No Labels, the self-proclaimed centrist political organization with about as many principles and integrity as its founder Joe Lieberman, is proving once again that it definitely has a label: Republican, just as long as that Republican isn’t Donald Trump. The group, which says it rejects politics that aim to “hurl pot shots at the other side” or “stir up hate and recrimination,” has decided it’s just fine to embrace the pot-shotters and haters. They just draw the line at Trump.
The group is indicating that they’ll back off their threat to run a third-party candidate in 2024 if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis emerges as the Republican nominee. Because if DeSantis is known for one thing, it’s absolutely not for rejecting the politics of hate and division. They’d have to look hard to find a candidate who embodied Trump’s fascistic instincts more fully than DeSantis. But if he’s the nominee, they’d be just fine with that.
That’s certainly reflective of their version of “bipartisanship” since their latest big-name recruit is the guy who kicked off the latest Republican fad of terrorizing trans kids. Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, the face of the first “bathroom bill” in the nation, is now a proud member and spokes-bigot for No Labels. He was brought on board to help the group “communicate our message to the tens of millions of Americans who are looking for a new approach to national leadership”--a message that absolutely includes hate and bigotry toward the trans community.
No Labels is also where rejected and washed-up politicians go to grift. (Case in point: Lieberman.) So it’s a fitting place for McCrory to land. He went out in a big way, nearly destroying his state’s economy because of the backlash. He lost his reelection bid in 2016 and lost again in the primary in 2022 for the U.S. Senate, in part because Trump endorsed his opponent.
No Labels is still going through a big song and dance publicly about how they’re not really a political party and they’re all about a “common sense” policy agenda. “No Labels wants to focus initially on the broadest group of ideas where we know there is the most agreement,” the group’s chief strategist, Ryan Clancy, told Politico. That’s why it’s not taking a position on the most salient issue of the day: abortion. Meaning No Labels is also No Rights for Women as well as No Rights for Trans People.
Their political tactics are right out of the GOP playbook, and they’ve already run afoul of elections officials in Arizona and Maine for fraudulent petitions. They’ve been caught getting people to sign what they are told is a simple petition saying No Labels should be a registered party with ballot access, but which is a change of party registration.
How bad and how dangerous are they? National Democrats allied with Biden are strategizing with anti-Trump Republicans to figure out how to shut down the group’s interference in 2024, which would almost certainly draw support away from Biden and result in a Trump victory.
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Donald Trump is facing even more legal jeopardy and the sharks in the Republican Party seem to sense there is some blood in the water. Chris Christie has made his campaign all about going directly at Trump, and Ron DeSantis seems to be closer and closer to becoming completely isolated from the field.
