No Labels, a group trying to promote bipartisanship in Washington, typically criticizes Democrats or Republicans. But they recently targeted the Tea Party for fanning the flames and poisoning the political atmosphere.
No Labels called on Mark Meckler, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, to listen to the majority of Americans who reject hyper-partisanship and put an end to his threats against House Republican members for supporting the bipartisan deal on the 2011 spending bill.
Last week, Meckler told The Hill newspaper that he is encouraging 2012 primary challenges against Republican members who demonstrated a willingness to work across the aisle to avert a government shutdown.
“When the majority of Americans are crying out for adult leadership in Washington, Mr. Meckler is throwing the political equivalent of a temper-tantrum. We came just hours away from a shutdown of the federal government, but thankfully, Republicans and Democrats were (able to) come together in a bipartisan manner. Now Mr. Meckler and the Tea Party want to thwart this progress,” said Mark McKinnon, a co-founder of No Labels,which has morethan 80,000 members nationwide.
“If the Tea Party really wants to show it can be a powerful force in American politics, it needs to bring ideas to the table, not threats.”
According to a USA Today/Gallup poll, Americans support the bipartisan budget deal reached earlier this month by a margin of 2-1. Meanwhile, public opinion of the Tea Party has soured. Nearly half of all Americans have an unfavorable view of the group, according to a Reuters report.
“The 2010 elections weren’t a mandate for the Tea Party. They were a referendum on the dysfunctional and destructive behavior in Washington. We need our leaders to work across the aisle to identify and implement pragmatic and sustainable solutions,” said another No Labels founder, Lisa Borders. “We call on Mr. Meckler to listen to the American people and quit his obstructionist tactics — for the good of the country.”
