CONTACT:
Brian Stewart, MoveOn.org | press@moveon.org | 319-936-3901
Josh Nelson, CREDO Action | jnelson@credoaction.com | 202-550-6175
TODAY: Progressive Coalition Holding More Than 50 Events Telling
Senate Republicans to ‘Do Your Job’ and Commit to Voting on President
Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee
Fourth largest social media Thunderclap in history – supported by
high-profile accounts including @barackobama and @MarkRuffalo – urging
Senate GOP to #DoYourJob set to reach more than 76 million social
media users.
On Monday, the first day back home for Senators during their March
recess, thousands of voters will participate in more than 50 events
across the country urging Senate Republicans to “Do Your Job!” and
uphold their Constitutional obligation to consider a presidential
appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.
At events outside local Congressional offices, constituents will offer
to enroll Republican Senators in a “Civics 101 Refresher” by paying
for the cost of taking a basic government course at a local college or
community college. Attendees will carry an oversized enrollment form
completed with Senators’ information and copies of Article II, Section
II of the Constitution, which describes the power of the president and
role of the Senate in judicial appointments. The gesture is inspired
in part by the late American author Harper Lee who, in 1966, offered
to enroll an entire school board in the first grade after they
attempted to ban To Kill A Mockingbird from their schools.
More than three dozen national organizations are coordinating the
nationwide day of action – including progressive groups like
MoveOn.org,Civic Action, CREDO Action, Democracy for America,
Organizing for Action, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
A full list of participating organizations is below.
- In Des Moines, Iowa voters will rally outside Senator Chuck Grassley’s office at 210 Walnut Street at 12pm local time. Coinciding the action, a plane will fly a banner over the rally reading “Sen. Grassley do your job! #FillTheSeat.” For more information, click here.
- In Cleveland, Ohio voters will rally outside Senator Rob Portman’s office at 1240 E 9th Street at 1:30pm local time. Coinciding the action, a plane will fly a banner over the rally reading “Sen. Portman do your job! #FillTheSeat.” For more information, click here.
- In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania voters in an action outside Senator Pat Toomey’s office at 228 Walnut Street at 12pm local time. Coinciding the action, a plane will fly a banner over the rally reading “Sen. Toomey do your job! #FillTheSeat.” For more information, click here.
- In MIlwaukee, Wisconsin voters will rally outside Senator Ron Johnson’s offices at 200 E. Wells Street at 11am local time. Coinciding the action, a plane will fly a banner over the rally reading “Sen. Johnson do your job! #FillTheSeat.” For more information, click here.
- In Austin, Texas voters outside Senator John Cornyn’s office at 221 West 6th Street at 12pm local time. Coinciding the action, a plane will fly a banner over the rally reading “Sen. Cornyn do your job! #FillTheSeat.” For more information, click here.
Find a local event in your neighborhood here:
http://act.moveon.org/event/sc_mar21/
Additionally, voters will gather outside offices of Senate Democrats
to thank them for standing with President Obama and rejecting
Republicans’ partisan attempts to ignore their Constitutional
obligations.
In addition to the events, MoveOn members and allies are also driving
calls to district offices and launching a social media effort to urge
Senators to advise and consider a nominee. That effort includes a
major Thunderclap that is set to reach more than 76 million social
media accounts – the fourth largest Thunderclap in history – urging
the Senate GOP to #DoYourJob and is supported by high profile social
media accounts, including those of President Obama (@barackobama) and
actor Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo).
“In President Obama’s final year, Republicans want to do everything
they can to obstruct and undermine his presidency, including saying
they won’t consider any nominee President Obama puts forward to fill
the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Jo Comerford, MoveOn.org
Civic Action campaign director. “MoveOn members and allies across the
country are calling on members of Congress to do their jobs and
consider a nominee. The stakes are simply too high to allow a partisan
shutdown of a constitutionally-mandated process.”
“Senate Republicans don’t get to subvert the Constitution and refuse
to do their jobs just because they don’t like President Obama,” said
CREDO Action Political Director Murshed Zaheed. “When the American
people elected and re-elected President Obama by huge margins they did
so knowing he would have the opportunity to fill any Supreme Court
vacancies that came up during his term in office,” Zaheed continued,
adding, “obstructing President Obama’s nominee is a radical,
anti-democratic power grab – and the American people aren’t buying
it.”
“Americans overwhelmingly want the Senate to do its job and move the
Supreme Court nomination process forward,” said Adam Green,
Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder. “Senate Republicans
are obstructing our democracy in such a high profile and destructive
way that it offends the public on a visceral level, and voters of all
political stripes will make their frustration with Senate Republicans
known on Election Day.”
“The untimely passing of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Scalia revealed
the depths of obstructionism in Congress – specifically in the
Senate,” said Dr. Gabriela D. Lemus, President, Progressive Congress.
“By refusing to allow the nomination process to be carried out, the
Senate Majority demonstrates a clear disrespect for the President and
the office that he holds. The President is bound by his
constitutional duty to nominate a Justice who he believes to be
’eminently qualified’ for consideration. It is the Senate’s
constitutional duty to grant the candidate a fair hearing and an up or
down vote. We hope that the senators will do their jobs and move
quickly to consider the President’s nominee. The Constitution
dictates that they do so – and it’s what the American people expect of
their elected leaders.”
“The Republican obstructionism of the Supreme Court nomination is a
slap in the face to democracy and our constitution. It’s outrageous,
and the American people are disgusted with it,” said Eddie Kurtz,
Executive Director of Courage Campaign. “The American people are
already sick and tired of Washington dysfunction, and we’re giving
Republicans two choices: Either do your job and give Chief Judge
Garland a fair hearing, or pay for it in November.”
“Since taking control of the Senate last year, Republicans have
refused to do their job on judicial nominations,” said Christopher
Kang, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans National Director.
“In 2015, the Senate confirmed only 11 judges–the fewest in more than
50 years. Now, Republicans are taking their obstruction to the highest
court in the land, and for the first time in history, a pending
Supreme Court nominee may be denied even a hearing. The Senate must
uphold the Constitution and support our third branch of government by
promptly considering the President’s Supreme Court nominee and his
lower court nominees as well.”
“Americans deserve a full Supreme Court bench, and President Obama’s
nominee deserves a hearing. There is no doubt that Merrick Garland is
a highly qualified candidate, and the Senate has a Constitutional
responsibility to give him swift and fair consideration,” said HRC
President Chad Griffin. “The Supreme Court has a sacred responsibility
to uphold the rights of all citizens, and we must hold accountable any
politicians who tamper with our nation’s highest court for their own
gain.”
“Sen. Mitch McConnell’s refusal to even consider President Obama’s
Supreme Court nominee is an appalling gesture of contempt for the
Court, the Constitution, and the American people,” said Miles
Rapoport, President of Common Cause. “We are pleased that some of his
Republican colleagues, including Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Sen. Susan
Collins (R-ME), have rejected Sen. McConnell’s obstruction and joined
in calling for a hearing and an up-or-down vote. More than 80,000
people have used SenateDoYourJob.org to call on their senators to do
the same. The website includes the ‘Garland-Kennedy Countdown Clock’
to measure the Senate’s performance against the standard it set in
providing an election-year vote to Justice Kennedy 84 days after
President Reagan announced his nomination. The President has done his
job and Americans expect senators to do theirs. In any other
workplace, employees who so cavalierly shunned their duties would be
fired.”
“There’s too much on the line for Sierra Club members and supporters
to sit back and watch Senate Republicans exhibit unprecedented levels
of obstruction,” said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune.
“We can’t and we won’t let obstructionists threaten everything we’ve
fought for decades to secure. The Sierra Club and our allies will do
what we do best: mobilize, telling Senate Republicans to do their job
and fill this vacancy.”
“Republican Senators are going against their constituents’ wishes by
refusing to hold a hearing to fill the Supreme Court vacancy,” said
Reed Adamson, Senior Advisor to End Citizens United. “As long as
Republicans are standing in the way, the Supreme Court will be
deadlocked on important decisions, including any reforms to our
campaign finance system.”
“This year, monumental cases will be decided by the Court on abortion
access specifically and reproductive rights generally,” said Ilyse
Hogue, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “Senate Republicans’
refusal to hold a single hearing on any Supreme Court nominee, no
matter how qualified, denies all of us our right to know where this
nominee stands on core constitutional questions of women’s privacy,
dignity, and equality. With seven in ten Americans supporting legal
access to abortion, we have a right to know where our justices stand
on this important issue. It’s time for Republicans to stop putting
their party’s interests ahead of our nation’s.”
“Republican Senators’ refusal to give fair consideration to the
eminently qualified Judge Merrick Garland represents a true crisis of
Constitutional proportions,” said People For the American Way
Executive Vice President Marge Baker. “The American people are in
strong agreement: It’s time for Republican Senators to do their job
and give a fair hearing and timely vote to President Obama’s Supreme
Court nominee.”
“The American people deserve a full court, with a ninth justice,
appointed by a president they elected for a full four years — not
three,” said Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Action
Fund. “It’s time the Senate uphold the Constitution and do their job.
Judge Garland deserves a fair hearing like nominees before him, giving
Americans an opportunity to learn more about his public record on a
wide range of issues. Mitch McConnell’s obstructionism is depriving
our democracy of a working third branch of government.”
Organizations supporting the national day of action are: 350.org,
AFL-CIO, AFSCME, Alliance for Justice, Americans for Democratic
Action, Americans United For Change, Asian Americans Advancing
Justice, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance – AFL-CIO (APALA),
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, Color of Change, Common
Cause, Constitutional Accountability Center, Courage Campaign, CREDO
Action, Demand Progress, Democracy For America, Democratic Action
Iowa/Americans for Democratic Action, Earthjustice, End Citizens
United, Human Right Campaign, Iowa Citizen Action Network, Laotian
American National Alliance, League of Conservation Voters, MomsRising,
MoveOn.org, NAACP, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Abortion
Federation, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, National
Council of Jewish Women, National Women’s Law Center, National
Education Association, NOW (National Organization for Women),
Organizing For America, People For the American Way, Planned
Parenthood Action Fund, Progressive Change Campaign Committee,
Progressive Congress, Progressive Democrats of America, SEIU, Sierra
Club, The Voter Participation Center/ Women’s Voices Women Vote Action
Fund, UAW, UFCW, UltraViolet, and United Farm Workers
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