New political group offers place for students with 'no labels'

In today’s political climate, it can sometimes seem impossible for the two major parties to come together on any issue. One new Penn political club is hoping to change that.

According to its website, No Labels was founded in 2010 with the aim of “channeling the nation’s frustration with the Beltway’s idea of business as usual into a productive effort to change D.C.’s way of doing things, while offering dozens of constructive solutions to the nation’s problems along the way.”

Now, under the leadership of Wharton sophomore Alec Goldberg, Penn is home to a chapter of No Labels.

“Basically what No Labels’ mission is is to fight partisan politics in D.C., in state elections [and] locally,” he said. “For the past ten years we’ve seen party politics get more and more heated with Democrats and Republicans.”

Goldberg also clarified that No Labels does not condemn the two-party system; rather, it merely aims to bring the two major parties together on certain issues.

“We have two sides that need to work together to solve the many problems that our country has,” he explained. “We are trying to find nonpartisan solutions to these problems that get politicized a lot.”

Goldberg, who considers himself politically independent, started the chapter to help bring more nonpartisan political advocacy to campus.

“I feel like Penn is a very politically polarized campus,” he said. “There was no bipartisan political advocacy group.”

No Labels Executive Vice President Ethan Arbess, a Wharton sophomore, decided he wanted to participate in the organization after Goldberg posted about it in the Class of 2019 Facebook group. He said he had been familiar with No Labels since he was in high school.

“We’re opening up in ... a big season,” he said. “We have an opportunity to have a voice and put bipartisanship out there.”

The chapter’s treasurer Osiris Childs, a College sophomore, also saw Goldberg’s post in the Facebook group. He said that he joined for the opportunity to become part of a political group on campus after becoming more politically involved last semester. He said he was drawn to No Labels because of its bipartisan platform, as he is still learning and deciding where he stands politically.

“Even now, I’m still trying to figure out my political views,” he said.

Childs added that his primary goal for the chapter is to grow its presence on Penn’s campus, because he wants to promote and educate other students about the benefits of bipartisanship.

“No Labels can offer a fresh perspective on the political world,” he said.

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