PFAW: Stand up or Step Down: Make Roberts the Line in the Sand!

If there were ever a time to draw a line in the sand with our Democratic Senators, it is now. A stop on the "unstoppable" Roberts nomination will send a clear message to the president that his unrestrained conservative political agenda will march/trample no further over the American People and that congressional Dems have simply had enough of it. It is time for them to stand up to Bush or step down from their leadership of the nation. Dare them to run for re-election after voting for Roberts. Tell them to Stand Up, or Step Down.

Call your Senator and let them know that the vote on Roberts will be THE deciding factor as to whether you campaign and vote for them or their opponent in the next Democratic Primary these incumbents run in. Many, like Joe Lieberman, may already court our ire, but this should be the complete last straw, and any Democrat who allows the Roberts nomination to go forward and be confirmed is toast. If they are incapable of doing what is necessary (including getting real, non-evasive answers from Supreme Court nominees) to defend our freedoms and liberties as Americans, then we will elect someone who will.


More from People for the American Way:
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We Have to Be in a Fight to Win One


It's not just about winning or losing, it's about whether our leaders are willing to defend our core values.

We won't lie to you -- John Roberts did a great job smooth-talking his way through his hearings (while saying very little). With some notable exceptions, few senators were appropriately outraged at Roberts' appalling record, non-responsiveness, and deceptive answers. Some of our leaders seem afraid to take a stand against Roberts.

Progressive activists have long been demanding that their leaders take principled stands for our core values -- voting rights, women's rights, environmental rights, privacy rights, and reproductive rights. Now is the time for us to remind our leaders that their job is to do the right thing. The vote on Roberts' nomination is about much more than whether he should become our nation's next chief justice. It's about whether our leaders are going to stand up for our core values or cave when push comes to shove.

The progressive community needs to remind our national leaders that if they won't stand up for our values when we need them, we won't be there for them. We need to hold our leaders accountable -- tell them to vote no on Roberts because it's the right thing to do.

To paraphrase the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, we have to be in a fight to win one. The battle over Roberts is a crucial installment in our ongoing war against the right wing's effort to roll back the progressive gains of the last century. No one's guaranteeing that we'll win this round, but we cannot desert the battlefield.

Tell Senators Reid and Leahy that they need to stand up for our values on an important vote like this.

Call:
Sen. Harry Reid (202) 224-3542
Sen. Patrick Leahy (202) 224-4242
Tell us how your calls go by visiting
www.SaveTheCourt.org/CallReport

From what I'm reading, Roberts may be the least of our worries. He seems to have mellowed with age, so to speak, and is probably one of those who will become more liberal on the court, once he is free of influence.
However, I'm very worried about O'Connor's replacement. The only thing we can hope for there is, that Bush is traumatized somewhat by his recent failures vis a vis Katrina.
But Bush rarely does the intelligent thing; he just goes along with the Party line.
I'm not sure I will like Roberts. But I feel we might ought to save our strength for the next one, when we will probably need it more.

Roberts' lack of candor clearly reflects his contempt for the constitution. A better man would have simply withdrawn himself from consideration once what little we have been able to pry from his secretive handlers about his checkered past came to light. But he didn't. He has no shame. He is on a mission. That mission is to destroy the country -- the same agenda as those who promote him. He will do their bidding.

What galls me the most is your use of the frequently used phrase, "save our strength for the next one." Sometimes, people phrase it differently, like, "keep your powder dry," or, "pick your battles." Well, this shopworn phrase has been used countless times over the past five years. And the fact is that you can only do that for so long. After a while, your "keg of dry powder" will be useless because the war is over. Your opponent has won and all you have left are your locked shackles and your now-worthless keg of dry powder.

For the past six years I have gone up and down the ladder of pain, agony, anger and apoplexy. The truth is, I'm tired. This administration has done so much that is so wrong, that I'm not sure I now can take on this one.
The truth is this:
We can rant, rave, waste our breath and it will still happen. I have lost all hope.
We are truly fucked.