Everyone:
Focus on the Family and other right-wing groups have organized a letter-writing comapign in an effort to force the Senate to deny Arlen Specter the chair of the Judiciary Committee. They want someone more in keeping with their radical agenda.
Given this political environment, I urge that all Kossians take the time to e-mail their senators -- particularly Republican Senators -- to urge them not to bow to the pressure.
Anyone who has other ideas on how to put pressure on the moderate republicans on this issue, please post your ideas.
My letter is below the fold:
I am writing to you to urge that you support Senator Arlen Spector's bid to take the Chair of the Judiciary Committee.
Like you, Senator Spector supports the right to an abortion with reasonable restrictions as to time, place and manner. Like you, Senator Spector has been targeted by extremists within the Party who demand that the entire right to abortion be taken away.
While I realize that issues of abortion divide both the Party and the nation, I do not think that it is right that Senators -- particularly long-serving Senators -- should have committee chairmanships dictated by any particular subgroup within the party.
A great number of Republicans support some form of abortion rights, and I think that Senator Spector should not be disqualified from the chairmanship just because of his position on one issue.
Accordingly, I urge that you not surrender to the radical outcry against Senator Specter, but instead, you support him in his bid to become chair of the Judiciary Committee.