Dear MoveOn member,
Donald Trump has reportedly selected Amy Coney Barrett to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat.1 Barrett is a far-right conservative who would cement a 6-3 conservative supermajority on the court and seek to undo Justice Ginsburg's life's work.
In 15 states, voting is already underway to choose the 46th president and a new Senate.
This nomination comes from an impeached president who said he wants his nominee confirmed before the election because he's "going to need nine justices" to determine the outcome of the election and who refuses to commit to a peaceful transition of power.2,3
Mitch McConnell is plunging forward and aiming for the Senate to vote to confirm Barrett on October 29, five days before voting concludes in the election.4
This could be the biggest, most consequential fight of the entire Trump presidency. McConnell wants us to think that it's inevitable that the Senate votes to confirm Barrett. But it's far from inevitable. Democrats can slow the work of the Senate to a crawl, and massive grassroots pressure from MoveOn members and our allies can help us win this fight, just as it did when we saved the Affordable Care Act.
This is not a time to despair but to come together and fight like our lives depend on it, because everything is on the line—and for generations.
But we'll be frank: MoveOn's resources are already tied up in the essential work of defeating Trump and flipping the Senate, and our budget did not account for a nationwide, emergency campaign of this scale after voting in the election had already started.
We're all in—and for as long as it takes. Are you, John? Will you start a $3 weekly donation now to MoveOn's emergency campaign to stop Donald Trump's nominee for Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat on the Supreme Court? (MoveOn will bill your weekly donation to your credit card once a month starting today and will contact you shortly after the election to see if you want to modify or cancel your weekly donation.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
Trump's nomination—along with McConnell plowing the confirmation process forward and many GOP senators falling in line despite their earlier statements, press releases, and pledges not to consider a Supreme Court nominee in an election year—is all the more appalling given that it's in defiance of Justice Ginsburg's dying wish.
Barrett is just 48 years old and could shape our nation's laws for three or more decades.
Barrett has said that the court decision upholding Roe v. Wade was "erroneous."5 She has spoken out against the Affordable Care Act and has backed up Trump's most anti-immigrant executive actions.6
If Barrett is confirmed, we won't have to wait long to see the devastating impact. Just days after the election, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on whether to strike down the Affordable Care Act.
In the past, the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act on a 5-4 vote. With Barrett joining Brett Kavanaugh, there would be a clear majority to strike down the law—meaning people with preexisting conditions like COVID-19 would no longer be protected, and millions would lose health care in the middle of a raging global pandemic.
We don't have much time to stop Trump's nomination, and with voting already underway in the 2020 election, we need to defend RBG's seat without pulling needed resources away from beating Trump or flipping the Senate.
Unlike the GOP, MoveOn doesn't have shady billionaires on speed dial to bankroll our efforts. We rely on the grassroots contributions from MoveOn members like you.
And in this critical moment, your contribution will help us do everything we can to stop Trump, McConnell, and the GOP from installing Barrett on the Supreme Court—whether it's running TV ads to blanket the airwaves in the home states of swing senators, organizing major protests and demonstrations, continuing to overload the phone lines in the Senate, or something else.
If you've been waiting to get involved, this is the moment. If you've already been working hard, this is the moment to dig deeper. Everything is on the line. Will you start a $3 weekly donation now to save the Supreme Court and our democracy? (MoveOn will bill your weekly donation to your credit card once a month starting today and will contact you shortly after the election to see if you want to modify or cancel your weekly donation.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
Already, more than ONE MILLION MoveOn members have signed our petition demanding that RBG's replacement not be confirmed until after the inauguration. Tens of thousands of MoveOn members have flooded their senators' offices with more than 35,000 phone calls demanding the same. As you read this, mobile billboards are crisscrossing swing states to pressure vulnerable GOP senators to do the right thing. And on Sunday, MoveOn members and our allies are taking to the streets across the country in a show of force to stop Trump, McConnell, and the GOP from stealing RBG's seat.
Listen, John, this is a fight we can win. It won't be easy, but it's doable—if we can hold all the Democrats and get four Republicans to vote no. Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski have already said they don't think Trump should be appointing a replacement for Justice Ginsburg at all.7
If Democrats can slow Senate business down enough to get past the election, we could gain another vote if Mark Kelly defeats Martha McSally in the special election for U.S. Senate in Arizona. Because it's a special election, Kelly, who's ahead in the polls, could be sworn in right away.8
That means we would need only one more Republican to refuse to go along with Trump's illegitimate nomination, and with so many Republicans in tight re-election fights, we have to put enormous pressure on them, starting now.
These are the keys to victory:
The stakes in this fight couldn't be higher. Will you start a $3 per week donation now to save the Supreme Court (MoveOn will bill your weekly donation to your credit card once a month starting today and will contact you shortly after the election to see if you want to modify or cancel your weekly donation.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
Thanks for all you do.
–Justin, Mary, Robert, Michael, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Trump Selects Amy Coney Barrett to Fill Ginsburg's Seat on the Supreme Court," The New York Times, September 25, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144823?t=8&akid=275708%2E40999114%2E5ePKNF
2. "Trump says he wants to fill Supreme Court seat quickly in case justices need to settle election dispute," USA Today, September 24, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144820?t=10&akid=275708%2E40999114%2E5ePKNF
3. "As Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transition, Pentagon stresses it will play no role in the election," CNN, September 25, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144821?t=12&akid=275708%2E40999114%2E5ePKNF
4. "Senate GOP aims to confirm Trump court pick by Oct. 29: report," The Hill, September 22, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144815?t=14&akid=275708%2E40999114%2E5ePKNF
5. "Profile of a potential nominee: Amy Coney Barrett," SCOTUSblog, September 21, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144797?t=16&akid=275708%2E40999114%2E5ePKNF
6. "The Top Contender for RBG's Seat Has a Fundamentally Cruel Vision of the Law," Slate, September 19, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144798?t=18&akid=275708%2E40999114%2E5ePKNF
7. "Murkowski Joins Collins In Opposing Supreme Court Vote Before Election – Here's Who Matters Now," Forbes, September 20, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144802?t=20&akid=275708%2E40999114%2E5ePKNF
8. "Democrats See a Glimmer of Hope Over Supreme Court Fight in Arizona's Senate Race," The New York Times, September 19, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144803?t=22&akid=275708%2E40999114%2E5ePKNF
Want to support our work? As Robert Reich says, "No organization in America has a better track record of success in developing cutting-edge strategies to get out the vote and win elections than MoveOn." But it will take each of us doing our part to defeat Trump and flip the Senate!
Will you chip in $3 a week to help MoveOn combat right-wing lies, make sure every vote is counted, and win this election?
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
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