'No Labels': No Kidding

By Mark J. Fitzgibbons

It was only after reading Joe Scarborough's angry, poison pen attack on Sarah Palin that I learned Morning Joe is part of a new organization for civility in politics called "No Labels."

Its five-year mission: To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before.

No, wait. That's from science fiction. No Labels is a different genre: political fiction.

Its founding leaders and citizen leaders include the very respectable David Walker. The list, however, becomes curiouser and curiouser.

Its founders and leaders include political fundraisers and consultants, David Frum, a Huffington Post blogger (oh, joyful day!), a ‘green' law professor, and the founder of the Progressive Policy Institute, an alternative to, among other things, the "conservative bid to simply dismantle government." I suppose he could start the civility process by no longer equating conservatives to anarchists.

No Labels sounds like a Jaycees for professionals. Its motto is that we don't have to give up our political labels, but merely put them aside to do what's best for America.

I'm not making this up. These are very smart people who think we can solve our problems by being very nice to the people who created the problems.

I suppose I'd be all for that, but the people who caused the problems generally don't seem to respond to passive and nice. Sometimes they need to hear an angrier tone. Just read Joe Scarborough's rant against Sarah Palin.

Wait. Scarborough is on the side of civility. I'm all confused.

On December 13 No Labels will hold a nationwide meet-up. I'm busy that day, but I wish them well.