The Libertarian Dem

Discussion
1

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/7/131550/7297

The Libertarian Dem

by kos <http://kos.dailykos.com>

Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 10:15:50 AM PDT

It's no secret that I look to the Mountain West for the future of the
Democratic Party, people like Brian Schweitzer and Jon Tester. But I
also look to candidates like Jim Webb in Virginia and Paul Hackett in
Ohio.

And what is the common thread amongst these candidates?

They are all Libertarian Democrats.

Ack, the "L" word! But hear me out.

Traditional "libertarianism" holds that government is evil and thus must
be minimized. Any and all government intrusion is bad. While practical
libertarians (as opposed to those who waste their votes on the
Libertarian Party) have traditionally aligned themselves with the
Republicans, it's clear that the modern GOP has no qualms about
trampling on personal liberties. Heck, it's become their raison d' etre.

The problem with this form of libertarianism is that it assumes that
only two forces can infringe on liberty -- the government and other
individuals.

The Libertarian Democrat understands that there is a third danger to
personal liberty -- the corporation. The Libertarian Dem understands
that corporations, left unchecked, can be huge dangers to our personal
liberties.

Libertarian Dems are not hostile to government like traditional
libertarians. But unlike the liberal Democrats of old times (now all but
extinct), the Libertarian Dem doesn't believe government is the solution
for everything. But it sure as heck is effective in checking the power
of corporations.

In other words, government can protect our liberties from those who
would infringe upon them -- corporations and other individuals.

So in practical terms, what does a Libertarian Dem look like? A
Libertarian Dem rejects government efforts to intrude in our bedrooms
and churches. A Libertarian Dem rejects government "Big Brother"
efforts, such as the NSA spying of tens of millions of Americans. A
Libertarian Dem rejects efforts to strip away rights enumerated in the
Bill of Rights -- from the First Amendment to the 10th. And yes, that
includes the 2nd Amendment and the right to bear arms.

So far, this isn't much different than what a traditional libertarian
believes. Here is where it begins to differ (and it shouldn't).

A Libertarian Dem believes that true liberty requires freedom of
movement -- we need roads and public transportation to give people
freedom to travel wherever they might want. A Libertarian Dem believes
that we should have the freedom to enjoy the outdoor without getting
poisoned; that corporate polluters infringe on our rights and should be
checked. A Libertarian Dem believes that people should have the freedom
to make a living without being unduly exploited by employers. A
Libertarian Dem understands that no one enjoys true liberty if they
constantly fear for their lives, so strong crime and poverty prevention
programs can create a safe environment for the pursuit of happiness. A
Libertarian Dem gets that no one is truly free if they fear for their
health, so social net programs are important to allow individuals to
continue to live happily into their old age. Same with health care. And
so on.

The core Democratic values of fairness, opportunity, and investing in
our nation and people very much speak to the concept of personal
liberties -- an open society where success is predicated on the merit of
our ideas and efforts, unduly burdened by the government, corporate
America, or other individuals. And rather than always get in the way,
government can facilitate this.

Of course, this also means that government isn't always the solution to
the nation's problems. There are times when business-government
partnerships can be extremely effective (such as job retraining efforts
for displaced workers). There are times when government really should
butt out (like a great deal of small-business regulation). Our first
proposed solution to a problem facing our nation shouldn't be more
regulation, more government programs, more bureaucracy.

The key here isn't universal liberty from government intrusion, but
policies that maximize individual freedom, and who can protect those
individual freedoms best from those who would infringe.

I am very much a Libertarian Dem, and this is exactly what my next book
will be about. It's progressivism for a new century. And that's what
this new breed of Democrat is building in the Mountain West and Virginia
and Ohio.

2

Thank you for the article, Mike. Although the name of the movement
the author describes has the word "libertarian" in it, in my view the
movement seems to be rooted in very different principles than those
of the Libertarian Party's brand of libertarianism. It would be
difficult, I believe, for a Libertarian-Libertarian to see today's
government bureaucracy as a facilitator of anything; I would think we
would look to the free markets instead. And as far as large
corporations, I believe most Libertarian-Libertarians understand
corporations also can be a danger to individual freedom, if nothing
else, due to their ability to insert themselves so effectively into
politics.

However, all this does not mean that Libertarians would shun such a
movement out of hand; there could be some common ground somewhere.
Mike, your work with Misha and the Bayview community shows the value
of making an effort to find common ground.

Marcy

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/7/131550/7297

The Libertarian Dem

by kos <http://kos.dailykos.com>

Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 10:15:50 AM PDT

It's no secret that I look to the Mountain West for the future of

the

Democratic Party, people like Brian Schweitzer and Jon Tester. But I
also look to candidates like Jim Webb in Virginia and Paul Hackett

in

Ohio.

And what is the common thread amongst these candidates?

They are all Libertarian Democrats.

Ack, the "L" word! But hear me out.

Traditional "libertarianism" holds that government is evil and thus

must

be minimized. Any and all government intrusion is bad. While

practical

libertarians (as opposed to those who waste their votes on the
Libertarian Party) have traditionally aligned themselves with the
Republicans, it's clear that the modern GOP has no qualms about
trampling on personal liberties. Heck, it's become their raison d'

etre.

The problem with this form of libertarianism is that it assumes that
only two forces can infringe on liberty -- the government and other
individuals.

The Libertarian Democrat understands that there is a third danger to
personal liberty -- the corporation. The Libertarian Dem understands
that corporations, left unchecked, can be huge dangers to our

personal

liberties.

Libertarian Dems are not hostile to government like traditional
libertarians. But unlike the liberal Democrats of old times (now

all but

extinct), the Libertarian Dem doesn't believe government is the

solution

for everything. But it sure as heck is effective in checking the

power

of corporations.

In other words, government can protect our liberties from those who
would infringe upon them -- corporations and other individuals.

So in practical terms, what does a Libertarian Dem look like? A
Libertarian Dem rejects government efforts to intrude in our

bedrooms

and churches. A Libertarian Dem rejects government "Big Brother"
efforts, such as the NSA spying of tens of millions of Americans. A
Libertarian Dem rejects efforts to strip away rights enumerated in

the

Bill of Rights -- from the First Amendment to the 10th. And yes,

that

includes the 2nd Amendment and the right to bear arms.

So far, this isn't much different than what a traditional

libertarian

believes. Here is where it begins to differ (and it shouldn't).

A Libertarian Dem believes that true liberty requires freedom of
movement -- we need roads and public transportation to give people
freedom to travel wherever they might want. A Libertarian Dem

believes

that we should have the freedom to enjoy the outdoor without getting
poisoned; that corporate polluters infringe on our rights and

should be

checked. A Libertarian Dem believes that people should have the

freedom

to make a living without being unduly exploited by employers. A
Libertarian Dem understands that no one enjoys true liberty if they
constantly fear for their lives, so strong crime and poverty

prevention

programs can create a safe environment for the pursuit of

happiness. A

Libertarian Dem gets that no one is truly free if they fear for

their

health, so social net programs are important to allow individuals to
continue to live happily into their old age. Same with health care.

And

so on.

The core Democratic values of fairness, opportunity, and investing

in

our nation and people very much speak to the concept of personal
liberties -- an open society where success is predicated on the

merit of

our ideas and efforts, unduly burdened by the government, corporate
America, or other individuals. And rather than always get in the

way,

government can facilitate this.

Of course, this also means that government isn't always the

solution to

the nation's problems. There are times when business-government
partnerships can be extremely effective (such as job retraining

efforts

for displaced workers). There are times when government really

should

butt out (like a great deal of small-business regulation). Our first
proposed solution to a problem facing our nation shouldn't be more
regulation, more government programs, more bureaucracy.

The key here isn't universal liberty from government intrusion, but
policies that maximize individual freedom, and who can protect those
individual freedoms best from those who would infringe.

I am very much a Libertarian Dem, and this is exactly what my next

book

will be about. It's progressivism for a new century. And that's what
this new breed of Democrat is building in the Mountain West and

Virginia