This is a short diary about activism. My mother, who recently moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, is frustrated, because she cannot contact any Senator who will even consider blocking Samuel Alito's nomination. But Democrats, she noted, held Bush below 60% in most of the Southern states. And yet, many of them have no representation in the Senate. But their opinions deserve to be heard, she maintains. We discussed this dilemma, and we formulated a strategy whereby Southern Democrats can ensure their opinions are voiced and heard this crucial weekend. I outline this strategy in the extended body.
We have six Southern Democratic Senators:
Mary LANDRIEU (D-LA)
Blanche LINCOLN (D-AR)
Mark PRYOR (D-AR)
Bill NELSON (D-FL)
Robert BYRD (D-WV)
Jay ROCKEFELLER (D-WV)
These six Senators represent Democrats from 15 states. And even though each Southern state has its distinct topography, culture and economy, the region is unified socially, despite its historical racial divisions. The Democrats should therefore be responsive to the concerns of fellow Southerners whose only representation in the US Senate is a Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) or a Jeff Sessions (R-AL). We therefore believe Democrats from certain Southern states should direct their concerns to certain Senators. Here is the division I propose:
Virginia - Jay ROCKEFELLER (D-WV)
North Carolina & Kentucky - Robert BYRD (D-WV)
South Carolina & Georgia - Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Alabama & Texas - Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Tennessee & Mississippi - Blanche LINCOLN (D-AR)
Oklahoma & Missouri - Mark PRYOR (D-AR)
Broach your letter with an introduction that resembles the following:
Dear Sen. X:
A Southern Democrat from xxxxx, I do not have a representative in the US Senate. I therefore must rely on you to represent my concerns and values....
Emphasize your regional affinity with the Senator, and explain how you have been supportive of his or her campaign in the past. Make it clear to the Senator that Alito does not represent the Southern values you uphold, and assure the Senator that you will be supportive of them in the future.
- If you are writing Mary Landrieu, discuss Alito's problematic relationship with "one 'man'-one vote" statutes and civil rights. Remind her she supported anti-lynching legislation, and tell her her family's committment to these issues compelled you to write her this letter and ask her to filibuster Alito.
- If you are writing Mark Pryor, remind him of his leadership in the commemmoration of the Little Rock Thirteen. Tell him you believe he is a leader in civil rights, and explain why you believe Alito's problematic relations to issues important to African-Americans in the South warrants a filibuster.
- If you are writing Blanche Lincoln, tell her her many speeches about growing up in Eastern Arkansas during desegregation have provided a unique perspective rarely articulated on the Senate floor. Also tell her you rely on her leadership, as she is one of the only Southern Senators who defends Southern farmers.
- If you are writing Rockefeller, emphasize FISA issues and government spying.
- If you are writing Byrd, emphasize free speech, his inspiring speeches on the Constitution, the Republican Party's attempts to dismantle the Constitution, and especially discuss Alito on the unitary executive.
- If you are writing Nelson of Florida, emphasize spying, as there was recently a scandal in Florida regarding this issue.
I hope this compels Southerners who normally feel it is futile to write a Kay Bailey Hutchison or a Jim Bunning to write their nearest Southern Democratic Senator and thereby help us solidify support for a filibuster.