Dear MoveOn member,
Do you remember when Al Gore lost Florida—and the presidency—to George W. Bush by 547 votes after 97,000 Floridians voted for Ralph Nader?1
Of course you do. We all do. We remember the consequences, too. The Iraq War. Unregulated banks. Torture at Abu Ghraib. A despicable response to Hurricane Katrina. The list goes on.2
Losing Florida to a third-party campaign in 2000 meant one of the worst presidencies in American history.3 But now we are on a path to repeating history in 2024, with potentially an even worse outcome–installing authoritarianism in the White House.
We have recently learned that a corporate group called "No Labels," is trying to recruit a corporate Democrat to run on a third-party ticket. They are raising $70 million and are targeting critical swing states that Donald Trump lost in 2020.4 They are on the ballot in four states, including the battleground state of Arizona, and they have hundreds of paid operatives across the country working to qualify them in 12 more.5
To be blunt, we cannot let this happen. That is why MoveOn is taking on No Labels as part of our overall election strategy.
Pressuring elected Democrats to stay away from joining the "No Labels" ticket through petitions, phone calls, billboards, and letter writing is vital. But educating voters to understand the true intent of No Labels and the authoritarian regime they may put in the White House if they succeed is essential.
Will you start a monthly $5 gift today to help us stop No Labels from helping Donald Trump retake the White House? 2024 is about authoritarianism vs. democracy, and No Labels is about to help authoritarianism win.
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Stopping No Labels is so serious that we are banding together with unlikely bedfellows across the political spectrum to call on No Labels to stand down. In a recent op-ed published in The Washington Post, MoveOn, Center for American Progress Action Fund, and Third Way came together to say,
"At a time when our nation is being tested, [No Labels] could help defeat a mainstream president and elect or reelect a radical and vindictive MAGA Republican. For the sake of our country, leaders across the political spectrum should call on No Labels to stand down."6
This is serious.
Who is "No Labels"? They are funded by executives of some of the largest corporations in America including Facebook, Loews, and Panera Bread.7 Michael Bloomberg was an early supporter and still is.8 They even received six figures from Harlan Crow, the right-wing donor who has been lavishing Clarence Thomas with gifts for years.
Whether these guys are funding this campaign because they want more corporate power in America or lower taxes (both?), the truth is that their actions will spoil the presidential race and ensure a Trump or GOP win–at a time when democracy is on the line and the GOP has embraced authoritarian ideology and empowered the most extremist wing of their party.
That is why we need you to start a monthly $5 donation today. The threat of this third-party bid is existential. If they get on the ballot, they will almost certainly put Donald Trump back in the White House. Are you in?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Look, No Labels knows that no third-party campaign has ever come close to winning the presidency. We know what is really going on. They are trying to help Trump, or some other MAGA Republican, win the presidency.
And that's why we plan to stop them in their tracks. Because Trump back in the White House puts all of America at risk, especially the Black and brown, LGBTQ+, and poor and working-class communities who are already under daily assault.
If you agree that No Labels must be stopped—that a third party campaign will put Trump back in the White House—will you start a monthly $5 gift right now? If they raise the money, get on the ballot, and recruit their candidates, it will be too late.
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Rahna, Jensine, Allison, Mona, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Ralph Nader Still Refuses to Admit He Elected Bush," New York Magazine, June 20, 2016
https://act.moveon.org/go/172058?t=8&akid=350423%2E40999114%2EUA4w7o
2. "George W. Bush: The Worst President in History?" Rolling Stone, May 4, 2006
https://act.moveon.org/go/172059?t=10&akid=350423%2E40999114%2EUA4w7o
3. Ibid.
4. "No Labels' Real Label: Vanity Candidates 'R' Us," The American Prospect, April 12, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/172063?t=12&akid=350423%2E40999114%2EUA4w7o
5. Ibid.
6. "This plan for a third-party presidential bid in 2024 is dangerous," The Washington Post, April 16, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/172060?t=14&akid=350423%2E40999114%2EUA4w7o
7. "Aiming for the Political Middle," The Wall Street Journal, November 24, 2010
https://act.moveon.org/go/172061?t=16&akid=350423%2E40999114%2EUA4w7o
8. Ibid.
Want to support MoveOn's work? We know how to end the epidemic of gun violence in America, but the NRA and gun manufacturers use their control over the GOP to stop every effort to ban assault weapons and pass other commonsense gun control laws. We’re organizing to end the gun industry's stranglehold on policymakers.
Will you join us in the fight to protect our loved ones from gun violence by making a monthly gift?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
PAID FOR BY MOVEON POLITICAL ACTION, https://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
This email was sent to John xxxxxx on April 23, 2023. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. MoveOn's privacy policy was recently updated. To read our new privacy policy, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.