Journalists should be challenged to question politicians who dare indict the Congress for doing nothing even as they have been supporting the filibusters and vetoes that have blocked action. Citizens should hold their legislators accountable, demanding that they break with the obstruction strategy. Politicians should be challenged in town meetings, and face barrages of calls and letters. Newspaper editorial boards, and radio and TV talk show hosts, should be challenged to ask the legislators how they can complain about nothing getting done when they are part of the minority blocking progress.
Resources For The Debate
The Campaign for America’s Future is joining with a range of groups to provide resources for this effort to expose the obstruction. CAF has released a video on YouTube to dramatize the strategy, inviting people to share it with their friends. CAF will provide an up-to-date web page on the filibusters and the veto threats, including the voting record of each senator on efforts to stop the filibuster and allow an up-or-down vote. We will work with activists from Americans United, USAction, Moveon.org and other groups to hold press conferences in states challenging senators who have joined the minority that is blocking vital reforms. ThinkProgress and MediaMatters have already published extensive reporting challenging the strategy of obstruction.
To make this work, citizens across the country—particularly those whose senators are part of the obstructionist minority—have to get involved. Challenge your media to expose the truth. Challenge your legislators in town meetings. Write your friends to flood your legislators with the demand that they stop their obstruction and allow needed changes to go forward.
The only way we can gain an honest debate in Washington—in which vital reforms can be passed with an up or down vote—is to insure that those who join the minority blocking progress for partisan purposes are held accountable, and decide that the strategy is too controversial to pursue.
Once again, watch our video, tell your friends, and get involved.
Robert L. Borosage is co-director of the Campaign for America’s Future.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
