Transpartisan

Transpartisanship represents an emerging field in political thought distinct from bipartisanship, which aims to negotiate between “right” and “left,” resulting in a dualistic perspective, and nonpartisanship, which tends to avoid political affiliation altogether. Rather, transpartisanship acknowledges the validity of truths across a range of political perspectives and seeks to synthesize them into an inclusive, pragmatic container beyond typical political dualities.

Transpartisanship is a movement to support and advance a common ground - or "new center" - that already exists in U.S. politics, emerging periodically into public view in the form of "unusual coalitions" of progressives and conservatives around issues ranging from war and the military budget to corporate power and the surveillance state.^[1]

In practice, consciously crafted transpartisan solutions emerge from a new kind of public conversation that moves beyond polarization by applying proven methods of facilitated dialogue, deliberation and conflict resolution. In this way it is possible to achieve the ideal of a democratic republic by integrating the values of a democracy—freedom, equality, and a regard for the common good, with the values of a republic—order, responsibility and security.

Current examples of transpartisan initiatives include Transpartisan Center, TheSolution.org, Reuniting America,Transpartisan Alliance, Liberty Coalition.

• Transpartisanship is an emerging field that advocates pragmatic and effective solutions to social and political problems, transcending and including preexisting political ideologies. Transpartisanship encompasses the idea that all systems are inextricably interconnected, and that successful outcomes can best be reached through inclusive, genuine, and respectful cooperation. Transpartisan democracy, in part, seeks to reintegrate the public’s voice in identifying, debating, and shaping governmental policies, while continuing to protect the sovereignty of the individual.

• The term “Transpartisanship” has emerged to provide a meaningful alternative to “Bipartisanship,” and “Nonpartisanship.” Bipartisanship limits the dialogue process to two political viewpoints or entities, striving for compromise solutions. Nonpartisanship, on the other hand, tends to deny the existence of differing viewpoints in exchange for cooperation. Both the bipartisan and nonpartisan approaches can discount the multiplicity of viewpoints that exist, which often results in incomplete and therefore unsuccessful outcomes. In contrast to these, transpartisanship recognizes the existence and validity of many points of view, and advocates a constructive dialogue aimed at arriving at creative, integrated, and therefore, breakthrough solutions that meet the needs of all present.

Transpartisan gatherings have resulted not only in surprisingly civil conversations noted by mainstream media^[2] but also in shifts from traditional ideological stances by some participants.^[3]

A close relative of transpartisanship is Integral politics. A transpartisan approach to policy would necessarily include individual and collective, as well as subjective and objective, perspective. Furthermore, similar to Integral theory, transpartisanship places politics in a developmental context, viewing democracy and prosperity not as static attainments, but rather emergent properties along a continuum of developmental stages.

See also

• Postpartisan

References

External links

• Transpartisan Center
• TheSolution.org (TED Talk)
• Transpartisan Alliance
• Liberty Coalition
• Reuniting America
• Bipartisan vs. Transpartisan: And the Winner Is? An essay by Dr. Don Beck.