Santa Clara County Democratic Club e-mail re: Alito Filibuster

[Coastie for Truth]

Late yesterday afternoon, Senators Kerry and Kennedy announced that they will lead a filibuster against the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. The vote will come Monday, and now the rest of the Democrats have just over 48 hours to decide which side they are on.

To successfully block the nomination, 41 senators must join the Democratic filibuster. Most Republicans and a few conservative Democrats have already pledged to vote for Alito, so getting to 41 won't be easy. Every single Democrat could end up casting the last crucial vote—and this is the moment for us to weigh in.

Please call Sens. Feinstein and Boxer right now and ask them to join the filibuster against Samuel Alito.

Senator Dianne Feinstein
Phone: [phone]
District Offices:
Fresno: 559-485-7430
Los Angeles: 310-914-7300
San Diego: 619-231-9712
San Francisco: 415-393-0707

Senator Barbara Boxer
Phone: [phone]
District Offices:
Fresno: 559-497-5109
Los Angeles: 213-894-5000
Sacramento: 916-448-2787
San Bernadino: 909-888-8525
San Diego: 619-239-3884
San Francisco: 415-403-0100

Then please report your call by clicking here:

http://political.moveon.org/call?tg=FSCA_1.FSCA_2&cp_id=220&id=6742-5572491-.MxamShQEMdD17ho_eN1yw&t=2

Filibustering the Alito nomination isn't just the right policy for the country, it's good politics for progressives. Voters want leaders with the courage to fight for their true convictions. Democrats have said they oppose Alito's extreme views on unchecked presidential power and limited rights for the rest of us—now it's time to show they mean it.
As John Edwards put it when he declared his support for the filibuster:

Americans know what's at stake here—a president who believes he's above the law, and basic rights in grave danger. This is a critical moment for Democrats to stand up, fight for what we believe, and show the American people that we will provide principled leadership. The country is hungry for this kind of principled leadership and if we lead with conviction we will be successful both in 2006 and beyond


Yesterday, the New York Times came out with a blistering a editorial calling for a filbuster, called "Senators in Need of a Spine," Here are some highlights:

It is hard to imagine a moment when it would be more appropriate for senators to fight for a principle...
...It is indefensible for...any senator who has promised constituents to protect a woman's right to an abortion to turn around and hand Judge Alito a potent vote to undermine or even end it...The judge's record strongly suggests that he is an eager lieutenant in the ranks of the conservative theorists who ignore our system of checks and balances, elevating the presidency over everything else...
...A filibuster is a radical tool. It's easy to see why Democrats are frightened of it. But from our perspective, there are some things far more frightening. One of them is Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court.

If George Bush is able to replace Sandra Day O'Connor with Samuel Alito, it may become his most damaging legacy: a Supreme Court that frees the president to spy, detain and torture at will, and leaves Congress powerless to protect workers, women, the environment, and to combat discrimination.

We fought hard together all last year to defeat the nuclear option and save the filibuster for a moment just like this—and now it's all hands on deck.

As Senator Kerry wrote yesterday:

It takes more than one or two people to fillibuster. It's not "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." I'm doing what I can, Senator Kennedy is doing what he can, but if, like me, you want to stop Judge Alito from becoming Justice Alito, we can't just preach to our own choir. We need even more of your advocacy.

Please call Sens. Feinstein and Boxer and ask them to filibuster the nomination of Samuel Alito.

Thank you for all that you do,

–Ben, Eli, Marika, Justin and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Friday, January 27th, 2006

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[senseandsensibility]

1. I belong to that group too

They seem to be getting a little more proactive. :) Good work, Santa Clara County Dems!