“No Labels” Looks to Make a Political Mark in the Middle

One of the founders of the new political group "No Labels" says the organization is "not a third party effort," but a "grass roots movement of people outside the Beltway who...don't feel like their voices are being represented" in Washington.

"All they see is the poison and the hyper-partisanship," Mark McKinnon explained in an interview with Fox News on Saturday.  A co-founder of the group and Republican strategist who has advised John McCain and former President George W. Bush, McKinnon added, "I don't think you will find many people who disagree that the environment in Washington is worse than it's ever been before."

"No Labels" officially launches Monday with an event in New York City expected to draw 1,000 people from all 50 states. Also expected in attendance are political heavyweights such as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, I-N.Y., Senators Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Evan Bayh, D-Ind., along with Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., among others.

On its website, the group asks only that politicians "put labels aside and do what's best for America."

"When you have people that demonize each other and won't even meet with each other anymore, then it's harder to make progress and find consensus on an issue," McKinnon explained.

William Galston, a former Clinton adviser and another co-founder of the group says "No Labels" doesn't plan to endorse any particular candidate. At least not yet.

"We're not ruling that out," he said. "They will organize to support the politics they want to see from a Democrat or Republican or Independent. They're going to be calling out the kind of politics that they're sick and tired of."

For his part, Bloomberg emphatically denied a presidential candidacy in a Sunday talk show appearance. But McKinnon and Galston say "there's a lot to admire" about what Bloomberg "has been saying about hyper-partisanship and addressing the issues."

"We're in a serious situation," Galston added. "We can't afford a political system that is mired in gridlock for the next two years."