Right now at 9:55 am, 409 people are watching the public launch of No Labels, a year-old 501c4 corporation with aims to influence the political process. And right from the get-go, the phrases “grassroots movement” and “bottom-up” have been thrown out like balls at a ping-pong tournament.
“This is a bottom-up movement.” — Bob Franken, 8:57 am
“This is a grassroots movement” — No Labels leader Jonathan Cowan, head of pro-corporate think tank Third Way, a front for the conservative Democratic Leadership Committee, 8:59 am
“This is the way change happens. Not from the top down but from the bottom up.” — No Labels leader William Galston, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, 9:06 am
“This is grassroots, baby.” — Mark McKinnon, 9:16 am
There’s no doubt now: No Labels is asserted its identity as a “grassroots movement,” a “bottom-up movement.” William Galston is even calling it a “social movement.”
“All we ask from you is some honesty” — AKON, 9:18 am
That was what the artist just sang in a video shown to the room of people assembled for the No Labels public launch. Is it honest for No Labels to call itself grassroots and bottom-up?
No Labels is certainly not grassroots in its leadership. The three individuals who have most often claimed the title of “founder” — Kiki McLean, Mark McKinnon and John Avlon — are a managing director of a giant corporate lobbying firm, a vice president of a PR firm for American industry, and a senior fellow at a think tank advocating deregulation of American industry and commerce, respectively.
Will it be grassroots in its speakers? Here’s the list of its speakers today:
Nancy Jacobson, Democratic Party fundraiser
Bill Galston, University of Maryland Professor of Public Policy
John Avlon, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, advocating deregulation of commerce
Mark McKinnon, Vice President of Public Strategies Incorporated, PR firm for corporations
David Brooks, New York Times columnist
Moderated by Michael Smerconish, talk radio host
Dan Glickman, congressional lobbyist
Joe Lieberman, Senator
Debbie Stabenow, Senator
Bob Inglis, member of Congress
Bruce Braley, member of Congress
Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles
Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator
Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark
Tom Davis, former Congressman and President and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership
Joe Scarborough, former Congressman and conservative TV personality
Evan Bayh, Senator
Joe Manchin, Senator-elect
David Gergen, presidential adviser and TV personality
Jonathan Cowan, leader of Third Way think tank
Lisa Borders, president of the Grady Health Foundation
AKON, musician
Dylan Ratigan, TV personality
Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City
Charlie Crist, Governor of Florida
Abel Maldonado, Lt. Governor of California
Michael Castle, member of Congress
Joe Sestak, member of Congress
Marie Wilson, President of the White House Project
Rob McCord, State Treasurer of Pennsylvania
David Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General
Kiki McLean, managing director at the public relations and lobbying giant Porter Novelli
No Labels’ speakers are many things, but they are not grassroots.
No Labels is starting from the top down, not from the bottom up. But perhaps it will allow the bottom to drive matters from here on. No Labels certainly promised to. No Labels promised a week ago that it would take Americans’ questions and pose them at today’s meeting to be answered by No Labels leadership. I and many others submitted our questions. Then yesterday, No Labels backtracked from its promise and said it would only read a small number of selected statements. That’s the difference between accountability and public relations.
Has No Labels kept its initial promise and read out the questions of everyday American citizens? The cameras have been rolling for an hour now. Kiki McLean has read out three selected statements endorsing No Labels (at 9:40 am, 9:47 am, and 9:55 am). No questions to No Labels have been read.
No Labels can declare itself to be a “bottom up”, “grassroots movement” all it wants. But so far today, No Labels is not acting in a grassroots, bottom-up manner. It’s conducting a top-down, prepackaged public relations presentation.
What really scares off these groups is any discussion of the principles at http://www.goodfaithclause.com . The name sort of suggest a type of golden rule approach, but it is much more pragmatic in that it is that clause that is suppose to exist under all contracts. Their 3 blue lines speak volumes. A few other good lines. Sadly, we always wallow in our own waste with this never being the foundation needed. No link to any pseudo grass roots. It is just what it is. I did hear that after observing the American population over the last 2 voting cycles there was an admission that though an integral part of the solution, they would drop it and mostly center on organizations. Sad commentary on the American people as a whole. Very sad.