Libertarians and Progressives - Strange Bedfellows?

According to the Libertarian Party website, a Libertarian is "A person who upholds the principles of individual liberty especially of thought and action. Capitalized: a member of a political party advocating libertarian principles."

"Libertarians believe in, and pursue, personal freedom while maintaining personal responsibility. The Libertarian Party itself serves a much larger pro-liberty community with the specific mission of electing Libertarians to public office.

Libertarians strongly oppose any government interfering in their personal, family and business decisions. Essentially, we believe all Americans should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit as long as they do no harm to another.

In a nutshell, we are advocates for a smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom."

On the other side of the coin, according to the Center for American Progress, "progressives believe that America should be a country of boundless opportunity—where all people can better themselves through education, hard work, and the freedom to pursue their dreams. We believe this will only be achieved with an open and effective government that champions the common good over narrow self-interest, harnesses the strength of our diversity, and secures the rights and safety of its people.

Real progress will be achieved only through innovative solutions borne of open collaboration.

To realize our vision we must:

Build an opportunity nation where every hard-working person, regardless of background, can realize their dreams through education, decent work and fair play.

Reawaken America's conscience, our sense of shared and personal responsibility, to build healthy, vibrant communities.

Reform government so that it is of, by and for the people: open, effective, and committed to the common good.

Use America's strength to bring the world together, not pull it apart."

So are Libertarians "Progressives without a moral compass" or are Progressives "Libertarian-lite"?

It's an interesting question because there are some common beliefs. For instance, Libertarians, like Rep. Ron Paul, believe that the government should not interfere with our civil liberties, same with Progressives.

Libertarians think the government should stay out of our bedrooms and let us make our own decisions about our bodies, so do Progressives.

Libertarians believe in a liberal immigration policy, as it should not be up to the government to get in the way of the free market, Progressives believe in human rights and support a liberal immigration policy too.

Libertarians don't believe in corporate welfare, neither do Progressives.

Libertarians believe in smaller government and rights for individuals, so do Progressives (albeit, for a Progressive smaller government applies to the Department of Defense).

Libertarians believe in personal responsibility and don't think drugs should be criminalized for consenting adults, neither do Progressives.

Where Libertarians and Progressives do part ways is the balancing act between small government and effective government.

Libertarians think that the invisible hand of the government should stay out of the marketplace---Progressives do too, only not in cases, where oligopolies or monopolies prevail, 0r where human beings are harmed or mistreated.

Libertarians are for school-choice, Progressives believe that public education needs to be fixed.

Libertarians believe that welfare should be eliminated entirely, Progressives believe that a social safety net is appropriate and just, for as long as the underlying causes of poverty remain in place.

Libertarians would eliminate income taxes, Progressives are for the elimination of regressive taxes that cost the middle class and poor more proportionally than the top 10% of income earners.

Libertarians believe in strong defense, but limited foreign policy, while Progressives are for limited defense and strong foreign relations.


So it is clear, Progressives and Libertarians are very different, but it is equally clear that there is common ground to work on issues--some might say more so than between liberals and conservatives.