member of the ThinkSouth blogging team.

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