The charlatans behind No Labels took their show to New Hampshire on Monday, where they launched an effort to get their third party (which they insist is not a political party) on the ballot for 2024. Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginian who uses the label “Democrat,” and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican, pretended to be statesmanlike while blathering about “common sense” and refusing to answer why they are threatening the nation with another Trump presidency.
There was a lot of that “common sense” prattle out of their mouths and literally in the backdrop to their talk. That’s because the group, clearly trying to invoke Thomas Paine, has released a policy booklet outlining their nonpositions on the issues of the day. Instead of actual positions, the booklet issues both-sides pablum. On abortion, for example: “In the realm of politics, our elected leaders must 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.”
Which means absolutely nothing. That’s how No Labels wants it, because taking actual positions would make it harder to grift would-be supporters. And they found the perfect guy to embody that in Manchin. The focus is on him, as usual. It’s always on Manchin because he loves to play the political tease and has never passed up a microphone or camera. He has, however, refused to answer what his intentions are for 2024—other than to “win.”
"I've never been in any race I've ever spoiled,” Manchin said on the No Labels stage. ”I've been in races to win, and if I get in a race I'm going to win.” This suggests that Manchin actually believes he would be elected president, which again demonstrates why No Labels chose Manchin for this dog and pony show. The group is playing on his massive ego, using him to achieve its ultimate goal: keeping Joe Biden out of the White House.
While that was playing out in New Hampshire, NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard was valiantly trying to get No Labels founder Nancy Jacobson to answer any questions at all about the group’s funders, its deliberations on running a third-party presidential ticket, and how they'll ensure they don't spoil the 2024 race and put Donald Trump back in the White House. Jacobson was clearly uncomfortable being confronted with these questions and was awkwardly evasive while insisting that the group’s aims are totally transparent. Here’s a snippet tweeted by NBC.
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“You have no primaries or caucuses,” Hillyard pointed out. “There are rich people that are funneling millions of dollars to your effort. Why should the public trust that this is nothing short of a backroom deal?” Just look at the people who have been involved in this for 13 years, Jacobson answered, which is not an answer. It is, however, instructive; after all, Joe Lieberman is one of those people.
Hillyard also pointed out that No Labels is trying to have it both ways, insisting that it isn’t a political party so that it doesn’t have to disclose its donors. Jacobson tried to deflect, saying they aren’t a party but are “building a movement of the common sense majority” (here we go again) “and we’re getting ballot access in the 50 states, and we will never run a campaign.” Which is ... what being on the ballot means: a campaign.
Jacobson, Manchin, and Huntsman all insist they will not be spoilers in this race, that they will not allow Donald Trump to become president again. They won’t answer whether there is any metric by which they will decide that risk. All of this while polling shows that self-identified Democratic leaners are more likely to vote for a third party than for Republicans in 2024.
This is how all the millionaires, mostly Republicans, who are funding No Labels intend to ultimately get what they want: getting Joe Biden and the threat of having to pay higher taxes out of the White House. These donors can’t or won’t say they’re supporting Trump (wink wink), but it’s what they’re doing, at the end of the day. Jacobson knows it, Manchin knows it, and Lieberman sure as hell planned it this way.