Posted at Green Party Watch
In a post at their website, the Colorado Green Party is promoting the Transpartisan Alliance, which claims to be a way to bring liberals, conservatives, libertarians, greens, independents and everyone else together.
Transpartisanship acknowledges the validity of truths across a range of political perspectives and seeks to synthesize them into an inclusive, pragmatic whole beyond typical political dualities.
Sponsors include the League of Women Voters, who often refuse to allow smaller party and independent candidates to participate in the debates they sponsor, the Liberty Coalition, a Ron Paul off-shoot, Common Cause, Mobilize.org, and the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation.
The Transpartisan Alliance Advisers are:
Brent McMillian, Political Director, Green Party
Fred Smith, President, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Nancy Ross, Political Director, Committee for a Unified Independent Party
Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
Michelle Bernard, President, Independent Women’s Forum
Jodie Evans, Co-founder, Codepink Women for Peace
Mark Gerzon, Author, Leading Through Conflict, President, Mediators Foundation
Jesse Benton, Communications Director, Campaign for Liberty (Ron Paul)
Jackie Johnson, Executive Director, National Conference on American Indians
Rob Richie, Executive Director, FairVote.org
Maya Enista, CEO, Mobilize.org
Sandy Heierbacher, Director, National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation
Joan Blades, Co-founder, MoveOn.org, President, MomsRising.org
Michael Ostrolenk, Founder, Liberty Coalition
Peggy Holman, Author, The Change Handbook
John Steiner, Chair, Transpartisan Center
John Briscoe, Vice President, Common Cause
David Korten, Co-founder, Positive Futures Network
Cheryl Graeve, Membership Director, League of Women Voters
Juanita Brown, Co-founder, The World Cafe
J. Manuel Herrera, Silicon Valley elected official
Steve Bhaerman, Political comedian, Department of Heartland Security
UPDATE: From GPW comments: “The GPOC does not support the American Citizens Summit. We haven’t even discussed it. Some unauthorized person put this on our website. It has been removed.” However, national Green Party Political Direcor Brent McMillan is still on the board of the Transpartisan alliance, according to their website.
Ron Paul endorsed a theocrat. Does that make him a therocrat? hm
Are you kidding me? They got Ron Paul people involved.
What won’t work? I thought Robert Milnes would be the biggest supporter of this sort of thing.
Won’t work.
Beware of the Fred Newmanites in the CUIP… next thing you know they’ll be claiming they run the show!
@ GPW
Brent McMillan // Nov 16, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I believe that it is important that we go to this event as advocates.
Advocating for the dissolution of corporate personhood is a very appropriate position for us to take. To say that the rest of the participants are there with us yet is another matter. We should discuss what it is that we want to advocate and how do we want to do that. For example do we want to distribute any publications to all of the participants in support of our position. Charlie Cray’s book, “The Peoples Business†is arguably the best book ever written on corporate reform, Nader himself has said so. I know that I could get a good deal from Charlie on purchasing a large quantity of this book for distribution at the event. This is only one of many possible examples.
Maybe we shouldn’t call it the FRINGE alliance 😉 ha
This is the beginning of the Fringe Alliance Strategy that I recommended back in April.
but aside from that there’s a reason greens, libertarians, and paleocons aren’t all in one party.
I’ve seen no one from the transpartisan alliance suggest that they should be (other than CUIP).
There are probably some privacy-related and foreign policy issues that all the major third party movements could agree on
Certainly there are: the four planks of the Campaign for Liberty statement of agreement, for example.
There are probably some privacy-related and foreign policy issues that all the major third party movements could agree on, but aside from that there’s a reason greens, libertarians, and paleocons aren’t all in one party. They don’t agree on anything. The GP, LP, and CP all want to go in directions that are as opposed to each other as they are to the agenda of the Republicans and Democrats.
Still, that’s an interesting assembly. I wouldn’t be surprised to see something come of it on issues of common concern, but I don’t think we’ll be seeing any kind of amalgamated Super-Third-Party like some talk about.
The only thing they should fight for are easier ballot access laws. Why should there be any law for ballot access?
Their “about” page:
Description
The Transpartisan Alliance is an informal network of networks facilitating cooperation among individuals and organizations from all political points of view.
Mission
To empower a unified political voice capable of restoring a healthy balance of power between government, corporations and the American people.
Values
Principles agreed to by all Americans — unity, equality, liberty, dignity and self governance.
Program
The Transpartisan Alliance will serve as the convener of the annual (winter/spring) transpartisan American Citizens’ Summit. The annual American Citizens’ Summit is a four day Transpartisan National Convention that applies tools of dialogue, deliberation and conflict resolution to facilitating strategic alignment among individuals and groups from across the political spectrum. The members of the convention are fully empowered to determine the issues on which to engage. The responsibility of the Transpartisan Alliance is simply to create a safe, welcoming, sincerely neutral, well facilitated space for authentic dialogue.
The Transpartisan Alliance will also serve as the convener of the annual (summer/fall) Conference on Democracy in America. The annual Conference on Democracy in America is a three day, transpartisan leadership retreat intended to facilitate strategic alignment and cooperation among leaders and experts from across the political spectrum. The participants in the conference are fully empowered to determine the issues on which to engage. The responsibility of the Transpartisan Alliance is simply to create a safe, welcoming, sincerely neutral space for authentic dialogue.
Background
The Transpartisan Alliance emerges from the work of the Democracy in America Project and Reuniting America. For the past four years these political bridge builders have been convening leaders of groups as different as the Christian Coalition and MoveOn.org, the Sierra Club and Club for Growth, Americans for Tax Reform and Code Pink Women for Peace (see list of participants in previous transpartisan leadership retreats held between 2004 and 2007). We’ve found that when a safe, welcoming environment with clear ground rules for building trust, respect and communication is created, unexpected cooperation happens. It’s time now to begin engaging everyday citizens in this emerging, political empowerment movement.
“Transpartisanship acknowledges the validity of truths across a range of political perspectives and seeks to synthesize them into an inclusive, pragmatic whole beyond typical political dualities.”
Impressive list of people and organizations. What are they setting out to do?