From Mass PDA: "No" is meaningless without filibuster

[paineinthearse]

by email

Kerry is filibustering Alito!
Call Senators Friday!

You are, of course, tired of these pleas from me asking you to respond to something - the War, the hurricane, something in Israel/Palestine, some voting rights outrage, a candidate, whatever. I apologize for my intrusions. I really don't want to be the boy calling "wolf" nor someone asking for something that you somehow "know" cannot do any good because fate and the event I am concerned about have already been decided. Okay, I get that. But participatory democracy is not a spectator sport. And people in power do occasionally change their minds. And what I am asking you to do on Friday is fairly simple. And quite important. The vote on Alito is very close. Kerry needs 41 senators to oppose the cloture efforts that are sure to come in response to his filibuster. If he has 41 senators Alito goes down to defeat ... and the next nominee will not be as extreme ... that's just how it works. Even thought the odds are long, and success seems unlikely, if we do nothing, failure is inevitable.

Please - look at the options available below - pick the 3 or 4 calls that most resonate for you, and will be easiest for you to make, and just make them. Newton's first law of motion has two parts - An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion ... with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." Alito on the bench is an unbalanced force.


Call the Senators listed below, as well as your own, and tell them:
* a "No" vote is meaningless without a filibuster
* it is cowardly to only fight a fight when assured victory
* the American people need to see the Senate standing up for separation of powers and against the "Unitary Executive"

Use these toll free numbers to call the Capitol: 888-355-3588 or 888-818-6641.
If you can't get through, look up the Senator's District Office number in your phone book or here: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt?command=congdir

First: Call the three Democrats (Mary Landrieu, Ken Salazar, and Dianne Feinstein) who oppose Alito but also said they oppose a filibuster. We must persuade them that a vote against Alito is meaningless if they don't support a filibuster.
Senator Salazar (D-CO) 202-224-5852
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 202-224-5824
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) 202-224-3841

Second: Call your own Democratic Senator: 888-355-3588 or 888-818-6641.
If you can't get through, look up the Senator's District Office number in your phone book or here:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt?command=congdir

Third: Three Democrats (Ben Nelson, Tim Johnson and Robert Byrd) support Alito! Tell them to either support filibuster or at least "don't get in the way."
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) 202-224-6551
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) 202-224-3954
Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) 202-224-5842
888-355-3588 or 888-818-6641. If you can't get through, look up the Senator's District Office number in your phone book or here:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt?command=congdir

Fourth: Call the "Red State" Democrats:
(Message same as above -- "No" is meaningless)
Tom Carper (DE)
Kent Conrad (ND)
Byron Dorgan (ND)
Blanche Lincoln (AR)
Mark Pryor (AR)

Fifth: Call these "Blue State" and pro-choice Republicans:
(Message: A "Unitary Executive" is dangerous to balance of powers--please do not get in the way of a filibuster.)
Lincoln Chafee (RI)
Susan Collins (ME)
Lisa Murkowsky (AK)
Bob Smith (OR)
Olympia Snowe (ME)
Ted Stevens (AK)

For extra credit, call all of the 2008 Presidential candidates who are sitting Senators--Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Russ Feingold, and John Kerry--and tell them to either LEAD THE FILIBUSTER or KISS YOUR SUPPORT GOODBYE. 888-355-3588 or 888-818-6641.
If you can't get through, look up the Senator's District Office number in your phone book or here:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt?command=congdir

You can also send that message to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (202-224-2447) and the Democratic National Committee (202-863-8000).

Thank you .... are you dialing yet? Huh?

[Coexist]

1. * it is cowardly to only fight a fight when assured victory

a "No" vote is meaningless without a filibuster
* it is cowardly to only fight a fight when assured victory

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Will call again tomorrow.