Memo to Dems: Military spending is the key to full economic recovery and national security

If the Democrats want to hold onto the White House in 2016, then they better figure out a way to embrace military spending.  Why?  Because this huge engine carries a payload of jobs, jobs, jobs.  Oh, and national security. 

Say what you want about the war on women, immigration reform, a crumbling infrastructure, same-sex marriage or taxes, prosperity and security will be the defining issues in ’16.  The sooner the Dems get on board with what truly drives these two issues, the better.

{mosads}Despite the pluses of the Obama economy — growth higher than expected at 3.5 percent for the third quarter, the lowest unemployment rate in six years at 5.8 percent, and the Dow at record highs — far too many voters still don’t believe the recovery has reached their kitchen tables.  You don’t have to look any further than last week’s election results to know this is true.

The next president has to deliver on her or his promise of prosperity for all.  By definition, this means robust military spending.  It’s not just on the assembly line where jobs will be created.  It is in the communities, coast to coast, that surround military bases as well.  With this last thought in mind, Democrats need a marketing overhaul as well. 

That’s because as nice as it is when positive economic news is reported on the front pages of the New York Times or Washington Post, the fact is most working people don’t read those publications.  Hardware store employees, teachers, dress shop managers, first responders, plumbers and restaurant owners read their local, community papers or weekly business journals.  If the Dems want to reach these voters, then they are going to need a new communication strategy as much as they need a change in behavior.               

Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the nation about the “military industrial complex,” so I am not suggesting all military spending is good.  There are plenty of programs that should be trimmed or eliminated.  The question is which ones and how will they be replaced? 

Clearly, a well-reasoned, thoughtful approach to military spending is needed in order to boost manufacturing, which remains the weak link to full economic recovery.  On the political battlefield, it also will help neutralize hawkish Republican attacks about Democrats being military budget doves.

Military spending is the lynchpin that helps America meet its national security goals, both here at home or abroad.  Whether it is ISIS or Iran, North Korea or Russia, the international chess board is littered with hot spots only the U.S. can negotiate.  Our allies need to know, as do our adversaries, this nation will stop at nothing to protect its strategic interests. 

The next commander-in-chief will be elected on a promise of keeping us safe.  Once again, that will, by definition, require robust military spending.  Any Democratic presidential candidate who says otherwise, does so at his or her peril.

I am a lifelong, left-of-center Democrat.  I am also a 60-something father of three who wants his children to flourish when I’m gone.  The world I grew up in the ’50s and ’60s is not the world my kids live in today.  The same is true for America.  The country I loved way back when is not the same one I love today, or the same one millennials will love in the future.   

Even though voters’ preferences constantly are changing, their fundamental desires don’t.  Take those who feel the economic recovery has passed them by.  They want jobs.  They also want to be safe.  Dems need to embrace the fact the common thread between the two is military spending.  The more the party stays focused on these two core issues, the more people will turn out to vote on election day.  

The next Democratic presidential candidate must lay out a clear pathway for military spending to flourish so people’s dreams can be realized.  Like I said at the top, the sooner the Dems wrap their arms around this critical concept, the better.
 
Freidenrich writes from Laguna Beach, California.  He served as a congressional staff assistant on Capitol Hill in 1972. Twitter @freidomreport.