The Truman National Security Project
Taking the Progressive Tradition of National Security
Into the Future
Truman National Security Project
What do you think when you hear the word
“security”?
What do progressives believe about
security?
Do we value the security of people in
America? Do we value the security of
people in other countries?
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Many progressives have strong views on security
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And security can be complicated for progressives
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That is precisely why we need to think about it hard
Security is too important to leave to conservatives. We must
know what we believe. And we must communicate it well.
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For 40 years, progressives
have been pushing a rock
uphill…
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Since 1968, we have faced a 20-40 point gap in
public trust on national security
60
50
40
45
30
40
20
R
35
30
10
25
20
D
15
10
Source: Gallup Poll
5
0
Polling compiled by Loren Griffith “What Went Wrong,” Truman National Security Project, May 2005
…and every time national security was a top issue for the
electorate, progressives lost elections.
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This was not just a political problem- being seen
as weak meant we could not pass good policy
Development aid & human rights were portrayed as weak.
And when they couldn’t get elected, progressives could not
pass their domestic policies, either
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Now, we have a historic opportunity. For the first
time since 1968, the security gap is closing.
Which Party is Better On…
National Security
Republicans: 43%
Democrats: 41%
The Situation in Iraq
Democrats: 47%
Republicans: 37%
The War on Terror
Republicans: 41%
Democrats: 41%
Afghanistan
Democrats: 44%
Republicans: 32%
Democracy Corps/Greenberg Quinlan Rosner May 2009
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We have a once-in-a-generation chance to take
back this issue and own it for decades to come
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But the gap has not closed. We have some serious
issues to address as progressives.
Which party do you associate with „too hesitant to use force‟?
Which Party is Better on National Security
Democrat 59%
Republicans: 43%
Republican 21%
Democrats: 41%
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner polling July 2008
Who will do better at ensuring a strong military?
Republicans
Democrats
Republican 53%
Democrat 35%
Democracy Corps, May 2009
Which party do you associate with “patriotic”?
Republican 45%
Democrat 28%
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner polling May 2009
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These are not policy issues: they are about values
and worldview. And that is our biggest weakness.
#1 reason you think Democrats are weak
on security?
“They follow the polls/change position
based on public opinion”
33% margin
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner polling July 2008
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Conservatives have spent years understanding
and articulating the deep values they stand for
What are your core values and convictions? How do those affect
your believes about security? Have you ever thought about it?
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How-Policies
Why- Goals
WhoValues
Truman National Security Project
Progressive Values—
What Are Our Core
Beliefs?
National security communication is not about
policies. It is about character.
“He seemed like
an honest fellowI liked him
“We got a good
feeling from her. We
think she would do a
good job.”
“I'm just not
sure he could get
the job done”
Americans don’t know which security policies they prefer—they
want to find someone with similar values, and trust that person.
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National security is very complex. So people use
mental shortcuts to see if a leader is ―like them‖
How do we form preferences when we do not fully understand complex issues? We
fall back on mental shortcuts.
New research suggests that we do not have strong policy views on complex issues.
Instead, we find leaders with whom we feel cultural kinship -- and then follow
whatever they recommend.
"It is much easier to look at someone and say, 'What are those person's
values -- are they like mine or not? If they are like mine, I can trust this
person to come up with policies that are in my interest because they share
my values,' " said Donald Braman, an anthropologist at George Washington
University Law School who studies political decision making.
In an intriguing set of experiments, Donald Braman, Yale University law professor
Dan Kahan and others show that people reduce complex policy matters to a
question of personal values
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To understand our problem, we must learn how
the brain works - especially the limbic system
Issues of security and safety (which all foreign policy
questions evoke) trigger the limbic system—the reptilian,
fight-or-flight part of our brains.
The limbic system bypasses the intellectual and rational
receptors, and goes straight for the emotional gut.
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We can connect with the persuadable center—without
giving up our policies—if they feel we understand them
CONNECT (Emotionally)
Then
LEAD (to your policy)
Is the Key to Successful
Communication
If people feel you are ―like them‖ – that your emotional reactions
are the same—they will trust you to lead them on policy
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But you can’t lead anyone until you know what
you believe.
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And you can’t connect until you can empathize
with others.
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How do progressive and
conservative values
differ?
What do we share?
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The left and right draw our values from two
traditions that are in tension with each other
Classical Liberalism:
Individuals have inalienable rights to
freedom, due process, self-expression, life,
and property. Liberty comes from being
free from any infringement on these rights
from the tyranny of the state--or the
majority. The healthy society tolerates
dissenting ideas and lifestyles.
Truman National Security Project
Classical Republicanism:
We are born into a community, and there is
virtue in serving the community for the
common good. Liberty comes from being
able to participate in decisions that affect
one's life through active citizenship and
taking part in government. Government has
the power to be a force for good, so long as
citizens are virtuous and capable of self-rule.
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America also has a strong religious tradition
that both the right and left draw on
The ―people apart‖ tradition (Puritans, Calvinists, etc.)
 The world is impure, we should live as a community apart
 It is right and just to cast out those who violate the laws of
God/laws of the community—only by clearly delineating and
punishing wrongdoers can society hold together
The social ministry tradition (Social gospel movement,
Catholic social teaching, Evangelical social mission)
 Focuses on Jesus' ministry of forgiveness, inclusion, and
interdependence.
 Rallies to ideas such as: “love your neighbor as yourself”;
“love your enemies”; “let him who is without sin cast the
first stone”; “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain
mercy” and “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye
of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”.
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We also have a deep commitment to rationality &
progress—but we are not blind to emotion and evil
Our belief that progress is possible springs from
Enlightenment ideals of rationality and the
perfectibility of human society.
• People can be improved—human nature is malleable
• Much difference between people can be
environmentally explained
• Social planning and social programs are ways society
can improve people
These ideas are challenged by thinkers such as
Reinhold Neibuhr, and genetics research. But we
can believe in progress without losing the reality
that human nature has irrational elements, that
humans cannot all be improved, and that evil
exists—and may not always be rationalized.
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Out of those traditions come our 5 core values:
The inalienable quality of human rights and civil rights (Liberalism)
The belief that we exist in community, not as atomized individuals, and have a duty to
contribute to the common good (Classical Republicanism)
A belief that government should support social justice--equality of opportunity
and enough equality of distribution so people have the economic independence
essential for freedom and dignity, and so that concentrations of wealth and power
do not threaten democracy (liberalism merged with republicanism)
Tolerance and inclusion: Standing with the oppressed or marginalized and helping
them gain equal rights and opportunities (liberalism/social ministry)
The feeling that together, we can progress and create a better world. Positive
feelings towards change that seeks to bring about progress in justice and
achievement (enlightenment rationality/social ministry)
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And the 5 core values of the right:
The inalienable quality of property rights, highlighting an individual’s right to keep what he or
she has earned (Classical liberalism)
The belief that law-abiding individuals should be free and unfettered by groups or by
government rules; that a just society is one in which individuals can rise to the level they
deserved, without government or social restrictions (Classical liberalism)
The need to practice exclusion/maintain a strong moral law to keep the bonds of community
strong (Christian Puritan/Calvinist tradition)
The belief that human nature always has the capacity to do evil, and therefore to protect the
freedoms of most individuals, society must develop strong means of constraint and
punishment for individuals who violate social norms (Christian Puritan/Calvinist Tradition)
The belief that tradition is good and usually represents collective wisdom, traditions are timehonored, generally based on common sense, and should be upheld. Change is approached
with skepticism (Feudalism/pre-enlightenment viewpoint)
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These values are not opposites of one another-we emphasize different aspects of life
The progressive emphasis on societal level thinking leads to a focus on
social justice, common good, and society-level values. When the left
confronts violence and security threats, they think: what can we do
to fix our society, or another's, to lessen violence?
The right’s emphasis on individual level thinking leads to a focus on
individual freedom to rise, and on justice for individuals—including a
sharp separation between “deserving” or “law-abiding” and “undeserving”
or “non-law-abiding”. When conservatives think about security, they
think: how do we capture and punish bad individuals?
The left focuses on society—the right on individuals. The
persuadable middle tends to hold both beliefs.
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To communicate effectively, we must empathize
with others’ emotions--then lead them our way
Persuasive speaking, at its most basic, is simply two steps: Connect--then Lead
 Connect Emotionally
 Lead from that connection to your worldview
To connect with the persuadable middle who lean conservative, we must:
 Acknowledge that there are bad people in the world who deserve punishment
 Make it clear that we want to keep America/our communities safe
 Show our belief that America is a good country
People want to know ―Are you like me? Do you understand
where I’m coming from?‖ Only after we connect emotionally
with root values will our audience listen to what we have to say.
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If people feel we share the same roots, we can
lead them to different policy ―branches‖
Policies (The Branches):
Troops in or out of Iraq, Bomb or Don’t Bomb Iran , Close Guantanamo, Etc.
Goals (The Trunk):
Improve Homeland Security
Build Stronger Alliances
Reduce Dependence on Oil
Values (The Roots):
Care About America/Want to Keep it Safe
Believe We Are a Good Country
Believe There is Evil in the World
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How-Policies
Why-Goals
WhoValues
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Progressive Values
and National SecurityWhat's Our Security
Story?
People remember stories, not policies
Our national story tells Americans how we see them, how we see
the world, and how we will act. It must be simple, clear, and
memorable.
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What are the core ―stories‖ of the left and right?
How do values shape these stories?
Pacifism
AntiImperialism
Realism
Neo-Conservativism
Liberal Internationalism
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Our Security Story and Messages Need To:
1) Reflect our values, so we authentically stand
behind what we say, and the story will have
―stickiness‖ in adhering to progressives.
2) Provide a picture of the world that explains
why we back our preferred policies
3) Convince the persuadable middle who have
leaned conservative that our story is better
than the one they now hold.
That requires acknowledging the deep
American belief that individuals have
control over their destinies, and should take
responsibility for the consequences of their
actions. We have to be able to say that there
are bad people who do bad things.
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Our values lead to an easy, and unfortunate, story:
injustice, not personal wrongdoing, causes threats
Excerpts from a review of “Mada Bala” a movie about Brazil
The film focuses on the “epidemic of kidnapping in Sao Paolo. Severed ears and
fingers, sent to the victims' families, have become a kind of kidnappers' calling card…
The filmmaker [goes] into a slum, where a man identified as a kidnapper addresses the
camera.... He's poor, he has a large family to feed.
There is a primitive logic: Crime is a consequence of injustice.
No. Crime is a consequence of criminals.
The injustice of Brazil's social inequities is ghastly. But kidnapping children and
torturing people do not serve the larger ends of wealth redistribution.”
The persuadable center needs to know that you believe some
actions are simply wrong. They won’t listen to the need for social
justice until they know you condemn evil. This is why the ―root
causes‖ thesis about terrorism failed to gain a popular foothold.
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Another growing security story doesn't
reflect our values OR resonate
A new, and very clear story, has emerged
in the last few years: America as Goliath
America is bumbling, overreaching,
boastful and arrogant.
American overreach is the major cause
of instability in the world.
America will be safe when we withdraw
into a more humble foreign policy, so
that we are no longer a target of the
worlds’ hate.
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This story may have had some bearing on Iraqbut it doesn't work as our security story
This story pushes all the buttons of conservatives, by emphasizing different
values: we don’t like America; we don’t believe in evil; etc.
Moreover, it’s wrong: there are many threats in the world we have not caused.
And there are values we want to pursue: human rights, women's rights,
equality of opportunity.
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But we do have a progressive security story
Berlin Airlift
JFK
Marshall Plan
Throughout the 20th Century, progressives have had a consistent and
simple security story:
To create a stable world and a strong America, we need to build
alliances to share the burden and opportunity to give more people a
slice of the dream. We also need a strong military to deter or contain
threats that arise. We need both, neither is enough on its own.
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We build our friends, and isolate our enemies to
build security for America, and a stable world
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This worldview has led to great policy success
We've won two world wars—and FDR allied with Russia to end WWII,
turning an enemy into an ally when we needed it.
Truman built the DoD, started the CIA, and created the NATO alliance. We
rebuilt Europe and turned our worst enemies into friends through the
Marshall Plan.
Kennedy created Special Operations forces. Peace Corps. Conquered space.
Faced down the Russians during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Carter brought peace to the Middle East with the Camp David Accords
(turning enemies into friends so we only fight on one flank)
Clinton: Enlarged NATO, stabilizing Eastern Europe. Ended war in Bosnia
with Dayton Accords. Ended genocide in Kosovo. Started serious
national planning against terrorism.
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The Truman National Security Project
Taking the Progressive Tradition of National Security
Into the Future
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