No Labels enters new era by shedding ‘centrist’ image

[onehandle]

"Patronizing." "The Kumbaya Caucus." "The most boring political movement of all time." And those were some of the kinder jabs lobbed at “No Labels,” an organization formed in 2010 by a handful of well-connected but disenchanted political activists to encourage problem solving over ideological gridlock. Such earnestness seemed laudable but a tad incongruous in an era where the passions of the Tea Party and Occupy movements dominated the political conversation.

Despite a splashy New York launch, No Labels lacked a clear agenda and grassroots support and was largely dismissed as irrelevant. But with new leadership and a sharper focus, the group, which is redeploying with another New York conference on Monday, has shed some of its early idealism in favor of a more pragmatic acceptance of the partisanship that has divided the country and embroiled Washington in recent years.

"We started off thinking there was a broad group in the middle, but quickly realized that wasn’t productive. People have very different notions of what the middle is,” said Mark McKinnon, a longtime adviser to former President George W. Bush and a No Labels founder. “So we grew beyond that, and now have strong conservative and strong liberal partisans who want to participate.”

That perspective is shared by the group's new co-chairs -- West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and former Republican Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who gave their first joint interview to Yahoo News since taking their new roles.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/no-labels-enters-era-shedding-centrist-image-110001675--election.html

No Labels readies a new slogan for lawmakers

Otherwise known as a label.

[leveymg]

1. Reminds me of the stickers they hand 2nd Graders for doing their math homework.

Infantile and pathetic.

[xchrom]

3. +1

[sibelian]

5. Why?

What's wrong with it?

[leveymg]

8. If you have to ask why it's an infantile and pathetic label for a political group . . .

I probably can't explain it to you.

[sibelian]

9. Your response has exactly the same effect on me as if you had said "I don't know."

Which seems convenient.

[leveymg]

10. That was a bit impolite of me. My apologies.

Stressed a bit.

[Eleanors38]

2. What? No Labels has discovered the art of labeling?

[leveymg]

4. Hit it Dead Center on that shot. ;-)

[socialist_n_TN]

6. Why don't we just label it what it is.....

The neo-liberal caucus.

[butterfly77]

7. No labels is full of shit...

they have been trying to portray themselves as nonpartisian when their so called middle is really rightwing bullshit.

Manchin is a republiCON who constantly comes on fox talking about everything that is against what Democrats believe in and then he shows up on other shows with his buddies the republiCONS pretending to be bipartisan when really believes in everything the teabaggers believe he doesn't like the President and goes on Slannity and tells him he won't go along with anything the President presents.

Joe Scarborough is also a part of the group their main agenda is to win the white house again they don't give a damn about us..The fuckers are all over This week with Stephanopolis with Peggy Noonan and the rest of the gang trying to pretend that they and the country are in the middle when they are all far right.

[davidpdx]

11. Schrader is my rep

In 2014 I'll write in Mickey Mouse before voting for him. Fuck, redistricting almost put me in the OR1.