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An Open Letter to Senator Menendez

by: Scott Shields

Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 07:07:54 PM EDT

Dear Senator Menendez,

As you know, as your campaign's Director of Internet Operations last fall, I took one heck of a beating from our netroots allies for your vote for the Military Commissions Act of 2006, aka 'The Torture Bill.' It was a bill you weren't happy with, but you voted for it for reasons I understand. Within the campaign and to you personally, I made my displeasure known and, to your credit, you were very gracious about the issue. You had nothing but sympathy for my position and apologized personally for the heat I took. Publicly, you explained your vote and pledged that one of the first things you would do if elected to the Senate would be to take action to restore Habeas Corpus rights.

You are a man of your word. In February, you were one of the original co-sponsors of Senator Dodd's Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007, S.576. At the time, you said, "we must not compromise the values and virtues of our nation and Constitution" in fighting terrorism, that S.576 "will give us the tools to defend America from her enemies, while never ceding our standing as a nation of freedom and justice."

But the fact of the matter is that S.576 currently appears to be stalled. There is another option on the table, however. As Bob Geiger has written, Senator Arlen Specter has put forward the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007, S.185. The bill has already passed through the Judiciary Committee and counts among its co-sponsors many of your fellow co-sponsors of S.576, like Senators Lautenberg, Brown, Feingold, Leahy, and Kennedy.

Your co-sponsorship of Senator Dodd's S.576 is much appreciated. And it shows that you are serious about restoring the right of Habeas Corpus. While it is not as progressive or wide-ranging as S.576, Senator Specter's S.185 has a much better chance of being passed and being passed quickly. So I ask as a constituent, a former employee, and a supporter that you sign on as a co-sponsor of S.185 as well.

Thank you,
Scott Shields

Scott Shields :: An Open Letter to Senator Menendez

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Should Senator Menendez co-sponsor S.185?

Yes - As a co-sponsor of S.576, it makes sense.
No - He's already co-sponsored a stronger bill.

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Tags: Bob Menendez, Frank Lautenberg, habeas corpus, torture, (All Tags)

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An Open Letter to Senator Menendez | 6 comments

You're not the only one (0.00 / 0)

who had to do a lot of splainin'. Everyone in my DFA group wanted an explanation of the Senator's vote for MCA.
To the Senator's credit, he kept his word.
When they vote to increase taxes we get angry, but we can make more money easier than we can restore rights that have been revoked by a ruthless dictator.

Restore democracy and the Constitution for which it stands.

by: The Wizard @ Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 01:54:39 AM UTC

by: you @ soon

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Cuba too (0.00 / 0)

Hopefully, the good Senator will rethink his position on Cuba. It's a 40+ year old U.S. policy that's not working. Isn't it time we do something different?

by: FlamingModerate @ Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 02:21:03 AM UTC

by: you @ soon

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of course, but... (0.00 / 0)

...you have to understand that for Cuban-Americans on both sides of the aisle like Bob Menendez and Mel Martinez, this is more than a policy issue. It is personal.

While it would be wonderful if they could be leaders on a new policy direction for Cuba, it isn't likely. I have more problems with the way that Menendez voted on the Bankruptcy Bill and DOMA than the short-sighted positions that he has taken on Cuba.

On issues like these, we have to recognize that our elected officials are human beings that are sometimes driven by things other than lobbyist dollars, polls, and good sense. For good or ill, this is part of their makeup and something we all need to take into consideration when we decide to support a candidate. They can't be everything to everybody and I don't think that we should want them to be.

One of the things that make the choice between Howard Dean and John Kerry so easy for me was that Dean clearly made no effort to be all things to all people. His positions were clear and firm and fueled by his core convictions and commitment to good government.

Did I disagree with his position on gun control? Absolutely! But that was part of who he was and it was one of the things that made him seem like a real person, unlike John Kerry or Hillary Clinton, who are pollster-created, and John Edwards, who will take whatever position he has to on an issue at any given time to appeal to get as many people to like him as possible and will simply dismiss the positions that he has taken in the past by apologizing for them. How is that leadership?

As much as I have never been a big fan of Bob Menendez, I would sooner vote for him in a Democratic Presidential primary than Clinton, Edwards, or Kerry.

by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 12:00:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I voted yes. (0.00 / 0)

Senator, I thank you for your support of the Dodd legislation. And I ask you to consider Sen. Specter's S.185.

Scott, this is just a superb diary.

I had to do a lot of explaining myself, to my own DFA group, who were equally unhappy with the Senator's MCA vote. To tell the truth, I doubt that vote was easy for him.

It's not a particularly snappy signature, but here's what I think we need in the next NJ Democratic State Chair.

by: Rosi Efthim @ Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 02:57:14 AM UTC

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No Sale (0.00 / 0)

Yes, by all means, restore habeas corpus, because we can't count on the Supreme Court to actually interpret the Constitution correctly anymore than we could count on Congress to make laws that abide by it.

But that won't make me a supporter of your former boss. He should never have cast that vote. No matter what he does about these bills, he has nothing to be proud of. As for him being a man of his word, it's a sign of how low things have fallen that we actually praise a US Senator for keeping his word as if we expect him to lie about everything all the time. My standards aren't quite that low. I don't praise him for keeping his word. I expect that of him. He needs to do a LOT better. So far, he's just shinin' us on and I'm not happy with it.

DBK

by: DBK @ Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 13:16:45 PM UTC

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Re: No Sale (4.00 / 1)

Thing is, it's the Senator I'm trying to sell here, not you.

by: Scott Shields @ Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 13:34:53 PM UTC

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