The libertarian wing of the GOP has long been anathema here at DKos. For good reason. I wish to suggest however, and to discuss a provisional or tactical alliance between two diametrically opposed political forces, libertarians and liberals.
I expect and invite harsh criticism of this idea. It is merely an idea, not a proposal. A late-nite idea at that.
There are at least three crucial areas where the libertarian right and the reasonable left might easily come to an agreement, or at least a compromise. These are heartfelt issues
- Get US troops the fuck out of foreign colonial wars. Fuck your excuses, we want our boys home, now.
- Support localized government over national government, eliminate spy agencies. What I do is my own business.
- End the collusion between big government and big business.
If we were to focus on only the first of these three points, we might be able to form an effective provisional alliance with people who oppose us on nearly every other issue. But is it beyond our capacity as liberals to ignore, for an electoral cycle or two, hot-button issues like abortion or gay rights, in favor of attacking the Military Industrial Complex? And really dealing it a serious blow? Are we up for politics like that?
I wonder how many Kossers have read the wonderful writings of Joe Bageant. You want to know where the other side is really coming from, read Bageant. The trailer trash end of American society belongs on OUR side, not their side.
What's so wrong about talking turkey with a redneck? If it means pulling the plug on the MIC, I'm all for it. Why can't we all just forget about abortion for a while? Put it on the back burner so to speak, in favor of more pressing concerns?
Y'all know, don't yuz, that cops are dressing up like commandos these days? Rednecks know it, and they don't necessarily like it. It's a mistake for middle-class liberals to act as a self-circumscibed group, ala DKos. We need to spread out a bit.