"No Labels" Grassroots Group Determined to Push Back Against Hyper-Partisanship
As Democrats and Republicans continue to fight over tax cuts, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," health care reform and a long list of other issues, a new group is calling for all politicians to drop their labels and just work together.
"No Labels" co-founder Kiki McLean spoke to CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer today on "Washington Unplugged" about her group, which aims to tame the "hyper-partisan" political climate by disregarding party labels.
Yesterday, "No Labels" launched their campaign in New York City to the supportive reception of over 1,000 eager participants.
"People paid their own way, took the time off their jobs and their families and came together to have a conversation - there were Republicans and Democrats and Independents," McLean told Schieffer. "This is going to be a national grassroots effort to push back against hyper-partisanship."
McLean is vocal about ensuring that the public understands that this group is not a third party. "I am a Democrat, and I will always be a Democrat for as far as I can see into the future," she said. "I want to make my party stronger... [but] we won't even begin a conversation on looking for common ground, but looking for how somebody else loses."
Not only is the public behind this movement, so are a handful of politicians. Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Republican former Rep. Tom Davis and Democrat Corey Booker, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, attended the event yesterday in support of "No Labels." McLean said that they had a real conversation about how to solve problems.
"Right now culturally, we have set up the political process that you get beat up if you reach across the aisle," she said. "How much can we solve if that is where we start?"
"No Labels" understands that finding a solution to this problem won't be easy. McLean hopes that comments made by elected officials will begin to show signs of bipartisanship. She praised Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) who recently had supportive words to say about the president. Coburn said in an interview that "the president is a friend of mine and I think he loves his country."
McLean believes that it is moments like these, when the parties show each other support, that Americans can get real conversation rolling.
This newly formed group will be there in support of Washington if it decides to change its current actions. "I want our elected officials to know, and it is not just Congress by the way, I want them to know that when they do the right thing, we will be there for them," said McLean. "There are millions of Americans that want this, and I think that the number of folks that showed up at this time of the year and with this kind of economy to make their voice heard, demonstrates that there is a real hunger for it."
Watch "Washington Unplugged" above, also featuring an interview with Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. Washington Unplugged airs every weekday at 12:30 p.m. ET on CBSNews.com.
