A Call to Action: A few days ago I read a long opinion piece in the Washington Post by Robert Kagan. It’s titled “Our Constitutional Crisis is Already Here” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/23/robert-kagan-constitutional-crisis/. It's grim; it's very grim. But at the end he offers what he believes could avert the comp…
A Call to Action: A few days ago I read a long opinion piece in the Washington Post by Robert Kagan. It’s titled “Our Constitutional Crisis is Already Here” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/23/robert-kagan-constitutional-crisis/. It's grim; it's very grim. But at the end he offers what he believes could avert the complete disaster that is coming at us fast, and that is the formation of a coalition by the seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump of incitement of insurrection, a coalition formed for "the sole purpose of saving the republic," a coalition that would join with Democrats to pass into law the Freedom to Vote Act (Manchin's compromise voting act) and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Robert Kagan is a scholar who, in May 2016, wrote another opinion piece in the Post about Trump's campaign called, "This is How Fascism Comes to America."
I am calling on the tens of thousands of us who read Heather's letters, along with anyone else we can inspire, to call or write posted letters -- snail mail, as email is not effective -- to each of these seven senators. Not the time to argue who is sincere, who has integrity. These are who we've got. Below is a list of their Washington addresses and phone numbers.
Please remember that all of these people have suffered greatly for their vote on that day. My suggestion is to appeal to their love of country, not to criticize them, to tell them their country needs them to prevent radical Trumpists from destroying this nation, to prevent the possibility of Trump winning a second term, to prevent one-party rule -- etc., and that we need them to step up now as the 2022 elections could otherwise mark our descent into autocracy.
I am sorry that you have suffered greatly for doing the right thing with your vote to impeach Trump. You have my eternal gratitude. As a fellow American I am writing to ask for your help again. Our country needs your help to save our democracy and defend the Constitution. We need you to step up now as the 2022 elections could possibly result in the replacement of democracy with autocracy, and we especially need you to reach out to your peers and encourage them to help with this effort.
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill
If you have decent handwriting and the time, writing each letter out longhand shows an additional level of caring and involvement. It’s a greater investment of time and energy than typing one letter, then printing multiple copies with the name edited and makes your appeal more personal.
"Seven Republican senators voted to convict Trump for inciting an insurrection and attempting to overturn a free and fair election: Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Romney, Sasse and Patrick J. Toomey. It was a brave vote, a display of republican virtue, especially for the five who are not retiring in 2022. All have faced angry backlashes — Romney was booed and called a traitor at the Utah Republican convention; Burr and Cassidy were unanimously censured by their state parties. Yet as much credit as they deserve for taking this stand, it was almost entirely symbolic. When it comes to concrete action that might prevent a debacle in 2024, they have balked."
We can at least write them anyway and try to encourage them to step up, and possibly even recruit a few more of their peers to join them in saving our democracy. We need at least 10 total to turn the tide. It's worth a try.
Right. I know that passage very well. But he goes on to say that these anti-Trump senators know there is no future for them in a Trumpian-controlled state, and that with that kind of pressure, it is not impossible for them to make the leap of joining the Democrats even if only on voting rights alone.
I'm sorry, why don't you go hold your breath till those Republicans do anything? Every last one of them is voting in lockstep with McConnell and any vote they might have taken before has no bearing whatsoever on what they do now. And BTW, no politician listens to anyone who doesn't live in his/her district and can vote for them. So, nice sentiment, but be careful if you decide to hold your breath till they act like responsible human beings, because if you try to do that, you'll turn blue and die.
I have stamps, pens and cards. At the very least those 7 should know that many are watching what they say and do, even if we aren't in their districts. It is well known that one person taking the time to write or post an opinion represents many others who share that opinion but don't take the time to express it.
Not if your zip code isn't in their district. Trust me on that. I worked in the business, and no one ever paid attention to anyone who couldn't do anything about whatever it was they were concerned about. And the "anything" is Vote Against Them.
Those who are not running for re-election won't care. The importance to me is that they know people are watching. If they even get a handful of thank you notes for voting to impeach, at least it might in a tiny way offset the hate mail that no doubt they have received an abundance of, because human nature is such that people are quick to criticize but less motivated to express gratitude.
TC is right about being ignored if you are not in a member’s district. I tried to send an email to another representative in my state. I could not get past the zip code barrier. I wanted to communicate with a representative who might heed what I wanted to say.
Writing to my congressman is a waste of time; he votes in R lockstep.
Jenn, this is where the handwritten letters come in. No zip code barrier, and if you don't add a return address, as someone suggested, it won't be so easy to see that you're not a constituent. Remember that these few people bucked their own party, and at great risk, so they're not the usual garden variety Repug. At the very least, they deserve a Way to Go note for their contribution.
TCinLA: From what I've seen in polling about the Biden plan and the majority of people across the country, regardless of Blue or Red states, being in favor of it, it would appear the Repuglicans are absolutely ignoring their own constituents, by refusing to consider helping them by supporting the Biden plans.
TC, I love you, and agree that it might not do a bit of good, but you never know what extending a hand might do. Remember, these people have been abused by their own for having a conscience, so they might be as anxious as we are to see our democracy survive. This certainly can't hurt, can it? If nothing else, I'll admit it will be something that makes me feel as though I'm contributing in a tangible way, besides funneling cash to my favorites. It beats being defeatist. As Janice says, below, at least they'll know that we're watching.
If it would do any good I would be cheering for it. And I cheer for the people who say it needs to be done because their hearts are obviously in the right place. Perhaps it won't change minds, but a letter sent to your representative (assuming they're not a Republican) telling them how strongly you support what they're doing would have the benefit of helping to stiffen their spines - something they're going to very much be in need of right now.
Hey, great idea. Most of these Senators are old enough to appreciate a snail more than an 'e'. My letters will have an Italian postmark. The whole world is watching.
Yes. Thank you for saying this. Some don't think these lawmakers will listen to anyone who is not from their state. I disagree. The whole world is indeed watching.
Yes. Last night I posted it in the comments of Heather's letter on Facebook (huge audience there, as you know; got there right when she posted, so it's being seen), and also on my own feed. And I will be emailing it to friends. Thanks, Gailee.
Hi, yes, the idea it that if these seven were to shift, more would join. I don't believe every single on of the 43 others are opportunistic sharks. Some are just scared. Some are both of course, but I suspect there are another three in there who are more scared than anything else.
Yeah. We don't actually know yet if it is a dream or not. We've never been here before. However, as Kagan points out in his piece, and Heather has described many times, the Republican Party itself was formed in the 1850s by men who abandoned their previous parties when they saw that appeasement about slavery was a threat to the nation itself. We are not asking these senators to leave their party. We're not even asking them to vote for anything beyond these two voting acts.
But there is now no place in THIS Republican Party for anyone who puts country over party. These senators know this. As Kagan writes, if doing what is necessary to save our democratic system "means political suicide for this handful of Republicans, wouldn’t it be better to go out fighting for democracy than to slink off quietly into the night"?
Yes. But my feeling is that for some people, maybe most in the end, their better instincts are often squelched by fear. The idea here is safety in numbers. We've all been there, no? These senators, they're just people, after all. Speaking now of the ones with some integrity, not the vast majority who are power hungry opportunistic hypocrites. Yes, they took an oath, a sacred oath, to protect US not any party, not any leader. It is their sworn duty to do so. And they have fail spectacularly. But it's not over yet, not quite yet. And if these few can be swayed to listen to their better angels, we have a chance.
Did Kagan actually say this? “Their bigotry, for the most part, is typical white American bigotry, perhaps with an added measure of resentment and a less filtered mode of expression since Trump arrived on the scene.” The Hillbilly people. The White Supremacist s like Larry Elder. Come now. Didn’t Hillary claim election fraud? Now it looks like she was behind the Russian hoax that almost took down a sitting President. Deplorable no? It is a two way street. Sadly. Trump is running, but he is actually almost 100% of what is in this Letter everyday. We need to change that and we will find our way.
Just answer directly one question David Carroll: Do you agree that the debt ceiling should NOT be raised? Yes or no. Because the question for our nation right now requires a yes or no answer. I don't want to hear about this and that. Just a yes or no answer please. If you can't do that, you are not worth listening to as far as I'm concerned.
A Call to Action: A few days ago I read a long opinion piece in the Washington Post by Robert Kagan. It’s titled “Our Constitutional Crisis is Already Here” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/23/robert-kagan-constitutional-crisis/. It's grim; it's very grim. But at the end he offers what he believes could avert the complete disaster that is coming at us fast, and that is the formation of a coalition by the seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump of incitement of insurrection, a coalition formed for "the sole purpose of saving the republic," a coalition that would join with Democrats to pass into law the Freedom to Vote Act (Manchin's compromise voting act) and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Robert Kagan is a scholar who, in May 2016, wrote another opinion piece in the Post about Trump's campaign called, "This is How Fascism Comes to America."
I am calling on the tens of thousands of us who read Heather's letters, along with anyone else we can inspire, to call or write posted letters -- snail mail, as email is not effective -- to each of these seven senators. Not the time to argue who is sincere, who has integrity. These are who we've got. Below is a list of their Washington addresses and phone numbers.
Please remember that all of these people have suffered greatly for their vote on that day. My suggestion is to appeal to their love of country, not to criticize them, to tell them their country needs them to prevent radical Trumpists from destroying this nation, to prevent the possibility of Trump winning a second term, to prevent one-party rule -- etc., and that we need them to step up now as the 2022 elections could otherwise mark our descent into autocracy.
Thank you.
Richard Burr, NC (retiring)
217 Russell Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3153
Bill Cassidy, LA
520 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5824
Lisa Murkowski, AK
522 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-6665
Mitt Romney, UT
354 Russell Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-228-0836
Ben Sasse, NE
139 Russell Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-4224
Patrick J. Toomey, PA (retiring)
248 Russell Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-4254
Susan Collins, ME
413 Dirksen Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator [lastname]:
I am sorry that you have suffered greatly for doing the right thing with your vote to impeach Trump. You have my eternal gratitude. As a fellow American I am writing to ask for your help again. Our country needs your help to save our democracy and defend the Constitution. We need you to step up now as the 2022 elections could possibly result in the replacement of democracy with autocracy, and we especially need you to reach out to your peers and encourage them to help with this effort.
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill
Thank you.
Thank you, Janice and Nomi, for making it so easy for us to do something positive!
If you have decent handwriting and the time, writing each letter out longhand shows an additional level of caring and involvement. It’s a greater investment of time and energy than typing one letter, then printing multiple copies with the name edited and makes your appeal more personal.
Rats...I used to have decent handwriting. Something happened to it. I did handwrite the envelopes😉
Lynell, you wrote letters. You wrote letters! A posted letter means a lot.
Yes.
Add "The Honorable (Full name) to the address line!
Smart! Glad you're on our side!!! I knew that, but might have overlooked the protocol.
The Honorable Senator - ? Good tip, in any case. Thanks.
The addressee line should read "The Honorable Mary Smith." The greeting line should read "Dear Senator Smith."
Thanks!
Absolutely brilliant, thank you.
Thank you, Janice. You made this so much easier...letter is ready to go.
I will be writing letters. Thank you Janice and Nomi for this info.
Me too! Thank You
'Just Janice' is not just Janice, thank you.
Perfect letter - thanks -especially like the John Stuart Mill quote to end with!
Will be sending out these perfect letters!
Done! Thanks JustJanice and Nomi for facilitating this group effort :)
Thanks for sharing the link to the article.
This particular passage is of note:
"Seven Republican senators voted to convict Trump for inciting an insurrection and attempting to overturn a free and fair election: Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Romney, Sasse and Patrick J. Toomey. It was a brave vote, a display of republican virtue, especially for the five who are not retiring in 2022. All have faced angry backlashes — Romney was booed and called a traitor at the Utah Republican convention; Burr and Cassidy were unanimously censured by their state parties. Yet as much credit as they deserve for taking this stand, it was almost entirely symbolic. When it comes to concrete action that might prevent a debacle in 2024, they have balked."
We can at least write them anyway and try to encourage them to step up, and possibly even recruit a few more of their peers to join them in saving our democracy. We need at least 10 total to turn the tide. It's worth a try.
Right. I know that passage very well. But he goes on to say that these anti-Trump senators know there is no future for them in a Trumpian-controlled state, and that with that kind of pressure, it is not impossible for them to make the leap of joining the Democrats even if only on voting rights alone.
Burr, Toomey, Portman, Shelby, and Blunt have all announced 2022 retirements. If the latter three could be convinced, that makes ten.
Don't think Lisa will retire.
I didn’t mean convinced to retire, but rather induced to support voting rights. Sorry if I wasn’t clear.
Great team effort Nomi and Just Janice. While I’m at it, I’ll send letters to my 2 R Senators and 1 D Congressman instead of the usual emails.
I'm sorry, why don't you go hold your breath till those Republicans do anything? Every last one of them is voting in lockstep with McConnell and any vote they might have taken before has no bearing whatsoever on what they do now. And BTW, no politician listens to anyone who doesn't live in his/her district and can vote for them. So, nice sentiment, but be careful if you decide to hold your breath till they act like responsible human beings, because if you try to do that, you'll turn blue and die.
I have stamps, pens and cards. At the very least those 7 should know that many are watching what they say and do, even if we aren't in their districts. It is well known that one person taking the time to write or post an opinion represents many others who share that opinion but don't take the time to express it.
Not if your zip code isn't in their district. Trust me on that. I worked in the business, and no one ever paid attention to anyone who couldn't do anything about whatever it was they were concerned about. And the "anything" is Vote Against Them.
Those who are not running for re-election won't care. The importance to me is that they know people are watching. If they even get a handful of thank you notes for voting to impeach, at least it might in a tiny way offset the hate mail that no doubt they have received an abundance of, because human nature is such that people are quick to criticize but less motivated to express gratitude.
So what actions do you suggest that people who wish to live in a democracy, us, take?
I am writing real letters, the kind with a stamp? To bypass the online zip code issue.
I write postcards. I wrote to Californians, supporting Newsom. I wrote to Virginians. I am writing to Floridians, supporting Vote By Mail.
Smart!
TC is right about being ignored if you are not in a member’s district. I tried to send an email to another representative in my state. I could not get past the zip code barrier. I wanted to communicate with a representative who might heed what I wanted to say.
Writing to my congressman is a waste of time; he votes in R lockstep.
Jenn, this is where the handwritten letters come in. No zip code barrier, and if you don't add a return address, as someone suggested, it won't be so easy to see that you're not a constituent. Remember that these few people bucked their own party, and at great risk, so they're not the usual garden variety Repug. At the very least, they deserve a Way to Go note for their contribution.
TCinLA: From what I've seen in polling about the Biden plan and the majority of people across the country, regardless of Blue or Red states, being in favor of it, it would appear the Repuglicans are absolutely ignoring their own constituents, by refusing to consider helping them by supporting the Biden plans.
To me, the problem is that it is Biden's plan. Therefore, the Repuglicans cannot be in favor of it.
TC, I love you, and agree that it might not do a bit of good, but you never know what extending a hand might do. Remember, these people have been abused by their own for having a conscience, so they might be as anxious as we are to see our democracy survive. This certainly can't hurt, can it? If nothing else, I'll admit it will be something that makes me feel as though I'm contributing in a tangible way, besides funneling cash to my favorites. It beats being defeatist. As Janice says, below, at least they'll know that we're watching.
If it would do any good I would be cheering for it. And I cheer for the people who say it needs to be done because their hearts are obviously in the right place. Perhaps it won't change minds, but a letter sent to your representative (assuming they're not a Republican) telling them how strongly you support what they're doing would have the benefit of helping to stiffen their spines - something they're going to very much be in need of right now.
Thanks for the good idea. I'll be copying Warnock and Ossoff. They're pretty tough, and Warnock has only until the midterms. Love him.
What do you suggest then? Better yet what are you doing now?
What is your solution?
Abolish the debt ceiling before it commits austerity again.
The GOP used the debt ceiling to force spending cuts in 2011. It can’t be allowed again.
https://www.epi.org/blog/abolish-the-debt-ceiling-before-it-commits-austerity-again-the-gop-used-the-debt-ceiling-to-force-spending-cuts-in-2011-it-cant-be-allowed-again/
TCinLA.........sad, but true
Hey, great idea. Most of these Senators are old enough to appreciate a snail more than an 'e'. My letters will have an Italian postmark. The whole world is watching.
Yes. Thank you for saying this. Some don't think these lawmakers will listen to anyone who is not from their state. I disagree. The whole world is indeed watching.
DONE & DONE, X 2 (My wife also). Thank you Big time!
I will do SO, ASAP. Thanks for the suggestion and info!
Will do this and ask friends to do it as well. Thank you for the list, it makes the task so much easier.
Thank YOU, Suzanne.
I have, and I've shared this with friends across the country.
Oh, thank you so much, Gailee. I'm trying to figure out how to get this to more people. This is not something I've done before.
Can you email it to your friends? Post it on all your social media? That is what I am doing.
Yes. Last night I posted it in the comments of Heather's letter on Facebook (huge audience there, as you know; got there right when she posted, so it's being seen), and also on my own feed. And I will be emailing it to friends. Thanks, Gailee.
Seven Republicans is three short of what is necessary.
Hi, yes, the idea it that if these seven were to shift, more would join. I don't believe every single on of the 43 others are opportunistic sharks. Some are just scared. Some are both of course, but I suspect there are another three in there who are more scared than anything else.
That's seven more than we had yesterday! Three could happen if we stay vigilant.
Add Portman, Shelby and Blunt, as suggested above. That's ten, and they're in office until 2022.
Senator Richard Shelby
304 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Senator Roy Blunt
260 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Senator Rob Portman
448 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Thanks, Lynelle.
I will write to mine, who is not on that list. Hope springs eternal!
Aren’t 10 repub votes needed?
Yes. The idea is that if these seven step up, a few more will join.
"A few more will join" is a dream if there ever was one. But, I'll dream with you, Nomi.
Yeah. We don't actually know yet if it is a dream or not. We've never been here before. However, as Kagan points out in his piece, and Heather has described many times, the Republican Party itself was formed in the 1850s by men who abandoned their previous parties when they saw that appeasement about slavery was a threat to the nation itself. We are not asking these senators to leave their party. We're not even asking them to vote for anything beyond these two voting acts.
But there is now no place in THIS Republican Party for anyone who puts country over party. These senators know this. As Kagan writes, if doing what is necessary to save our democratic system "means political suicide for this handful of Republicans, wouldn’t it be better to go out fighting for democracy than to slink off quietly into the night"?
If they are really patriots, they will go out fighting!
Yes. But my feeling is that for some people, maybe most in the end, their better instincts are often squelched by fear. The idea here is safety in numbers. We've all been there, no? These senators, they're just people, after all. Speaking now of the ones with some integrity, not the vast majority who are power hungry opportunistic hypocrites. Yes, they took an oath, a sacred oath, to protect US not any party, not any leader. It is their sworn duty to do so. And they have fail spectacularly. But it's not over yet, not quite yet. And if these few can be swayed to listen to their better angels, we have a chance.
Portman, Shelby and Blunt, retiring, as above. Can't hurt.
Did Kagan actually say this? “Their bigotry, for the most part, is typical white American bigotry, perhaps with an added measure of resentment and a less filtered mode of expression since Trump arrived on the scene.” The Hillbilly people. The White Supremacist s like Larry Elder. Come now. Didn’t Hillary claim election fraud? Now it looks like she was behind the Russian hoax that almost took down a sitting President. Deplorable no? It is a two way street. Sadly. Trump is running, but he is actually almost 100% of what is in this Letter everyday. We need to change that and we will find our way.
I've read your comment several times and can't figure out what in the world you are trying to say.
He's a troll and not worth responding to.
That is okay. This is common./ David Carroll will hurt your brain if you are a critical thinker. Best to not give it too much time.
Funny. I will hurt your brain if you are a critical thinker. Think about that ;).
Hr’s stoned.
You can’t call half of America racist because they are American first.
What a breathtakingly stupid statement.
DC revels in any kind of attention.
Thank you :)
https://www.axios.com/white-replacement-theory-gains-ground-among-gop-b171e37d-3f27-43f2-bc25-a084c9fe7aad.html
Has anyone mentioned lately that you are a drooling idiot?
Oxygen - remove the oxygen.
You are the first. Thanks!!
Zzzzzzzz….
Just answer directly one question David Carroll: Do you agree that the debt ceiling should NOT be raised? Yes or no. Because the question for our nation right now requires a yes or no answer. I don't want to hear about this and that. Just a yes or no answer please. If you can't do that, you are not worth listening to as far as I'm concerned.
Yes. …. And of course they will. After they play chicken. It’s just part of the game. Funny, they have now switched sides. Crazy.
Wow! You are so confused!