Editing Communitarianism (section)

=== Influence ===
Responsive communitarians have been playing a considerable public role, presenting themselves as the founders of a different kind of environmental movement, one dedicated to shoring up society (as opposed to the state) rather than nature. Like environmentalism, communitarianism appeals to audiences across the political spectrum, although it has found greater acceptance with some groups than others.

Although communitarianism is a small philosophical school, it has had considerable influence on public dialogues and politics. There are strong similarities between communitarian thinking and the Third Way, the political thinking of centrist Democrats in the United States, and the Neue Mitte in Germany. Communitarianism played a key role in Tony Blair's remaking of the British socialist Labour Party into "New Labour" and a smaller role in President Bill Clinton's campaigns. Other politicians have echoed key communitarian themes, such as Hillary Clinton, who has long held that to raise a child takes not just parents, family, friends and neighbors, but a whole "village".<ref>Dionne, E.J., Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent, New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2012, 83–99.</ref>

It has also been suggested<ref name="britannica.com"/> that the [[compassionate conservatism]] espoused by President Bush during his 2000 presidential campaign was a form of conservative communitarian thinking, although he did not implement it in his policy program. Cited policies have included economic and rhetorical support for education, volunteerism, and community programs, as well as a social emphasis on promoting families, character education, traditional values, and faith-based projects.

President Barack Obama gave voice to communitarian ideas and ideals in his book ''[[The Audacity of Hope]]'',<ref>Obama, Barack. ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream''. New York: Crown Publishers, 2006.</ref> and during the 2008 presidential election campaign he repeatedly called upon Americans to "ground our politics in the notion of a common good," for an "age of responsibility," and for foregoing identity politics in favor of community-wide unity building. However, for many in the West, the term communitarian conjures up authoritarian and collectivist associations, so many public leaders – and even several academics considered champions of this school – avoid the term while embracing and advancing its ideas.

Reflecting the dominance of [[Left-Right politics|liberal and conservative politics]] in the United States, no major party and few elected officials openly advocate communitarianism. Thus there is no consensus on individual policies, but some that most communitarians endorse have been enacted. Nonetheless, there is a small faction of communitarians within the Democratic Party; prominent communitarians include [[Bob Casey Jr.]], [[Joe Donnelly]], and [[Claire McCaskill]]. Many communitarian Democrats are part of the [[Blue Dog Coalition]]. It is quite possible{{according to whom|date=August 2022}} that the United States' [[Right-libertarianism|right-libertarian]] ideological underpinnings have suppressed major communitarian factions from emerging.<ref>The Responsive Community, Vol. 3, Issue 1. Winter 1992/93. Retrieved May 27, 2011.</ref>

[[Dana Milbank]], writing in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', remarked of modern communitarians, "There is still no such thing as a card-carrying communitarian, and therefore no consensus on policies. Some, such as [[John DiIulio]] and outside Bush adviser [[Marvin Olasky]], favor religious solutions for communities, while others, like Etzioni and Galston, prefer secular approaches."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.janda.org/b20/News%20articles/GW%2C%20the%20Communitarian.htm|title=Needed: Catchword For Bush Ideology; 'Communitarianism' Finds Favor|access-date=1 October 2014|website=janda.org}}</ref>

In August 2011, the right-libertarian ''[[Reason Magazine]]'' worked with the Rupe organization to survey 1,200 Americans by telephone. The Reason-Rupe poll found that "Americans cannot easily be bundled into either the 'liberal' or 'conservative' groups". Specifically, 28% expressed conservative views, 24% expressed libertarian views, 20% expressed communitarian views, and 28% expressed liberal views. The margin of error was ±3.<ref name="poll">{{cite magazine|url=http://reason.com/blog/2011/08/29/reason-rupe-poll-finds-24-of-a|title=Reason-Rupe Poll Finds 24 Percent of Americans are Economically Conservative and Socially Liberal, 28 Percent Liberal, 28 Percent Conservative, and 20 Percent Communitarian|first=Emily|last=Ekins|date=August 29, 2011|magazine=[[Reason Magazine]]|access-date=January 1, 2012}}</ref>

A similar Gallup survey in 2011 included possible [[centrism|centrist/moderate]] responses. That poll reported that 17% expressed conservative views, 22% expressed libertarian views, 20% expressed communitarian views, 17% expressed centrist views, and 24% expressed liberal views. The organization used the terminology "the bigger the better" to describe communitarianism.<ref name="poll" />

The [[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf]] party, founded and led by [[Imran Khan]], is considered the first political party in the world which has declared communitarianism as one of their official ideologies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.electioncell2013.com/pakistan-tehreek-e-insaf-pti/7667 |title=No Archived Copy |access-date=2013-04-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116104746/http://www.electioncell2013.com/pakistan-tehreek-e-insaf-pti/7667 |archive-date=2014-01-16 }}</ref>