Today, Democrats are panicking, and Republicans are gloating.
Me? I’m angry.
I’m angry because a No Labels presidential candidate should have been on that stage last night, providing a viable choice to Americans who can’t possibly imagine four more years of Trump or Biden.
But we don’t have this choice because a small and very powerful group of DC insiders decided to take it from us.
I know that sounds conspiratorial, but it’s the truth.
From the moment No Labels launched our Unity ticket ballot access project over two years ago, political elites and operatives – mainly from the Democratic party – started aligning against us.
No Labels saw our effort as a necessary insurance policy against the possibility that both major parties would put forth candidates most Americans don’t want—which is precisely what they have done.
But the political hacks working against us decided to spread every lie they could about our effort, at one point even hijacking our website to make it look like we were a pro-Trump group. We’re now in the midst of litigation with some of these groups. While I can’t share the details, I can say this: The campaign to destroy us was much more extensive and well-funded than we ever imagined and included potentially unlawful activity.
It gets worse.
It’s been evident for some time that President Biden was in a historically poor political position. Last October, No Labels wrote, "The biggest risk factor for another Trump presidency may be Joe Biden’s candidacy.” Last night, it became evident that voters are entirely justified in questioning whether he can serve four more years.
Yet anyone who had the courage to say this—or try to do something about it—was immediately smacked down. Much of the Democratic party closed ranks and eliminated any possibility that voters could have a different choice.
- They refused to host primary debates and conspired to keep potential primary competitors – like Rep. Dean Phillips or Robert F. Kennedy – off the ballot.
- They attacked anyone who questioned the president’s fitness to serve as an ageist or peddler of right-wing misinformation.
- They waged a relentless campaign to kill off the No Labels Unity ticket, which we decided to shut down in April after we couldn’t find a candidate willing to confront the party establishment aligned against us.
There is indeed a crisis of democracy in our country, and it’s the same one that Thomas Jefferson once feared when he said, “The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history,whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite.”
The 2024 election has devolved into a historic trainwreck because some people who should know better – and who claim to be defending democracy – decided that they would determine who you can and can’t vote for this year. They stole the choice you wanted – that you deserve – and they have much explaining to do.
Despite our profound frustration, No Labels isn’t going anywhere. We will continue working to give a voice to America’s commonsense majority and to identify and support those leaders willing to put country before party. We’ll soon have some important news to announce about how we plan to help safeguard the fairness and integrity of our democratic process in 2024 and beyond.
In the meantime, hang in there and hang with us. As angry as you may feel today, have faith that Americans are waking up to the reality that this country can and must do much better.
