What? The move to end the Filibuster

[icarus]

If you live in:

Sens. Arlen Specter (PA), Chuck Hagel (NE), John Warner (VA), and Susan Collins (ME).

These senators are still on the fence about ending the filibuster.

What's this about do you say?


This Tuesday, the Senate will vote on Republican Leader Bill Frist's "nuclear option" to break the rules of the Senate and give the Republican Party absolute control over appointing federal judges.

For 200 years the minority's right to filibuster has kept our courts fair, by making sure that federal judges needed to get at least some support from both sides of the aisle before they were given life time appointments.

If Frist eliminates the filibuster, his next step would be to force far right partisan judges onto the powerful U.S. Courts of Appeals. The real targets, however, are the four seats on the Supreme Court likely to become vacant in the next four years.

With that much power on the Supreme Court, the far right could strike down decades of progress on labor rights, environmental protections, reproductive rights, and privacy.

The "nuclear option" will live or die by a final vote, probably on Tuesday, and the vote is still way too close to call. There are at least 6 moderate Republicans still on the fence and only 3 more votes needed to win. If we can get enough of our voices into congress and into the streets in the next 72 hours, we can still save our courts.

Please take a minute to join me and sign the emergency petition today.

Starting Monday, the petition will be delivered straight to Congress every three hours until the final vote, and many of our comments will be read aloud on the Senate floor.

Please sign right now at: http://www.moveonpac.org/nuclear

Comments

[noblerot.livejournal.com]

Signed and passing it on.

[guest-age.livejournal.com]

I signed too. No one should have such complete control. That's why America has a two-party system. Seems our government has forgotten that...*shakes head* Passing this on to everyone I know. Thanks for posting stuff like this in your LJ to let everyone know about Congress's shit.

[duffy-99.livejournal.com]

Will sign right away. The things that are happening now are so unbelievable; my heart breaks a little more for this country every day.

[forlornhope1865.livejournal.com]

I signed too, although truthfully I don't think it will do any good. The Republicans have let their power go to their heads (esp Bush - "bring it on," my ass!). We've got to get a Dem and/or independent majority in the Senate (again) and esp in the House.

We did it in the CO state legislature this year but it took a lot of work & money.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yes, it looked like a sure thing, but then a number of Republicans started to feel antsy about it. The long-term implications are steep (they may be the majority now, but what about the future) and the Senate re-elections are next year.

The general public sentiment about this has been surprisingly strong. People like the filibuster.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. MoveOn PAC has been pretty effective at mobilizing support. I keep bumping into people and discovering they're members, too.

Pass this along, will you? We've had the filibuster for as long as we've had a country.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

No kidding. But the senate elections are next year, and the filibuster is something we've had as long as we've had a country.

Icarus