• Kristofer Goldsmith, Founder and CEO of Task Force Butler Institute, Truman Defense Council ‘16
• Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Truman Political Partner ‘11
• Joe Tate, Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, Truman Political Partner ‘17
• Amanda Ripley (moderator), Journalist and Author

The "Political Polarization and National Security" panel at TruCon 2023, moderated by author and journalist Amanda Ripley and featuring three Truman National Security Project members, examined the connection between the growing political polarization in the United States and its impact on national security. While Truman has traditionally focused on foreign policy matters, the panel highlighted how internal divisions within the country can threaten domestic stability and, consequently, the image of the United States as a model for advancing democracy and human rights globally.

The panel featured Joe Tate, Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, who described the increase in extremist movements he has witnessed during his three terms as a state representative. Speaker Tate noted the similarities between the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021, the armed protests at the Michigan State Capitol Building in April 2020, the intimidation tactics used by extremist militias against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and the militias’ plans to interrupt Michigan’s certification of the 2020 presidential election. In reference to the escalation of intimidation tactics used to disrupt the democratic process, he said “we’re trying to make government…more boring so we can just get down to doing the work of the people.”
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Kristofer Goldsmith, Founder & CEO of Task Force Butler Institute, discussed the extensive work he and his team are doing to investigate radicalization in veteran organizations, and to engage the veteran community to reclaim patriotism and protect democracy. As a military veteran, Goldsmith described the critical juncture that he and many veterans face when returning from deployment. “I know what it's like to fall down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole,” he said. “I know what it's like to feel vulnerable and to lash out at others because I feel unsafe on a deep, deep, deep level…I know how a lot of [extremists] got there.”
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In her remarks, Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, emphasized the necessity of creating an inclusive and welcoming society for everyone as a principal element in protecting democracy. Spitalnick highlighted the importance of intersectionality of social and political issues: “When we start to look at our society in this holistic way, understanding that fighting extremism and protecting democracy requires not just the same tools we've been using that clearly haven't worked [but] this more holistic cross community, cross issue dynamic, we can not just fight the extremism but work towards that inclusivity.”