Bipartisan Group Creates Movement to Reclaim Political Center
As the division in political ideologies continues to deepen in the United States, an organization dedicated to finding common ground is seeking to place a bipartisan option on the presidential ballot in 2020.
Members from the No Labels movement outlined their goals for governing from the center through bipartisanship in the House of Representatives and the presidency during a forum last Thursday at the Katonah Village Library. No Labels chief strategist Ryan Clancy cited Congress as a major problem, but suggested much bigger problems stem from President Donald Trump.
Clancy noted how in the last two years Democratic and Republican leaders have moved farther away from bipartisanship to either show their loyalty or hatred for Trump. That’s not what the country needs right now, Clancy said.
“As we sit here today and look out at the next two years, it’s very depressing to think about what looks like is coming down the pike,” Clancy said. “Because what looks like is coming down the pike is two years of President Trump destroying and denigrating his opposition.”
He said No Labels is currently exploring integrating a bipartisan presidential ticket as a path to national unity. Clancy added that the group is researching and polling the idea in New Hampshire but would likely need a candidate from a Democratic primary running as an independent, third party or spoiler campaign to agree to the movement.
Along with the presidency, Clancy said No Labels recently launched The Speaker Project campaign over the summer, a movement which called for using the election of a new speaker in January as leverage to make rule changes that force Congress to be responsive to more bipartisan legislation.
A month later, members of the Problem Solvers Caucus released their own agenda. The caucus is a 48-member group sponsored by No Labels that is evenly split between Republican and Democrat officials who promote bipartisan initiatives. Their Break the Gridlock package aims to reform the rules in the House that will ensure bipartisan legislation receives a fighting chance.
Provisions include electing a speaker that is a representative of all members of the House; increasing accountability and transparency; establishing a fast-track procedure with several specific parliamentary changes that would enable bipartisan legislation and amendments to receive priority consideration on the House floor; and encouraging and rewarding consensus driven governing.
The proposal would also eliminate the motion to vacate, which allows a single lawmaker to force a vote on ousting the sitting speaker. The proposal would instead require one-third of the House to sign a public petition to force such a vote. The proposal also prohibits members from adding amendments to legislation under a “closed rule” system.
The caucus is encouraging House members who agree to the package’s provisions to sign a pledge that states they will support a speaker who also supports the movement. Clancy said those who sign the pledge will receive a “No Labels seal of approval” that notifies voters of their intentions moving forward.
In a divided Congress, which Clancy believes the Nov. 6 election will produce, he is confident that the small group of members can create big changes if they stick together.
“This is not as crazy as it sounds,” Clancy said. “There is a precedent for it.”
For more information, visit www.nolabels.org.
