I just spent twenty minutes making calls to members of Congress who are on the House Judiciary Committee asking them if they plan to attend the 10 am meeting tomorrw where they will finally discuss impeachment. I spoke with staff members who discussed the members' positions and promised to messages through.
More importantly, I was told that Hank Johnson and Maxine Waters will be there to support Dennis Kucinich and the call for impeachment. I heard others indicate that the member was wavering and I sensed that my call would make a difference. Bobby Scott's staff person understood very well what I was saying about the Constitution, principle, and the Congressman's oath of office and told me he would speak with him about it. The only office I wasn't able to get through to was John Conyers' - most likely because everyone is calling him. Take a minute and call the other HJC members. They need to hear from us too and this calling tool makes it so simple there is no reason not to call.
Please, please take the time now to make these calls. Take ten minutes to make a difference in whether this country continues as a democracy. Please let these Judiciary Committee members know how important their role is tomorrow and assure them that we are watching and supporting them as they support impeachment.
Democrats.com has launched a calling tool which makes it possible to make the calls for free. It is an awesome tool that dials the numbers for you, and if you can't do all the calls in one sitting, it remembers who you have called and selects the next HJC member for you. Go here
to begin calling.
If for some reason the calling tool is not working or if you prefer to dial on your own, the phone numbers of the Judiciary Committee members follow:
last first statedist phone-dc fax-dc
Berman Howard CA28 202-225-4695 202-225-3196
Boucher Rick VA09 202-225-3861 202-225-0442
Conyers John MI14 202-225-5126 202-225-0072
Davis Artur AL07 202-225-2665 202-226-9567
Delahunt William MA10 202-225-3111 202-225-5658
Lofgren Zoe CA16 202-225-3072 202-225-3336
Nadler Jerrold NY08 202-225-5635 202-225-6923
Sanchez Linda CA39 202-225-6676 202-226-1012
Schiff Adam CA29 202-225-4176 202-225-5828
Scott Bobby VA03 202-225-8351 202-225-8354
Sherman Brad CA27 202-225-5911 202-225-5879
Sutton Betty OH13 202-225-3401 202-225-2266
Wasserman Schultz Debbie FL20 202-225-7931 202-226-2052
Watt Melvin NC12 202-225-1510 202-225-1512
Weiner Anthony NY09 202-225-6616 202-226-7253
Democrats.com also offers the following info on the members' positions so that you can tailor your statement if you wish.
When Kucinich testifies on Friday, he will naturally face hostile questions from rightwing Republicans who impeached President Clinton. But Kucinich will also face hostile questions from key Democrats who oppose impeachment.
Some of these Democrats supported the invasion of Iraq: Howard Berman (CA28), Rick Boucher (VA09), Adam Schiff (CA29), Brad Sherman (CA27), and Anthony Weiner (NY09).
But most of these Democrats oppose impeachment because they are cowering in fear of a counterattack from the White House and FOX News: John Conyers (MI14), Artur Davis (AL07), Bill Delahunt (MA10), Zoe Lofgren (CA16), Jerry Nadler (NY08), Linda Sanchez (CA39), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL20), Bobby Scott (VA03), Betty Sutton (OH13), and Mel Watt (NC12).
Only a few Judiciary Democrats understand that the Founding Fathers gave Congress the power of impeachment as the only way to stop a President from defying the Constitution and becoming a dictator, as Bush has done: Robert Wexler (FL19), Tammy Baldwin (WI02), Steve Cohen (TN09), Keith Ellison (MN05), Luis Gutierrez (IL04), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX18), Hank Johnson (GA04), and Maxine Waters (CA35).
If anti-impeachment Democrats get their way, Friday's 2-hour hearing will be the only "impeachment" hearing for this entire Congress - and then Bush will try to pardon himself and everyone else before leaving office next January, just as his father pardoned six Iran-contra criminals.
Please step up for democracy . Make your calls today before the meeting happens tomorrow morning. I know to some this sounds extreme, but sadly, this could be our last chance to save the Constitution and the Republic. When you make your calls, please report back here and let others know if we should call a particular member of Congress. Thanks for all you do.