Jenny Erikson
Jenny EriksonThe No Labels movement was launched this week in an effort to move beyond partisan politics and work together for a more effective government. The statement of purpose reads:

We are not labels -- we are people.

We must put our labels aside,

And put the issues and what’s best for the nation first.

A promising future awaits us.

The goal of the centrist group is to provide a home for ‘moderate’ Americans who are turned off by both ends of the political spectrum. No Labels wants to put offices in each of the 435 congressional districts in America and build a network of citizen activists to call out lawmakers that align themselves too closely with their party’s ideology. They will also establish a PAC to help fund candidates that would make Charlie Crist, David Frum, and Kirsten Gillibrand proud.

It all seems a bit hoity-toity to me. What’s wrong with having core values and principles, no matter what end of the spectrum you’re on? I may disagree with hardcore Liberals on a lot of issues, but I can respect people that have developed their own political beliefs and aligned themselves with the party that most closely matches their values.

Who do these No Label people think they are? They condescendingly put down both Liberals and Conservatives, saying they’ve evolved beyond childish squabbling and name-calling. They seem to tell us, “Put your differences aside and come join the grown-ups in the land where everyone holds hands and sings Kumbaya and roasts marshmallows and no one would dare to have an intelligent debate about why raising taxes in a down economy is a really bad idea.”

The funny thing is that No Labels is a label. It’s impossible to escape labels, and I’m not sure why we should try. We’ve been labeling things since Eden, when Adam named all the animals. Labels allow us some stability and perspective in an uncertain world; I know I’m not going to have the same conversation about child rearing with a ‘non-parent’ as I would with a fellow mom. Labels should not be feared.

Wife. Mom. Californian. Christian. Republican. Capitalist. Blogger. Blonde. I embrace my labels – they are what make me uniquely me. No post-partisan, amebic group is going to take that away from me.

What are your labels?