We need to send a Thank You to every Senator who voted no on cloture.

[drm604]

Okay everybody. Get your phones and your fax machines humming again. We need to do one last thing on this filibuster thing. We need to send personal Thank Yous to every Senator who did not vote Yes on cloture. That's everyone who voted No or abstained. (Being in the hospital doesn't count as abstaining, but I hope he's recovering rapidly and will be out soon).

I think this is important. Let them know that we are grateful for what they did and that we haven't forgotten them. Let them ALL know that we keep track and we know who our friends are. Let's swamp them with Thank You phone calls, faxes, and emails. Maybe even some flowers! I think this is important for the future.

[Eric J in MN]

1. MoveOn has a form for that.

http://www.moveonpac.org/alitothanks/

[drm604]

3. Thanks. I used it. nt

[ObaMania]

2. No we don't.

It's their fucking job to represent us - DEMs and progressives - and our interests. If they don't want to do their fucking jobs, they can cross the aisle and be with the 5 DINO traitors who showed their worth and loyalty today.

Who we should be thanking is Chafee and Jeffords for having the balls and conscience to do the right thing.

[Wordie]

6. Nonsense. They took a risk and did what the left wanted them to do.

I heard a reporter describe Kerry as leading "that quixotic filibuster" effort today on the news. I winced. They stood up for us, and we should thank them.

Please also note that I'm not a person who has already decided who I will support in 2008. So, I'm not suggesting this as a person who is campaigning for Kerry. I just appreciate his courage on this.

[Yollam]

4. LOL - This is exactly what Malloy talked about last night...

..and not in a positive tone.


And I tend to agree.

With a few notable exceptions, elected democrats are WORTHLESS.

Go ahead and send your thanks if you want, but...

DON'T YOU THINK IT'S PATHETIC TO HAVE TO THANK THEM JUST FOR DOING THE GODDAMN JOB THEY ARE BEING PAID TO DO?!?!?!

[drm604]

8. Positive Reinforcement.

Yes, they don't do what we elect and pay them to do. Yes, they should do it naturally without the need for a massive activist action. But the fact is that they don't.

How do we change that? By throwing up our hands and saying "the hell with you, it shouldn't have taken that much work on our behalf for you to simply do your job"? Will that achieve anything?

Instead, how about using human nature to our advantage (however much it may gall Mike Malloy, and I say that as a fan). How about the carrot and stick approach. Feed 'em when they're good (thank you letters, etc.) smack 'em when they're not (letters expressing disappointment and anger, withholding of funds, etc.)

Maybe we need to set our anger aside and pragmatically cater to human nature.

Maybe if they know how much we appreciate them responding to our outcry, they'll be more predisposed to respond again the next time. And maybe (a BIG maybe) others will see the adulation and want some of it for themselves.

So LOL all you want Yollam. We're in a battle for the future of our country. We're in a battle over how (or if) we'll live the rest of our lives. I'm willing to sacrifice a little ego and kiss a little undeserving butt if it helps our side. You might call it grovelling and debasing ourselves. I call it fighting to win. And win we MUST. This is a war we dare not lose!

On Edit: Don't forget; the Republicans have been doing these things for years and it certainly seems to have worked for them. I say we fight fire with fire. If you don't like that, then at least get out of our way and let us do our thing.

[Wordie]

5. Here's a link to another thread. Free online FAX/email to all those

who supported the filibuster through the cloture vote:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x283486

You can chose to write individual, personal letters to each Senator, or write one to the entire group (saves time). It includes Jeffords (I-ME) and Harkins (D-IA). Harkins abstained from the cloture vote, as many asked the Senators to do (an abstention was as good as a "NO" for the vote on cloture.) You can decide at the site whether you want to also include these two or not.

[StoryTeller]

7. Please don't forget about the only real Republican abstention...

Chuck Hagel (NE) abstained as well. I called his office today to find out why, and explained that if it was because many of us asked him to, then I wanted to say thank you. She said that he hadn't issued any official explanation, so she couldn't offer any statement.

I know he voted for Alito, and I didn't expect otherwise. But it sounded to me like he was present for the cloture vote and he did not vote, for whatever reason. Abstaining was likely a nod in our direction, and I think it deserves at least a nod back. It's more than we got from any other Republican, and it's certainly more than we got from the "Democratic" senator from NE.

And please don't flame me for suggesting this. I live in Nebraska, and trust me--to get even a token like this is a pretty big deal. It's at least an acknowledgment that we exist. That's got to count for something, even though there's a LOT more work to do.