Founding Leaders of the Status Quo Call for No Labels, Just Dollar $igns

Originally inspired by Lee Atwater's brain-rotting politics of personal destruction, the corporate swindlers of the Business Roundtable in the late 80s created a bipartisan network of political prostitutes, leeches, think tankers, and yes men who would use their influence to advance the bare-knuckled and relentless attack by the BR and the Chamber on public institutions, an ongoing attack that is fueled by a divisive and corrosive rhetoric that labels, slanders, intimidates, and destroys. Pols of both parties have been bought in this effort over the past 15 years, and for long time it seemed that the corporate socialists would prevail with ease.  They still might.

What these greed merchants and social antiquarians couldn't count on, however, is the overreaching and overarching greed that resulted in the Heist of the Century by the Wall Street banksters who just couldn't get enough of a good thing.  The fallout has hurt the Billionaire Boys Club, those arrogant pricksters of white privilege who thought they could privatize the nation in a cakewalk.  In what may turn out to be the Chernobyl for the education corporatists, however, occurred in D. C. when the arrogant, gentrifying mayor and his vicious anti-democratic Chancellor of Schools went down in defeat. Big time.  This could have a cascading effect for the whole privatization house of cards.

Those of us who still believe in a democratic republic have noted the crack the Oligarchs' armor, and activists are coming of the woodwork to challenge what seemed until recently like slam dunk policies by the disaster capitalists whose scams and schemes become more transparently self-serving and guided by laughable rationales that expose their militant ignorance on education issues. The whole RTTT agenda could fold overnight, and they know it.

So now as the democratic republicans among us start to make headway against the hammering 24-7 propaganda machine of the corporate socialists, suddenly there is interest among purple-tied oligarchs like Bloomberg to tone it down.  His recent nail-biter and public humiliation that resulted from an attempt to appoint his drinking buddy, Kathie Black, to run a school system with over a million kids, has Bloomberg calling for more measured argument, more listening to others, more respect in our discourse.

I say bullshit, Prince Bloomberg: if your steamroller was not out of gas, you would not be interested in a more civil discourse.  You would be continuing to crush the bodies who try to block you.  Indeed, if the voters in NYC and DC and Detroit and Chicago were not fed up with the corporate crony fascism that you represent, you and your covey of thin-lipped Brit advisors would not be sending the whining David Brooks to the microphone to call for a new movement of No Labels politics.

Here's the deal I'll make with you, Prince Bloomberg.  The moment you invite Noam Chomsky, Cornel West, Bill Moyers, and Samantha Power to even out your neoliberal and neocon committee for the protectors of the status quo, then we can begin to talk about lowing the volume and cooling our jets.  Until then, let me say, no disrespect intended, Go Cheney Yourself!

From the No Labels website:

The individuals involved in No Labels are a highly patriotic and passionate group from both sides of the aisle [of the corporate jet] who care deeply about the future of this country.  They, like you, understand the urgent need to create a new voice for the majority of Americans who go unheard in our current political system. They are citizen leaders who bring their expertise and time as volunteers to this movement.

Dave Morin

Dave Morin is an Internet entrepreneur and angel investor from San Francisco. Currently, he is the Co-Founder and CEO of Path. Previously, he was co-inventor of Facebook Platform and Facebook Connect.

Dave Walker

Dave Walker has over 30-years of public, private and not-for-profit sector leadership experience. He has received three Presidential appointments with unanimous Senate confirmation from President's of both major parties, including his most recent as Comptroller General of the United States (1998-2008).

David Frum

David Frum is editor of the conservative political website, FrumForum.com. In 2001-2002, Frum was a special assistant and economic speechwriter to President George W. Bush. He served as a senior adviser to the Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign in 2008. Frum is a regular commentator on American Public Media's "Marketplace," and writes columns for CNN.com, THE WEEK, and Canada's National Post. He is the author of six books, including most recently "COMEBACK: Conservatism That Can Win Again."

Holly Page

Holly Page is a third party and strategic development expert with extensive experience and proven successes in helping organizations and individuals advance their goals through innovative and effective ideas and alliances. Ms. Page brings to her clients direct experience in working with the nation's leading third party organizations and centrist Democrats, having spent 13 years at the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), the last 5 of which she was the Executive Vice President.

John Avlon

John Avlon is a CNN contributor and the senior political columnist for The Daily Beast. He is the author of "Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics" and "Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America."

John Veroneau

John Veroneau practices international trade law at Covington & Burling LLC. His bipartisan credentials include serving as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative under President Bush and as an Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Clinton.

Jonathan Cowan

Jonathan Cowan is President and co-founder of Third Way, a leading moderate think-tank. With over 15 years experience at senior levels of politics and government, Mr. Cowan served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as Senior Advisor to the HUD Secretary; he was the co-founder and President of Americans for Gun Safety and in 1992, co-founded Lead…or Leave, which became the nation’s leading Generation X advocacy group.

Kiki McLean

Kiki McLean is a Partner and Managing Director of Porter Novelli‘s Washington DC office, as well as head of the agency’s global public affairs efforts. Throughout her career, Kiki has focused on communications and politics of public policy in such positions as Senior Advisor to the Hillary Clinton for President Campaign, national press secretary and spokesperson to Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign, and Communications Director of the Democratic National Committee.

Lisa Borders

Lisa Borders is President of the Grady Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Grady Health System, the only Level I Trauma Center within 100 miles of metro-Atlanta. She is leading the Greater Grady capital campaign – a 5 year, $325M effort - and guiding the system’s fund-raising efforts during the most important period of Grady’s history. Formerly, Lisa Borders served as President of the Atlanta City Council – elected citywide in a special election - from August 2004 – January, 2010. She also served as Co-Chair of the Transition Team for Atlanta Mayor M. Kasim Reed.

Mark McKinnon

Mark McKinnon has been helping solve complex strategic challenges for causes, companies and candidates, including President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Congressman “Good Time” Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong and Bono. McKinnon has helped engineer five winning presidential primary and general elections.

Nancy Jacobson

Nancy Jacobson has worked in as a strategic advisor, fundraiser and relationship/network cultivator for Gary Hart, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Evan Bayh. She ran the finance operation for President Clinton’s Inaugural Committee and was appointed the Finance Director of the Democratic National Committee in 1993. For the past 15 years, she was a senior advisor to the Democratic Leadership Council, Finance Chair for Senator Evan Bayh, and helped to found Third Way, a centrist think tank committed to providing the best ideas to policy makers.

Nate Garvis

Nate Garvis is President of Naked Civics, LLC, an innovative public affairs consultancy focusing on Interaction and Influence Design. In a networked world that cannot be controlled, Naked Civics produces reputation capital for clients by connecting them to the most important ideas, people and institutions in their communities of interest.

William A. Galston

William A. Galston is Ezra Zilkha Chair and Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. The author of numerous books and articles on political philosophy, public policy, and American politics, Galston also served as Deputy Assistant to President Clinton for Domestic Policy, 1993-1995.