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No Labels: A Shared Vision for a Stronger America
From America’s most prominent political leaders and thinkers, a pathway to cut through the gridlock and make our government work.
"President Clinton and I disagreed on many things, but we did agree on two very large goals - balanced budgets and welfare reform. These shared goals allowed us focus energy on bridging the gap between the parties on how to achieve these goals instead of just short term partisan fights. The result was four straight balanced budgets, paying off over $450 billion in federal debt, and bipartisan welfare reform which lifted millions out of poverty.
By proposing four large goals around which to rally the country, NO LABELS: A SHARED VISION FOR A STRONGER AMERICA lays the groundwork for a return to meaningful bipartisan accomplishment in Washington once again."
-Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and New York Times bestselling author
Every year the President of the United States stands before Congress and the American people to deliver a State of the Union Address. What was once an opportunity for honest reflection on accomplishments and goals has become more of a laundry list than a speech – a grab bag of policy ideas, partisan rhetoric, and healthy dose of wishful thinking. Meanwhile, the gridlock in Washington means that virtually nothing in that speech will amount to anything but talk.
Governor Jon Huntsman and Senator Joe Manchin, two of the most respected and straightforward political leaders in America, have a simple solution for Washington's gridlock. It begins with getting our leaders together at the table to agree to goals not just for their party but for the whole country. Stop having one party led by the president paint a single vision. Instead, create a shared vision for our country to aspire to – and then find a way to achieve it together.
In NO LABELS: A SHARED VISION FOR A STRONGER AMERICA, Huntsman and Manchin are joined by experts and politicians from both sides of the aisle, including well-known thought leaders from business, economics, and academia. Contributors include two former White House Chiefs of Staff; former OMB Director Alice Rivlin; Glenn Hubbard, Dean of Columbia Business School; nine members of Congress committed to solving Washington's endemic problems, and many more contributors from every walk of life.
These contributors are all making a loud and strong call for a new process of running the United States of America. They believe in the cause of NO LABELS, and we believe you will, too.
"President Clinton and I disagreed on many things, but we did agree on two very large goals - balanced budgets and welfare reform. These shared goals allowed us focus energy on bridging the gap between the parties on how to achieve these goals instead of just short term partisan fights. The result was four straight balanced budgets, paying off over $450 billion in federal debt, and bipartisan welfare reform which lifted millions out of poverty.
By proposing four large goals around which to rally the country, NO LABELS: A SHARED VISION FOR A STRONGER AMERICA lays the groundwork for a return to meaningful bipartisan accomplishment in Washington once again."
-Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and New York Times bestselling author
Every year the President of the United States stands before Congress and the American people to deliver a State of the Union Address. What was once an opportunity for honest reflection on accomplishments and goals has become more of a laundry list than a speech – a grab bag of policy ideas, partisan rhetoric, and healthy dose of wishful thinking. Meanwhile, the gridlock in Washington means that virtually nothing in that speech will amount to anything but talk.
Governor Jon Huntsman and Senator Joe Manchin, two of the most respected and straightforward political leaders in America, have a simple solution for Washington's gridlock. It begins with getting our leaders together at the table to agree to goals not just for their party but for the whole country. Stop having one party led by the president paint a single vision. Instead, create a shared vision for our country to aspire to – and then find a way to achieve it together.
In NO LABELS: A SHARED VISION FOR A STRONGER AMERICA, Huntsman and Manchin are joined by experts and politicians from both sides of the aisle, including well-known thought leaders from business, economics, and academia. Contributors include two former White House Chiefs of Staff; former OMB Director Alice Rivlin; Glenn Hubbard, Dean of Columbia Business School; nine members of Congress committed to solving Washington's endemic problems, and many more contributors from every walk of life.
These contributors are all making a loud and strong call for a new process of running the United States of America. They believe in the cause of NO LABELS, and we believe you will, too.
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
102 pages, ebook
First published January 12, 2014
5 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Jon Huntsman
7 books1 followerJon Huntsman, Jr, is a former United States Ambassador to Singapore, China, and (as of 2017) Russia and a former Governor of Utah. He was also a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. His father is businessman Jon M. Huntsman Sr..
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 25, 2014
No Labels proposes a vision for the United States where lawmakers actually work together and seek bipartisan consensus regarding our nation's biggest problem. The book offers nice words, but they come off more like the broken promises of hope and change that hypnotized voters in 2008. It is a nice vision of America that we have lawmakers reach across the political aisle to do what is best for America, but No Labels offers no strategy for making this happen -- only saying that lawmakers need to hold hands.
The organization calls the book the first step toward a better America, but doesn't lay out the path. The book explains that while reform efforts to improve elections in the US are noble, they are not immediate solutions and the No Labels vision is an immediate solution to hyper-partisan gridlock.
How do you get a lawmaker more concerned about re-election to shift his or her priorities? How can one expect a politician who only represents less than 5 percent of his or her constituency to work across the political aisle? How can lawmakers join together to discuss the real needs of the American people when Congress lacks adequate representation?
To these questions, No Labels offers no answers. The book offers nice words and good one-liners, but they are things that Americans have heard time and time again on the campaign trail. They are empty words from “Problem Solvers” who are incapable or unwilling to come out with real, strategic plans to solve the nation’s biggest problems.
Bipartisan solutions, like what No Labels says we should strive for, sounds good on paper, but often times does not result in real solutions. Most instances of bipartisan compromise have resulted in nothing changing at worst and a temporary remedy that just pushes the problem back for future generations at best.
"Today in Washington, DC most people think of the words “bipartisan solution” the way they think of the tooth fairy. It’s a nice idea— until you grow up and realize it’s a fantasy," said Dr. Alice Rivlin. "But I’ve seen that fantasy become a reality many times, including twice in the last few years."
No, most people know that bipartisan solutions are possible as they have seen what bipartisanship in Washington means. What people think is a fantasy is that lawmakers could actually work toward real solutions that just don't combine partisan solutions, but are nonpartisan solutions. No Labels is still confined within the two-party system and believes that between Republicans and Democrats, the answer must be there. What if Republicans AND Democrats have it wrong on an issue and are completely missing the real problem?
No labels touts its No Budget, No Pay initiative in the book and when a person hears the title of it, the first thought must be, "That is such a great idea. Why didn't we have something like this in place before the government shutdown." We did. A No Budget, No Pay law was signed by President Obama in February 2013. It didn't assure a budget would be passed by the end of the fiscal year because lawmakers didn't have anything to worry about. First, lawmakers would still be paid, it would just be put into an escrow account. Second, Congress has essentially become a millionaires club.
Again, at face value, the initiative sounds great, but it doesn't solve any problems. Even if it spurred lawmakers to act, it wouldn't mean Congress would past the best budget proposals. In fact, it would likely have an adverse effect where lawmakers just scramble to put something together, but obviously the initiative didn't do anything to prevent a government shutdown that cost as much 120,000 jobs and billions of dollars.
Americans want our lawmakers to work together, but they want them to seek out real solutions that go beyond the strictures of partisan ideas. That is why a growing number of people are rejecting party labels and why party registration is at an all-time low. Real change, like what No Labels says they are working for, won't happen if the current electoral system prevents adequate representation. If organization leaders cannot answer the questions posed above, their "solution" is not as immediate as they would convince people.
The organization calls the book the first step toward a better America, but doesn't lay out the path. The book explains that while reform efforts to improve elections in the US are noble, they are not immediate solutions and the No Labels vision is an immediate solution to hyper-partisan gridlock.
How do you get a lawmaker more concerned about re-election to shift his or her priorities? How can one expect a politician who only represents less than 5 percent of his or her constituency to work across the political aisle? How can lawmakers join together to discuss the real needs of the American people when Congress lacks adequate representation?
To these questions, No Labels offers no answers. The book offers nice words and good one-liners, but they are things that Americans have heard time and time again on the campaign trail. They are empty words from “Problem Solvers” who are incapable or unwilling to come out with real, strategic plans to solve the nation’s biggest problems.
Bipartisan solutions, like what No Labels says we should strive for, sounds good on paper, but often times does not result in real solutions. Most instances of bipartisan compromise have resulted in nothing changing at worst and a temporary remedy that just pushes the problem back for future generations at best.
"Today in Washington, DC most people think of the words “bipartisan solution” the way they think of the tooth fairy. It’s a nice idea— until you grow up and realize it’s a fantasy," said Dr. Alice Rivlin. "But I’ve seen that fantasy become a reality many times, including twice in the last few years."
No, most people know that bipartisan solutions are possible as they have seen what bipartisanship in Washington means. What people think is a fantasy is that lawmakers could actually work toward real solutions that just don't combine partisan solutions, but are nonpartisan solutions. No Labels is still confined within the two-party system and believes that between Republicans and Democrats, the answer must be there. What if Republicans AND Democrats have it wrong on an issue and are completely missing the real problem?
No labels touts its No Budget, No Pay initiative in the book and when a person hears the title of it, the first thought must be, "That is such a great idea. Why didn't we have something like this in place before the government shutdown." We did. A No Budget, No Pay law was signed by President Obama in February 2013. It didn't assure a budget would be passed by the end of the fiscal year because lawmakers didn't have anything to worry about. First, lawmakers would still be paid, it would just be put into an escrow account. Second, Congress has essentially become a millionaires club.
Again, at face value, the initiative sounds great, but it doesn't solve any problems. Even if it spurred lawmakers to act, it wouldn't mean Congress would past the best budget proposals. In fact, it would likely have an adverse effect where lawmakers just scramble to put something together, but obviously the initiative didn't do anything to prevent a government shutdown that cost as much 120,000 jobs and billions of dollars.
Americans want our lawmakers to work together, but they want them to seek out real solutions that go beyond the strictures of partisan ideas. That is why a growing number of people are rejecting party labels and why party registration is at an all-time low. Real change, like what No Labels says they are working for, won't happen if the current electoral system prevents adequate representation. If organization leaders cannot answer the questions posed above, their "solution" is not as immediate as they would convince people.
January 16, 2014
Anyone who looks at the state of the US government today has to agree that there are some serious problems. The left thinks that we need more government, the right thinks we need less. Both sides view the issue as a zero sum game and are fighting to win this game. In the meantime the vast majority of Americans want their elected officials to make things work, and make them work well.
The No Labels organization has stepped in to this gap between left and right. Members in the organization come from all sides of the political spectrum. The aim of this organization is to get leaders to sit down, agree on goals, and then work towards those common goals. This is a refreshing change from the rancor that has wracked the political world for over a decade now. The organization was founded by veteran political strategists Mark McKinnon and Nancy Jacobson. At the national level the organization is led by Jon Huntsman and Joe Manchin.
Edited by Jon Huntsman, former Governor of Utah and Ambassador to China, this short book lays out the mission of this organization in several short goals. Each chapter describes a need or goal and then has short statements from members of the organization. Each section is equally weighted between members on the left and right. The mission is quite simple. The nation needs goals. The purpose of this organization is to encourage leaders is to create goals that can be agreed on. The primary goals set out are the kinds of issues that most, if not all, americans can agree on.
Create twenty-five million new jobs over the next ten years
Reform Medicare and Social Security so they are secure another seventy-five years
Balance the federal budget by 2030
Make America energy self-efficient by 2035.
The historical examples they use in the book show us how this worked in the 20th century. Eisenhower had a goal. That goal was a national highway system that would make the nation safer, and help to grow the economy. John F. Kennedy set the goal to place a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill came together to make the tax code simpler. Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich worked together to balance the national budget. In all of these cases the leaders in question, on both sides, had to give something up to accomplish these goals.
Today Americans want leaders who will look past the pettiness of the ideologue. We don’t want more controversy where legislation is dependent on one party dictating to the other. Get this book. Look at these ideas. Then find out more about this organization. I knew nothing about No Labels before I read this book. Now I want to know a lot more.
The No Labels organization has stepped in to this gap between left and right. Members in the organization come from all sides of the political spectrum. The aim of this organization is to get leaders to sit down, agree on goals, and then work towards those common goals. This is a refreshing change from the rancor that has wracked the political world for over a decade now. The organization was founded by veteran political strategists Mark McKinnon and Nancy Jacobson. At the national level the organization is led by Jon Huntsman and Joe Manchin.
Edited by Jon Huntsman, former Governor of Utah and Ambassador to China, this short book lays out the mission of this organization in several short goals. Each chapter describes a need or goal and then has short statements from members of the organization. Each section is equally weighted between members on the left and right. The mission is quite simple. The nation needs goals. The purpose of this organization is to encourage leaders is to create goals that can be agreed on. The primary goals set out are the kinds of issues that most, if not all, americans can agree on.
Create twenty-five million new jobs over the next ten years
Reform Medicare and Social Security so they are secure another seventy-five years
Balance the federal budget by 2030
Make America energy self-efficient by 2035.
The historical examples they use in the book show us how this worked in the 20th century. Eisenhower had a goal. That goal was a national highway system that would make the nation safer, and help to grow the economy. John F. Kennedy set the goal to place a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill came together to make the tax code simpler. Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich worked together to balance the national budget. In all of these cases the leaders in question, on both sides, had to give something up to accomplish these goals.
Today Americans want leaders who will look past the pettiness of the ideologue. We don’t want more controversy where legislation is dependent on one party dictating to the other. Get this book. Look at these ideas. Then find out more about this organization. I knew nothing about No Labels before I read this book. Now I want to know a lot more.
November 29, 2019
Timely read , points out how partisan the government is and has been . A bit dated but a good and valuable read.
January 3, 2018
It's good to have an opinion and a civil discussion. No Labels aims to go there, and I'm going with them. This small book explains how the movement/party-not party got started, and lays out concrete thought on many core issues that deserve respectful consideration.
September 29, 2022
Massacres. Rapes. Dictators that make people disappear. An army that has bases in so many countries, the editors of this brochure can't count. Maybe, just maybe, a Stronger America is not what is missing from the landscape.
January 26, 2014
Disgusted with the US Congress? Frustrated by politicians that are more interested in getting re-elected than they are in governing? So are most Americans. A recent poll asked which countries are America’s greatest threats. Numbers 1 and 2 were Iran and China. Number 3 was America itself. America faces huge challenges in the economy, the deficit, entitlements, foreign affairs, health care, infrastructure, and energy. But since our two parties refuse to work together, no progress is being made.
This book by the No Labels movement points a way toward a solution – get Republicans and Democrats to talk to each other and agree on a national strategy and long term goals. Every enterprise – corporation, military division, non-profit – that wants to succeed knows it must plan for the future by adopting strategies and goals. But not the US government. Instead, each party strategizes to defeat the other party, in the full belief that what’s good for their party is good for the country as a whole. This is like a husband declaring that he is always right and if his wife disagrees, she is automatically wrong.
The book is only 100 pages long and is very readable: concise, clear, and well organized. Authored by about 20 current and former politicians, CEOs, and academics, it describes historical precedents to the current gridlock that occurred under the administrations and legislatures of both parties, and how they were solved. No Labels makes the case that if we can agree on strategies and goals (the what), then we can begin to find solutions (the how). It requires being willing to listen to your opponents, find which elements you agree on, and then start tackling those on which you disagree. It requires compromise, which is implicit in a democracy but which has become a dirty word.
No Labels was formed over three years ago and has been joined by over 80 current congressmen and senators who call themselves “Problem Solvers”, because that is what they do. They meet regularly to propose solutions to mundane problems. They have identified three lists of proposals: Making Congress Work, Making the Presidency Work, and Making Congress Work. These lists are available on the No Labels website. Whether you are a liberal, a conservative or a moderate, you will be surprised at how many of them seem like no-brainers.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is concerned with the direction our country is heading, which should be everyone.
This book by the No Labels movement points a way toward a solution – get Republicans and Democrats to talk to each other and agree on a national strategy and long term goals. Every enterprise – corporation, military division, non-profit – that wants to succeed knows it must plan for the future by adopting strategies and goals. But not the US government. Instead, each party strategizes to defeat the other party, in the full belief that what’s good for their party is good for the country as a whole. This is like a husband declaring that he is always right and if his wife disagrees, she is automatically wrong.
The book is only 100 pages long and is very readable: concise, clear, and well organized. Authored by about 20 current and former politicians, CEOs, and academics, it describes historical precedents to the current gridlock that occurred under the administrations and legislatures of both parties, and how they were solved. No Labels makes the case that if we can agree on strategies and goals (the what), then we can begin to find solutions (the how). It requires being willing to listen to your opponents, find which elements you agree on, and then start tackling those on which you disagree. It requires compromise, which is implicit in a democracy but which has become a dirty word.
No Labels was formed over three years ago and has been joined by over 80 current congressmen and senators who call themselves “Problem Solvers”, because that is what they do. They meet regularly to propose solutions to mundane problems. They have identified three lists of proposals: Making Congress Work, Making the Presidency Work, and Making Congress Work. These lists are available on the No Labels website. Whether you are a liberal, a conservative or a moderate, you will be surprised at how many of them seem like no-brainers.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is concerned with the direction our country is heading, which should be everyone.
June 27, 2014
This was the first book I have read using the Kindle. At first, I was pretty slow to change, because I love the smell, feel, and comfort of reading a book - especially an older one. When I decided, after much urging from my wife who loves reading on the Kindle, to read something I thought this little book would be perfect. Not to long, and not to short. I also had a keen interest after learning a little about the No Labels organization, to give the book a shot. I was not disappointed.
In just over a hundred pages this tiny little book has shown how powerful a force that a shared vision can be. Not only does this book lay out a very clear "overarching" vision, it also lays down an acceptable path to clarity and vision setting itself, that can easily be followed to make our nation better. I was particularly fond of the personal stories from many of the top thinkers, business leaders, and political movers, that showed how using the concepts of shared visions had worked for them.
The criticism with this book, and the reason why only 4 stars instead of 5, is based only the fact that the information is not "life changing" right now. It is a blueprint and, most assuredly, a positive step forward, however there is so much more to discuss about shared vision that needs to be understood by everyone involved in a Democracy, and this is but only one small slice of that understanding.
I would indeed recommend this book, and to a point, think it should be a kind of required reading before being allowed to engage in political discourse within a democracy. Of course, that is just rhetoric and not reality, but I think it is time, as the book suggests, that we stop embracing an all or none attitude, and start celebrating the difference between everyone in our great country, and how those differences can come together and... wait for it... "compromise" to bring about positive change, and hope for a strong future for many generations to come.
Thank you to all the members of government that have agreed to use the common sense applicability outlined in the book, and I look forward to seeing the positive changes in the future.
An especially large "shout out" to Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) from my home state who has endorsed this philosophy of putting people before politics. You have my vote ;)
In just over a hundred pages this tiny little book has shown how powerful a force that a shared vision can be. Not only does this book lay out a very clear "overarching" vision, it also lays down an acceptable path to clarity and vision setting itself, that can easily be followed to make our nation better. I was particularly fond of the personal stories from many of the top thinkers, business leaders, and political movers, that showed how using the concepts of shared visions had worked for them.
The criticism with this book, and the reason why only 4 stars instead of 5, is based only the fact that the information is not "life changing" right now. It is a blueprint and, most assuredly, a positive step forward, however there is so much more to discuss about shared vision that needs to be understood by everyone involved in a Democracy, and this is but only one small slice of that understanding.
I would indeed recommend this book, and to a point, think it should be a kind of required reading before being allowed to engage in political discourse within a democracy. Of course, that is just rhetoric and not reality, but I think it is time, as the book suggests, that we stop embracing an all or none attitude, and start celebrating the difference between everyone in our great country, and how those differences can come together and... wait for it... "compromise" to bring about positive change, and hope for a strong future for many generations to come.
Thank you to all the members of government that have agreed to use the common sense applicability outlined in the book, and I look forward to seeing the positive changes in the future.
An especially large "shout out" to Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) from my home state who has endorsed this philosophy of putting people before politics. You have my vote ;)
January 23, 2014
This is a new book that is braking ground for all of us. It is a courageous outline of five problems that should be of major concern to all Americans. Issues that our representatives in Congress could come together on and fight for a real positive change that would change the landscape of politics in our lifetime. The book lays out clear examples on how to work together with real examples of how this process has worked over the last few years.
I encourage all of you to read this book, discuss this book, and share this book with each other and the members of the House and Senate that are your representatives. I applaud No Labels for investing time and energy into identifying problems that can have a dramatic effect on the quality of our lives. Now it is our turn to call for action, it our turn to have our representatives do the hard work of developing a meaningful response to the problems of the day in our collective history.
I encourage all of you to read this book, discuss this book, and share this book with each other and the members of the House and Senate that are your representatives. I applaud No Labels for investing time and energy into identifying problems that can have a dramatic effect on the quality of our lives. Now it is our turn to call for action, it our turn to have our representatives do the hard work of developing a meaningful response to the problems of the day in our collective history.
January 27, 2014
For the kids
it is imperative, if we want to leave our children a country as good as our parents left us, that we elect leaders who are more interested in our nation than t next election. Urge them t be a Problem Solver.
it is imperative, if we want to leave our children a country as good as our parents left us, that we elect leaders who are more interested in our nation than t next election. Urge them t be a Problem Solver.
September 13, 2016
A clear approach for getting beyond the politics in Washington. It advocates setting goals for what we want to achieve as a country. How avant guard.
September 30, 2014
Great examples of how we can work together to find common ground for legislation.
July 14, 2017
Okay. Still have modest hopes for this group. Joe Manchin wrote the Foreward, but has left the group. Joe Lieberman adds nothing.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews