Paul Bass Photo
NEW YORK- The egg that landed on Darnell Goldson’s porch in the West Rock neighborhood reemerged — in narrative form — at the launch Monday of a new national movement to take “labels” out of American political decision-making.
Goldson (pictured) was one of a group of “citizen leaders” from around the country chosen to address 1,000 attendees in the opening hour of a founding gathering of a movement calling itself “No Labels.” The movement aims to create 50 state chapters of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to support policies and candidates in the political center. Or, based on what some speakers were saying Monday morning, candidates who can compromise with other politicians.
Independent U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman was also scheduled to address the gathering Monday morning. He had “travel problems,” according to an organizer; it was unclear whether he would show up later.
Click here and here to read previous Independent coverage of the new movement and the role of Connecticut founders like Goldson, a New Haven alderman; East Rock activist Debra Hauser; Yale environmentalist Dan Esty; and downtown businessman Brett D. Hellerman.
Paul Bass Photo
Monday’s conference is taking place at Aflred J. Lerner Hall at Columbia University. It began with remarks from the movement’s cofounders, including CNN personality John Avlon, who argued that majority of Americans come from the political center, so political candidates should, too. Cofounder Nancy Jacobsen offered a slightly different spin. “Never give up your label,” she said. “Just put it aside so government can do what it needs to do” and pass “common sense” laws.
New York Times columnist David Brooks (pictured) acknowledged in an opening address that most new intellectual ideas come from the right and left, not the center. He called for the movement to promote a culture of compromise and good “behavior” among politicians.
Bad behavior was the theme of Darnell Goldson’s approximately one-minute-long testimony to the crowd. He told the crowd about how this fall his home was vandalized because he defied political party labels. (Read about that incident here.)
“I am a Democrat by accident of birth,” Goldson said. “I have the dubious distinction of having had my house egged a couple of weeks ago. My crime was that I endorsed a Democrat for governor and Republican for Senate.”
Goldson endorsed the movement’s founding credo of supporting the best ideas and candidates regardless of party label. “What’s become of our political system is that you cannot have a different opinion … outside your party,” he said. He said he chooses instead to support “what is good for my city.”
His message resonated with Lisa Moxley (at right in photo), who “bonded” with Goldson during the mid-morning conference break. Moxley ran for mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, this year. After losing the Democratic primary, she endorsed the Republican candidate.
“We’re all looking for solutions. We’re all result-oriented,” Moxley said. “I don’t consider it a compromise of my core Democratic principles to support those principles where I find them.”
What are those principles? So far Monday, speakers and organizers have opted for overriding themes: bipartisanship, smart solutions to challenges like affordable health care and top-notch education and the economy. The movement’s website includes a “Declaration” of commitment to cooperation. But at this point there hasn’t been any talk about nitty-gritty positions that people might disagree with each other about.
That’s the right strategy, Brett Hellerman said at the break. First comes the challenge of organizing a million members across the country around an overriding vision of post-partisanship and common sense, he said; then comes hammering out a platform that at least “50 percent of the country” can agree with.
Debra Hauser
“David Brooks was right,” Hellemerman (pictured) said of the Times pundit’s speech. “We’re going to have to have a platform of ideas—eventually. Now we’ve got to build the movement.”
Hellerman expressed enthusiasm about the turnout, including the participation of current and former U.S. senators like Dan Glickman, Kirsten Gillibrand, Evan Bayh.
“It’s not an outsider’s movement,” he said. “It’s tax-paying educated adults [prodding] professional politicians to do the right thing.”
“I think,” Debra Hauser said, “the idea resonates with people.”
Previous coverage of the No Labels movement:
• “No Labels” Gets Local Foothold
• Can “No Labels” Spark A Climate Fix?