When it comes to national security, voters have trusted Republicans over Democrats for several decades. In our latest roundtable discussion, our contributors attempt to formulate a way forward on this source of electoral weakness. The Truman National Security Project's Marc Grinberg, Rachel Kleinfeld, and Matthew Spence kick off the discussion with their piece arguing for a new synthesis of the competing progressive approaches to national security.

A Progressive Battle Plan for National Security

Our lineup of discussants includes:

Gary Hart	David Rieff
Heather Hurlburt	Anne-Marie Slaughter
John Judis

Missing the Middle Discussion: Final Response
We close our Message of Misery roundtable with a final wrap-up from Third Way's Anne Kim, Adam Solomon, and Jim Kessler. Watch this space for a fascinating piece on how authoritarian values influence voting and, later, a roundtable discussion on national security strategy.

Letters Never Sent

Missing the Middle Discussion: Round 2
Third Way's Anne Kim, Adam Solomon, and Jim Kessler respond to their discussants as we continue the roundtable on their essay, Message of Misery.

Truth and Opportunity

As before, our panel of discussants will respond. They are:

TDS Editor William Galston	Jacob Hacker
TDS Editor Ruy Teixeira	Elizabeth Warren
Ralph Whitehead, Jr. [Corrected]	John Halpin

Readers may also be interested in an ongoing exchange on this topic hosted by The American Prospect.

With the dog days of August coming to an end and the return of our Washington D.C.-based readers to the capital, The Democratic Strategist begins its regular publication schedule. This month we will feature two roundtable discussions. In the second half of September, we will host a discussion on Democratic national security strategy. In the meantime, today begins an important discussion on the Democratic middle-class economic agenda. Anne Kim, Adam Solomon, and Jim Kessler of Third Way argue that Democrats have a problem winning middle-class voters not just due to national security and values gaps, but due to their economic program as well.

Message of Misery

Responding to this argument will be:

TDS Editor William Galston	Jacob Hacker
TDS Editor Ruy Teixeira	Elizabeth Warren
John Halpin

Authoritarianism is central both to understanding the nature of the contemporary political divide and why Republican issue appeals, which have been increasingly organized around authoritarian-inspired issues, have been so effective.   more >

With two months before elections, Democrats are in high spirits. As the Republican-controlled White House wages a war in Iraq that a majority of voters believe was a poorly run mistake, the Republican Party's favorability rating has slipped to eight points below Democrats' and falling   more >

The Democratic Party has reached a stage in its evolution where it must re-identify its core principles, ideals, and beliefs. Taken from four great Democratic presidents of the 20th century, those are:   more >

We're at an extraordinary moment in the political life of the Democratic Party. The Truman Project is joined by partisan and non-partisan advocacy groups as diverse as   more >

The Truman Project is a shot in the arm for the Democratic Party: a group of super-smart, ambitious, and savvy young people challenging all of us   more >

Let me make some brief comments on this paper from the Truman National Security Project: 1. I think the authors are absolutely right in defining the political question about foreign policy.   more >

It is a measure of just how far to the right the country has swung that the authors of the "Progressive Battle Plan for National Security" can on the one hand insist that "we are Democrats because we are inspired by the values of the left".   more >