Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The 'No Labels' Movement: the rise of the radical center

As someone who left the Democratic Party in disgust and re-registered as non-affiliated after the 08 primary when the Left went all out to destroy Hillary Clinton on behalf of Barack Obama, I'm interested in the emerging No Labels political movement.

No Labels offers a potential home for those of us who occupy the radical center in American politics and are capable of appreciating the work of someone like Hillary Clinton who during her tenure as US senator from New York earned a reputation for working across the aisle to solve the nation's problems.

Like other sensible Americans, I've been dismayed to see political leaders like Indiana's Sen. Evan Bayh throw in the towel after a career in which he put his country first. One of his reasons for leaving the Senate was the hyper-partisanship he has witnessed.

No Labels was formally launched Monday, Dec. 13, 2010. NPR's Liz Halloran reported:

An organization whose founders aim to build a national movement to do the seemingly impossible — wring out the partisan in politics — held its organizing convention today in New York City with a lineup of high-profile supporters and a pledge to mobilize volunteers in every congressional district.

The "No Labels" gathering attracted more than 1,100, organizers said, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who on Sunday again denied he has plans to mount a third-party 2012 presidential run.
Halloran's report continues:

The aim, organizers say, is to create a national political force of Americans fed up with media-and-big-money-fueled hyper-partisanship that has infected the national political discourse, and to use that force to create "common ground" to solve pressing problems.
I can buy that.

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2 comments:

  1. It's the Bloomberg for President campaign. Beware

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  2. You could be right, but I'm inclined to give No Labels a chance. I heard a former Hillary Clinton aide and a Republican in an interview on the NewsHour last night and was impressed with what they had to say.

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