What is a Solidarian?

A political philosophy for our time

Political labels are common ways people identify themselves and their beliefs. Some labels are more common than others—more people call themselves “conservative” or “Democrat” than “Libertarian,” for example. While people already know more or less what the common labels stand for, those more unique labels need some explanation. “Solidarian” is a label that needs some explanation. But to understand the solution that Solidarians are offering America, you first have to understand the problem.

The Problem with Politics

We live in a time of increasing division and polarization in America. The Left and Right of the political spectrum are driving farther and farther apart in their struggle for power, leaving a large number of self-identified Independents in the middle who feel left behind by the recent, radical turn taken by the two major parties. If you’re an average, well-meaning American citizen, you’re probably not particularly interested in the day-to-day drama that goes on in the battle between the two big parties. You just want to live a decent life where you don’t have to be afraid for your life every day and the government stays out of your hair. You like freedom, but also want security. You think the government has a role in society, but dislike bureaucracy and overbearing regulations.

Both the Republicans and the Democrats claim to represent the interests of the American people, but they seem to get more out of touch with reality as the days go by. With the Republican and Democratic Options seeming less and less viable and more and more extreme, it’s not surprising that many people opt to become Libertarians and try to limit the role of government to the protection of a very few basic rights.

But being an American citizen doesn’t just come with rights. It also comes with responsibilities.

A free and just society doesn’t come into existence out of thin air. A free and just society takes the work of dedicated citizens who want to make the world a better place for themselves, their children, and their neighbors. “Government” is simply the name we give to the way we run our country, for better or for worse. It’s not inherently a bad thing. The Libertarian Option correctly diagnoses the problems of excessive government power and bureaucratic overreach, but doesn’t offer a positive view of government beyond “the best government is the smallest government.” There needs to be an option that has a positive role for the government while avoiding the divisive power politics of the two-party system.

The Solidarian Solution

Enter the Solidarian Option.

The Solidarian Option isn’t interested in polarizing the nation in order to gain power. Nor is it interested in simply dismantling the government and giving up politics as a lost cause. Rather, it’s interested in bringing Americans together to work for the common good. It’s about seeing each other as neighbors and fellow citizens, and working from the bottom-up to build a country where everyone can flourish.

In once sense, Solidarians are centrist in the sense that they draw from the strengths of ideologies from across the political spectrum. In another sense, the label “centrist” would be inaccurate, since Solidarians are not interested in a mere watered-down compromise between Left and Right. Instead, they hope to offer a vision for America that goes beyond the political spectrum as we currently understand it, rooted in common values that most Americans share.

The Solidarian Option is rooted in another time of division in human history—post-WWII Europe. As the division between Right and Left reached new extremes, a group of people dedicated to the ideals of Christian Democracy worked to rebuild Europe from the (literal) rubble left over from the conflict between polarized political parties. Over the decades following World War II, Christian Democrat parties played a crucial role in building Europe into a thriving, prosperous place to live.

Christian Democracy has a proven track record of rebuilding societies in decline. Today, the American Solidarity Party hopes to do the same for the United States.

Over the next few articles, we will explore the core values of the Solidarian perspective, and see how they unite the best interests of people from across the political spectrum in concrete policies that will impact our country for the better.