A PLEA for Political Independence: Toward a Progressive-Libertarian Electoral Alliance

At Cafe Sentido, J.E. Robertson takes another look at the prospects and possibility of a strategic alliance between the Green Party and the Libertarian Party to mount a common campaign against the Democratic-Republican two-party state and duopoly system of government. Robertson writes:

A possible threat to both parties’ dominance, but especially to the Republican party’s standing as the lead mainstream party in opposition could be a kind of Green-Libertarian coalition. I first wrote about this idea for Cafe Sentido in November 2008, a week after the election of Barack Obama and the Republicans’ second consecutive major loss in Congress, then again in September 2009, after the Sotomayor hearings. . . .

There is significant overlap between the policy goals of the Green party and those of the Libertarian party, despite deep philosophical differences on the role of government. A multi-state coalition among representatives of these two parties could forge a path for viable opposition to the two-party stranglehold on power. The effects would likely see one of the two major parties pushed into third place. . . .

As the numbers stand now, a Green-Lib coalition might be able to shave as much as 10% off Democratic support nationwide, assuming Democrats or liberal independents —still wary of repeating the 2000 election, where a Green candidate effectively denied the Democratic candidate the White House— believed the coalition was big enough to keep the Republicans at bay. Republicans might lose anywhere from 20% to 35% of their support, as they struggle against Green-Lib claims that they are not rights-oriented and not green enough. . . .

Voters are looking for something more “their own” nowadays, something different from and more personally relevant and attuned than the old prevailing norms.

Regulars at Independent Political Report are certainly familiar with this idea from Robert Milnes' untiring advocacy for what he calls "PLAS" – the Progressive-Libertarian Alliance Strategy. But one might also term the strategy a PLEA for political sanity and independence: the Progressive-Libertarian Electoral Alliance. One might even consider a more polite approach – the Progressive-Libertarian Electoral Alliance and Strategic Entente: PLEASE stop voting for Democrats and Republicans.