I've been posting about this off and on for six months, and now it's time for citizens of the Volunteer State to act -- our two Senators are determined to take a sledgehammer to the Constitutional foundations of our democracy. Before you read the letter I got today from Lamar Alexander, take a moment to sign the petition at
Tennesseans For The Constitution
There's more than 1300 names on it already. I'll deliver the petitions to Frist and Alexander's Nashville offices this Friday. More below:
In February, I coordinated a meeting at Sen. Alexander's office with a dozen constituents, organized through People For The American Way.
Lamar was absent, of course, but the aide we spoke with said he had announced no position on the filibuster. We gave it our best, quoted Howard Baker on the 1968 Republican filibuster of Abe Fortas (which Alexander well remembers - he was a Baker staffer at the time), and presented copies of many editorials in favor of the rules, and critical of the recycled nominees. And we left the petition, which then had 664 names.
Lamar made a timid defense of the filibuster in the Senate, so I called to thank him and asked that he back it up with a vote against Frist and Cheney's cheap-ass parliamentary gambit to kill it (I was more polite than that).
In today's mail, his response, which says, in part:
There are a number of vacancies on the federal bench that urgently need to be filled . . .
Currently the nominations of several judicial nominees are being held up in the Senate. All are exceptionally qualified nominees . . .
The minority . . . wants to change the way judges are selected. They want to increase the number of votes needed to confirm a judge from 51, as has been the procedure for over 200 years, to 60. This is a dangerous precedent that threatens to undermine our independent judiciary . . .
I believe that a this president - or any president - deserves to have his nominees deebated fully and given a fair vote in the Senate."
So, now he's gone beyond neutral to full-out partisanship and lies, lies, lies.
Folks, Frist may be a loss, but it's time to let Lamar know his constituents disapprove!!
Sign that petition, and pass it on!
Tennesseans For The Constitution