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Objectives for Our Time Together

• Short overview
• Framing
• Public thinking
• Impact on political parties
• Outline current national security policy issues
• Discussion What does this mean for
  progressives?

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• Who Owns Security?

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• Frame
• A central organizing idea

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• What is public thinking about national security?

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• Fewer believe the best way to ensure peace is
  through military strength. A plurality (45)
  believes decreasing U.S. military presence
  overseas will reduce terrorism
• Most say cooperation makes us stronger, more able
  to achieve our goals (76)
• Overwhelming majorities say the loss of moral
  authority is a serious problem, and believe
  international goodwill is important to our
  national security (over 90)
• Americans believe this is a good country, and
  generally a force for good in the world. But
  most say were not doing a good job of leading
  the world toward peace and prosperity and our
  leadership role in the world is off on the wrong
  track (over 70)

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• How is the public thinking about national
  security?

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• The political playing field
• tilted toward leaders who advocate a
  shift in the direction of foreign policy.
• The cognitive playing field
• tilted toward leaders who offer
  us-vs-them, shoot-from-the-hip responses
  to threats.

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World of people.

• Nice
• Friend
• Enemy
• Arrogant
• Fair

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• Analogy to familiar scenarios
• Schoolyard
• Wild West
• Urban Jungle
• where the normal rules dont apply

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Personas

• Strength
• Working well with others
• Maintaining isolation/autonomy
• Having Control
• Reliance on Authority

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What is security?

• I want to feel like I feel when I lock my doors
  and put on my security system at night. I f I
  have to lose some of my civil liberties to get
  there, it is okay. " American Environics focus
  group participant, Chicago

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• The impacts of fear on public thinking
• Narrowed lens
• Focus on dangerous intentions
• Systems and institutions are cognitively
  invisible

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• What FEAR can do
• Difficulty assessing risk
• Threats are viewed in interpersonal
  terms and in personal terms
• "

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• In 2004, researchers found that asking subjects
  to think about their own death or just giving
  them subliminal reminders of the 9/11attacks
  led to significant increases in support for
  President Bush and his policies, regardless of
  political affiliation.
• Solomon/Greenberg/Pyszczinski, as
  summarized in The Political
  Brain, by Drew Westen

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Who does the public trust?

• Trend Dems have made strong gains on security
  issues
• BUT
• Rasmussen Report - Tuesday, January 13, 2009
• Voters not affiliated with either party trust
  Republicans more to handle national security by a
  51 to 31 margin.

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No party has held full trust

• DEMS REPS
• Too unwilling to use force Too quick to use force
• Not TOUGH enough Too stubborn to negotiate
• Driven by ideology Driven by ideology
• Blame US for worlds
• problems

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• U.S. in the world progressive
• National security conservative
• Homeland security ?

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Advancing a Conservative Perspective

• Emphasize threats to safety and way of life
• Role of military in addressing threats

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Advancing a Progressive Perspective

• Emphasize cooperative leadership
• Discuss role of military and non-military
  approaches to security

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Key Take-Aways

• Challenges
• Blindness to institutions/structures
• Weak connection between global stability and
  security
• Political parties/leaders quickly judged by
  respective personas
• Limited security analogies
• Fear favors authoritarian perspective

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Key Take-Aways

• Opportunities
• Controlling own image
• Engage in positive vision of helping things
  happen
• Understanding fear and manipulation

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• Questions

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Do

• Be respectful of peoples fears
• Emphasize solutions
• Be clear about high regard for troops
• Let people know that senior military and
  intelligence officers support your proposals
• When appropriate, remind your audience that we
  live in an interconnected world

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Do

• Talk about prevention
• Stress Accountability
• Make your arguments about policies and policy
  approaches

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Dont

• Guilt doesnt work
• Dont overpromise
• Dont promote process for its own sake
• Dont tell people we are less safe now
• Dont criticize the Bush Administration as being
  completely ineffective in fighting terrorism
• Dont use the guns vs. butter argument

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• Keep in mind
• People dont hold just one view of an issue
• Emotional connection is critical, but not enough
• The most effective way is not always the most
  direct way

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• Steps in the development of an effective
  messaging platform
• recognizing existing frames
• hypothesizing about possible new frames, and
• investigating and developing the most promising
  alternatives