#nancy jacobson

[nodynasty4us]

From the July 4, 2023 takedown:

With a No Labels candidacy unlikely to win electoral votes, then, or even to meaningfully affect public discussion of the organization’s stated values, speculation has naturally arisen about what—or whose—purpose such a campaign would really serve. Because the group is a nonprofit that doesn’t have to identify its donors, this speculation can have a sinister edge. Cui bono from all this “dark money”?

...

The Democrats favored by No Labels donors have a common history of resisting proposals for social spending and efforts to raise taxes or regulate the financial industry....

...

So what’s the deal with No Labels? Here’s a theory: Its leaders and guiding spirits—the Jacobsons, Penns, and Liebermans—are locked in a mutually delusional feedback loop with their donors in which everyone convinces themselves that a random politician whose main attribute is being objectionable to both parties could become president. They have a faith-like conviction that both sides must always be doing something wrong, a hunger for relevance, and enough confidence to keep going when everyone tells them they’re making a mistake. That (and $70 million) is more than enough to spoil an election with or without having a clear goal in mind. “What is No Labels’ plan for 2024?” might be the wrong question; a better one might be “Does No Labels ever have a plan at all?”

[dozydawn]

Modern Bride, 1989.

Models: Nancy DeWeir, Marilee Jacobson, and Annica Ohnesorge.

[yoursinharmony]

Watch "These Boots Are Made For Walkin' (acapella) VoicePlay Mini ft. Omar Cardona" on YouTube

😍😍😍👢

[dear-indies]

full list of biden letter 2:

Aaron Bay-Schuck Aaron Sorkin Adam & Jackie Sandler Adam Goodman Adam Levine Alan Grubman Alex Aja Alex Edelman Alexandra Shiva Ali Wentworth Alison Statter Allan Loeb Alona Tal Amy Chozick Amy Pascal Amy Schumer Amy Sherman Palladino Andrew Singer Andy Cohen Angela Robinson Anthony Russo Antonio Campos Ari Dayan Ari Greenburg Arik Kneller Aron Coleite Ashley Levinson Asif Satchu Aubrey Plaza Barbara Hershey Barry Diller Barry Levinson Barry Rosenstein Beau Flynn Behati Prinsloo Bella Thorne Ben Stiller Ben Turner Ben Winston Ben Younger Billy Crystal Blair Kohan Bob Odenkirk Bobbi Brown Bobby Kotick Brad Falchuk Brad Slater Bradley Cooper Bradley Fischer Brett Gelman Brian Grazer Bridget Everett Brooke Shields Bruna Papandrea Cameron Curtis Casey Neistat Cazzie David

Charles Roven Chelsea Handler Chloe Fineman Chris Fischer Chris Jericho Chris Rock Christian Carino Cindi Berger Claire Coffee Colleen Camp Constance Wu Courteney Cox Craig Silverstein Dame Maureen Lipman Dan Aloni Dan Rosenweig Dana Goldberg Dana Klein Daniel Palladino Danielle Bernstein Danny Cohen Danny Strong Daphne Kastner David Alan Grier David Baddiel David Bernad David Chang David Ellison David Geffen David Gilmour & David Goodman David Joseph David Kohan David Lowery David Oyelowo David Schwimmer Dawn Porter Dean Cain Deborah Lee Furness Deborah Snyder Debra Messing Diane Von Furstenberg Donny Deutsch Doug Liman Douglas Chabbott Eddy Kitsis Edgar Ramirez Eli Roth Elisabeth Shue Elizabeth Himelstein Embeth Davidtz Emma Seligman Emmanuelle Chriqui Eric Andre Erik Feig Erin Foster Eugene Levy Evan Jonigkeit Evan Winiker Ewan McGregor Francis Benhamou Francis Lawrence Fred Raskin Gabe Turner Gail Berman Gal Gadot Gary Barber Gene Stupinski Genevieve Angelson Gideon Raff Gina Gershon Grant Singer Greg Berlanti Guy Nattiv Guy Oseary Gwyneth Paltrow Hannah Fidell Hannah Graf Harlan Coben Harold Brown Harvey Keitel Henrietta Conrad Henry Winkler Holland Taylor Howard Gordon Iain Morris Imran Ahmed Inbar Lavi Isla Fisher Jack Black Jackie Sandler Jake Graf Jake Kasdan James Brolin James Corden Jamie Ray Newman Jaron Varsano Jason Biggs & Jenny Mollen Biggs Jason Blum Jason Fuchs Jason Reitman Jason Segel Jason Sudeikis JD Lifshitz Jeff Goldblum Jeff Rake Jen Joel Jeremy Piven Jerry Seinfeld Jesse Itzler Jesse Plemons Jesse Sisgold Jessica Biel Jessica Elbaum Jessica Seinfeld Jill Littman Jimmy Carr Jody Gerson

Joe Hipps Joe Quinn Joe Russo Joe Tippett Joel Fields Joey King John Landgraf John Slattery Jon Bernthal Jon Glickman Jon Hamm Jon Liebman Jonathan Baruch Jonathan Groff Jonathan Marc Sherman Jonathan Ross Jonathan Steinberg Jonathan Tisch Jonathan Tropper Jordan Peele Josh Brolin Josh Charles Josh Goldstine Josh Greenstein Josh Grode Judd Apatow Judge Judy Sheindlin Julia Garner Julia Lester Julianna Margulies Julie Greenwald Julie Rudd Juliette Lewis Justin Theroux Justin Timberlake Karen Pollock Karlie Kloss Katy Perry Kelley Lynch Kevin Kane Kevin Zegers Kirsten Dunst Kitao Sakurai KJ Steinberg Kristen Schaal Kristin Chenoweth Lana Del Rey Laura Dern Laura Pradelska Lauren Schuker Blum Laurence Mark Laurie David Lea Michele Lee Eisenberg Leo Pearlman Leslie Siebert Liev Schreiber Limor Gott Lina Esco Liz Garbus Lizanne Rosenstein Lizzie Tisch Lorraine Schwartz Lynn Harris Lyor Cohen Madonna Mandana Dayani Mara Buxbaum Marc Webb Marco Perego Maria Dizzia Mark Feuerstein Mark Foster Mark Scheinberg Mark Shedletsky Martin Short Mary Elizabeth Winstead Mathew Rosengart Matt Lucas Matt Miller Matthew Bronfman Matthew Hiltzik Matthew Weiner Matti Leshem Max Mutchnik Maya Lasry Meaghan Oppenheimer Melissa Zukerman Michael Aloni Michael Ellenberg Michael Green Michael Rapino Michael Rappaport Michael Weber Michelle Williams Mike Medavoy Mila Kunis Mimi Leder Modi Wiczyk Molly Shannon Nancy Josephson Natasha Leggero

Neil Blair Neil Druckmann Nicola Peltz Nicole Avant Nina Jacobson Noa Kirel Noa Tishby Noah Oppenheim Noah Schnapp Noreena Hertz Odeya Rush Olivia Wilde Oran Zegman Orlando Bloom Pasha Kovalev Pattie LuPone Paul & Julie Rudd Paul Haas Paul Pflug Peter Traugott Polly Sampson Rachel Riley Rafi Marmor Ram Bergman Raphael Margulies Rebecca Angelo Rebecca Mall Regina Spektor Reinaldo Marcus Green Rich Statter Richard Jenkins Richard Kind Rick Hoffman Rick Rosen Rita Ora Rob Rinder Robert Newman Roger Birnbaum Roger Green Rosie O’Donnell Ross Duffer Ryan Feldman Sacha Baron Cohen Sam Levinson Sam Trammell Sara Foster Sarah Baker Sarah Bremner Sarah Cooper Sarah Paulson Sarah Treem Scott Braun Scott Braun Scott Neustadter Scott Tenley Sean Combs Seth Meyers Seth Oster Shannon Watts Shari Redstone Sharon Jackson Sharon Stone Shauna Perlman Shawn Levy Sheila Nevins Shira Haas Simon Sebag Montefiore Simon Tikhman Skylar Astin Stacey Snider Stephen Fry Steve Agee Steve Rifkind Sting & Trudie Styler Susanna Felleman Susie Arons Taika Waititi Thomas Kail Tiffany Haddish Todd Lieberman Todd Moscowitz Todd Waldman Tom Freston Tom Werner Tomer Capone Tracy Ann Oberman Trudie Styler Tyler James Williams Tyler Perry Vanessa Bayer Veronica Grazer Veronica Smiley Whitney Wolfe Herd

Will Ferrell Will Graham Yamanieka Saunders Yariv Milchan Ynon Kreiz Zack Snyder Zoe Saldana Zoey Deutch Zosia Mamet

[beardedmrbean]

The leaders of No Labels, a group preparing a potential independent presidential ticket, have asked the Justice Department to investigate potential criminal charges against a range of Democratic-leaning groups and activists who have been opposing their effort.

The group, in a Jan. 11 letter signed by former senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), former North Carolina governor Pat McCrory (R) and others, argues that a public and private pressure campaign to discourage donations to No Labels and support for the ticket goes beyond legally protected political speech.

“It’s one thing to oppose candidates who are running; it’s another to use intimidation tactics to prevent them from even getting in front of the voters,” the letter reads in part.

The Justice Department has not responded to the letter, according to No Labels leaders. The group scheduled an event at the National Press Club on Thursday to announce the letter.

The argument that the group puts forward in the letter is untested and unusual for a political group. Efforts to pressure donors, candidates and endorsers from taking various actions are the currency of politics, and courts generally give significant leeway to campaigns to compete publicly and privately for support.

Dan Webb, a Chicago attorney and No Labels volunteer who also signed the letter, said the group hoped any federal investigation turned up more evidence of wrongdoing.

“We don’t have subpoena or grand jury powers,” Webb said in a statement, about why the group had not filed a civil lawsuit yet. “We cannot do the type of investigation that is needed like DOJ can.”

The letter details a number of incidents that the group’s leaders believe go beyond the regular rough and tumble of politics. This includes an electronic billboard featuring photographs of No Labels CEO Nancy Jacobson and her husband, former Democratic consultant Mark Penn, that was driven around Georgetown during the weekend of the 2023 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

“There is no place for MAGA hate in Georgetown,” the billboard read.

Others involved in the No Labels effort have had their reputations or future business opportunities threatened, the letter reads. One supporter of the effort, co-founder Holly Page, says another Democrat warned her during a private lunch about her involvement with the presidential effort and asked her about what one of her personal clients thought about. Weeks later, an attorney for that client called to end their business relationship, she said.

Opponents of No Labels, a category that includes a range of outside Democratic groups and operatives, have publicly declared their intent to put pressure on donors and potential candidates to steer clear of the group. They point out that third-party candidates have no modern record of success in presidential politics, and there has been no polling that shows the group, even without a named candidate, has a clear path to a victory in the electoral college.

They argue that any No Labels candidacy will probably draw more votes from Democrats than Republicans, potentially delivering a win to former president Donald Trump, who is leading the race for the Republican nomination.

“We are worried about any third party. We realize it is a free country. Anybody can run for president who wants to run for president,” former congressman Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), who is leading one effort to oppose No Labels, said in December. “But we have a right to tell citizens the danger they will face if they vote for any of these third-party candidates.”

Audio of an anti-No Labels meeting acquired by Semafor quoted one opponent of the effort as suggesting that anyone involved would have their records searched for any embarrassing details. “If you have one fingernail clipping of a skeleton in your closet, we will find it,” the person said during the call, according to Semafor. “If you think you were vetted when you ran for governor, you’re insane. That was nothing. We are going to come at you with every gun we can possibly find.”

Ballot Access News, which tracks ballot registration, reported that No Labels had gained access or finished the process for access in 16 states in December, including key battlegrounds such as Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina.

Benjamin Chavis, a national co-chair of No Labels who also signed the letter, said that efforts to stop the group’s progress were undemocratic.

“When they prevent No Labels from getting ballot access, they’re really preventing the American people from getting ballot access,” he said.

Sorry bout the format, link didn't want to attach

[are-they-z]

Supporters of #NoHostageLeftBehind Open Letter to Joe Biden - Part 2/2

Gabe Turner

Gail Berman

Gary Barber

Genevieve Angelson

Gideon Raff

Grant Singer

Greg Berlanti

Guy Nattiv

Hannah Fidell

Hannah Graf

Harlan Coben

Harold Brown

Henrietta Conrad

Howard Gordon

Iain Morris

Imran Ahmed

Inbar Lavi

Jackie Sandler

Jake Graf

Jake Kasdan

Jamie Ray Newman

Jaron Varsano

Jason Fuchs

Jason Biggs & Jenny Mollen Biggs

Jason Segel

JD Lifshitz

Jeff Rake

Jen Joel

Jeremy Piven

Jesse Itzler

Jesse Sisgold

Jill Littman

Jody Gerson

Joe Hipps

Joe Quinn

Joe Russo

Joe Tippett

Joel Fields

John Landgraf

Jon Bernthal

Jon Glickman

Jon Liebman

Jonathan Baruch

Jonathan Groff

Jonathan Tropper

Jonathan Marc Sherman

Jonathan Steinberg

Jonathan Tisch

Josh Goldstine

Josh Greenstein

Josh Grode

Julia Lester

Julie Greenwald

Karen Pollock

Kelley Lynch

Kevin Kane

Kevin Zegers

Kitao Sakurai

KJ Steinberg

Laura Pradelska

Lauren Schuker Blum

Laurence Mark

Laurie David

Lee Eisenberg

Leslie Siebert

Leo Pearlman

Limor Gott

Lina Esco

Liz Garbus

Lizanne Rosenstein

Lizzie Tisch

Lorraine Schwartz

Lynn Harris

Lyor Cohen

Mandana Dayani

Maria Dizzia

Mara Buxbaum

Marc Webb

Marco Perego

Mark Feuerstein

Mark Shedletsky

Mark Scheinberg

Mathew Rosengart

Matt Lucas

Matt Miller

Matthew Bronfman

Matthew Hiltzik

Matti Leshem

Dame Maureen Lipman

Max Mutchnik

Maya Lasry

Meaghan Oppenheimer

Melissa Zukerman

Michael Ellenberg

Michael Aloni

Michael Green

Michael Rapino

Michael Weber

Mike Medavoy

Mimi Leder

Modi Wiczyk

Nancy Josephson

Natasha Leggero

Neil Blair

Neil Druckmann

Nicole Avant

Nina Jacobson

Noa Kirel

Noah Oppenheim

Noreena Hertz

Odeya Rush

Oran Zegman

Pasha Kovalev

Paul Haas

Paul Pflug

Peter Traugott

Rachel Riley

Rafi Marmor

Ram Bergman

Raphael Margulies

Rebecca Angelo

Rebecca Mall

Reinaldo Marcus Green

Rich Statter

Richard Kind

Rick Hoffman

Rick Rosen

Robert Newman

Rob Rinder

Roger Birnbaum

Roger Green

Rosie O'Donnell

Ryan Feldman

Sam Trammell

Sarah Baker

Sarah Bremner

Sarah Treem

Scott Tenley

Seth Oster

Scott Braun

Scott Neustadter

Shannon Watts

Shari Redstone

Sharon Jackson

Shauna Perlman

Shawn Levy

Sheila Nevins

Simon Sebag Montefiore

Simon Tikhman

Skylar Astin

Stacey Snider

Stephen Fry

Steve Agee

Steve Rifkind

Susanna Felleman

Susie Arons

Todd Lieberman

Todd Moscowitz

Todd Waldman

Tom Freston

Tom Werner

Tomer Capone

Tracy Ann Oberman

Trudie Styler

Tyler James Williams

Vanessa Bayer

Veronica Grazer

Veronica Smiley

Whitney Wolfe Herd

Will Graham

Yamanieka Saunders

Yariv Milchan

Ynon Kreiz

[muddypolitics]

(via Trumpers Know 3rd Party Spoilers Are Trump’s Only Shot - TPM – Talking Points Memo)

I’ve been writing recently about the corrupt monstrosity that is the “No Labels” third party effort and the way the insider sheets in DC persist in labeling this an action on behalf of centrists. It is in fact a lifestyle front group run by the husband and wife team of Mark Penn and Nancy Jacobson, some of the most retrograde players from the dark side of American politics. The effort is funded by a who’s who of right-wing Republicans. But I want to step back from this story to note a feature of the 2024 presidential election that is already coming into view.

The 2016 and 2020 presidential elections were both quite close. Numerous factors distinguish one from the other and set the stage for the very different results. But one of the biggest factors was the role of third party candidates which made it possible for Trump to slip in by pulling both major party candidates down below 50%.

[darkmaga-returns]

“We can just rig our own poll to make it look as shit as possible…”

“Block signature-gathering…”

“Make [them] seem like they might be totally crazy/right-wing wackos to mid-low-info voters…”

“Hijacking their ballot line and pushing extremist candidates to muddy [their] brand…”

The above quotes are just a few excerpts from incredible documents made public after a long court fight. Details of a plan to “shun,” “stigmatize,” and “destroy” the third party No Labels suggest a Rosetta Stone of corruption, showing groups aligned with the Democratic Party using dirty tricks and elaborate fakery to attack anyone in their electoral path, all while presenting themselves as “pro-democracy” forces.

When filed a year ago on December 4, 2023, No Labels vs. No Labels seemed a picayune trademark dispute. It concerned No Labels, a political alternative founded in 2010 by longtime Democratic fundraiser Nancy Jacobson and backed by since-passed former Senator Joe Lieberman. Armed with $70 million and plans for “nationwide” ballot access, No Labels was whispered about early in the cycle as a potentially serious threat to the Democrats’ election chances, especially in a race with widespread diffidence regarding the two likely nominees, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal article about them from July 2023 was headlined, “A Mysteriously Financed Group That Could Upend a Biden-Trump Rematch.”

The newly released court docs bear out the fact that there was deep concern within the blue activist world about the third-party run. A memo sent from political strategist Lucy Caldwell to Dmitri Mehlhorn, aide to billionaire donor and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, described No Labels as a “looming forest fire” that would be a “nuclear grade threat” if it nominated a candidate and reached a “live campaign environment.”

To prevent that, Caldwell proposed a protracted campaign of “brand destruction,” using “controlled burns” to put the fire out long before the election. As Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson put it less subtly in a tweeted video last April, No Labels needed to be “burned to the fucking ground politically.”

[ulkaralakbarova]

When a rich man’s son is kidnapped, he cooperates with the police at first but then tries a unique tactic against the criminals. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Tom Mullen: Mel Gibson Katherine Mullen: Rene Russo Det. Jimmy Shaker: Gary Sinise Agent Lonnie Hawkins: Delroy Lindo Maris: Lili Taylor Sean Mullen: Brawley Nolte Clark Barnes: Liev Schreiber Cubby Barnes: Donnie Wahlberg Miles Roberts: Evan Handler Agent Kimba Welch: Nancy Ticotin Agent Jack Sickler: Michael Gaston Agent Paul Rhodes: Kevin Neil McCready David Torres: José Zúñiga Jackie Brown: Dan Hedaya Bob Stone: Allen Bernstein Wallace: Paul Guilfoyle Fatima: Iraida Polanco Roberto: John Ortiz Reporter Guest: A.J. Benza Nelson: Peter Anthony Tambakis Agent Sam: Daniel May Wong News Reporter: Donna Hanover FBI Agent: Anton Evangelista Cop #1: Joe Bacino Cop #2: Carl S. Redding Cop #3: James Georgiades Cop #4: Christian Maelen Cop #5: David Vadim Bank Manager: Michael Countryman Science Fair Coordinator: Cheryl Howard Science Fair Judge: James Ritz Radioman: Craig ‘Radioman’ Castaldo Liquor Store Cop: Joseph Badalucco Jr. Liquor Store Perp: Dell Maara Man at Party: Mike Hodge FBI SWAT Team #1: Mick O’Rourke FBI SWAT Team #2: Henry Kingi Jr. FBI SWAT Team #3: Roy Farfel FBI SWAT Sniper: Lex D. Geddings Don Campbell: Todd Hallowell Film Crew: Director: Ron Howard Screenplay: Richard Price Screenplay: Alexander Ignon Producer: Scott Rudin Original Music Composer: James Horner Director of Photography: Piotr Sobociński Editor: Mike Hill Editor: Daniel P. Hanley Casting: Janet Hirshenson Casting: Jane Jenkins Production Design: Michael Corenblith Art Direction: John Kasarda Costume Design: Rita Ryack Set Decoration: Susan Bode Tyson Second Unit Director: Todd Hallowell Producer: Brian Grazer Stunt Coordinator: Jeff Ward Stunts: Mic Rodgers Stunts: Peter Epstein Stunts: Paul Bucossi Stunts: Gregg Smrz Stunts: Andy Duppin Stunts: Steve Mack Stunts: Don Picard Stunts: Manny Siverio Stunts: Keith Leon Williams Stunts: Elliot Santiago Stunts: Norman Douglass Stunts: Cheryl Wheeler Duncan Stunts: Jophery C. Brown Stunts: Bill Anagnos Stunts: Tim Gallin Stunts: Jim Lovelett Stunts: Janet Paparazzo Stunts: Scott Wilder Stunts: David S. Lomax Pilot: Robert ‘Bobby Z’ Zajonc Pilot: Alan D. Purwin Pilot: Al Cerullo Pilot: Joseph R. Brigham Unit Production Manager: Carl Clifford First Assistant Director: Aldric La’Auli Porter Second Assistant Director: William M. Connor Production Supervisor: Michelle Morrissey Camera Operator: Bruce MacCallum First Assistant Camera: Jay Levy Second Assistant Camera: Christopher Norr Steadicam Operator: Larry McConkey Camera Trainee: Jennifer Stuart Still Photographer: Lorey Sebastian Video Assist Operator: Peter A. Mian Sound Mixer: Danny Michael Boom Operator: Andrew Schmetterling Cableman: Anthony Starbuck Assistant Editor: Guy Barresi Assistant Editor: Richard Friedlander Assistant Editor: Glenn Allen Assistant Editor: Joe Binford Jr. Location Manager: Jan Foster Second Second Assistant Director: Jeffrey T. Bernstein Script Supervisor: Eva Z. Cabrera Production Coordinator: Liz Newman Assistant Production Coordinator: Miriam Schapiro Assistant Production Coordinator: Eric Jacobson Unit Publicist: Julie Kuehndorf Production Accountant: Michael McCormick First Assistant Accountant: Louise DeCordoba Payroll Accountant: Kathy Welch Post Production Accountant: Liz Dykhouse Chief Lighting Technician: Russ Engels Best Boy Electric: Michael F. Burke Electrician: James C. Walsh Electrician: John Smith Electrician: Walter Fricke Jr. Electrician: Robert Connors Electrician: Doug Dalisera Rigging Gaffer: Ken Connors Key Grip: Dennis Gamiello Best Boy Grip: Brian Fitzsimons Dolly Grip: Edward W. Lowry Grip: Michael Finnerty Grip: Martin Lowry Grip: Richard C. Montgomery Jr. Grip: Gerry Lowry Grip: John Ford Rigging Grip: John Lowry Property Master: Tommy Allen Assistant Property Master: Diana Burton Supervising Sound Editor: Anthony J. Ciccolini III Dialogue Editor: Louis Cerborino Dialogue Editor: Bitty O’Sullivan-Smith Dialog...

[arpov-blog-blog]

..."The avowedly moderate advocacy group No Labels has long been a pain in the neck for the Democratic Party’s left wing, and even sometimes for its mainstream leaders. In 2021, for instance, it directed public support and behind-the-scenes fundraising assistance to the members of the House and Senate, most prominently New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who were working gleefully and successfully to kill large parts of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better proposal.

Now, though, the group has become a major irritant to the Beltway’s other professional centrists, too. It’s feuding with several Democratic members of the House’s bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, to the point that it paid to send attack texts out to voters in one member’s district. The business-friendly Third Way think tank recently hosted a meeting with White House officials and “Never Trump” Republicans whose subject was, in essence, how to manage their shared No Labels problem.

The cause of all this tension? No Labels plans to run its own presidential candidate in 2024 if it decides the major parties’ nominees are, quote, “unacceptable”—a determination that it says could apply to a rematch between Biden and Donald Trump. In this scenario, polling suggests that a third-party candidate running as a self-declared moderate would draw more votes from Biden than from his opponent. An organization which claims to promote civility in politics would have, in effect, engineered the reinstallation of the least civil president in American history. (A No Labels staffer told Politico that the organization will not run a third-party candidate if Ron DeSantis is the Republican nominee.)

Figuring out why this is happening requires going back to No Labels’ origins. The group is the brainchild of longtime Democratic fundraiser Nancy Jacobson, who got her start in politics organizing for presidential candidate Gary Hart on the Syracuse University campus in 1984; she’d go on to raise money for Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign and serve as the finance chair of the Democratic National Committee. Both Hart and Clinton were “New Democrats” associated with the Democratic Leadership Council, which prided itself on having outside-the-box ideas that existed in a space both between and beyond conservatism and liberalism. It was thus not surprising that when Jacobson launched No Labels in 2010, the group’s stated purpose was to create “a new kind of politics” on the “common ground” between the major parties.

No Labels answered “no” to a question about whether it has “local chapters, branches, or affiliates” on its 2021 tax return, the most recent one that’s publicly available. (The Facebook page for No Labels at the University of Michigan, my top Google result for “No Labels chapter college campus,” has zero followers and last posted in 2015.) The “No Labels In the News” page on the organization’s website documents national TV appearances and op-eds published in major newspapers by No Labels leaders and the various prominent politicians, like former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, with whom the group is affiliated. In reality, it’s a small organization—the 2021 tax return claims 54 employees—practicing a decidedly top-down form of politics."

[gotoblogs-blog]

Tisha Campbell & Tichina Arnold On How Their Friendship Flourished After...

In 1986, Arnold appeared as Crystal, one of the three chorus girls who perform R&B numbers in Frank Oz's film musical Little Shop of Horrors (1986) along with future Martin co-star Tisha Campbell.[9] Arnold was only sixteen at the time of filming, and her career continued steadily after that, with a role or two almost every year, including the films How I Got into College and the Paul Mazursky/Woody Allen collaboration Scenes from a Mall (1991). In February 1987 Arnold scored her first big break on television, with a permanent role on the soap opera Ryan's Hope. Her critically lauded role, as young heroine Zena Brown, landed her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 1988. She continued in the role until the series ended in January 1989. Later that year, Arnold was cast as Sharla Valentine, a high-school friend of Emily Ann Sago (played by Liz Vassey) on the ABC-TV daytime drama All My Children. She continued in the role until 1991. Arnold's best-known television role was Pamela James on Martin Lawrence's sitcom Martin (1992–1997). She also played the recurring role of Nicole Barnes on the sitcom One on One. In 2000, she was reunited with Martin Lawrence in Big Momma's House. In 2007, she again reunited with Lawrence (this time as his character's wife) in the big screen road comedy/buddy film Wild Hogs. In 2003, she appeared in Civil Brand.[10] Arnold played the role of the matriarch, Rochelle, on the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris[11] which premiered in September 2005 and ended in May 2009. In a departure from her known comedic roles, she played the title role in The Lena Baker Story (2008), which was about the first and only woman to be executed by the electric chair in Georgia.[8] Arnold also played the voice of the friend in The Boondocks episode "Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch", which aired in 2007. In 2009, Arnold appeared onstage in The Wiz revival at the New York City Center in the part of Evillene, The Wicked Witch of the West.[12] In 2010 she guest starred in the one-hour episode premiere of the Disney XD Original Series Pair of Kings as Aunt Nancy, and also reprise her role for one more episode. Arnold played the best friend of Fran Drescher in the TV Land sitcom Happily Divorced, which is based on Fran Drescher's real-life marriage and divorce to series co-creator Peter Marc Jacobson.[

[msclaritea]

Some Democratic groups, lawmakers frustrated with No Labels' third-party push

July 28, 2023, 6:52 PM EDT

By Vaughn Hillyard and Rebecca Kaplan

"No Labels, the group laying the groundwork for a potential bipartisan, third-party presidential ticket in 2024 is facing increasing scrutiny among Democrats on Capitol Hill who are concerned about the potential ticket siphoning votes from President Biden’s re-election campaign and helping lift former President Trump back into the White House. 

Thursday on Capitol Hill, Matt Bennett, ​​the executive vice president of public affairs at the centrist Democratic group Third Way, and Rahna Epting, the executive director of the progressive group MoveOn, spoke to “several dozen” House and Senate chiefs of staff in two briefings the groups organized to lay out the potential implications of No Labels’ possible��third-party presidential effort, according to Bennett. 

“What we told them is what we’re telling you and everyone: This is a dangerous and bad idea, and Democratic officials should be on the record saying it’s a bad and dangerous idea,” Bennet said.

Between the two briefings, No Labels’ national director, former Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham, sent an email to some of the chiefs of staff in attendance. In it, he said that No Labels is simply providing "another path forward" in case Americans believe another presidential ticket is best to solve the nation's divisions, but also criticized those attempting to stop them.

“Efforts that attempt to slow-walk or block our access from the ballot must be seen for what they are: undemocratic attacks on voting rights and our Constitution,” Cunningham wrote in part in his email, which was obtained by NBC News.

One of the House members most vocal in his rising opposition to the group’s efforts is Illinois Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider. He’s a member of the House Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan coalition of approximately 60 Democrat and Republican House members.

No Labels’ founder and CEO Nancy Jacobson often heralds the Problem Solvers Caucus, which she helped create in 2017. Jacobson specifically highlighted that work during a July interview with NBC News when she was asked why the public should trust the group’s motives. 

The caucus initially worked with No Labels, with members regularly joining with the group to tout a bipartisan message. And No Labels recently highlighted the Problem Solvers’ legislative accomplishments in a fundraising email this month.

But Schneider said that since Jacobson began pressing the effort to create a presidential ticket that would rival the Democratic Party, fellow Democratic members of the Problem Solvers Caucus have expressed growing frustrations with the group and, specifically, Jacobson’s frequent references to her past work with them.

Schneider told NBC News that the Problem Solvers Caucus is “an independent entity. No Labels neither speaks for us, nor guides us.”

“There are a lot of frustrations in how No Labels is trying to gain credibility on the backs of Problem Solvers [Caucus],” Schneider said.

“I think the challenge for No Labels is that their credibility is — if not absolutely — very much so dependent on the riding the backs of the Problem Solvers. Problem Solvers doesn’t need No Labels. Our credibility is based on, first, the fact we exist, that we’re working together with Republicans and Democrats sitting in the same room, working on ideas, hearing ideas from the outside world and and trying to develop solutions that address the challenges we face.”

MEET THE PRESS BLOGSome Democratic groups, lawmakers frustrated with No Labels' third-party push

He continued: “It’s clear that Nancy wants to stand on that record, too, with No Labels, but the fact of the matter is [that] they are separate from us and it is a misrepresentation of the reality.”

Another Democratic lawmaker, New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster, pushed back against No Labels’ efforts after the briefing as well. Kuster joined the “No Labels Problem Solvers Group,” a precursor to the caucus, in 2013, but is not a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus.

“They are preaching unity, when in fact their agenda is very divisive. And it is going to result in one outcome and that’s the re-election of Donald Trump,” said Kuster. “And you can tell that that’s the intention if you look at their donors and who their donors are and what the goals of their donors are.”

When asked through No Labels to comment about the meetings and the criticism, Cunningham praised the caucus but argued the two are “separate.”

“The Problem Solvers Caucus has done amazing bipartisan work and we applaud it. But No Labels and the Problem Solvers have always been separate entities and we never expected members to support our ballot access efforts,” he said.

“No Labels is listening to the clear demand the American public has for better choices in 2024, and we think members will hear the exact same thing when they go back to their districts in August.”

CORRECTION (July 29, 2023, 1:25 p.m.): A previous version of this article identified New Hampshire Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster as a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus. While she joined a precursor to the caucus in 2013, she is not a member of the caucus now."

One of the founding members of No Labels is Susan Collins. That's all you need to know about how sleazy the organization is.

[neyatimes]

No Labels CEO defends 2024 ticket against spoiler charges

WASHINGTON — No Labels is facing increasing scrutiny over the possibility it could play a spoiler role in the 2024 presidential election, and its founder and CEO said in an exclusive interview that she vows to end the group’s third-party 2024 effort if it risks putting Donald Trump back in the White House. But Nancy Jacobson repeatedly declined to offer any metric on how the group would determine…

[arthropooda]

[hummingzone]

GM ups spending on EVs and autonomous vehicles by 30% to $35 billion by 2025 on higher profits

GM ups spending on EVs and autonomous vehicles by 30% to $35 billion by 2025 on higher profits

GM CEO and chairman Mary Barra speaks during an “EV Day” on March 4, 2020 at the company’s tech and design campus in Warren, Mich., a suburb of Detroit GM DETROIT – General Motors said on Wednesday it will increase spending on electric and autonomous vehicles to $35 billion through 2025, a 30% increase from plans announced late last year. It also said it is raising its earnings guidance for the…