Monday’s launch of a new movement called Nolabels.org – an effort to get beyond the hyperpartisanship that infuses Washington – can’t help but keep the "will Bloomberg run" question alive. The daylong rollout was held in New York City, and Mayor Bloomberg, a political independent, was a marquee participant. And Nolabels’ centrist approach to policy fits his own message, laid out just last week in a campaign-style speech on the economy. The billionaire Bloomberg’s willingness to self-fund as a politician has been amply demonstrated in his three successful runs for New York mayor, and he reportedly considered running for president in 2008".
"The group "No Labels" kicked off its first conference Monday at New York's Columbia University with just one label largely absent: "Republican."
The non-partisan initiative with the slogan, "Not Left. Not Right. Forward", is seeking to fill what the American people regularly tell pollsters is the vital center: a non-ideological space where the commitment is to getting things done. And its speakers—who ranged from Republican moderates like ex-Virginia Rep. Tom Davis to liberal Democrats like New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand—sang the praises of cooperation and compromise.
But the only Republicans present at Columbia University's modern, square Alfred Lerner Hall seemed to be those who had recently lost primary races, such as South Carolina Rep. Bob Inglis and Delaware Rep. Mike Castle, or former Republicans like Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg".
"No Labels' purpose is to fight hyper-partisanship in politics, to be the "centrist equivalent to the tea-party movement on the right and MoveOn on the left." Does it surprise you that David Frum is one of the organization's founding leaders? So are Republican strategist Mark McKinnon and Democratic fundraiser Nancy Jacobson". And provides this quote from No Labels' website:
"Hyper-partisanship is one of the greatest domestic challenges our nation faces. It divides America and derails our ability to solve our shared challenges. Rather than focusing on solving problems, hyper-partisans use labels to demonize their opponents, enforce orthodoxy within their own ranks, and marginalize sensible compromises".
Ms. Esfahani Smith concludes:
"When it comes to politics and political parties, I think litmus tests and "orthodoxy" are foolish and harmful--especially for the GOP right now. However, I don't agree with No Labels that partisanship itself is a problem. "Ordinary politics is partisan politics," as Harvey Mansfield has written. To say otherwise--to try to create a postpartisan era of "No Labels"--is a utopian departure from reality".
The gubernatorial results by party are: Democratic 2,610,123; Republican 1,290,017; Conservative 232,264; Working Families 154,847; Independence 146,646; Green 59,928; Libertarian 48,386; Rent is 2 Damn High 41,131; Taxpayers 25,820; Freedom 24,572; Anti-Prohibition 20,429. There were 4,423 write-ins.