This diary is occasioned by the recent outpouring of response to the
Libertarian Democrat discussion. While I am one of those who find this formulation problematic, I was also struck by the passionate response kos' original post provoked in so many here at dKos. Near the end of his post, kos writes:
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.
Clearly the idea of individual freedom moves a great many people very deeply -- as it should. However, there is another concept that also incites the passions of many of us here in the dKos community. That is the concept of social justice.
Appeals to individual freedom clearly resonate with a wide range of Americans. Liberty is one of the founding principles of this nation. It is the reason why things like the NSA domestic spying debacle are to be despised. It is a betrayal of our basic freedoms and of the liberty we hold dear. Liberty is a principle which speaks to a large group of Americans very strongly and clearly. Certainly it speaks to a large number of community members here at dKos very strongly as well. And for many, putting liberty out front in the name "Libertarian Democrat" has a great appeal. But for others of us, this move has provoked unease. Cries for individual freedom do not tend to provoke passionate responses from me, although I certainly value my freedom tremendously. It is simply not a rallying cry that resonates in my soul the way it clearly does for many.
Social justice is something I can be passionate about. It is a reason why inequalities are to be fought and another reason why the policies of our current administration are such a travesty. They are abominations of justice. From rising poverty rates and increasing income inequality, to the sorry state of public funding for education and health care, to the gigantic injustice of the war in Iraq -- all of these things are assaults on the principles of justice that we also value and hold dear. There is no disagreement here over the particular issues. All of these things were addressed admirably in kos' original post. However, appeals to individual liberty and appeals to social justice do seem to have some very different constituencies, even here at dKos.
My concern is that a rush to embrace the ideal of "Libertarian Democrat" will highlight one set of values, those of individual liberty, at the expense of another equally important set of values, those of social justice. In short, my concern is that "Libertarian Democrat" may work as a wedge to further separate and divide folks of good will who ought to find common cause in the current political climate. This is a separation that needs to be resisted. We need to inspire and support those for whom appeals to individual liberty resonate. Just as we also need to inspire and support those moved by visions of social justice and equality. Any strategy that alienates either group is unlikely to lead to a very big tent. We need a strategy that motivates both those inspired by personal liberty as well as those of us inspired by social justice. We need liberty and justice for all.