No Labels and the Stakes in 2024

 The year 2024 has arrived and once again Americans will choose someone to lead this vast land which is so steeped in idealism, arrogance, and hypocrisy that many on this blue ball are puzzled and horrified by our presence here. 

Four years ago the nation faced a stark and unambiguous choice. You either supported all that was evil, bigoted, xenophobic, and outright corrupt in America, or the idealism found in documents like the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. In short, you could choose a crime boss, or a man who actually believed in the ideal of democracy and its promise. 

In 2024 we seemed to be faced with the same two choices and the same two old white guys who represent them. Not everybody is happy with that, of course, but that is what a two party system provides for. Well, most of the time anyway.

There have been third party candidates in the past, sometimes even a fourth party. In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was the republican nominee, John Breckinridge, the Southern Democrat, Stephen Douglas, the democrat, and John Bell who represented what was called, the Constitutional Union Party. All of them won electoral votes, but Lincoln got the majority thanks to the northern states. Breckinridge swept the deep south to come in second place. Since he was the sitting Vice President he certified Lincoln's electoral victory, no questions asked despite the southern states, which he carried, seceding from the union after the results were in.  

There have been others. Strom Thurman and his Dixiecrats, George Wallace and the American Party, Ralph Nader and the Green Party. And of course the famous Man Bat impersonator, Ross Perot and his Reform Party. None of them came close to winning a presidential election, although in at least one instance they altered the outcome.

Now comes news of the No Labels Party. According to their current pitch Americans need a choice other than the extremism displayed by both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Currently they are on the presidential ballots in Arkansas, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado, and Maine. Their initial goal was to appear on the ballots in at least 23 states, but now they are talking about all 50. 

The reason for their existence was explained by former republican, David Brooks last fall. "What happens if the republicans nominate someone who is morally unacceptable to millions of Americans while the democrats nominate someone who is ideologically unacceptable?" 

First off anyone who claims Joe Biden is a radical left extremist can justifiably be suspected of MAGA style delusions. Secondly, No Labels stated target in November is young voters and independents in states carried by Joe Biden four years ago. In other words, the same demographics that won him the election. They might be on the ballot in Mississippi, but odds are they are going to spend a lot more time and money campaigning in Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona than they are in the delta country. 

In addition, although they don't like to admit who their donors are, "Mother Jones" has gained access to names of a few high rollers who are bankrolling the new party. They are almost exclusively traditional GOP contributors who have financed the campaigns of political centrists such as Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy.   

Yes, it would seem there is something more afoot here than simply trying to give voters a middle of the road alternative. No matter what current polls might say one has to believe Donald Trump will not be elected this November without help from somewhere else. It probably won't be the Russians, that's too obvious, besides they have their hands full right now. Indeed, in 2024 the help needs to be subtle. Something as pure and Quixotic as Ralph Nader. But, you know, paid for by discriminating billionairess who would rather their operations be, let's say, regulation free.

And the reality is the help doesn't have to be a lot. All it would take is just 10,000 votes here and 12,000 votes there and suddenly Donald Trump can start to indict his political foes, cut off aid to Ukraine, and begin building camps for all those, "enemies of the state," he likes to talk about. As long as he leaves them alone it is the sort of fascist shit none of these country club thugs care about.

When Nader fouled things up we got stuck with George W. Bush and a war in Iraq. If the same thing happens in 2024 we might not have a chance to correct the mistake in 2028. That's the nature of the stakes this year. 

Because that's the nature of Donald John Trump. The quicker we all admit it the better off we all will be.

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