Below are four stories from Truman affiliates posted on PolicyMic.
DNC 2012: Obama Owns Romney on Terrorism and National Security
Truman Political Partner Laicie Olson on Obama's advantage over Romney on national security:
If there is one issue that the Democratic and Republican National Conventions have magnified, it is that the current administration has a clear advantage on national security. With a 13 point advantage on counterterrorism and a 9 point advantage on national security and foreign policy in general, President Obama has left Mitt Romney tongue-tied on an issue that Republicans once dominated: the very safety and security of our country and the troops that remain in harm’s way.
But this advantage hasn’t come from thin air. The lead has been steadily crafted by an administration that inherited two major wars, a weakened international standing, and the ongoing threat of terrorism at home and abroad. It has been crafted by an administration that needed to turn things around. . . .
Mitt Romney Election Odds: The Elephant in the Room That Will Lose the GOP the Election
Truman Security Fellow Ari Ratner on former President Bush's influence on Romney's national security policies:
Maybe Mitt Romney doesn’t go by his real first name — Willard — because, like the entire Republican Party, he’s trying to hide a “W.”
Indeed, as Republicans seek to gain some momentum from the national convention last week in Tampa, they are doing everything possible to hide the legacy of George W. Bush.
W. himself was not seen in Tampa — aside from asaccharine and bizarre video tributes to him and his father. (Note to RNC: whenever possible, take out fond references to Vladimir Putin). . . .
Barack Obama Speech Time: Just Like Tony Romo, This is How Obama Must Quarterback His Party
Truman Security Fellow Jessie Daniels on how Obama can successfully lead his party to election day:
The 2012 Democratic National Convention coincides with the start of the National Football League’s season. And just like for an NFL team, there are some keys to the game that the Democrats must follow to be successful in Charlotte and beyond.
Start With a Good Opening Drive. For many Americans, conventions are a starting point; it will be the first time they really tune into the Presidential race. The GOP got the ball first, but gave a middling effort: polls show that the Romney-Ryan ticket didn’t get a real bounce from the convention. That gives the Obama campaign an opportunity to take the initiative now and put points on the board going into the fall campaign, putting them in the position to look forward and putting the Romney campaign on the defensive. . . .
Obama vs Romney: 6 Reasons Why the Romney/Ryan Budget is Actually Isolationist
Andrew Lubin, a member of Truman's Operation Free shows the danger in Romney/Ryan's proposed foreign policy:
Russia, Iran, energy independence, China, Syria, Venezuela…as former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice so eloquently told a nationwide audience last night “the world is a chaotic and dangerous place.”
Today’s world is indeed far more complicated than the Cold War; a successful American foreign and defense policy needs sophistication in order to deal with situations ranging from Russian recalcitrance in helping halt the carnage in Syria to American-born extremist mullahs living offshore inciting America’s Muslim soldiers to kill non-Muslim soldiers to a possible Iranian nuclear bomb.
