'No Labels' Continues Their Grift In 'Bipartisan' Florida
No Labels Had A Conference! With All The Usual Suspects
By Tengrain — February 7, 2023
No Labels, Traitor Joe Lieberman’s third way think tank that does remarkably little thinking, had a meeting of similar minds in Florida (mott: Where The Debris Meets The Sea), per Tiger Beat on the Potomac (thanks Charlie!) other morning email thingie, and you’ll never guess who was there:
PUT AWAY THAT LABEL MAKER— No Labels is back on the scene and making a play in divided government. The centrist group held a policy conference in Florida over the weekend, with current and former lawmakers in attendance.
Because the Fascist Republic of Floriduh is where centrism is. Got it.
https://crooksandliars.com/2023/02/no-labels-continues-their-grift-bipartisan
= new reply since forum marked as read
just assumed they'd faded away...Sorry to hear otherwise. 
Many of the Dems in it now and/or last Congress (many lost or did not run for the House in 2022) have a history of being anti-Pelosi for Speaker and also of trying to derail some of the biggest, most crucial parts of Biden's agenda.
Manchin and Lieberman (the No Labels head) worked with some of the Problem Solvers House members (and a few Blue Dogs like the forced-birther, Rethug campaigning for Henry Cuellar) to block a lot of things in the big Infrastructure bills, for instance). Lieberman actively advocated for a 3rd party spoiler as well in 2020.
Sinema was a Problem Solver member in the House, that is hardly a ringing endorsement of the group.
No Labels was started and funded by a group that consisted of a majority of RW billionaires.
List of US House Problem Solvers Caucus members:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_Solvers_Caucus
Active members
Democrats
Salud Carbajal of California
Ed Case of Hawaii
Lou Correa of California
Jim Costa of California
Debbie Dingell of Michigan
Jared Golden of Maine
Vicente González of Texas
Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey (Problem Solvers co-chair and did so many anti-Biden things last Congress, see https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/07/gottheimer-is-on-a-mission-to-destroy-bidens-presidency.html)
Josh Harder of California
Steven Horsford of Nevada
Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania
Susie Lee of Nevada
Jimmy Panetta of California
Chris Pappas of New Hampshire
Scott Peters of California
Dean Phillips of Minnesota
Bradley Schneider of Illinois
Elissa Slotkin of Michigan
Darren Soto of Florida
Abigail Spanberger of Virginia
Haley Stevens of Michigan
Former members
Democrats
Anthony Brindisi of New York (lost reelection in 2020)
Carolyn Bourdeaux of Georgia (lost renomination in 2022 due to redistricting)
Joe Cunningham of South Carolina (lost reelection in 2020)
Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut (did not seek reelection in 2018)
Kendra Horn of Oklahoma (lost reelection in 2020)
Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania (did not seek House reelection in 2022, ran and lost to John Fetterman in the 2022 Democratic PA US Senate primary)
Daniel Lipinski of Illinois (lost Democratic nomination in 2020)
Elaine Luria of Virginia (lost reelection in 2022)
Tom Malinowski of New Jersey (lost reelection in 2022)
Ben McAdams of Utah (lost reelection in 2020)
Stephanie Murphy of Florida (did not seek reelection in 2022)
Richard Nolan of Minnesota (did not seek reelection in 2018)
Tom O'Halleran of Arizona (lost reelection in 2022)
Jacky Rosen of Nevada (elected to United States Senate in 2018)
Max Rose of New York (lost reelection in 2020)[30]
Kurt Schrader of Oregon (lost renomination in 2022)
Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona (elected to United States Senate in 2018)
Tom Suozzi of New York (did not seek reelection in 2022, ran for NY Governor and lost in the Democratic primary)
Peter Welch of Vermont (elected to United States Senate in 2022)
Bipartisan ‘No Labels’ group’s super PAC network revealed: mega Chicago donors
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2018/3/12/18316470/bipartisan-no-labels-group-s-super-pac-network-revealed-mega-chicago-donors
With a boost from Chicago-area mega donors, including White Sox and Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, No Labels, a group advocating bipartisanship in Congress, has created a network of super PACs to influence the 2018 elections — but doesn’t want its fingerprints on the money.
One of the super PACs, United for Progress Inc., has spent $740,334 as of Sunday to bolster Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., in his March 20 Illinois Democratic primary battle with Marie Newman in the 3rd Congressional District. The names of the super PACS don’t link them to No Labels. A Sun-Times investigation determined super PACS related to No Labels include: United for Progress Inc.; Citizens for a Strong America Inc.; United Together; Govern or Go Home; and Forward, Not Back.
The Sun-Times inquiry included interviews with donors or their representatives and an examination of documents filed with the Federal Election Commission. United for Progress, Inc., is playing political hardball, attacking Newman in the commercials and direct mail pieces it paid for. Lipinski is part of a No Labels offshoot, the congressional “Problem Solvers Caucus.”
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THE ILLINOIS CONNECTIONS: Last year, a No Labels leader, former Sen. Joe Lieberman, was a draw at a meeting at the Chicago Club, 81 E. Van Buren. Lieberman was the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee who became an Independent senator from Connecticut.
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No Labels funds dishonest attacks against Marie Newman to boost Blue Dog Dan Lipinski
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/13/1748758/-Centrist-group-No-Labels-funds-dishonest-attacks-against-Marie-Newman-to-back-Blue-Dog-Dan-Lipinski
Well what do you know: It turns out the mysterious super PAC called United for Progress, which has spent at least $740,000 to help conservative Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski in his primary against progressive challenger Marie Newman, received much of its funding from the aggressively centrist group No Labels and billionaire mega-donor Jerry Reinsdorf, who is chairman of both the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bulls. No Labels promotes the same sort of naive #bothsides mentality that plagues the world of cable news punditry, and even went so far as to moronically label Donald Trump a "problem solver" during his presidential campaign.
While support from No Labels itself should be a mark of shame for any Democrat running in a safely blue district like this one, the mailer they've been funding is even more disgraceful. It takes the guise of an ominous fake-but-official-looking letter from "Illinois Restaurant Enforcement" that claims the restaurant Newman once owned was guilty of health code violations, then proceeds to outright lie about the economic impact of the single-payer healthcare plan Newman supports.
One would expect to see Republicans launch these sorts of dishonest attacks against a progressive challenger, not those who support a nominal Democratic incumbent. And it's one more reason why Democrats in this 55-40 Clinton district can do a whole lot better than Dan Lipinski.
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Delusional Group Declares Donald Trump a ‘Problem Solver’
The only problem Trump could solve is that we don’t have a dumb enough president
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/delusional-group-declares-donald-trump-a-problem-solver-58107/
Here are some labels that apply to Donald Trump:
–Racist
–Egomaniac
–Bloviator
–Delusional
–Liar
–Asshole
On Monday, the nonpartisan group No Labels gave him a new, and hilarious, one: problem solver.
Six presidential candidates – Democrat Martin O’Malley and Republicans Ben Carson, Chris Christie, John Kasich, Rand Paul and Trump – signed the organization’s Problem Solver Promise, officially making them No Labels Problem Solvers. The group says it will bestow the label on any candidate who signs its meaningless pledge.
No Labels declined to make an exception for Trump – the candidate who has proposed, among many other things, building a giant border wall, deporting 11 million people, banning Muslims from entering the country and shutting down mosques. In just the last two days, he’s come out in favor of direct head-to-head collisions in the NFL and elephant torture.
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‘Holocaust Denier’ Smear Hits Tight Chicago Area Congressional Primary
https://forward.com/fast-forward/396658/holocaust-denier-smear-hits-tight-chicago-area-congressional-primary/
A heated Democratic congressional primary race in suburban Chicago has reached a new low, as accusations of Holocaust denial are falsely hurled at progressive challenger Marie Newman.
Newman, who is seeking to unseat the incumbent Dan Lipinski as the Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 3rd congressional district, has staked a liberal position, hoping it would convince Democrats to chose her way over that of Lipinski, a “blue dog” Democrat known for his more conservative views.
In recent days, Newman claimed, voters have been receiving text messages from activists with the Washington-based No Labels group, trying to convince voters not to support her. In one instance, a voter receiving the text message informed the sender that he has already decided to vote for Newman, not Lipinski. “His opponent is a Holocaust denier among other things,” the Lipinski supporter texted back. In a second exchange, the voter was told again about Newman: “Did you know she’s a Holocaust denier.”
Newman accused Lipinski of “playing politics with a tragedy in human history that cost the lives of millions—and which deeply affects those of Jewish heritage, including my husband and his family.” Lipinski is considered one of the few endangered Democratic incumbents in the nation due to the tight primary. The winner should easily beat a Republican challenger in the district that voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a healthy 16% margin.
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Group Tied To Lipinski Says Marie Newman Is 'A Holocaust Denier'
IL-3 Democratic challenger Marie Newman claims group tied to Congressman Dan Lipinski is texting voters saying she's a 'Holocaust denier.'
https://patch.com/illinois/oaklawn/group-tied-lipinski-claims-she-s-holocaust-denier
LA GRANGE, IL -- Challenger Marie Newman is calling out Congressman Dan Lipinski for running a "dishonest machine-style campaign" after some of her supporters complained of receiving text messages stating that Newman is a "Holocaust denier." Newman and Lipinski are said to be in a statistical dead heat in the contentious Democratic primary in Illinois's 3rd Congressional District. Supporters said they began receiving the text messages this past weekend.
A woman who identifies herself as "Leslie Benjamini" from the Washington, D.C.-based No Labels group -- a political centrist organization comprised of Republicans, Democrats and Independents who aim to combat partisan dysfunction in politics by focusing on bipartisan problem solving -- texted a voter asking him if he planned to vote for Dan Lipinski in the March 20 Democratic primary. When the the receiver stated he is voting for Newman, Benjamini states that Lipinski's opponent is a Holocaust denier. Benjamini tells the receiver to look up "No Labels, a new group that is trying to get government working again." The message goes on to state that Lipinski is a "believer in this group."
"His opponent is a Holocaust denier among other things," the text goes on to say. "Please educate yourself before you vote. All I ask."
Lipinski does have an opponent who is a Holocaust denier who is running as the lone candidate in the Republican primary in Illinois' 3rd District, avowed neo-Nazi Art Jones of Lyons. In the second message sent to the Newman supporter, Benjamini mistakes the receiver's phone number for his mother's.
"For the second time I am NOT [NAME] … she is my mother and she hosted a fundraiser for Marie Newman. And for the record, I voted for her early Saturday [March 10]." "Thanks for voting," Benjamini texts back. "Did you know she's a Holocaust denier."
The No Labels group based in Washington, D.C., was founded in 2010. The group strives to "create a vibrant New Center that supports leaders who put country before party." No Labels inspired the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of congressional members that includes Lipinski. A Chicago Sun-Times investigation has also tied No Labels to such Super PACS as United for Progress Inc. As of late, United for Progress Inc. has been sent out a flurry of political hit pieces attacking Newman's progressive agenda, as well as TV and radio commercials
An angry Newman demanded an apology from Lipinski, accusing the congressman of running "dishonest machine campaign."
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‘No Labels’ Needs A Warning Label
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/opinion-no-labels-mark-pocan_n_5c06b110e4b0cd916fb0b042
By
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI)
I was duped.
When I was elected to Congress in 2012, I attended the Bipartisan Program for Newly Elected Members of Congress at Harvard University. I was so excited to be a member of a branch of government for the most awesome country on the planet. At the program, one of the presentations was from a group named No Labels. The organization put forward a proposal for governing that meant working across the aisle to solve problems and stopping the gridlock in Washington. I was excited! While I was a strong progressive in the Wisconsin Legislature, that was my governing approach. By working with people who do not always agree with you, you find out what you have in common and you can get good things done.
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However, things quickly went south. I attended a few meetings at the outset, but the rhetoric wasn’t about finding ways to get things done and breaking gridlock ― rather it was more about finding more centrist, more corporate and more special interest-focused things to do. Soon thereafter, No Labels became involved in elections with a closely contested U.S. Senate race in Colorado, backing Republican Cory Gardner over Democrat Mark Udall. That didn’t seem right. A group that wasn’t supposed to pick labels was doing exactly that: picking a label. When asked to join the Problem Solvers Caucus, members were never told that this would be part of the program.
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I drifted away from the organization, as apparently did most people who thought it was focused on trying to break through the gridlock in Washington. No Labels’ membership has dwindled steadily since 2015. Fast-forward to the past few weeks, when No Labels’ Problem Solvers Caucus tried to threaten Nancy Pelosi’s speakership. While No Labels was originally advertised as a group committed to getting things done and breaking gridlock, it now seems more focused on stopping Pelosi and providing a fast track for special interests and lobbyists.
Worse, this past week I’ve read a few articles regarding what No Labels has been up to in the last couple of years. First, the organization spent almost twice as much helping re-elect Republicans as it spent helping Democrats. Second, reporters reviewed email correspondence that showed No Labels contemplating a plan to attack Pelosi and use her leadership as a wedge to divide congressional Democrats. And third, it’s clear that No Labels never had any meaningful ultimatums or demands on rules for leadership during eight years of a Republican-led House, or over the last four years of a Republican-led Senate. No Labels only has challenges for Democratic leadership in the House, specifically, for our next speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
That sure seems like a label to me. Look, I get it. No Labels is slick, and I got duped. But no other current or newly elected member of Congress should fall for its shtick. No Labels is a centrist, corporate organization working against Democrats with dark, anonymous money to advance power for special interests. Period.
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Thsnk you for all of this -- I am bookmarking for later. 
THIRD WAY is a Democratic organization that advocates for mainstream/centrist policies, and says nothing about working cooperatively with Republicans.
