Well, I did it. I phoned all 3 campaigns, told them what I was doing, and asked for the best route to get these questions into the right hands. It came as no surprise that the staff of a Presidential candidate was friendly, cordial, and helpful but, well, they were ALL friendly, cordial, and helpful.
The letter has been sent. Let's see what happens.
Here's the letter:
Dear Senator _______________ (or staff),
I have compiled a list of questions that either aren't being asked in the mainstream media, or aren't being asked often enough that many Americans have a clear idea about your opinion on these issues.
I am asking you, or a qualified member of your staff, to supply concise, direct answers to these questions. I would appreciate your reply no later than January 28, 2008. I will cut and paste your answers, without editing, into a post I will make on Wednesday, January 30 (just before "tsunami Tuesday") on Daily Kos.
I am sending an identical letter to each of the 3 leading Democratic Presidential candidates. I've spoken to someone at your campaign and have been told that this is the best way to do this. I sincerely hope to include replies from all 3 candidates.
Here are the questions:
- Will you issue an executive order overturning George W Bush's first executive order sealing Presidential records, including those of Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, and Bill Clinton? When?
- When will you close the prison at Guantanemo, and what will you do with the prisoners?
- What specific actions will you take to show the world that the United States does not torture prisoners?
- What will you do to restore FISA court protections of our 4th amendment rights, habeas corpus, and to assure the American people that we are not "surrendering our liberty" for the illusion of "safety"?
- Who will you nominate as your Attorney General, and will you encourage him or her to investigate known violations of the constititution by the current administration?
- What characteristics will you look for when choosing judges to nominate to the SCOTUS?
- What is your plan to deal with the sunsetting of the "Bush" tax cuts?
- When will the last American soldier leave Iraq? (Note to John McCain: "100 years from now" is not an acceptable answer.)
- When will you end "faith based funding" which sends taxpayer dollars to tax-exempt organizations?
- What percentage of your campaign funds are derived from "the grass roots" or other sources that are traditionally supportive of the issues you speak about the most in your stump speeches?
- What will you do to restore the "Fairness Doctrine" that was abolished in the 1980s?
- What will you do to protect the rights, and jobs, of workers who go on strike?
- On what basis would you exclude living, breathing American citizens from the protections guaranteed by the 14th amendment.
- Do you agree that corporations are people under the meaning of the 14th amendment?
- What is your view of the powers of the Executive Branch as expressed in the Constitution?
Thank you in advance for your time.
Respectfully,
(Name and address withheld)
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Attachment:
In order to facilitate uniformity and readability, I will use the following format in posting your replies.
Question "N": Who, what, when, will...?
Senator X: (cut and pasted reply)
Senator Y: Did not reply.
Senator Z: (cut and pasted reply)
I prefer not to edit replies, so please be concise and direct in your answers. If possible, please limit your remarks to no more than a paragraph per question. Question 14, for example, can be answered "yes", or "no", although a comment on your opinion of the SCOTUS ruling in the Santa Clara County v. The Southern Pacific Railway decision of 1886 in relation to the 14th amendment (1868), for example, would not be inappropriate.