No Labels
Encyclopedia
No Labels is a political organization of Republicans
, Democrats
, and independents
in the United States
whose stated mission is to address the politics of problem solving. The group is registered as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization.
Nancy Jacobson
, Republican political adviser Mark McKinnon
, and former U.S. Comptroller David Walker
. The inaugural meeting of No Labels was held at a home in Houston, Texas
.
The organization argues that in American politics today the far left and far right dominate the news cycle, debates, and town hall meetings. The general public only sees who's yelling the loudest, not who's accomplishing something. Their goal is to tackle this problem by mobilizing citizens to pressure the political parties to work together to address major issues.
No Labels maintains that it is not an attempt to start a third party.
).
On November 16, 2010 a Road Show was held in Portsmouth, NH
at the home of former mayor Steve Marchand
. Over 100 people attended the event. Speakers at the gathering included Ron Shaich; John Avlon
; Bill Galston
; and Chris Shays, a former US Congressman.
in New York City. Over 1,000 people representing all 50 states gathered at the conference.
The event featured a lineup of speakers and panelists consisting of elected officials, journalists, and business leaders.
(talk radio
and television host) moderated a series of short testimonials on the need for No Labels from the following attendees:
A second set of speakers gave their short testimonials in a later session. They were introduced by Amy Ricalde serving as the Voice of God
.
(Co-Host of Morning Joe
) moderated a panel entitled Hyper-Partisanship in America featuring:
(Host of The Dylan Ratigan Show) moderated a panel entitled Electoral Reform in America featuring:
Additionally, Joe Lieberman
(U.S. Senator from Connecticut
) and Debbie Stabenow
(U.S. Senator from Michigan
) were originally slated to speak at the event but had to drop out due to last-minute conflicts.
’s 2011 State of the Union
address, No Labels launched its State of the Unity initiative. Nearly 500 bipartisan
watch parties were held in the homes of citizen leaders across the country.
During the actual speech, on January 25, 2011, No Labels deployed a unity meter on its website which kept track of the number of times both parties in Congress gave the President a standing ovation. This tabulation was compared to instances of bipartisan applause for Presidents during every State of the Union since 1978.
The day after the State of the Union, No Labels hosted a national conversation with 11 U.S. Senators
who were interviewed in succession live on Capitol Hill. The following members participated in the event: Senators Ben Nelson
, John McCain
, Ron Wyden
, Joe Lieberman
, Mary Landrieu
, Amy Klobuchar
, Joe Manchin
, Mark Warner
, Maria Cantwell
, Kay Hagan, and Debbie Stabenow
.
During the day, No Labels held a press conference on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol
where they released a new rallying message: Everyone at the Table, Everything on the Table. Founding leader Lisa Borders
announced that No Labels, along with Joe Scarborough
and Mika Brzezinski
, co-hosts of Morning Joe
, would like to host a civil discussion between the leaders of MoveOn and the Tea Party
. Borders issued an open invitation to both organizations to join No Labels on Morning Joe anytime before March 18, 2011.
Other speakers during the press conference included U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper
, former U.S. Congressman Sherwood Boehlert
, the Honorable Jonathan Miller, and Lt. General John Castellaw.
, the internationally known R&B
artist, recorded a song for No Labels which is now used as the organization's anthem
. The lyrics are as follows:
Later that day, it was noted that the artwork was nearly an identical copy of a design created by Thomas Porostocky in 2005 for the website MorePartyAnimals.com, an organization which intends to spread a similar message to that of No Labels. The design was also featured in the book The Design of Dissent by Milton Glaser
.
On December 14, Dave Warren (Creative Director of Fly Communications) stated that the similarities in designs stemmed from the fact that he and Porostocky has both utilized free clip-art animal shapes. A few hours later Warren revealed his agency had copied Porostocky's design entirely, apologized to Porostocky, and accepted responsibility for unauthorized use of his design. In an email to Porostocky, Warren wrote:
and Democrats
could not agree to raise the debt ceiling and prevent a sovereign default
. On July 18, No Labels organized a demonstration in front of the Capitol building in support of a bipartisan solution to the debt crisis of 2011
. Over 150 No Labels supporters from across the US turned out, along with several No Labels co-founders. The purpose of the demonstration was to encourage members of Congress to look beyond partisan lines in order to come up with a solution to the problem that would prevent default and put America on a track to solve the long-term debt issues.
during the August recess. The initial report concluded that only 44% of all Congresspeople would be holding such meetings during the recess. The report was picked up by a variety of news sources and was featured on the front pages of Yahoo and the Drudge Report
, as well as through the national press syndicate UPI. Subsequent to the report's release, No Labels called on Congress to skip their recess and remain in Washington to complete the yearly federal budget. They also called on the Super Committee
to begin their work immediately.
Several members of Congress criticized the report as inaccurate. No Labels stood by their reporting, but adjusted the results to include meetings that had been scheduled after their research had been completed.
held a national town hall meeting over the phone and internet with the support of No Labels. Schultz appeared with No Labels co-founders John Avlon
, Robert S. Kaplan
, and Lisa Borders
, along with the President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Maya MacGuineas
.The call lasted for 90 minutes and featured questions and comments from citizens around the country regarding the country's fiscal, social, and political issues. Schultz used the call as part of his Upward Spiral campaign, which attempts to have CEOs and Business leader pledge to withhold political contributions until the Washington gridlock has ceased and hire more workers. More than 100,000 people joined in the Town Hall, during which Schultz asked Americans to demand their lawmakers end the partisan gridlock that he said was paralyzing Washington.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, and independents
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
whose stated mission is to address the politics of problem solving. The group is registered as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization.
Inception
"Although No Labels bills itself as a citizens' movement, its leaders are veterans of campaign politics." No Labels was founded by veteran Democratic fundraiserFundraiser
A fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause. See also: fundraising. A fundraiser can also be an individual or company whose primary job is to raise money for a specific charity or non-profit organization...
Nancy Jacobson
Nancy Jacobson
Nancy Jacobson is a United States Democratic Party fundraiser. She has been the National Finance Chair for Indiana Senator Evan Bayh since 1995, and was Finance Chair of the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Leadership Council under President Clinton...
, Republican political adviser Mark McKinnon
Mark McKinnon
Mark McKinnon is a Republican political advisor in the United States, Global Vice-Chairman of Hill & Knowlton, Inc., a leading international communications consultancy, providing services to local, multinational and global clients, and the President of Maverick Media. Originally a Democrat,...
, and former U.S. Comptroller David Walker
David M. Walker (U.S. Comptroller General)
David M. Walker served as United States Comptroller General from 1998 to 2008, and is now the Founder and CEO of the Comeback America Initiative.- Career as Comptroller General :...
. The inaugural meeting of No Labels was held at a home in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
Core beliefs
Upon founding, No Labels wrote an introductory statement describing what they see as the problems in government and what No Labels intends to do. It reads as follows:Mission
No Labels describes itself as an alliance of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. The group claims to have started a grass roots centrist movement made up citizens from across the political spectrum and plans to address attacks on liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats stemming from within their own parties. Additionally, No Labels promises to reward people for bipartisan behavior.The organization argues that in American politics today the far left and far right dominate the news cycle, debates, and town hall meetings. The general public only sees who's yelling the loudest, not who's accomplishing something. Their goal is to tackle this problem by mobilizing citizens to pressure the political parties to work together to address major issues.
No Labels maintains that it is not an attempt to start a third party.
Financing
As of November 24, 2010, No Labels had raised over $1 million. As a 501(c)4 organization, No Labels is not required to publicly release the names of its contributors. However, the Wall Street Journal has reported that three of the group's donors are Andrew Tisch, Dave Morin, and Ron Shaich (founder and CEO of Panera BreadPanera Bread
Panera Bread is a chain of bakery–café quick casual restaurants in the United States and Canada that sells breads, sandwiches, soups, salads, and other bakery items. Its headquarters are in Sunset Hills, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.-Corporate history:In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co...
).
Road Shows
No Labels has hosted a series of "Road Shows" in which senior leaders travel to specific cities to have discussions about the No Labels movement with local citizens.On November 16, 2010 a Road Show was held in Portsmouth, NH
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
at the home of former mayor Steve Marchand
Steve Marchand
Steve Marchand is the former mayor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was an early Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate for the 2008 election, but he dropped out of the race in 2007 and endorsed former Governor Jeanne Shaheen....
. Over 100 people attended the event. Speakers at the gathering included Ron Shaich; John Avlon
John Avlon
John Phillips Avlon is senior columnist for Newsweek and the Daily Beast as well as a CNN contributor. He is also the author of Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics and Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America...
; Bill Galston
William Galston
William Galston is a political theorist. He is the Saul I Stern Professor of Civic Engagement and the director of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy at the School of Public Policy of University of Maryland, College Park. In addition, he is a Senior Fellow of Governance at the Brookings...
; and Chris Shays, a former US Congressman.
Launch conference
The National Founders' Meeting was held on December 13, 2010 at Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City. Over 1,000 people representing all 50 states gathered at the conference.
The event featured a lineup of speakers and panelists consisting of elected officials, journalists, and business leaders.
Testimonials
Michael SmerconishMichael Smerconish
Michael A. Smerconish is an American radio and television personality, newspaper columnist, author and MSNBC Political Analyst. His talk radio show is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at The Big Talker 1210 AM WPHT. He began his full time radio career in 2002...
(talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
and television host) moderated a series of short testimonials on the need for No Labels from the following attendees:
- Kirsten GillibrandKirsten GillibrandKirsten Elizabeth Rutnik Gillibrand is an attorney and the junior United States Senator from the state of New York and a member of the Democratic Party...
, U.S. Senator from New York - Bob InglisBob InglisRobert Durden "Bob" Inglis, Sr. is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1993 to 1999, and then again from 2005 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party...
, then U.S. Congressman from South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence... - Bruce BraleyBruce BraleyBruce Braley is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district lies in northeastern Iowa and includes Davenport, Bettendorf, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Dubuque, and Clinton....
, U.S. Congressman from IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New... - Antonio VillaraigosaAntonio VillaraigosaAntonio Ramón Villaraigosa , born Antonio Ramón Villar, Jr., is the 41st and current Mayor of Los Angeles, California, the third Mexican American to have ever held office in the city of Los Angeles and the first in over 130 years. He is also the current president of the United States Conference of...
, Mayor of Los Angeles, CALos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... - Tom DavisThomas M. DavisThomas Milburn "Tom" Davis III was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Virginia's 11th congressional district in Northern Virginia. Davis was considering a run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by five-term incumbent and fellow Republican John...
, former U.S. Congressman from VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
A second set of speakers gave their short testimonials in a later session. They were introduced by Amy Ricalde serving as the Voice of God
Voice of God
The nickname "Voice of God" has been attributed to many people, including the following:* Bob Sheppard, public-address announcer for New York Yankees baseball games from 1951 to 2007 and for New York Giants football games from 1956 to 2005...
.
- Marie WilsonMarie WilsonMarie Wilson may refer to:*Marie Wilson , American radio, film, and television actress*Marie Wilson *Marie Wilson , wife of Nanos Valaoritis...
, Founder of the White House Project - Cory BookerCory BookerCory Anthony Booker is the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Booker is a former Newark City Councilman...
, Mayor of Newark, NJ - Joe Sestak, then U.S. Congressman from PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
- Rob McCord, State Treasurer of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
- Doug Palmer, former Mayor of Trenton, NJ
- David WalkerDavid Walker-Musicians:* Dave Walker , British musician, member of the band Fleetwood Mac* David Walker , American opera singer* David Walker , American singer of Southern Gospel music...
, former U.S. Comptroller General
Hyper-Partisanship in America panel
Mika BrzezinskiMika Brzezinski
Mika Emilie Leonia Brzezinski is an American television news journalist at MSNBC. Brzezinski is co-host of MSNBC's weekday morning program Morning Joe, where she provides regular commentary and reads the news headlines for the program...
(Co-Host of Morning Joe
Morning Joe
Morning Joe is a weekday morning talk show on MSNBC, with Joe Scarborough discussing the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. It was created as the replacement for Imus in the Morning, which was canceled in April 2007 after simulcasting on MSNBC since 1996...
) moderated a panel entitled Hyper-Partisanship in America featuring:
- Joe ScarboroughJoe ScarboroughCharles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough is an American cable news and talk radio host, lawyer, author, and former politician. He is currently the host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel...
, MSNBC Host of Morning JoeMorning JoeMorning Joe is a weekday morning talk show on MSNBC, with Joe Scarborough discussing the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. It was created as the replacement for Imus in the Morning, which was canceled in April 2007 after simulcasting on MSNBC since 1996...
and former U.S. Congressman from FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... - Evan BayhEvan BayhBirch Evans "Evan" Bayh III is a lawyer, advisor and former Democratic politician who served as the junior U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011. He earlier served as the 46th Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Bayh is a current Fox News contributor as of March 14, 2011.Bayh first held...
, then U.S. Senator from IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... - Joe ManchinJoe ManchinJoseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...
, U.S. Senator from West VirginiaWest VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east... - David GergenDavid GergenDavid Richmond Gergen is an American political consultant and former presidential advisor who served during the administrations of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. He is currently Director of the Center for Public Leadership and a professor of public service at Harvard Kennedy School. Gergen is...
, CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Contributor, former Presidential Advisor, Author, and Professor
Electoral Reform in America panel
Dylan RatiganDylan Ratigan
Dylan Jason Ratigan is an American television host primarily covering financial markets, the global economy, and politics. He is host of The Dylan Ratigan Show which airs weekday afternoons on MSNBC. He is also a frequent contributor on The Huffington Post.- Early life :Ratigan was born in the...
(Host of The Dylan Ratigan Show) moderated a panel entitled Electoral Reform in America featuring:
- Charlie CristCharlie CristCharles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General...
, then Governor of FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... - Abel MaldonadoAbel MaldonadoAbel Maldonado is an American politician who was the 48th Lieutenant Governor of California. On November 23, 2009, then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Maldonado as his nominee for Lieutenant Governor to fill the vacancy created by John Garamendi's election to the United States House of...
, then Lt. Governor of CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - Mike Castle, then U.S. Congressman from DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
- Michael BloombergMichael BloombergMichael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
, Mayor of New York, NYNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... - Ellen Freidin, Campaign Chairwoman of Fair Districts Florida
Additionally, Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
(U.S. Senator from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
) and Debbie Stabenow
Debbie Stabenow
Deborah Ann Greer "Debbie" Stabenow is the junior United States Senator from Michigan and a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to the U.S. Senate, she was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Michigan's 8th congressional district from 1997 to 2001...
(U.S. Senator from Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
) were originally slated to speak at the event but had to drop out due to last-minute conflicts.
State of the Unity
Leading up to President ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
’s 2011 State of the Union
State of the Union Address
The State of the Union is an annual address presented by the President of the United States to the United States Congress. The address not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows the president to outline his legislative agenda and his national priorities.The practice arises...
address, No Labels launched its State of the Unity initiative. Nearly 500 bipartisan
Bipartisanship
Bipartisanship is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system such as the United States, in which opposing political parties find common ground through compromise. The adjective bipartisan can refer to any bill, act, resolution, or other political act in which both of the...
watch parties were held in the homes of citizen leaders across the country.
During the actual speech, on January 25, 2011, No Labels deployed a unity meter on its website which kept track of the number of times both parties in Congress gave the President a standing ovation. This tabulation was compared to instances of bipartisan applause for Presidents during every State of the Union since 1978.
The day after the State of the Union, No Labels hosted a national conversation with 11 U.S. Senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
who were interviewed in succession live on Capitol Hill. The following members participated in the event: Senators Ben Nelson
Ben Nelson
Earl Benjamin "Ben" Nelson is the senior U.S. Senator from Nebraska. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000....
, John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, Ron Wyden
Ron Wyden
Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
, Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
, Mary Landrieu
Mary Landrieu
Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, Amy Klobuchar
Amy Klobuchar
Amy Jean Klobuchar is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party...
, Joe Manchin
Joe Manchin
Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...
, Mark Warner
Mark Warner
Mark Robert Warner is an American politician and businessman, currently serving in the United States Senate as the junior senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Warner was the 69th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006 and is the honorary chairman of...
, Maria Cantwell
Maria Cantwell
Maria E. Cantwell is the junior United States Senator from the state of Washington and a member of the Democratic Party....
, Kay Hagan, and Debbie Stabenow
Debbie Stabenow
Deborah Ann Greer "Debbie" Stabenow is the junior United States Senator from Michigan and a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to the U.S. Senate, she was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Michigan's 8th congressional district from 1997 to 2001...
.
State Leadership Meeting
On March 1, 2011, No Labels hosted a state leadership meeting in Washington, DC to discuss the future goals of the organization. Over 200 state leaders, representing tens of thousands of No Labels members from across the country, were in attendance. Speakers included former elected officials, congressional staffers, and business leaders.During the day, No Labels held a press conference on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
where they released a new rallying message: Everyone at the Table, Everything on the Table. Founding leader Lisa Borders
Lisa Borders
Lisa Michelle Borders currently serves as president of the Atlanta City Council of Atlanta, Georgia, having been elected citywide in an August 10, 2004 special election, her first run for public office. Her duties include presiding over and maintaining relationships with the city government's. She...
announced that No Labels, along with Joe Scarborough
Joe Scarborough
Charles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough is an American cable news and talk radio host, lawyer, author, and former politician. He is currently the host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel...
and Mika Brzezinski
Mika Brzezinski
Mika Emilie Leonia Brzezinski is an American television news journalist at MSNBC. Brzezinski is co-host of MSNBC's weekday morning program Morning Joe, where she provides regular commentary and reads the news headlines for the program...
, co-hosts of Morning Joe
Morning Joe
Morning Joe is a weekday morning talk show on MSNBC, with Joe Scarborough discussing the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. It was created as the replacement for Imus in the Morning, which was canceled in April 2007 after simulcasting on MSNBC since 1996...
, would like to host a civil discussion between the leaders of MoveOn and the Tea Party
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
. Borders issued an open invitation to both organizations to join No Labels on Morning Joe anytime before March 18, 2011.
Other speakers during the press conference included U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper
Jim Cooper
James Hayes Shofner "Jim" Cooper is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the Blue Dog Coalition. He previously represented from 1983 to 1995....
, former U.S. Congressman Sherwood Boehlert
Sherwood Boehlert
Sherwood "Sherry" Louis Boehlert is a retired American politician from New York. He represented upstate New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 until 2007. Boehlert, a Republican, was considered to be a member of the party's moderate wing. In 2003, Utica Union Station was...
, the Honorable Jonathan Miller, and Lt. General John Castellaw.
Anthem
AkonAkon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
, the internationally known R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
artist, recorded a song for No Labels which is now used as the organization's anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
. The lyrics are as follows:
Signage controversy
At the National Founders' Meeting on December 13, 2010, signage was displayed on stage featuring red and blue animal artwork. The same artwork was featured on the No Labels homepage and t-shirts offered for sale. All of the signage had been produced by the New York advertisement agency Fly Communications.Later that day, it was noted that the artwork was nearly an identical copy of a design created by Thomas Porostocky in 2005 for the website MorePartyAnimals.com, an organization which intends to spread a similar message to that of No Labels. The design was also featured in the book The Design of Dissent by Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser is a graphic designer, best known for the I Love New York logo, his "Bob Dylan" poster, the "DC bullet" logo used by DC Comics from 1977 to 2005, and the "Brooklyn Brewery" logo. He also founded New York Magazine with Clay Felker in 1968.-Biography:Glaser was born into a Hungarian...
.
On December 14, Dave Warren (Creative Director of Fly Communications) stated that the similarities in designs stemmed from the fact that he and Porostocky has both utilized free clip-art animal shapes. A few hours later Warren revealed his agency had copied Porostocky's design entirely, apologized to Porostocky, and accepted responsibility for unauthorized use of his design. In an email to Porostocky, Warren wrote:
Demonstration for Debt Ceiling Solution
During the summer of 2011, RepublicansRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
could not agree to raise the debt ceiling and prevent a sovereign default
Sovereign default
A sovereign default is the failure or refusal of the government of a sovereign state to pay back its debt in full. It may be accompanied by a formal declaration of a government not to pay or only partially pay its debts , or the de facto cessation of due payments...
. On July 18, No Labels organized a demonstration in front of the Capitol building in support of a bipartisan solution to the debt crisis of 2011
United States debt-ceiling crisis
The United States debt-ceiling crisis was a financial crisis in 2011 that started as a debate in the United States Congress about increasing the debt ceiling. The immediate crisis ended when a complex deal was reached that raised the debt ceiling and reduced future government spending...
. Over 150 No Labels supporters from across the US turned out, along with several No Labels co-founders. The purpose of the demonstration was to encourage members of Congress to look beyond partisan lines in order to come up with a solution to the problem that would prevent default and put America on a track to solve the long-term debt issues.
Report on Town Hall Meetings
On August 22, 2011, No Labels issued a report which detailed the members of Congress that would be holding a town hallTown hall meeting
A town hall meeting is an American English term given to an informal public meeting. Everybody in a town community is invited to attend, not always to voice their opinions, but to hear the responses from public figures and elected officials about shared subjects of interest. Attendees rarely voted...
during the August recess. The initial report concluded that only 44% of all Congresspeople would be holding such meetings during the recess. The report was picked up by a variety of news sources and was featured on the front pages of Yahoo and the Drudge Report
Drudge Report
The Drudge Report is a news aggregation website. Run by Matt Drudge with the help of Joseph Curl and Charles Hurt, the site consists mainly of links to stories from the United States and international mainstream media about politics, entertainment, and current events as well as links to many...
, as well as through the national press syndicate UPI. Subsequent to the report's release, No Labels called on Congress to skip their recess and remain in Washington to complete the yearly federal budget. They also called on the Super Committee
United States Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, colloquially referred to as the Supercommittee, is a joint select committee of the United States Congress, created by the Budget Control Act of 2011 on August 2, 2011...
to begin their work immediately.
Several members of Congress criticized the report as inaccurate. No Labels stood by their reporting, but adjusted the results to include meetings that had been scheduled after their research had been completed.
Telephone Town Hall with Howard Schultz
On Tuesday, September 6th, 2011, Starbucks CEO Howard SchultzHoward Schultz
Howard Schultz is an American business magnate. He is the best known as the chairman and CEO of Starbucks and a former owner of the Seattle SuperSonics...
held a national town hall meeting over the phone and internet with the support of No Labels. Schultz appeared with No Labels co-founders John Avlon
John Avlon
John Phillips Avlon is senior columnist for Newsweek and the Daily Beast as well as a CNN contributor. He is also the author of Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics and Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America...
, Robert S. Kaplan
Robert S. Kaplan
Robert S. Kaplan is Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School, United States, and co-creator, together with David P. Norton, of the balanced scorecard, a means of linking a company's current actions to its long-term goals...
, and Lisa Borders
Lisa Borders
Lisa Michelle Borders currently serves as president of the Atlanta City Council of Atlanta, Georgia, having been elected citywide in an August 10, 2004 special election, her first run for public office. Her duties include presiding over and maintaining relationships with the city government's. She...
, along with the President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. that addresses federal budget and fiscal issues...
Maya MacGuineas
Maya MacGuineas
Maya MacGuineas is the President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget -- a bipartisan, non-profit organization in the United States committed to educating the public about issues that have significant fiscal policy impact...
.The call lasted for 90 minutes and featured questions and comments from citizens around the country regarding the country's fiscal, social, and political issues. Schultz used the call as part of his Upward Spiral campaign, which attempts to have CEOs and Business leader pledge to withhold political contributions until the Washington gridlock has ceased and hire more workers. More than 100,000 people joined in the Town Hall, during which Schultz asked Americans to demand their lawmakers end the partisan gridlock that he said was paralyzing Washington.