Vote for me, you Bastard!

Nearly all political factions cluster around a set of values and demand that others treat those values as important. Environmentalists demand that you care more about the environment than about luxury and prosperity. Leftists demand that you care more about equality than about economic freedom. Drug warriors demand that you care more about sobriety than about the Bill of Rights. Civil libertarians demand that you care more about the Bill of Rights than about your religion, and so on.

Such thinking leads to vilification. Such vilification can rally the troops within each movement, but reduces the number of converts from the other side. It also makes negotiations between the factions very unproductive. The result is that the remoras win.

Libertarians take note: it is right that environmentalists focus on environmental concerns. Environmentalists take note: it is right for libertarians to focus on liberty.

Productive political action can stem from listening to the other sides and crafting solutions that match your own values. Environmental Defense helps corporations profitably clean the environment. The Institute for Justice uses libertarian approaches to increase social justice.

Such thinking is important when you are the minority in a legislative body. It is also important for building a political party big enough to get you elected in the first place. No single narrow faction is large enough to win elections. A political party is a coalition or it is a joke.

Practice more harmonious negotiation with other factions and you get more converts to your own, as well as a more harmonious big tent for your political party.

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Copyright 2007, Carl S. Milsted, Jr. All rights reserved.