WHAT NEW LIBERALS BELIEVE LIBERAL VALUES We believe in core liberal principles like democratic representation, equality before the law, an open society, and the freedom of speech, association, religion, the press, etc. These ideals are the foundation of our political philosophy. We believe in the importance of strong institutions — the norms and rules that constrain and motivate our public behavior. Positive societal outcomes require strong, inclusive institutions, and we believe in holding fast to our core principles and core institutions. SOCIAL LIBERALISM We are social liberals. Social liberal values of inclusion and non-discrimination are ethically correct on their own terms but also create a prosperous society. We believe in building a society that is inclusive, non-discriminatory, and open to all people regardless of race, sex, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. We will always stand in strong opposition to any policies that would legislate hate, discriminate against, or deny basic rights to marginalized groups, including policies that restrict women’s right to reproductive freedoms. ECONOMIC POLICY We believe that capitalism and free markets are astonishingly good at creating wealth but less good at distributing that wealth. We support a capitalist, market-based economy that promotes economic growth and nurtures innovation, while also supporting a strong social safety net that shares the gains of that growth with everyone. INNOVATION & PROGRESS We believe that the ultimate source of our prosperity comes from our ability to innovate, grow, and progress society forward. We are optimists. We believe that society should continue improving and becoming more prosperous, and that it is our responsibility to make sure that progress continues. We believe that policy should focus on ensuring growth and innovation continue so that future generations are even better off than we are. GLOBALISM We care deeply about not only our fellow citizens but all people living across the world. We believe in working to improve the conditions of people living across the world through humanitarian aid, the preservation of peace and liberal democracy, immigration, and free trade. TRADE We believe that free trade has been an enormous positive for the world, lifting billions out of poverty through higher wages and cheaper goods. Trade not only enriches us, but contributes to a more peaceful and cooperative world. We believe in the further proliferation of free trade acknowledging the importance of a social safety net. IMMIGRATION We believe that the country of one’s birth should not determine one’s outcomes in life, and people should be able to seek opportunity outside of the country they were born in. We believe that immigration is both a human right and an economic net positive, and that when a country accepts more immigrants both natives and immigrants benefit. We support all efforts to create a legal structure that creates a more open, liberal immigration system that allows more freedom of movement. HOUSING We believe that land use restrictions and lengthy regulatory processes greatly reduce the volume and varieties of housing that can be built. This makes housing expensive for all and inaccessible to some. We believe that making housing affordable for everyone must start by making the construction of new housing easier. We also believe that making it easier to build housing wouldn’t just address the housing crisis - it would also help fight climate change, spur economic growth, and create more vibrant, livable communities. TRANSPORTATION We believe that current transportation options are too limited and car-centric in too many big cities. The result of car-centric design of our cities causes congestion, long commutes, and high levels of pollution. We believe in the proliferation of better transportation options such as reliable mass transit, large commuter rail networks, dedicated bus lanes, protected bike lanes, and the development of denser and more walkable urban areas. CLIMATE & ENERGY We believe that climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. Efforts to reverse its effects must be global in scale rather than limited to individual nations. We support renewable energy of all kinds, including nuclear, governments placing a price on carbon, public spending on green technology research, sharing of green technology with the rest of the world, and policies that promote decarbonizing our economy. HEALTHCARE We believe access to high-quality and affordable healthcare should be available to all. We do not subscribe to a single model of healthcare provision but promote a variety of policies. Some of those policies include reducing costs by increasing the supply of healthcare staff and services, subsidizing healthcare for those in need, reducing airborne pollutants, and funding research and innovation. We believe in reproductive freedom. The personal healthcare decisions of women should be between them and their doctors, and it should never be the place of the government to interfere in these decisions. EDUCATION We believe in education as a tool for fostering democratic participation and encouraging economic mobility. We believe in improving the quality of primary and secondary education through whichever means are politically feasible. We place a special emphasis on the importance of early childhood education, which has an outsized impact on children’s future outcomes. CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM & PUBLIC SAFETY We believe that we must strike a balance between criminal justice and public safety. Aggressive policing and overly punitive courts have gravely damaged too many families and communities, especially poor and minority communities. However, we believe that calls to defund or abolish our current police will make things worse. We believe in reforming the criminal justice system with a better, more accountable police force and alternative criminal justice approaches such as community policing. We believe these approaches paired with a commitment to public safety will keep our streets and communities safe from acts of violence. PRAGMATISM We believe in embracing the value of incremental progress towards our goals. We are pragmatists and accept that full and instant victories are rare, and progress can be slow. We recognize that incremental gains add up over time and that many of the most important political and policy victories took decades to come to fruition. We believe in building a big tent coalition, grounded in evidence. We believe that this approach not only increases the likelihood of success, but also creates change that will be resilient and sustainable.
