TAKE ACTION!!! Take the pledge: $25 for the 25! (who voted NO on cloture)

[Wordie]

We are all feeling disappointed with the outcome of the Alito confirmation cloture vote. But there is something we can do RIGHT NOW, to fight back. Join with me in pledging $25 for the 25 courageous Senators who stood up for us. Let them know we appreciate their efforts!

If you are wealthy, how about $25 for EACH of the 25 Senators who voted "NO" on cloture. If you are less well-off, please pledge $25 to your own Senator, if he/she voted "NO," or if yours both voted "Yes," then choose a Senator from another state (Kerry and Kennedy are good choices) and pledge to send them $25 THIS WEEK. (And if even the $25 is a little steep, join with your DU buddies or off-line friends to take the pledge.

You don't need to say if you are going to do the larger amount (25x$25=$625), or just one $25 pledge, only that you are making a pledge RIGHT NOW!...and that you will send the money THIS WEEK! OR, if $25 is too much, take the pledge to volunteer 25 hours working on their next campaign!

(The money would not be collected by DU, but each individual would be on the honor system to send off a check, if they pledge.)

We need to show our courageous Senators we will never forget what they have done for us. DU this.

And here are the names of our TRUE and courageous patriots:
Bayh-IN
Biden-DE
Boxer-CA
Clinton-NY
Dayton-MN
Dodd-CT
Durbin-IL
Feingold-WI
Feinstein-CA
Jeffords-VT
Kennedy-MA
Kerry-MA
Lautenburg-NJ
Leahy-VT
Levin-MI
Menendez-NJ
Mikulski-MD
Murray-WA
Obama-IL
Reed-RI
Reid-NV
Sarbanes-MD
Schumer-NY
Stabenow-MI
Wyden-OR

[Wordie]

1. I take the pledge: $25 to the 25! eom

[oldtime dfl_er]

2. money talks!

I'll send Patty Murray $25. Not a red cent for Cantwell. I'll contribute to her opponent. I'll write her a couple of times a week to remind her that I'm not supporting her anymore.

[Wordie]

8. Better yet, send her a xerox of your check to Murray or her opponent,

Along with a list of those who voted "NO" on cloture.

[Papillon]

11. I called Patty Murray's office and thanked her for her vote.

Then I emailed Maria Cantwell's office (tried to call but couldn't leave a message) and told her I will work for her opponent in the primary. I'm sending $25.00 to Mark Wilson. It's cool, too, that he lives in Suquamish which is close to where I live. I'm getting on his band wagon.

[upi402]

49. Cantwell must go, no more DINO's

I used to live near him. CK representing!

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Which three absolutely need my money?

[Wordie]

4. You know, I was going to research that, but I'm just too wiped out! LOL

I'd suggest Kerry, right off the bat though, because it looks like he may take another run at the Presidency.

After that, it's up to everyone to look into the Senators in their state, or apply whatever criteria to the decision of who to send it to. The only requirement is that the Senator be on the list of "NO" votes for cloture.

And it would be great for people to add a message saying that their courage, and support of us, will not be forgotten!

[reality based]

7. I would pick Menendez who has a tough campaign ahead this year

then Stabenow who gave a great speech detailing Alito's out-of-the-mainstream record and finally pledge to Ned Lamont in his contemplated run against Lieberman http://www.nedlamont.com /

[Jeanette in FL]

30. I can only do three at this time

I sure wish I could do them all but I can only do three at this time. I have chosen Leahy, Levin and Menedez. Leahy and Levin have always stepped up to the plate whether it was politically correct or not. Menedez (sp)because he was just appointed Senator of New Jersey.

I will send photocopies to my coward senator bill nelson of Florida. Let him figure it out for himself and I will be supporting a fellow DU'er "Dr. Phool" who has taken it upon himself to challenge bill nelson for his seat. I will try to find his post.

[Skidmore]

5. We're at the point we're close to being tapped out.

By the end of next month, I may very well be unemployed. I'm not donating to anyone right now so I guess I don't have the right to be heard any more.

[Wordie]

6. Nah...you could join up with some DU buddies, or offline friends,

couldn't you? If there are two, the amount is just $12.50; if there are 5, only $5.

$5 should be doable, don't you think?

I just feel the need to Take Action.

[Wordie]

21. Hey, Skidmore, how about pledging 25 hours for the re-election campaign

of one of the 25? Would that work?

[MissWaverly]

27. Baloney, Haven't you ever heard of FREE SPEECH

It supposed to be one of our guaranteed rights in that pre-9-11 document, the Constitution,
keep on posting, let us know how you are doing.

Miss Waverly

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. You can always email and thank them

I rarely give money. I give my time and I write and thank them for supporting issues I think are important.

They know you still have a vote whether you donate to them or not.

[mom cat]

9. I am broke, but I will find the money to do it!

Even if we do not raise a lot of money doing this, it will send a message that we appreciate them for what they did. If we are totally tapped out we can send faxes and e-mails and make phone calls... God knows we know how to do that. If we live in a state where one of the heroes will be running, we can also pledge to volunteer some time for their re-election.
If we live in a state where a traitor (Repub or Dem) we can let them know how hard we will work to unseat them. Cantwell in Wash. is one, Lieberman also. Both have primary opponents.

[Wordie]

19. Great idea, mom cat. The pledge could be 25 HOURS, too!

Pledge 25 hours of work on their campaign, as a way to honor them!

I'm going to edit the original message with that idea. It's a great one!

[MrDem12]

10. I WILL NEVER EVER SEND ANY MONEY TO THESE TRAITORS

I will never ever send any money to these traitors ever again. And everyone else should do the same.

[Wordie]

13. Nooooo! These aren't the traitors! These are the GOOD GUYS! The ones

who stood up AGAINST Alito and WITH the filibuster, and who voted NO on cloture!

You don't really think these courageous Senators are traitors, do you???

[pstans]

14. These are the ones who voted to fillibuster

They voted no on cloture, so they wanted to keep the fillibuster going.

[babylonsister]

15. Why are they traitors? They voted AGAINST Alito. nt

[nickinSTL]

36. notice...10 posts...

troll.

[SofaKingLiberal]

16. Welcome to DU

Enjoy your stay:popcorn:

[SofaKingLiberal]

35. tombstoned n/t

[ClassWarrior]

39. Ooops. Posted in the wrong place.

So I'll take this opportunity to wave bye-bye to the troll...

:hi:

NGU.

[gardenista]

41. Funny how they can't figure out how to turn off the CAPS LOCK

[cboy4]

46. Everybody sing along....

NAH NAH NAH NAH....NAH NAH NAH NAH...HEY HEY HEY...GOO-EWWWD BYE...

[4sure]

59. First post...be nice

This is a great idea. My Dad said Dems were way behind in fund raising for 06. This does not sound right to me, can anyone give me a link to the real story. Also, I'm pretty limited, funds wise, so better to go direct to candidates with a dollar or two each or to DNC with a "larger" amount and let them decide who to make aware of their unhappiness.

[benevolent dictator]

12. kick.

[NoPasaran]

17. I'm on board

Not sure just who I'll send it to.

[tedzbear]

18. You got to be kidding!

The Democratic Party just committed suicide today. Better to spend your money on grief counseling.

[ray of light]

20. Better to send it to those who stood up.

[Wordie]

22. We're all so exhausted right now, but

I think in the long run the experience of this effort will be a winner, although the goal was not reached. I for one, intend to work harder to ensure that the Dem-lites aren't the ones to call the shots ANY MORE!

And don't even get me going on the Republicans!

[mom cat]

23. Not the DLC ... the ones who stood up to them. We have some dead wood

to prune, but the ones who were there for us need our support.
But I do like the idea of grief counseling... maybe we can help each other with that so we can come back even stronger!

[sandnsea]

26. Dean supported the filibuster

Feinstein, Clinton & Biden; hated DLC voted no. The DLC and DNC are not the culprits in this one. This was primarily a Blue Dog revolt.

[sandnsea]

24. $25 to Wyden

I had already planned on sending money to the Kerry PAC, for other reasons. But I'll make it a symbolic $25 in addition to the Wyden donation. That puts me at my donation limit for the month.

[Crunchy Frog]

25. Post this in the Activist HQ.

I couldn't do $25.00 each, but I could manage $10.00 each. I don't really like the idea of giving money to folks like Bayh, Biden, and Hillary Clinton, but even they deserve to get positive feedback when they do something right.

I could send a copy of all the checks to my Senator, Salazar, write him a nice little note explaining why I'm not giving him any money, and mention that I did give him a $200.00 donation for his campaign last year, and that it will not happen again.

[Wordie]

28. Oh no! I didn't mean that all of us should necessarily pledge $25 to EACH!

That would be just too much for many of us ($625), in addition to the amounts we all give anyway. I suggested that if someone could pledge $25 to all of them, that would be great, but a pledge of $25 to just one Senator of your choice on the list works great, too.

And mom cat came up with the great idea that even if $25 is a little steep right now, why not volunteer 25 hours of time to a Senator's campaign, instead. That would work just great, too.

I personally felt I needed a way to honor these courageous Senators. We promised them we would have their backs if they stood up. This is a way to show them that we really meant it.

[CrispyQ]

47. Ohhh, Crunchy Frog, you rock!!!

I could do $10 each too & I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the idea of copying the checks for DINO Salazar. I too gave him money & put his sign in my yard & sticker on my truck.


:yourock:

[fooj]

31. Kick!

:kick:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

32. I don't reward people for doing their job and voting with integrity. I do

however, feel inclined to hold those that failed us accountable. I reward those who go above and beyond. I don't consider trying to hold back possibly the worst supreme court nom ever as above and beyond, I look at it as a no brainer. Those that chose to assist in his confirmation, however, definitely are in need of some awakening.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

33. $25 and my future vote to Murray. My contempt and no vote for Cantwell.

[WildEyedLiberal]

34. Just sent 30 bucks to Friends of John Kerry

http://contribute.johnkerry.com

Let him know you appreciate his taking a stand for America. Don't forget Teddy; he is a constant inspiration.

[nickinSTL]

37. interesting to see Clinton there...

considering the hammering she tends to take...

(I'm not exempt, I've doubted her quite a bit)

Of course, if she (and Bayh) knew that the filibuster attempt would fail...then voting against cloture costs them little and gains support among the base.

[Straight Shooter]

38. I'll send $25 to Wyden within the next week.

Then each month until November election I'll send $25 to whomever seems in greatest need. I'd really like to start with Mark Wilson, what with Washington being my neighbor "upstairs" and all. :)

Uh, Lieberman, I'll mail him 2 cents and tell him to fill in the blanks.

edit: Wordie, you're a terrific DU'er! :patriot:

[juajen]

64. That's a great idea, sending pennies

When I was a teenager, pennies were thrown as a way of expressing your disgust with the person running for office or cheerleader, or SGA, etc. It is most expressive way to show how you feel. Also left as a tip when service is very poor. See what I mean? I think I'll start mailing pennies to the yea votes on cloture. I think they'll get the idea.

Thanks Straight Shooter. I like the "fill in the blanks" part also. Do you mind if I steal it?

[ClassWarrior]

40. I'll pledge $49. $25 to my own Russ Feingold's Progressive...

...Patriots' Fund, and a buck each to the other 24.

NGU.

[RazzleDazzle]

45. No, please don't

The paperwork they have to keep for donations really would make that $1 VERY costly. Pick a 2nd to donate to, or send it all to Feingold, or something.

[Wordie]

51. Oh, I didn't mean to send just $1 to each. I meant, pick one, and send

the money to that Senator, as a symbolic gesture. Or, as we discussed, volunteer 25 hours in a campaign. (Some of us might be able to afford $25 to each, but that would be out of the question for me.)

I apparently didn't explain what I meant very well. My apologies, I'm really tired.

[RazzleDazzle]

62. This was addressed to Class Warrior, not you

[orleans]

42. (sorry, accidental double post)

[orleans]

43. imo--we should be pledging money for any democrat

running against the turncoats

the fact that these other senators voted against cloture--i'll send them a thank you from the bottom of my heart but it was their JOB to do that/to do the right thing/to stand up for us--it's what we hired them to do

don't forget people--they work for us

just like our doctors are supposed to

or a lawyer

or a housekeeper

or a lawn maintenance company

they fu*k up and they should be fired

i don't reward the lawn guy every time he cuts the grass nice. it's his job! and those nineteen did not do their job.

the other senators did (although i think durbin and reid could have worked a little harder doing their jobs of getting everybody on board). i'll thank them, i'll vote for them again, (i may even send them money down the road again) but not now. it was their job to do what they did!

(sorry wordie--i gotta disagree with you on this one--like i said, if anything send money to their opponents so we can get a REAL democrat in the office!)

[Wordie]

50. It was a risky thing to do, and they did it because we asked them to,

(when so many said they shouldn't), as well as because it was their job. So, that deserves recognition in my book. It's not worth arguing about though.

I think it's great that you'll donate to candidates opposing the traitors. I can get behind that.

[never_get_over_it]

44. Although I appreciate your sentiments

this is not what we should do. We should call all these Senators who voted to represent us and thank them and then we have to take OUR MONEY and send it to primary opponents to the DEMS that stabbed us in the back. I am sending a $100 check to Lieberman's opponent and then I will let Lieberman know.

I called my Senator, Bill Nelson of FLorida and said the following:

Please tell Mr. Nelson, and I will no longer call him Senator because he does not represent me, that I WILL NOT VOTE FOR HIM IN NOVEMBER and I don't even care if that bitch Kathrine Harris becomes my Senator because there is NO DIFFERNCE.

We can not give one more cent to the DNC, DCCC, or DSCC - from now on our $$$ go to REAL DEMOCRATS. We need to write Howard Dean and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE DEM PUKES who voted yes on cloture that they have LOST THEIR BASE.

I never again will vote for the lesser of two evils. THAT IS MY PLEDGE

[Wordie]

53. I'm not quite clear why you blame Howard Dean for this. eom

[never_get_over_it]

56. I'm actually not blaming Howard Dean

except he is the leader of the national party - I feel we should write him to let him know the Democrats have lost their base. The Democrats diss Howard so often that he is almost close to irrelevent although I do like him - but too many in the party he leads SUCK!

[Wordie]

57. Well...I think the traitors have lost their base, but not necessarily

Dean, or the Senators who did the right thing, or Dems in general. (At least, I sure hope not.) There were more Dems doing the right thing than not, remember. I think a better thing would write Dean to urge him to try to make the Democratic party more progressive.

After all, these Senators voting against cloture really stuck their necks out, and that's a GOOD and progressive thing, even if they weren't successful. I would hate for there to be a backlash against those who are our friends, right after they did the RIGHT thing. That might just make them less inclined to stick their necks out the next time. Now is the time to let them know how great it was that they did that!

And I personally think that Dean is good for the party, and that we'll see that better the closer we get to the fall elections.

[never_get_over_it]

58. Those voting against cloture

ABSOLUTELY DID NOT STICK THEIR NECKS OUT. There was absolutely NO DOWN SIDE FOR THEM. The freak in chief's poll ratings are in the tank, polls showed that the majority supported the filibuster, they got thousands and thousands of communication from constituents, the only freaks that would be mad about a vote for filibuster would never vote for any of these Dems anyway. THEY STUCK THEIR NECKS OUT WHEN THEY VOTED FOR CLOTURE because they have pissed off their base.....

And just so you understand I am not criticizing Howard Dean as an individual I am criticizing him as the national leader of this party - and although I did not mention Harry Reid I should have - the leaders of this party should have pulled these Dems together and made them vote no on cloture - did you see the post the repunks lost 1 vote to cloture and we lost 19 - we have got to stand up as a unified voice period - actually its long past time for that - we should have been doing that since the day the freak was inaugurated....

I like Howard truly I do...

[Wordie]

60. I didn't really see any polls that said that the majority supported the

filibuster. Do you have a link?

And I think they certainly did stick their necks out. They risked the "obstructionist" label to do this. Those sorts of labels can have tremendous staying power (think "flip-flopper"), yet they did the right thing anyway. Because it was right and because we asked them to.

I really don't think friendly fire is the way to go here...

[never_get_over_it]

61. We'll have to agree to disagree

there were some posts about the polls - CBS on line poll last I knew had the % of filibuster supporters at 56% - I don't have the links - but I saw this here at DU. As for the term obstructionist - that is the repunks opinion and we shouldn't let them frame the issues for us - did you hear Teddy Kennedy's remarks on the charge of obstructionist - it was good.

[Wordie]

65. A few additional thoughts...

I'll agree to disagree with you, but I did want to mention these points, as much for the other readers of the thread as for you.

First, the polls: you are quoting an online poll there, and as much as I opposed Alito, I have to say that I can't blame anyone for not relying on an online poll for assessing general opposition to him. They really aren't reliable, as we all are aware of the campaigns online urging people to participate. That doesn't result in accurate results. The other polls seemed to indicate some growing support for Alito, although there was a large portion of people who continued to say they "didn't know" about him. I think that was in large part due to the "done deal" approach of the media, and with more time, perhaps a larger portion of the public could have been made aware of his extremist views, but the problem was that without the media's willingness to discuss these issues, there wasn't much anyone could do. With 49% (in the latest CNN poll) saying they supported Alito, a filibuster became more difficult, I think. I'm very angry with the media for their approach on this.

Secondly, the term "obstructionist": I completely agree that "we" should not allow such terms to influence, and we do not. But those Senators considering a filibuster had to consider the possible effect of such labeling on the rest of their constituents and the nation at large. Such labels can have a lot of staying power and do a lot of damage (think "flip-floppper"). That they put such concerns aside and tried for a filibuster anyway is incredibly courageous and shows how much pride we should have in these Dems, imho.

And finally, Kennedy: Kennedy's speech was so inspired and impassioned. I doubt I've heard anything with more passion in quite a while. So, we can agree upon that.

[NJCher]

48. terrific idea

Just like they need to know there are consequences to their votes, they need to know there can be rewards for their votes, too.

I'll send $25 and a letter of appreciation to Menendez tomorrow.




Cher

[DemonGoddess]

52. I'll send what I can, as I can to each of 'em

But I'll start with a letter of appreciation. I truly DO appreciate that they stood up for us when we ASKED them to.

[Wordie]

55. Welcome to DU, DemonGoddess!

:hi:

I'm glad you feel as I do. We promised these guys we would have their back if they stood up for us. They did stand up, and now I want to show them that I'll come through, too.

[Wordie]

54. Thanks, NJCher. Menendez cast his first Senate vote EVER, against

cloture. That was pretty impressive, so I'm glad to hear that you will show your appreciation.

[WyLoochka]

63. Just sent $25 to

Stabenow, via her campaign website. She's up for re-election this year, and doesn't have a huge war chest, that I know of.

Many of her MI constituents must be having a rough time financially, due to the wreckage that is the auto industry.

Seemed to me she might be one of those who is in very great need of immediate donations.

Thanks, Debbie.

http://www.stabenowforsenate.com/

[peacebird]

66. i pledge $25 to each of the 25 AND will send a letter to ALL DEMS

in the senate saying who gets the $25 and who does not and WHY. Checks in the 25 envelopes, no checks in the others. BTW - i am sending the letter without checks ALSO to the DNC, DSCC, and DLC.

[Wordie]

67. Excellent! You should make sure they all know you are sending the

$25 to EVERY one that supported the filibuster. That's impressive. It ought to make them think!

:yourock: