Lubbock Left

I have always thought that Democrats and Libertarians have many important issues to fight for together. It used to be the case that Libertarians and Republicans had more in common, but the lie of “small government Republicans” took care of that.

Democrats and Libertarians tend to line up on civil rights issues — womens rights, reproductive rights, gay rights, legalizing marijuana, equal protection under the law, bill of rights issues, and so forth. The one exception I can think of is gun control, but there are even plenty of pro-gun Democrats these days, especially in Texas.

Democrats and Libertarians clash most often on the appropriate role of government in society, which is why there were more commonly Libertarian-Republican coalitions until now. I think it’s apparent that today’s Republican Party doesn’t have a place for Libertarians. If you’re not a bible-thumping fundamentalist or rich corporatist, the Republican Party won’t give you the time of day.

Now is the time for Democrats and Libertarians to work together for honest and open government, equal protection under the law, and civil rights that don’t reflect one culture’s dominance over another. I’ve seen Libertarians and Democrats working together locally on issues that really matter to the community, and I hope to see more of it as Election 2008 approaches.