Communist Party (CPUSA) vs Libertarian Party
Platform similarity: 49% across the 14 issues · closest on Foreign Policy & Trade, Defense & Veterans, Immigration & Border · furthest apart on Economy & Labor, Taxes & Fiscal, Healthcare
Maximal opposites on economics — total public ownership versus near-total privatization — with a genuinely surprising sliver of overlap everywhere the issue is state violence rather than state economics. On war, surveillance, police power, and the drug war, the Leninist left and the libertarian right often end up voting, in effect, the same way.
Where they agree
- Non-interventionist foreign policy and deep cuts to military spending
- Opposition to mass surveillance and expansive police powers
- Ending the drug war and reducing incarceration
- Civil liberties for dissenters — both parties have histories of being the dissenters
Where they split
- The economy: a democratically planned, publicly owned economy versus laissez-faire markets with minimal taxation — the two poles of the axis
- The state: CPUSA sees a strong state as the instrument of working-class power; Libertarians see the state itself as the standing threat
- Property: abolition of major private capital versus property rights as the foundation of liberty
- Welfare: universal public guarantees versus private charity and mutual aid
Issue by issue
| Issue | Communist Party | Libertarian Party | gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxes & Fiscal | Far left | Far right | 90% |
| Healthcare | Far left | Far right | 80% |
| Immigration & Border | Far left | Left | 25% |
| Guns | Left | Far right | 70% |
| Abortion & Reproductive Rights | Far left | Left | 35% |
| Environment & Energy | Far left | Center | 60% |
| Crime & Policing | Far left | Left | 30% |
| Defense & Veterans | Far left | Far left | 15% |
| Economy & Labor | Far left | Far right | 90% |
| Foreign Policy & Trade | Far left | Far left | 10% |
| Civil Rights & Social | Far left | Center | 40% |
| Education | Far left | Right | 75% |
| Government & Democracy | Far left | Left | 30% |
| Judicial & Nominations | Far left | Right | 60% |
Stances from each party's most recent national platform on the site's −1…+1 scale; "gap" is the share of the full left–right axis separating them on that issue.
The two-cow parable
The classic economics joke, told for each side — a ~20-second explainer apiece.
On the political map
Communist Party USA and Libertarian Party placed on the economic × social map among every current member of Congress. Click a dot for details.
Each small dot is a current member (Dem · Rep); the larger dots are party platforms — click one for its closest members. Economic axis: taxes, healthcare, labor, energy. Social axis: abortion, guns, immigration, civil rights, crime.
Which one matches you — the Communist Party USA or the Libertarian Party?
Rate the same issues these platforms are scored on and see which party you land closest to, plus how you compare with every member of Congress.
Frequently asked questions
How similar are the Communist Party (CPUSA) and the Libertarian Party?
Across the 14 core issues this site scores, their platforms are about 49% similar. They line up most closely on Foreign Policy & Trade, Defense & Veterans and Immigration & Border, and are furthest apart on Economy & Labor, Taxes & Fiscal and Healthcare.
What do the Communist Party (CPUSA) and the Libertarian Party agree on?
They are closest on Foreign Policy & Trade, Defense & Veterans and Immigration & Border. In practice that shows up as shared ground such as: Non-interventionist foreign policy and deep cuts to military spending.
Where do the Communist Party (CPUSA) and the Libertarian Party disagree most?
Their widest gaps are on Economy & Labor, Taxes & Fiscal and Healthcare. For example — The economy: a democratically planned, publicly owned economy versus laissez-faire markets with minimal taxation — the two poles of the axis.
Is the Communist Party (CPUSA) more liberal or conservative than the Libertarian Party?
Averaged across the 14 issues on a −1 (most liberal) to +1 (most conservative) scale, the Communist Party scores -0.94 and the Libertarian Party scores 0.08 — so the Communist Party sits to the left of the Libertarian Party overall.
Read next
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- Communist Party (CPUSA) vs Republican Party
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- Democratic Party vs Libertarian Party
- Republican Party vs Libertarian Party
Full platforms: Communist Party USA · Libertarian Party