This is partly a response to congressional inaction: As Congress has become less willing or able to solve big problems, presidents feel compelled to deal with more issues with the stroke of their pen. However, a president’s executive orders may only last as long as they are in office, and are often easily reversed by their successors.
It is a reminder why No Labels’ work supporting courageous Democrats and Republicans in Congress is so important. The most durable changes happen when Congress passes, and a president signs, a bill into law. This is the kind of change most Americans want to see, and it is what our allies in Congress want to deliver. This week, Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi set the tone when he said:
“You've got to resist when it's appropriate … But the people want us to work together to try to solve problems, and we have tried all the stuff of just tearing [Trump] down as much as we can, and it didn't work. He won. Now people want us to work together to address the border, to address cost-of-living and inflation, to address the things that really happen in their lives.”
Maintaining this honorable commitment will not be easy. Once President-elect Trump’s executive orders start flowing and all the outside activist groups in Washington start agitating—and fundraising—for or against them, the pressure on members to unquestionably follow their party will intensify. People will get angry and agitated, and there will be moments when it looks like Democrats and Republicans have no chance of finding common ground in Washington.
But in those moments, we hope the No Labels community – and the leaders we support – will keep in mind a famous quote from the author Rudyard Kipling, who wrote, “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs … yours is the earth and everything in it.”
No Labels is playing a long game—to support and protect congressional leaders who dare to seek common ground and govern with common sense. We are not concerned with getting a few clicks to win the news cycle. We are concerned with empowering our Congress to notch bipartisan wins that can meaningfully and measurably improve Americans’ lives.
In these chaotic days ahead, we will do our best to keep our heads, and we hope our fellow Americans can work to do the same.
Ryan Clancy
No Labels
