Leave Us Alone Coalition
Encyclopedia
The Leave Us Alone Coalition is an idea popularized by conservative
/libertarian
activist Grover Norquist
for a wide-ranging and loose collaboration among various elements of U.S. politics, united by a common desire for minimal involvement with and restrictions from government, especially the U.S. federal government. There is no actual organization by this name, rather, it is a description of a hoped-for reality of cooperation between social conservatives, libertarians / free market
supporters, and various single-issue voters such as gun rights supporters.
The idea emphasizes what all these disparate forces tend to agree on: that they do not welcome federal
laws coercing them in ways they dislike, such as federal efforts to impose liberal values, ban guns, and restrain or restrict free markets.
It de-emphasizes what they tend to disagree on, for example the desire of social conservatives to enact laws, such as school prayer
and other state endorsement of Christianity
, blue law
s, bans or restrictions on divorce
, contraception
, abortion
, pornography
, adultery
, fornication
, gay marriage, and sodomy
; and occasional local laws passed by gun-rights supporters mandating gun ownership, all of which are examples of coercion that libertarians and free-marketeers would tend to oppose.
The term is sometimes also used, in rhetoric and polemics, in contrast to a so-called "Takings Coalition", whose constituent elements -- such as welfare recipients, government employees, unions, and companies or non-profits benefiting from government contracts, protectionism
or other state action -- all depend on government spending, mandates, or preferences for their livelihood, rather than free markets or voluntarism
.
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
/libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
activist Grover Norquist
Grover Norquist
Grover Glenn Norquist is an American lobbyist, conservative activist, and founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform...
for a wide-ranging and loose collaboration among various elements of U.S. politics, united by a common desire for minimal involvement with and restrictions from government, especially the U.S. federal government. There is no actual organization by this name, rather, it is a description of a hoped-for reality of cooperation between social conservatives, libertarians / free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
supporters, and various single-issue voters such as gun rights supporters.
The idea emphasizes what all these disparate forces tend to agree on: that they do not welcome federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
laws coercing them in ways they dislike, such as federal efforts to impose liberal values, ban guns, and restrain or restrict free markets.
It de-emphasizes what they tend to disagree on, for example the desire of social conservatives to enact laws, such as school prayer
School prayer
School prayer in its common usage refers to state-approved prayer by students in state schools. Depending on the country and the type of school, organized prayer may be required, permitted, or prohibited...
and other state endorsement of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, blue law
Blue law
A blue law is a type of law, typically found in the United States and, formerly, in Canada, designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship or rest, and a restriction on Sunday shopping...
s, bans or restrictions on divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
, abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
, fornication
Fornication
Fornication typically refers to consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other. For many people, the term carries a moral or religious association, but the significance of sexual acts to which the term is applied varies between religions, societies and cultures. The...
, gay marriage, and sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
; and occasional local laws passed by gun-rights supporters mandating gun ownership, all of which are examples of coercion that libertarians and free-marketeers would tend to oppose.
The term is sometimes also used, in rhetoric and polemics, in contrast to a so-called "Takings Coalition", whose constituent elements -- such as welfare recipients, government employees, unions, and companies or non-profits benefiting from government contracts, protectionism
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
or other state action -- all depend on government spending, mandates, or preferences for their livelihood, rather than free markets or voluntarism
Voluntarism
Voluntarism is a descriptive term for a school of thought that regards the will as superior to the intellect and to emotion. This description has been applied to various points of view, from different cultural eras, in the areas of metaphysics, psychology, sociology, and theology.The term...
.
External links
- Elections 2000: The Leave Us Alone vs. the Takings Coalition, an article by Grover Norquist on the topic.