Climate Change On “No Labels” Agenda

Dan Esty will bring an environment-saving idea from New Haven to New York Monday for the national launch of a new movement to remove party labels and insert new thinking into our government. Esty’s idea would begin with an extra nickel charge at the gas pump.

Esty, a Yale professor and former federal environmental official, plans to join the inaugural gathering of the “No Labels” organization at Columbia University. He’s one of a group of local people planning to attend, including West Rock Alderman Darnell Goldson and two of the state chapter’s three leaders: East Rock activist Debra Hauser and Brett D. Hellerman, founder and CEO of Church Street-headquartered Wood Creek Capital Management. (Read a previous story hereabout their reasons for signing up.)

“No Labels” promises to bring centrist Democrats, Republicans and independents together to form 50 state chapters and support middle-of-the-road policies and candidates. Much of the initial pundit chatter has focused on whether politicians like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Connecticut U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman—both of whom plan to attend Monday—will seek to use the group as a base for 2012 candidacies (Bloomberg for president, Lieberman for reelection as senator).

A second question about the movement could have more significance for the future of the country: After this diverse group of people gets beyond the bromides about bipartisan breaking of Democratic and Republican orthodoxies, what will their new ideas for government policy look like?

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