Frustrated by the inability of the Democratic Party to filibuster the Alito nomination, I promised myself to do something about the appalling lack of unity in the party. It took me a while to get calm enough to write this letter, but I have finally crafted a thoughtful response that I hope will do some good. I am sending this letter to the 18 Dems who voted for cloture, to Howard Dean, and as an attachment (along with a thank you note) to the 25 Dems who voted against cloture.
Comments are welcome.
February 5, 2006
The Honorable _____________________
U. S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Re.: The Future of the Democratic Party
Dear Senator ____________:
As a fellow member of the Democratic Party, I am writing you to express my deep concerns about the future of our democratic republic and the role of the Democratic Party in our political processes. We now have a Congress that, under Republican leadership, has abdicated its responsibility to serve as a check on the power of the executive branch of our government. What is worse, it seems the Democratic Party has abdicated its responsibility to serve as a check on the power of the majority party in the Senate. You, Senator, have contributed to the erosion of our freedoms by enabling the Republican majority. Our system of government is in jeopardy as a result.
I refer, as an example, to your vote for cloture on the Senate debate of the Samuel Alito nomination. Twenty-four courageous Democrats listened to their constituents and refused to enable the Republican majority. Twenty-four Democrats voted to filibuster the nominee, a man who threatens to erode the right to privacy guaranteed by the 4th Amendment and who supports the “Unitary Executive” theory of government, a theory that obliterates the checks and balances established in the Constitution. Twenty-four Democrats stood up for what they believed was right. You, Senator, did not.
How you actually voted on the nomination is irrelevant, as we both know. The Democratic Party had the power to stop the Alito nomination through the use of the filibuster. There are forty-four Democrats in the Senate, and only forty-one votes were required to prevent cloture. You failed me, your constituents, your party, and your country when you voted to allow Samuel Alito to sit on the Supreme Court. A vote for cloture was, in effect, a vote for Alito.
Why should I or anyone else, for that matter, support the Democratic Party if the party refuses to resist the totalitarian urges of the current administration? The liberal base of the Democratic Party opposed the Alito nomination, vehemently. Nevertheless, nineteen Democrats, including you, voted against the party’s base and enabled the administration. If the Democratic Party is to survive, this can not continue.
Consider, if you will, how it is that the Republican Party became the majority party in Congress. Republicans do not pander to the middle. They support their base and expand their base through strength. I have heard many Republicans complain about the direction in which the country is heading. I have heard them complain about numerous Republican policies. Regardless, these same people vote Republican because they admire the unity and strength of the Republican Party. Republicans are widely perceived as being “strong” while Democrats are regarded as “ineffective, divided, and weak.” This is so because Republicans support their base; they support the principles they espouse. Democrats regularly vote against their base in order to appease supposed “centrist” voters. This strategy is killing us. It makes us look ineffective, divided, and weak when our elected officials vote against the interests of the party’s base. Thus, we lose elections because it is clear that the party will not fight for its stated principles. You, Senator, have enabled the further deteriorization of the party by pandering to centrist voters. If the Democratic Party is to survive, this can not continue.
I urge you to consider that most Americans do not cast their votes on the basis of “issues.” In this day and age, most Americans vote for strength, clarity of purpose, and raw determination. You may believe that some voters will punish you for standing with the party’s base on various issues. However, I invite you to reconsider that notion. I believe that most Americans vote for strength and resolve, regardless of where a given candidate stands on a particular issue. If this is so, the Democratic Party needs to radically change the way it operates. Its elected officials need to learn to listen to the party’s base and vote accordingly. Defection must be punished, severely.
If elected Democrats will regularly support the party’s liberal base, then those of us who follow politics will be pleased to see our representatives actually representing us. We will be encouraged to further support the party and its candidates. By the same token, the majority of Americans, even if they disagree with us on some issues, will see the strength and resolve that is required to have an effective national party. We will win if we can earn the respect of voters. We can only gain that respect by showing an unwillingness to sacrifice the party’s principles.
I implore you to consider this argument, advanced with the sincere hope that we may yet save our nation from the disaster of tyranny. I would ask that you not insult me with a boilerplate response that defends your position on the Alito nomination. The issue that I address, here, goes far beyond your betrayal of the party’s base (and your own, stated principles) in that one, solitary vote.
Sincerely yours,
________________
cc: Mr. Howard Dean, DNC Chair
The Honorable Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader
-Laelth
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