How to Talk About Security in a Post-9/11 America

Here is the “lesson” of 9/11: Never forget that the top priority of any government is to keep its citizens safe from harm.

Many progressive candidates forgot that lesson in 2002 and 2004, and lost. In those years, too many Americans thought that conservatives were for security and progressives were against it. More recently, conservatives lost the election of 2006 in large part because they bungled the job of ensuring security.

Today, conservatives know their spin. They holler “don’t cut and run,” “don’t surrender,” and “fight them over there so we don’t have to fight them here.” The “nation’s at war,” they shout, because the terrorists “hate our freedoms.”

And the progressive response is . . . what?

Whatever our national security objective—whether it’s the withdrawal of troops, the initiation of diplomacy, greater participation by our allies, the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison, or something else—we must always begin by stating firmly that our goal is to make America safer. Only then should we go on to explain how our solution accomplishes that goal. Our fellow citizens want to hear how America is going to protect Americans. Once you address that concern, you’ve got their attention and they’re ready to listen.

Unfortunately, as I’ve given message-framing workshops around the country, I’ve noticed that progressives usually detour around the word security. That word seems to stick in our throats, primarily because we’re worried we’ll sound like conservatives. Sometimes it even seems like we don’t want to argue the issue. But, this is an argument we want to have. To quote the president, “Bring it on.”

Since 2001, conservatives have devastated national security:

* The Bush Administration’s utter contempt for our traditional allies, its violations of the Geneva Conventions, and its refusal to comply with important treaties have sacrificed America’s moral standing in international affairs. As a result, our nation is now far less able to protect Americans and American interests worldwide.

* The neoconservative doctrine that justified preemptive war in Iraq has fractured our military forces and the cost of that war—$656 billion and counting—has devastated our economy.

* The massive tax breaks for the wealthy enacted by a conservative-controlled Congress greatly inhibit our ability to deal with security issues, from international terrorism to emergency preparedness.

In every important way, the right wing has made our country less secure.

At the same time, almost two-third of Americans now oppose the war in Iraq. And persuadable voters believe, by a 2-to-1 margin, that America’s security depends on building strong ties with other nations rather than on our own military strength.

So let’s keep the upper hand in this debate. Whether we’re talking about terrorism, Iraq, military policy, nuclear proliferation, or domestic security, make it clear that we are for commonsense policies that will make all Americans safer.

The writer is a Senior Fellow at Campaign for America’s Future and author of the recent book, Framing the Future: How Progressive Values Can Win Elections and Influence People.