Dear Senators 
You dropped the ball, and it would have been easy for us to heed the Republican call and give up. But when you dropped the ball, Senators, we picked it up. The second you approached us for help, we pounced into action. We leaped to action not because we were sure of victory. We are the reality-based community, after all. We know the numbers are against us. We know the chances of a successful filibuster are near zero. But we also know that if you don't stand up for your beliefs when so much is at stake, rhetoric of opposition rings painfully hollow.
I see reports of Senators waivering on the filibuster because of its "political ramifications." Some of you are afraid of being labeled "obstructionist" by the media. I remind you, Senators, the American people want you to block this nomination. Some 56% of Americans say Alito should not be confirmed if he'll overturn Roe. 52% of Americans think the President should be impeached if he wiretapped Americans without a warrant--yet you're going to allow a judge who thinks there are virtually no limits to Executive Power on the highest court of our land? Had the media had done its job of informing the public about Alito's record rather than running it through the GOP-filter and sanitizing it for public consumption, I guarantee you the outcry against Alito would far surpass that of any other Supreme Court Nominee.
Our forefathers did not contemplate confirmation of a Justice "with the advice and consent of the media." Ignore the pundits and listen to your conscience. Does standing up against Samuel Alito feel like "obstructionism"--or does it feel like one of the last stands against an unprecedented aggrandizement of executive power? Does it feel like "politics," or does it feel like breathing life into our system of checks and balances?
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With numbers like those screaming out to you that Americans want Democratic leadership and Democratic opposition to Bush's policies and choices, why in the world would you be afraid of being labeled "obstructionist"? You do not win elections by cowering from the fight. You win by proving to the American people that no amount of spin, no amount of intimidation, and no amount of taunting by the opposition can make you compromise your principles.
You may think a vote against cloture will hurt your campaigns; I say it will invigorate them. Because with that single vote, you will prove yourself not as a politician, but as a true civil servant. And that entire body of energy and spirit you saw displayed this weekend in your inboxs and voicemail, we will use that to your advantage during your campaigns. Moreover, by standing up against this power-hungry Executive--even in the face of failure--you will prove to America that there is such a thing as "Democratic leadership." And that, Senators, is how we truly regain our majority status: by proving to America we're willing to fight every battle, even if we're destined to lose the war.
I close with the following. If you will not vote against cloture, then consider abstaining from the vote. Your abstention will be a silent protest to a President who views you and your colleagues merely as rubber-stamps for his radical agenda. Abstain, and let those who are willing lead the fight. Our Court, and our country, deserve no less.
KEYWORDS: Samuel Alito, Supreme Court, Senate, filibuster
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