MoveOn, a liberal political action group,
encourages support of those courageous senators and representatives who
have "dared to speak for caution and restraint instead of
war." The quote is from Janet Adair Hansen, who sent this to us.
Dear MoveOn Member,
In the wake of last Thursday's vote on Iraq, the Bush
Administration and the Republican far right are going on the offensive.
The President would like nothing more than to demonstrate that when
Democrats speak out against the President's endless war, they lose.
Senator Paul Wellstone's predicament is typical.
Wellstone is in the political fight of his life -- slightly behind in
the polls to a far-right candidate flush with cash and hand-picked by
Karl Rove to remove him from office. Wellstone knew that if he voted
against the resolution, his opponent would seize on the issue,
unleashing a barrage of attack ads and accusations. But despite the
enormous pressure to capitulate, Wellstone spoke his conscience and
voted against the war: "A pre-emptive go-it-alone strategy towards
Iraq is wrong. I oppose it."
For taking a stand under the most difficult of
circumstances, Senator Wellstone is nothing less than a hero. In the
House, three heroic Representatives in tight races also did the right
thing. They deserve our strong support. You can make a contribution
directly to their campaigns at:
http://www.moveonpac.org/moveonpac/viewcandidates.phtml
After Thursday's unexpectedly divided House vote, the
President must be fuming. His political allies will do everything they
can to take revenge on the dissenters. If he can demonstrate that
Representatives and Senators who ask the hard questions don't get
re-elected, Congress will be even more equivocal when faced with hard
choices in the future.
But the electoral sword cuts both ways. Paul Wellstone,
Jay Inslee, Rick Larsen and Rush Holt are in extremely tight races. A
little more money could easily put them over the top. And Wellstone's
race is being watched very closely -- it's a key to the Republican plans
to take over the Senate. If Wellstone wins because of an outpouring of
support for his stand on Iraq, it will signal to the right that their
electoral ploy on an Iraq war backfired. And it'll demonstrate to
Democrats that when you take a stand of conscience, your constituents
will reward you.
We've worked long and hard to stop a tragic war on
Iraq. After a difficult vote, rewarding the heroes who listened to our
voices is the right thing to do. It may also be the most important next
step in our campaign. We need to show the President that if he pursues
Iraq, he and his party are going to lose.
Give whatever you can. In these tight races, every
dollar makes a difference. You can support Paul Wellstone and the other
Congresspeople who took a stand right now at:
http://www.moveonpac.org/moveonpac/viewcandidates.phtml
As strategists look back at this election over the
years to come, either they'll say, "President Bush manufactured a
war and won at the polls" or they'll say, "President Bush
manufactured a war and lost at the polls." Your gift today can make
the difference.
Sincerely,
--Wes Boyd and Eli Pariser
MoveOn PAC
October 24, 2002
