Senator Maria Cantwell
Cantwell for Senate
P.O. Box 12740
Seattle, Washington 98111
Dear Senator Cantwell:
I received a fundraising solicitation from your campaign the other day and I have to say I agree with you. The election of Mike McGavick, or any other Republican at this point in time, to one of Washington’s Senatorial seats would be a disaster for the people of our state.
You ask me to contribute to your re-election. You should understand that I would never wittingly fund the Republican agenda. Therefore, before I contribute to your re-election I want to make absolutely sure you are representing my interests.
I will be watching to make sure that you vote against confirmation of John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. This is an absolute must. Roberts is my age and therefore I can assume he will be shaping the decisions of the Court for the rest of my life. Given his views on controversial subjects like privacy and women’s rights, I feel that no Democrat should be voting to confirm him, and I will be watching to make sure you oppose him.
I will be watching to make sure that you vote against repeal of the estate tax as well. This is also a must. In a time of national crisis, there is no excuse for voting to deprive the government of the funds it needs to perform the services we citizens expect of it.
There are many other subjects I am interested in that fall into broad categories rather than specific legislation — enhancement of personal privacy; repeal of the more onerous provisions of the PATRIOT Act; reduction of the power of corporations over the lives of American citizens; opposition to Social Security privatization; a speedy end to American involvement in Iraq and the return of American troops; accountability for the lives and property lost due to inaction, indifference and negligence in the wake of Hurricane Katrina; funding of education at all levels, including a repeal of the No Child Left Behind Act; support for science and the arts in schools; universal health care; and providing full funding of health care and benefits for those who have honorably served our country when called on to do so — and I will be monitoring your votes on them.
In short, Senator, I want to see the Democrats who represent me in Congress be part of an opposition party. To be blunt about it, the agenda of the current administration is ruining this country, and I do not want my representatives to be complicit in the process of dismantling the country I grew up in and love. I believe the Democrats have better solutions to the nation’s problems of poverty, inequality, employment, health care, education, defense and response to threats domestic, foreign and natural than the Republicans, but unless the Democrats start standing up and saying that they have these better solutions instead of being yes-men to the Republicans in power, we will never know about these solutions and never have a chance to even consider them as alternatives to the mess our country is in now.
To the extent that your votes and actions align with my values, I will be happy to support you in your re-election. I warn you, it won’t be much, but I will give knowing that I am not funding a Republican agenda that considers me a second-class citizen for not following lock-step with them, when they consider me at all.
Sincerely,
(signed) Omir the Storyteller
Seattle, Washington
I fully intend to send this as a paper letter to the Cantwell campaign, but want to make sure I’m not putting my foot in it before I do.
This letter has two purposes, actually. One is to inform Senator Cantwell of how I feel and what I expect of the Democrats who represent me. That’s a secondary objective, however, because I think she already holds similar positions to mine on many of the subjects that mattter. The primary reason is for others to use this as a template when writing their own Senators who are up for re-election. Especially those of you who are saddled with the Feinsteins and Liebermanns of government.
So, what do you think?
Instead of contributing to your campaign, or the campaign of anyone running for office at this time, I will be donating my money to relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
You’ll have my vote, if and when I hear your views on accountability for our public officials in relationship to the treatment of the poor in this country.
(Sorry I can’t mince words and feelings right now; they can all go fuck themselves when it comes to receiving money. I watched too many people die before my eyes to think of sending more money and resources to the well off, even if they are democrats running for office.)
The election is not until November 2006. That gives Senator Cantwell plenty of time to prove to me that she deserves any money I can spare, and for me to donate to disaster relief as well.
Much of the point of this letter is that money talks, and perhaps if a letter comes with a dollar-denomiated carrot and a ballot-borne stick, Democrats running for election might just sit up and listen.
If I had been through what you’ve been through, though, I might say the same thing. I can only speak to my own experience and situation.
Omir, I respect your views immensely and have enjoyed your diaries. I have come to the point of deciding that giving money to well-of people to run for office is no longer the answer.
I respect that you decide to do so, I’m just speaking for myself. Two centuries of electoral politics in this country has led us to a this horrible disaster, a class-divided society, and deteriorating economic conditions for most Americans.
I’m not saying I won’t vote, btw, but I will reserve my limited financial resources to help myself and those close to me, and the victims of this disaster.
Now, give me a sinner and a poor man running for office, and I might change my mind.