'The unbreakable nine,' a/k/a No Labels, via e-mail:
For a decade, No Labels has been climbing a steep mountain to deliver two-party solutions to America’s toughest problems.
Today, we took our biggest ever step toward reaching the peak.
In recent weeks, the Unbreakable Nine House Democrats took a principled stand for a simple idea:
The House should move immediately to pass the historic infrastructure bill endorsed by President Biden, 69 senators, and three quarters of the American public.
The Unbreakable Nine had the weight of the world on their shoulders as the party’s leadership and base insisted on tying the fate of the two-party infrastructure bill to a completely separate one-party reconciliation bill. These Nine were attacked relentlessly from every quarter but in the end they held strong and Tuesday Speaker Pelosi made a huge concession:
She guaranteed an infrastructure vote no later than September 27, a step that delinks the fate of these two bills. Each will rise and fall on their own merits, which is exactly as it should be.
In fact, the pressure will only increase, which is why No Labels support this Unbreakable Nine and encourages House Republicans to support this historic bipartisan infrastructure bill when it comes up for a vote. Here are just a few reasons why what the Unbreakable Nine did Tuesday is such a big development for our movement:
They weren’t just at the table. They were at the head of the table: Our allies helped broker some notable agreements in the past. But this is now the second time our allies were the pivotal players on the single most important policy facing the country (the Dec. 2020 COVID deal being the first).
They’re advancing a good bill the country desperately needs: For years, Washington has talked about but done little to address America’s failing infrastructure. The Unbreakable Nine group—working with their Senate allies—are finally pushing forward the biggest infrastructure bill in 65 years, which has already passed the Senate with 69 votes, including Bernie Sanders and Mitch McConnell.
They directly challenged, and won major concessions from their party leadership and their base. And they stuck together: Each day for the last few weeks, these Nine were getting it from every angle: calls from the White House and congressional leadership; threats to cut off their campaign funding; protesters picketing their district offices; hit pieces placed against them in the media. But they all stuck together under enormous pressure.
They proved the bipartisan, bicameral model can work: For three years, No Labels has been bringing together House and Senate members, believing this cooperation and mutual respect could lead to a new way to govern across the aisle and across the chambers. This is a sign of an emerging alliance with the willingness and the ability to challenge leadership.
We have a long way to go still, but No Labels House and Senate allies have achieved more in this last month than at any point in our history. >>>
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