No Labels is an organization that has encouraged bipartisanship in federal politics for several years. It has had some positive results in helping Congress iron out differences and pass legislation.
The group expressed alarm at the intentions of twice-impeached, and now three times indicted, Donald Trump becoming president again. It also expressed concerns about an octogenarian becoming president, who may already seems to take a less aggressive role in meeting our country’s challenges.
I learned of No Labels when I worked on the initial Republican election campaign of now-Congressman John Katko in New York in 2015. I went door to door at many homes. When Katko showed up at the campaign office, he mentioned No Labels in a positive way.
I ended up joining the group in 2015 because I didn’t see a reason why I shouldn’t. American politics were already getting pretty dysfunctional then. As a reporter, I hesitated to throw in with an unknown quantity. But I haven’t regretted it so far. I’ve found kindred political spirits there. It’s led by folks such as Maryland’s well-regarded former moderate Republican governor Larry Hogan and occasionally salient conservative Democrat Joe Lieberman.
In Hogan, I find a quiet, considered leader of conservative principles, an intellectual force to be reckoned with, and a man who has overcome considerable personal challenges. With 50,000-plus members, I find optimism in hope for a kinder, gentler America. In the 1 million-plus followers, I see hope for a happier tomorrow.
They haven’t given up on America, and neither should you.
No Labels has flaws. A heavy reliance on polling will never tell us the genuine character of the American people. No Labels relies heavily on polling, not committing fully to a passionate campaign before testing the waters many steps of the way. This is not Ross Perot’s “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” campaign. Nor is it Donald Trump’s “Damn the other guy! I know what’s best for everybody!” campaign of 2016.
It is a movement based on cohesion and conferral, seeking a path based more on political possibilities than political rhetoric.
That is one reason it makes an easy target for Trump fans and Democrats. It’s not them against the other guy. It’s more for the other guy, for all of us, I hope. At least, that’s been the track record so far.
It doesn’t appear to be a false-flag operation for the Trump campaign. Hogan was ready, willing and able to rush Maryland Army National Guard troops to the Capitol on January 6, 2021. But the federal government wouldn’t let him. That is a matter of public record. Joe Lieberman is no fan of Trump, as far as I know.
Democrats, however, have orchestrated a plan to squelch No Labels. President Biden, to his credit, said he disagrees with that impulse of the party.
It is unclear how the Republican Party that disgraced America by supporting Trump’s tyrannical ambitions will evolve or devolve. Time will tell. But America needs as many good hearts and heads grounded in logic and reason as it can get.
If we have to break with 150-plus years of two parties to do it, I’m all for it. Our children are not living 150 years ago, they’re living today. And their grandchildren may yet live in a more united, more kind and more gentle America 150 years from now.
That is why I remain a member of No Labels.
