[From the diaries by susanhu.]
Those are the words of Colorado Democratic Senator Ken Salazar in an article in today’s New York Times in reference to the nomination of Sam Alito to the Supreme Court.
Some Democratic members of the group said Tuesday that it was premature to rule out a filibuster on Judge Alito’s nomination.
“It certainly is a possibility,” Senator Ken Salazar, a Colorado Democrat in the group, said.
“It may include some Republicans as well as Democrats,” Mr. Salazar said, criticizing the president for naming a man instead of a woman to succeed Justice O’Connor. “America deserves better than what we got here.”
I am a frequent critic of Senator Salazar, whom I worked hard to elect. But today he gets it, and he needs to hear that we appreciate his words and would like to see them become actions when Mr. Alito is unmasked as dangerously far from American values. Senator Salazar is part of the “Gang of 14” who staved off a filibuster before, and his role in the Alito nomination has particular clout.
Please call and write Senator Ken Salazar to thank him. (His office has gone back and forth on whether they accept calls from outside Colorado, so if you’re not actually one of his constituents then be prepared to hang up politely.) Point out that the current agreement was based on the President consulting with the Senate, which he did not do for either Miers or Alito. Let him know that Sam Alito would not represent American values as a Justice, and that you expect Democrats to oppose him and to filibuster if necessary.
Senator Ken Salazar’s Washington number is (202) 224-5852 and his email contact form is here. I would encourage you to call first, write second. We need to use both the carrot and the stick to train our Democrats to represent us again. Thanks for feeding carrots!
