Top 4 Commonalities Between Libertarians and Progressives

By Kody Fairfield

Earlier today, The Libertarian Republic published an article that libertarian-leaning Republican Sen. Rand Paul, and progressive Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders came together to vote on an amendment which would open the prescription drug market in the US to Canadian drugs. The two staunchly opposed Senators proved that libertarians and progressives can indeed find common ground to work on (at least once), but are there other areas of overlap?

Yes, indeed there are many areas of common ground, though each ideology has their own prescription to fix the ailment.

Here are 4 commonalities between Libertarians and Progressives.

1. Foreign Policy- Diplomacy

Generally, both progressives and libertarians believe that the United States Government has spent far too much time intervening in foreign affairs, particularly in the Middle East. Whether is was the Iraq War and overthrow of Saddam Hussein, Hillary Clinton’s war in Libya, or our current involvement with rebel movements involved in the Syrian Civil War, progressives and libertarian minds have been calling for a more non-interventionist, “take care of home” foreign policy. Both ideologies argue for more diplomatic approaches and war as a last resort.

“The test of a great and powerful nation is not how many wars it can engage in, but how it can resolve international conflicts in a peaceful manner.” – Bernie Sanders

Sen. Paul speaks to diplomacy during a GOP primary debate from 2015.