Dear MoveOn member,
Over the weekend, after it was announced that three Republican senators
had tested positive for COVID-19, Mitch McConnell shut down most of the
Senate's activities until October 19 but made it clear that—come hell or
high water—Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings would still move
forward as scheduled starting on October 12.^1 At the same time, Senator
Tom Cotton suggested that Republican senators sick with the coronavirus
could be "wheeled in" to the Senate chamber to vote on her confirmation,
in order to make sure it goes through before Election Day.^2
Read that again. Take that in. Republicans are saying that it's too
dangerous for the Senate to continue normal business, including voting on
coronavirus relief bills, but not too dangerous to jam through Amy Coney
Barrett's confirmation. And that if they have to, they will risk infecting
every other member of the Senate, staffers, drivers, security personnel,
and others by bringing sick senators into the chamber to vote for her.
That is how far they are willing to go. And it is despicable.
We won't let them get away with it without a fight. A week ago, it seemed
that there was little that could be done to stop Amy Coney Barrett's
confirmation, but the news over the past few days has changed everything
and is yet another reason why her confirmation MUST be stopped.
We are doing everything we can to demand that Republicans do what's right
and that Democrats do whatever they can to stop this process in its tracks
over the next few weeks. Will you chip in $3 a week to power this
critically important work? (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.)
[ [link removed] ]Count me in.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
Here is where we stand:
* Last week, it appeared that Mitch McConnell had the votes to force
through this nomination, with only Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski
coming forward to say that they would vote against a nominee this
close to an election.^3
* As of this morning, three Republican senators—Mike Lee, Thom Tillis,
and Ron Johnson—have tested positive for COVID-19. Both Lee and TIllis
are on the Judiciary Committee and would be required to vote in person
to advance Barrett's nomination from the committee to a full vote on
the floor and then again to confirm her.^4,5
* Although senators can participate in the committee hearing remotely, a
majority of the committee must be present in order to vote on her
nomination and advance it to the floor of the Senate.^6
If either Sen. Lee or Sen. Tillis cannot be there in person to vote and
Democrats on the committee boycott the hearing, the committee will not
have the quorum needed for a vote on her nomination.^7 Or if both Tillis
and Lee are unable to be there in person to vote, the committee would be
tied at 10-10, and Senate rules do not allow for a tiebreaker.^8
While both of those scenarios are possible, it is shocking and
unacceptable that we even need to think through them. At least three
senators are currently positive for COVID-19. Many others may have been
exposed at the very event that announced Amy Coney Barrett's nomination.
Clearly, the only pathway forward is for this nomination process to be put
on pause. It is morbid and disgraceful for it to move forward under these
circumstances.
We need to do everything we can to push Democrats, who have the power to
force procedural votes to slow or stop this process, and to ensure that
Republicans know that if they move forward with this nomination, we will
hold them accountable for their actions at the ballot box.
Will you chip in $3 a week to keep this work going,
John? (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.)
[ [link removed] ]Count me in.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
The news over the past few days has been absolutely flabbergasting. At
least 28 White House staff and close allies of Donald Trump—including
Trump himself—have tested positive for COVID-19.^9 Many were likely
infected at a super-spreader event hosted by the White House, in flagrant
violation of the government's own safety protocols.
But everyone who was infected at that event has access to high-quality
health care to help them recover. Trump has been given a cocktail of
experimental treatments not available to the millions of other Americans
who have been infected. And others have admitted themselves to the
hospital as a "precaution," unlike so many in our country who were turned
away from emergency rooms and told to come back only if and when they
could barely breathe.
And that is exactly the type of health care policy that Trump, the GOP,
and Amy Coney Barrett support: top-quality care for the wealthy, scraps
for the rest of us.
And it is precisely why Barrett cannot take a seat on the Supreme Court.
She will vote to strip health care from millions, in the middle of a
pandemic that has now reached the highest office in our country.
A week ago, this didn't look like a fight we could win. But everything has
changed. Will you help us run full speed ahead to protect the Supreme
Court by chipping in $3 a week? (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.)
[ [link removed] ]Count me in.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
Thanks for all you do.
–Justin, Nita, Elsie, Ankur, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "This week: Coronavirus complicates Senate's Supreme Court fight," The
Hill, October 5, 2020
[link removed]
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. "COVID-19 outbreak in GOP caucus complicates Barrett confirmation,"
SCOTUSBlog, October 3, 2020
[link removed]
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Tweet by Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, October 5, 2020
[link removed]
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Will you chip in $3 a week to help MoveOn combat right-wing lies, make
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[ [link removed] ]Count me in.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
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