We are proud to share the first issue of The Transpartisan Review, a digital journal of politics, society, and culture, exploring the apparent disintegration of the traditional political, social and cultural order from a transpartisan point of view. By choosing Inauguration Day 2017, we hoped to focus on a distinct moment of change — a transpartisan moment — when so many conversations across the United States focused on the future. A future, for many, in doubt. Our first issue explores many of the issues dominating these conversations and we encourage our readers to share their own perspective with us, with their friends & family, and, most importantly, with their neighbors.
Download Now: Transpartisan Review, Issue One
Order a Print Version: Blurb Print-on-Demand
THE TRANSPARTISAN MOMENT
A Note from the Editors, A. Lawrence Chickering and James S. Turner
Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Transpartisan Review.
In this Note, we would like to introduce ourselves and the community of individuals, leaders, and organizations who have been collaborating for more than a decade to advocate for transpartisan politics. Below we describe The Review’s ‘core values’, the issues we will address, and our plans for 2017 and beyond.
On election day 2016, nearly half of voting age Americans did not vote, there were more registered Independents than either major party, and the total number who did not vote or voted for a third party nearly matched the number of those who voted for the major party candidates combined. We believe this indicates we’ve arrived at a “transpartisan moment” in history and we would like to explain why.
The “transpartisan moment” refers to our belief that democracy in the United States has reached a turning point in its history. It is a time of change, a transitional phase between the extended post-war period of the last century and the much different world of the 21st. Tensions between competing social and cultural forces have come to a head—or are approaching it—and this is reflected in our unstable political circumstances.
FEATURES:
FIGHTING TERRORISM BY EMPOWERING THE POOR
by Hernando de Soto
Becoming internationally famous as the first civil society organization in the world to take on and defeat a violent terrorist organization without weapons but with property rights empowering Peru’s poor, De Soto’s point about ownership is a crucial transpartisan tool for empowering people, especially the disadvantaged and marginalized. In this article, De Soto offers, to our new administration, some lessons from Peru. Read now…
LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR—EVEN WHEN WE DISAGREE
by Joan Blades
Developing understanding, trust, and relationships makes space for greater creativity and generosity when solving problems. But in this time when our conflicts are paralyzing us, we are losing goodwill toward our fellow citizens and failing to address significant issues. Despite thirty years experience as a mediator, the MoveOn.org founder still struggles with this and shares her personal insights with us. Read now…
TRUMP WON. WHAT DO LIBERALS DO NOW?
by Mark Gerzon
When Sean McElwee reviewed Mark Gerzon’s latest book for Yes! Magazine he chose to ignore the distiction between “bipartisan” and “transpartisan”, instead arguing “the solution … to simply ‘get everyone in a room and work it out’ … presumes that politics isn’t fundamentally about power and who wields it.” Mark Gerzon responds in this piece reprinted from the Christian Science Monitor. Read now…
WHOSE PARTY IS IT, ANYWAY?
by Bill Shireman
It used to be that the Republican and Democratic parties competed for the votes of men, women, whites, minorities, church-goers, flag-wavers, environmentalists, and so on. Not anymore. Each voter and issue bloc is now practically owned by one party or the other. In this excerpt from a forthcoming book, Bill Shireman explores this new “monopoly power” and the purpose & mechanisms behind it. Read now…
A POLICY OF CONFLICT, COMPETITION & COOPERATION
by Charles Hauss
Foreign policy analysts are “trained” to think of international relations as proceeding from the ideal of peace to a condition of conflict to a state of war. However, if we embrace a model based on “conflict, cooperation, and competition,” we discover a far more accurate description of the complex nature of international relations, and end up with additional policy options and a new ability to respond creatively. Read now…
ABOUT THE REVIEW
From the Editors
The Transpartisan Review is an online journal of politics, society, and culture that explores new approaches to political issues, reducing conflict and searching for solutions to difficult issues (e.g., public schools, racial conflict, and foreign & security policy). TTR believes the mainstream debate, following social science, focuses too much on governments, ignoring and excluding citizens and private, ‘subjective’ values in solving ‘public’ challenges. These include subjective issues of ‘connection, community, and citizens’ responsibilities in public schools, race relations, and even foreign policy. Finally, TTR will explore religion and spirituality, which are important almost everywhere but ignored in the mainstream debate. -ALC
The Transpartisan Review will offer, online, individual observers, participants and bystanders of our surging political, economic and culture tides, ways to see our world from the underreported place of agreement. It offers additional, to stated political preferences, possibilities for individuals to see and comment on our divides looking for actual or potential unity. TTR will address and highlight a growing movement of conservative, liberal, independent, green, libertarian and other persuasions joining forces across divisions and disagreements to seek and find creative, often previously unimagined, approaches to current problems and offers analytic, advocacy and pragmatic tools for supporting or joining this movement. -JST
I urge all readers to review what has occurred in New Castle (Chappaqua), New York ( btw home to Bill and Hillary Clinton) over the last two town election cycles: http://www.teamnewcastle2017.org/ You will note that two Democrats and an Independent have run and won twice on the Republican line (and are seeking a third term in November). Why? Because sober citizens in this town have quietly adopted Transpartisanship even before the term was popularized. Ending a couple of decades of single party rule in our town has done it wonders at best or much good at the very least. Now if this transpartisanship could be broadened to the county, state and federal levels, we’d all be better off.