Call to contact Senators Sununu, Collins and Snow re seize absolute power

[paineinthearse]

Received by email.

Call to contact Senators Sununu, Collins and Snow re seize absolute power

Dear MoveOn member,

In just 6 days, a few radical Republican leaders will move to break the rules of the Senate, seize absolute power over judicial appointments, and stack the courts with extreme judges. Whether they succeed could depend on Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins from Maine, and Senator John Sununu from New Hampshire. If you know any Maine or New Hampshire residents, can you ask them to call their senators?

These judges would serve for life, threatening the protection of our environment, our right to privacy, and even basic workers' rights like minimum wage and the 40-hour work week. Both of Maine's senators have already expressed deep reservations about this rule change,1 but these senators are all under intense pressure from the Republican leadership and need to hear from constituents right away.

Below is information to help Maine and New Hampshire residents make these crucial calls:


Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine)
DC Phone: [phone]

Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)
DC Phone: [phone]

Sen. John Sununu (New Hampshire)
DC Phone: [phone]

You don't have to be an expert to call. Here's a simple script for Maine and New Hampshire residents to follow:


Hello. I live in , and I would like to urge Senator to oppose the "nuclear option" to eliminate the right to filibuster judicial nominations. I believe in fair judges, and checks and balances. Thank you very much.
Then tell us you've called by clicking here:

http://www.moveonpac.org/0408/

After you report your call through the link above, please forward this e-mail on to friends and family in Maine and New Hampshire—an important way to spread the word and help convince your senators to do the right thing for America.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid calls this "the most important issue I've ever dealt with," and it's not hard to see why.

The cover story of the New York Times Magazine this week described the real goal of many of these extreme judges: a world where basic environmental protections, labor rights, and privacy rights are struck down as unconstitutional. If radical Republicans are allowed to stack the federal courts and the Supreme Court, bedrock protections like the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, minimum wage laws, even the 40-hour work week could be eliminated forever.2

This fight will begin over judges nominated to U.S. Courts of Appeals—but make no mistake—the radical Republicans' real prize is the four Supreme Court seats likely to open up in the next four years. If they succeed in using their "nuclear option" to eliminate the centuries-old right to filibuster extreme judges, the minority party will be completely silenced for the first time ever, and our most treasured rights will be on the line.

The good news is that with 6 days left, the tide is turning in our direction. After MoveOn members blanketed the nation with over 40,000 letters to the editor, tens of thousands of calls, hundreds of thousands of petition signtatures, and hard-hitting messages on the airwaves, three moderate Republican Senators have come out on our side. We only need three more to win.

Calls made in the key states of Maine and New Hampshire could make or break this fight. Please take this crucial opportunity to show Senators Snowe, Collins, and Sununu that their constituents are counting on them to stand up for our courts, and our most basic rights.

Please take a minute and call right now:


Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine)
DC Phone: [phone]

Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)
DC Phone: [phone]

Sen. John Sununu (New Hampshire)
DC Phone: [phone]

Then let us know you've called and track our progress by clicking here:

http://www.moveonpac.org/0408/

Thanks for all that you do,

–Ben, Noah, Carrie, Adam and the MoveOn PAC Team
Friday, April 22nd, 2005

Sources:
1. "As Vote on Filibuster Nears, G.O.P. Senators Face Mounting Pressure," New York Times, April 20, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/20/politics/20repubs.html

2. "The Unregulated Offensive," New York Times Magazine, April 17, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/17/magazine/17CONSTITUTION.html

PAID FOR BY MOVEON PAC
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.