The Attempt to Promote a Left-Right Alliance Despite Irreconcilable Differences

By David Starr

 

A Left-Right alliance sounds impossible given the foundational positions of each. But there have been attempts to establish an alliance between the two sides. The Rage Against the War Machine (RAWM) rallies have been a prominent example.

 

On RAWM’s web site, there are 10 demands which do sound impressive:

 

1)    Not one penny for wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

2)    Negotiate peace.

3)    Stop the war inflation.

4)    Disband NATO.

5)    Global nuclear de-escalation.

6)    Slash the Pentagon budget.

7)    Abolish the CIA and military-industrial deep state.

8)    Abolish war and empire.

9)    Restore civil liberties.

10) Pardon Julian Assange.

 

But the RAWM rallies have been significantly influenced by the Libertarian Party. On its web site, the Libertarian Party claims that it is “your representative in American politics.” Its’ slogan is the its “The Party of Principles.” Thus, it comes across as though its boasting that it’s the vanguard of the people.  Wikipediagives a basic description of what the Libertarian Party is: “A neoclassical liberal political party in the U.S. that promotes civil liberties, noninterventionism, laissez-faire capitalism, and limiting the size and scope of government.” 

 

While the Libertarian Party is somewhat positive on social issues, and it promotes a noninterventionist foreign policy, its positions on the economy and government are quite the opposite. Its’ position on capitalism is no better than what both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party are exercising. Further, the Libertarian Party has a rightward bent on economics, which means that it’s reactionary.

 

Also, reactionary is its’ idea on government. The position of the party is that government is too intrusive, and if anything, the government “should be protecting people from force and fraud.” This is especially a position of the GOP. But given the economics of the USA, imposing the rule of capital, whatever minimal amount of socialism that exists must protect the people. Capitalism won’t do it, and unfortunately, the government is currently dominated by it.  Overwhelmingly, it represents profits over people. And there are numerous financial scandals to show that, as well as other consequences. Plus, government is supposed to have a role, as the U.S. Constitution says, “to promote the general welfare.” Meaning, to promote properly-funded social programs to significantly curb, or eliminate, gross inequality, which is an inherent characteristic of capitalism.

 

Another entity that influences the RAWM is the People’s Party. On its’ web site, the People’s Party wants to build “a major new populist party to smash the two-party dictatorship.” That does sound noble. Further, “[a]s regular people across the left, right and center, we believe we have much more in common with each other than the corrupt politicians and billionaires who run our lives.” Again, noble-sounding. But there are those irreconcilable differences especially between left and right. 

 

The difference between a left agenda and a right agenda is quite wide. And characteristically, the left agenda is more beneficial for many. It encompasses labor rights, concerns for climate change, it’s progressive on social issues, it focuses on indigenous issues, and it’s against forever wars, i.e., it’s anti-imperialist. While it can be said that the Libertarian Party and the People’s Party positions are similar to that agenda, they still have a right-wing bent. 

 

The followers of the right continue to support the Republican Party, which has shown to be anti-progressive, anti-climate change, anti-labor, and anti-indigenous in its agenda. That’s not to say that the Democratic Party is a real alternative. But it has leaned toward those issues more than the Republicans. But in the bottom line both support the rule of capital and imperialism, which is anti-people.

 

Can followers among the right be persuaded to change to supporting a left agenda? Perhaps in some cases, it’s not out of the question. But the key to that is persuasion, and not force. 

 

According to Wikipedia, the Libertarian Party’s chair is Angela McArdle, who is particularly supported by the Mises Caucus, a tendency in the party, which is paleolibertarian, uniting libertarians and paleoconservatives. In July 2024, McArdle got into a heated dispute with Caryn Ann Harlos, national secretary of the party. McArdle violated the party’s bylaws and apparently took excessive actions. 

 

Meanwhile, Nick Brana is founder of the Movement for a People’s Party (MPP), aka the People’s Party. This was formed when Brana worked for the Bernie Sanders campaign. Sanders, however, ignored it. Brana was accused of sexual harassment by Zana Day, former MPP executive director. She was backed by coworker Paula Jean Swearengin. But Brana said that the accusation was “false and politically motivated.” He, in turn, forced out MPP board members. In May 2024, Brana became the ballet access director for the RFK Jr. campaign.          

 

The World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) published a strong condemnation of the RAWM, calling it a “reactionary political freak show.” McArdle and Brana have been “moderators” for the RAWM, trying to bring together the left and the right to oppose war. But the WSWS stated that “In fact, there was no left-wing perspective; the political direction was provided entirely by the right.” The WSWS also stated that “McArdle and the ‘Mises Caucus’ of which she is a member is closely associated with the efforts of the Libertarians to orient to right-wing militia groups.” 

 

Ron Paul, a Libertarian candidate who has been involved in the RAWM rallies, has a “program of austerity and debt elimination, if put into practice, would result in the evisceration of every single social welfare program in the United States, which is in fact the aim of most right-wing sections of the ruling class and the program of the Libertarian Party.”

 

Matthew Heimbach has been also present at the RAWM, and is “the leading neo-Nazi who helped organize the 2017 rally in Charlottesville. In a podcast prior to the Unite the Right rally, Heimbach called for the elimination of the ‘international Jew and the local Jew, I don’t care if he runs a fucking bagel shop, he’s got to go.’”

 

Also attending has been “Proud Boy Randy Ireland,” who has supported the “small number of individuals who were imprisoned for participating in Trump’s failed coup.”

 

The WSWS asserted that, “Perhaps the biggest fraud of all was the rally was an ‘antiwar’ event.” In conclusion, “the main impact of the [RAWM rallies] was to politically legitimate and elevate far-right forces that are utilized by sections of the ruling class itself.”

 

While the Libertarian Party has supposedly promoted peaceful means to resolve conflicts, its’ New Hampshire branch endorsed “the assassination of Vice President Kamala Harris and violence against politicians,” which has “gotten the attention of federal law enforcement, and is being condemned by politicians across the aisle.” It posted on Twitter (X), “Anyone who murders Kamala Harris would be an American hero.” Further, in another post, “Encouraging politicians to be shot is legal under the first amendment. It’s part of what makes this country great.”

 

The branch then ‘”issued an official report on political assassinations.’” It read in part, ‘We would never advocate for the assassination of a tyrannical president. We were merely acknowledging how some members would react to one.”’ A likely excuse.

 

Despite the attempt at an alliance between left and right, the RAWM, while featuring prominent guests on the left such as Max Blumenthal, Dennis Kucinich, Cynthia McKinney, Roger Waters and Jill Stein–who were not doubt sincere in their speeches–has not shown that such an alliance can necessarily exist, due to irreconcilable differences; and the right-wing bent of the RAWMs