In our latest episode of Onward, Fundrise CEO Ben Miller is joined by David Carmen, founder of the Carmen Group and one of the top lobbyists in the nation. He has worked on some of the most important issues of the past nearly half century — from 9/11 to Softbank’s $22B acquisition of Sprint. With increasing polarization and political dysfunction, many may feel that our democracy is at risk. Most people don’t know why, let alone how we might fix it. With nearly 40 years as a Washington-DC-insider, David Carmen has real knowledge and concrete suggestions that he argues could bring us into a new era of effective government.
David’s experience has given him a unique perspective on issues that impact virtually all Americans, such as his thesis for why Congress has become ineffective over the past 20 years — the disappearance of legislators’ ability to negotiate and bargain in meaningful ways — and how projects along different parts of the public spectrum face different kinds of challenges. “In the private sector,” David observes, “you can do anything except what is not permitted by law. In the public sector you can only do what is permitted by law.”
Join us as David shares his insights from the lobbying and legislative world, where he’s collaborated with institutions, legislators, and even United States presidents, discussing topics that range from the cleanup of lower Manhattan after 9/11 (a monumental challenge, both logistically and legally, for the insurance industry); the largest international investment in an American business in history, when SoftBank acquired Sprint and merged with T-Mobile, which transformed the competitive landscape of mobile technology; the rejuvenation of Washington, DC, in economic freefall in the 1980s, and the importance of seeing potential where others only see a lost cause; and the future regulatory and national security implications of the rise of A.I., including TikTok’s surprising relevance.
All this and more, on the latest episode of Onward.
