People are social animals. No one accomplishes anything alone.
Everything of meaning is done in association with others.
The issue that the communists are trying to sweep under the rug isn’t individualism vs. cooperation, it’s voluntary association vs. involuntary.
The tea partiers and the libertarians and other individualists are strong supporters of voluntary association. What they oppose is the involuntary association that the collectivists offer.
Because there’s another word for involuntary assocition: slavery.
Exactly.