'Progressives' Now Want to Have 'No Labels'

The Looking Spoon ^ | 12-14-10 | Jared H. McAndersen

[The Looking Spoon]

The group "No Labels" kicked off its first conference Monday at New York's Columbia University with just one label largely absent: "Republican."

The non-partisan initiative with the slogan, "Not Left. Not Right. Forward", is seeking to fill what the American people regularly tell pollsters is the vital center: a non-ideological space where the commitment is to getting things done. And its speakers—who ranged from Republican moderates like ex-Virginia Rep. Tom Davis to liberal Democrats like New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand—sang the praises of cooperation and compromise.

But the only Republicans present at Columbia University's modern, square Alfred Lerner Hall seemed to be those who had recently lost primary races, such as South Carolina Rep. Bob Inglis and Delaware Rep. Mike Castle, or former Republicans like Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. No other senior elected Republican officials were in attendance, though a range of Democrats were present, some of them seeming a bit mystified by the bipartisan cast of the event, like the reliably liberal Gillibrand, and others whose clashes with unions - like Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Newark Mayor Cory Booker - have put some distance between them and their parties.

"No Labels" was initially viewed with skepticism by the two parties as a stalking horse for the third-party presidential dreams of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who spoke Monday.

But Bloomberg, who stepped onto the national stage last week with a major economic speech, then abruptly said that "no way, no how" would he run for president, appeared in a dour mood.

But Bloomberg, who stepped onto the national stage last week with a major economic speech, then abruptly said that "no way, no how" would he run for president, appeared in a dour mood.

Read the rest at Politico

How about they apply for a stimulus grant to build a time machine so they can go back to in time to....say...1859? I'm sure the leaders of that day would be more than happy to set aside their arguments about slavery for a while to give No Labels guidance on how to be less "hyper-partisan."

No labels? The founding fathers built this towering structure of glory that is the United States of America, and THEY couldn't avoid labels. This group of half-wits, who wouldn't have been fit to shine their shoes, thinks they've got it all figured out?

I know it sounds like I'm kidding myself, trust me...I'm not. It is painfully obvious this is just latest pathetic attempt to rebrand left wing politics.

They've run away from "liberal." They're apparently now running away from "progressive" too. These guys run away so much they could take Africans in a marathon.

These people are going to have as much success as the as the Coffee Party that never was. Nobody is going to visit this zoo of idiocy.

I know I know, "zoo" implies they're like a bunch of animals...

By the way they plagiarized the design...way to go morons. They should change their branding to a bunch of pictures of Biden...that would be fool proof. He wont get mad they're using his image because he'll be too busy trying to figure out why he gets déjà vu looking at it.

[mo]

The Rinocrat Oligarchy trying to hide its colors and pre-empt the Constitutional inevitable headed right for their country clubs and K st cohorts...pass the popcorn!!!

[jospehm20]

If I were a liberal, I would not want to be called any of the labels normal people attach to liberals either.

[Junior_G]

The “No Labels” movement is driven by the same thinking behind the “Restore Sanity” rally a few months back. Both “No Labels” and “Restoring Sanity” are about getting conservatives to shut up when liberals are losing the national argument.

[drypowder]

Just another move to hide their true stripes as anti-American socialists. They’re more stupid than they think we are.

[freespirited]

Oh for crying out loud.

It is human nature to categorize people and things. No flakey organization is going to stop the human brain from engaging in an activity that has served us well.

[Chode]

a Commie by any other name, or none...

[bray]

Announced it at Columbia, you can guess they are all commies.

Merry Christmas

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

“Not Left. Not Right” reminds me of one of the great lines in movie comedy.

In “Hot Dog: The Movie” (about freestyle skiing), David Naughton is talking to the Austrian arrogant skiing champ who had just told other skiers to stay out of his way. He wanted to go thru a group of them and said essentially I’m not going around you to the left or to the right but right down the middle.

To which Naughton replied, “Rudy” - You can kiss my ass. Not on the left side, and not on the right side, BUT RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE.

I think this defines the “No Label” crowd. Right down the middle of the political ass. Guess what is awaiting you, boycheks?

[The Looking Spoon]

I never saw the movie, but I love the quote!

[NTHockey]

Just another LIB group that hates America. Too bad that Mike Castle, after 40 years in government, will only be remembered as a sore loser. Received this in an e-mail:

At Columbia University, on Dec. 13, Delaware liberal Mike Castle joined other liberal Democrats and Republicans creating a new organization to attack the tea party movement as “extremist.”

In its kick-off event, “No Labels” leader and spokesman Bob Franken of “NO LABELS” described the tea party movement and citizen involvement as “hatred and an irrational approach to politics, breaking rationality”

Apparently referring to the 2010 victory of Republicans in the US House of Representatives, “No Labels” Spokesman Bob Franken said that “the people have had their country taken away from them.”

One organizer explicitly described “NO LABELS” as being in response to the tea party’s Gadsen “Don’t Tread on Me” flag as the symbol of what the new group is opposed to.

Another leader Martha explicitly described “NO LABELS” as a response to the “vitriol” of the Republican take-over of the U.S. House in the 2010 elections.

“NO LABELS” proceeded to use extreme labels to attack Christine O’Donnell, who was chosen by Republican voters over Mike Castle in the Republican primary.

The “NO LABELS” movement LABELED Christine O’Donnell and her followers in Delaware as:

“A crackpot of the first order”
“hyper-partisan”
O’Donnell’s followers as being “birthers”
and “partisan activists”

THIS IS HOW THOSE CLAIMING TO END THE USE OF LABELS LABEL CONSERVATIVES.

http://nolabels.org/blog/extremes-can-hijack-closed-partisan-primaries/

In the panel discussion of pundits, “No Labels” was portrayed as intervening in elections like Mike Castle’s with the purpose of ensuring the election of liberal Republicans like Mike Castle.

“NO LABELS” seeks to portray the new uprising of Americans involved in elections and politics as meaning that America’s political system is “broken.”

National Review’s Jim Geraghty pointed out that “NO LABELS” participants repeatedly labeled conservatives as extremists.

Bunny Davis, a politician from Arizona speaking at the “NO LABELS” kick-off, criticized Arizona’s SB1070 law for fighting illegal immigration: “You just have to look to Arizona to see extremists who are trying to divide us.”

Mike Castle joined liberal Republican Charlie Crist, who betrayed the Republican party to run as an independent, liberal Republican New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, far-Left Mayor of Los Angeles and former SEIU activist Antonio Villaraigosa, Democrat Dan Glickman.

Bloomberg, a political independent, and the No Labels founders denied that the new group was created to pave the way for a Bloomberg run for the White House.

Liberal former Virginia Congressman Tom Davis — famous for attacking and sabotaging conservative candidates in Virginia elections — said “We have to give political leaders permission to compromise...”

THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF NO LABELS are:

1) Nancy Jacobson strategic advisor and, fundraiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Gary Hart, and Evan Bayh.

2) William A. Galston served as Deputy Assistant to President Clinton for Domestic Policy, 1993-1995.

3)Nate Garvis is President of a community-organizing project Naked Civics, LLC, a former policy fellow at the left-wing Hubert H. Humprey Institute of Public Policy, and a former lobbyist for Target retail stores.

Failed US Senate candidate Mike Castle (this is how his opponent, the Republican nominee Christine O’Donnell is labeled by the news media and by liberals)

The goal is to recruit 1 million new members in 2011, establish chapters on 150 college campuses and in each of the nation’s 435 congressional districts, and, of course, to raise money.

One of the movement’s leaders, Jonathan Cowan, a former Clinton loyalist said No Labels will add a new voice of influence to the national political debate.

Betting on the hope that American voters are gullible and naive, the founders were explicit that its goal was to respond to the tea party movement, while trying to use the rubric of a centrist movement to blunt the tea party’s effectiveness and to neutralize the uprising of involvement in American politics by angry voters.

In a tactic of “What’s ours is ours, what’s yours is ours, too,” liberals have for decades used the canard of “bi-partisanship” to try to blunt and frustrate conservative efforts to un-do liberal policies. Liberal policies are progress. Blocking conservative policies is urgently sold as “bi-partisanship.”

http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2010/12/13/132033081/new-no-labels-movement-seeks-bipartisanship

http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/255145/no-labels-no-specifics-no-coherence-no-point

http://www.resistnet.com/profiles/blogs/the-new-no-label-movement-out

http://nolabels.org/get-involved/no-labels-launch-live-webcast/

[paulycy]

[reasonisfaith]

To marxists and other leftists, I must comment the following: duhhhhhh, sure.

(”No labels” is a label.)

[RobRoy]

>>”Not Left. Not Right. Forward”<<

I guess it depends on what you mean by forward. When you realize you’ve taken a wrong turn, going back to where you made the turn IS going forward.

Search “it gets better” in youtube. It’ll make you sick. It is one of the places where we need to go back a few decades and not make that particular turn. I’m doing it in my life. I’ve decided to “stop ‘em at the dinner roll”.

http://www.texasgopvote.com/blog/dinner-roll-04232