No Labels Ups the Ante
Aug. 27, 2023
No Labels has taken a label for itself. From now on it wants to be known as the “Commonsense Majority.”
The new brand doesn’t roll off the tongue quite like Democrat or Republican, but it’s a good path to take.
And that’s only part of it. No Labels also has now introduced a 70-page agenda laying out what it says is the will of the American public, and the early stages of a game plan to field a candidate for President.
“Americans have the ability and the responsibility to demand a restoration of common sense in the 2024 election,” No Labels writes. It claims its agenda “is the blueprint for how to do it.”
This is the first of a two-part series reflecting on those plans.
Today: the agenda.
Next week: the potential run for President.
The “common sense agenda” offered by No Labels begins with the assertion of five “foundational beliefs” that it says many politicians have forgotten.
We are grateful to live in a country where we can openly disagree with other people.
We care about our country more than any political party.
We respect hard work and believe it should be rewarded, but we also believe America should help people who cannot help themselves or fall on hard times.
We want a well functioning government that addresses our common problems and empowers every American – no matter who they are, where they are from, or what they believe – to reach their full individual potential.
We know America is not perfect. But we’d rather live here than anywhere else.
No argument with any of that. These statements are entirely consistent with the polling done by Our Common Purpose showing that most Americans agree about basic concepts.
But No Labels – a well-heeled operation with lots of members, influential connections and some big donors – does not stop there. It goes on to attempt to apply this approach at a totally new level of detail. It posits 30 big ideas that, while still somewhat general in nature, venture into a level of specificity well beyond that attempted by Our Common Purpose.
That’s a big step forward. However, one can question to what extent these 30 ideas generate the same widespread agreement as the basic concepts listed above. Some of the 30 could be labeled self-evident, some are unrealistic, one idea about budget reduction seems inconsistent with multiple other ideas, one or two might even be misinformed. While No Labels makes repeated references to all the polling it has done, the blueprint provides few specifics as to who favors what and in what numbers.
Those important quibbles aside, the agenda is comprehensive and ambitious. It’s as if Santa Claus were handing out legislative gifts. There’s something for everyone in the 70-page blueprint that is divided into 10 sections: the politics of problem solving, being responsible, border security and immigration, public safety, America’s youth, energy and environmental security, protecting America, democracy, empathy and equality, and opportunity.
No Labels is perhaps most strident in the section on being responsible, meaning that the federal government needs to be more fiscally responsible. Idea 2 addresses the solvency of Social Security, and warns we’re only making matters worse by kicking the can down the road. Idea 3 spells out what Washington must do to stop spending “so much more than it takes in.”
And to its credit, No Labels does not shy away from the big issues of our moment in history, including abortion, gun rights, border security and climate change. In each of those cases, it seeks to balance interests in an effort to find the middle ground.
Abortion: Idea 26 proposes we “find a sustainable and inevitably imperfect compromise that balances the belief of most Americans that women have a right to control their own reproductive health and our society’s responsibility to protect human life.” The blueprint notes that most Americans do not support a total ban on abortion and at the same time do not support unlimited access to abortion at later stages of pregnancy.
Gun rights: Idea 10 acknowledges that Americans have a constitutional right to own guns, but contends that “society also has a responsibility to keep dangerous weapons away from dangerous people.”
Border security and immigration: Idea 6 recommends we do more to secure our borders, including “even physical fortifications in some areas,” and reform the asylum process. Idea 7 then goes on to urge we attract more legal immigrants to fill out the workforce and provide a path to citizenship for the dreamers.
Climate change: Idea 15 supports “an all of the above energy strategy,” meaning that we should continue to explore for fossil fuel resources, rekindle nuclear power, and improve the regulatory and permitting process to provide essential minerals and metals to build clean energy technologies.
The very nature of acknowledging the trade-offs that are involved will frustrate the diehards. The New York Times noted that the No Labels platform “has something for everyone to embrace – and just as much for both sides to reject.”
But that’s what we have to do if we are to move forward. No one recognizes this more than No Labels, which has been promoting cooperation in Congress for more than a decade. In fact that’s the beginning and the desired end of this entire exercise.
The blueprint begins with Idea 1 stating “America can’t solve its biggest problems and deliver the results hardworking taxpayers want, need, and deserve unless Democrats and Republicans start working together side by side on bipartisan solutions.”
Together the 30 ideas represent a daunting mission. The prospect of achieving all 30 goes beyond belief. Accomplishing just one would be impressive enough.
Maybe, however, putting them all on table is the best approach. Tempting as any one offering might sound to any one individual, it’s tough to sell them one by one. No Labels has come to the conclusion that it must offer a full menu and a presentable leader if it is to attract and serve the common sense majority it is touting.
–Richard Gilman
Next week: the potential run for President.