A group called “No Labels” has now come into public view by the recent visit to New Hampshire by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and former Utah governor Jon Huntsman (R). But upon closer inspection, this group has been in quiet existence since at least 2019, if not before. Their “mission,” they claim, is to create a space for moderates on both the left and the right to come together and find solutions above partisan disputes.
Sounds fair . . .
No Labels, is a “bipartisan” organization whose stated goal is to add a third-party candidate to the ballot in every state for next year’s presidential election. An initial town hall gathering was held on Monday, July 17, here in New Hampshire at St. Anselm College in Manchester. Both Huntsman and Manchin were the featured speakers. In what was presented as the “Common Sense” agenda, they spoke about climate change, gun violence, mental health issues and the nation’s debt along with the potential of a bipartisan third-party ticket.
Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Ct.), stated the purpose of No Labels is to reunite political parties and people, to "stop the partisanship and incivility and refusal to compromise that divided our country and disabled our government" and to bring about new ideas.
No Labels wants candidates who can "declare their freedom from the anger and divisiveness that are ruining our politics and most importantly, our country."
Sounds fair . . .
Manchin feels political parties have moved either too far left and/or right. Both men feel the need for a third-party candidate. No Labels is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment but wants restrictions on semiautomatic rifles and universal background checks. The organization also wants stronger border regulations, while supporting citizenship for those who were brought to this country illegally as children. No Labels is looking to bring compromise to politics.
Okaaay . . .
That could explain a No Labels blended ticket of a moderate Democrat and a moderate Republican for president and vice-president. So, while they claim to be exploring the possibility of a third-party candidate, No Labels also claims to not being committed to it. Wait. What?
According to founder and CEO Nancy Jacobson, the organization would put a halt to its presidential pursuits if their efforts are in effect helping Trump. In a recent interview with NBC News she insisted No Labels will go forward in its third-party attempts only if they feel they can win without wasting votes. (huh?) The organization will take another look at the candidates next April and will only jump in the race if it appears the voters don’t want either candidate from the Democrat and Republican parties.
Not sure how they will be able to gauge that as polls have gotten more and more untrustworthy over the years.
Data for Progress, a left leaning think tank wrote, “It’s evident that even under the best of conditions, a moderate third-party candidate is highly unlikely to secure the vote share needed to win the White House, further underlying the nonviability of a No Label candidacy. With no feasible path to victory, such a campaign would only serve to split Independent voters, undermine Biden’s reelection campaign, and likely spoil the election in favor of Trump.”
No Labels has gathered $70 million in donations and is seeking ballot access in every state. They have been successful in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Utah. A national convention is being planned for next April in Dallas.
It's quite a ways off to the next election, but we need to be aware and informed. Stay tuned as my next article will be about who has donated to No Labels.