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CAT Tracks for March 14, 2017
AN AFT CALL TO ACTION |
Received the following e-mail yesterday from the President of the AFT...
Twenty years from now, we could still be fighting an agenda that sides with corporations and the powerful over workers, students and consumers—because of Judge Neil Gorsuch, the man Donald Trump has nominated to the Supreme Court.
The truth is, this could be Trump’s most worrying nomination yet. A seat on the Supreme Court is a lifetime appointment, which puts so much at stake when it comes to our country, our communities and our basic rights. As it looks right now, Trump’s appointee to the court will be the deciding vote on cases affecting workers’ rights, voting rights, LGBTQ rights, and the safety of our drinking water, our air quality, our planet and our democracy. No matter what the issue, what happens with “the Supremes” touches every corner of our lives and will affect generations to come.
Gorsuch’s record raises serious doubts that he will put working people first. That’s why his confirmation hearing is so important. Senators need to ask the tough questions; they need to ask about his beliefs and philosophy. That way, the American people will have a chance to see whose side Gorsuch is on, not just hear that, as the news reports say, he’s a nice guy.
What we know from reading Gorsuch’s decisions is that, like Justice Scalia, he is an ideological judge who favors corporations over working-class Americans and consumers. More than ever, with Trump already acting in ways that have ripped up our Constitution and rolled back our rights, we need an independent judiciary that will uphold our American values and our democracy. But Gorsuch’s record shows he will do the opposite: He has denied American women the right to reproductive health coverage, deprived students of the protections of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and put corporate power and profits ahead of the health and safety of American workers. Gorsuch has ruled again and again on the side of big money and corporate special interests—and against the rest of us.
That’s why his confirmation hearing is so important. At Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ confirmation hearing, she was asked tough questions, and the American people saw how dangerously unqualified she really was. This led to millions of people contacting their senators—the Senate received more phone calls than ever before. We need Gorsuch’s confirmation hearing to give the American people the same opportunities to see who he is. That can only happen if the senators ask the tough questions and make him answer.
We know many senators would be happy to quietly let this nomination go through. Let’s tell them we won’t accept that. Republicans refused to even consider President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, in defiance of the Constitution. After that shameful behavior, we won’t accept a hearing—for a position that will affect us for decades—that doesn’t give us clear answers about the kind of Supreme Court justice Gorsuch will be.
Send your senators a message: Don’t rubber-stamp this nominee.
We need a Supreme Court justice who will honor American values, uphold the Constitution and the laws that protect all our citizens, and defend our hard-won rights. So let’s fight for one.
In unity,
CAT Tracks Editor's Note:
I agree with everything Randi says...
...but.
Bears repeating...
...and what happened as a result of all of this effort?
The hugely and obviously unqualified Betsy DeVos now wears the title of "United States Secretary of Education".
By most accounts, Judge Neil Gorsuch is qualified...
...it's his politics that suck if you are of the liberal persuasion.
Well, radical right-wing conservatives won the last election...
...and, sadly, to the victor belong the spoils.
So, by all means, heed Randi's call to action...
...just don't get your hopes up.
God help us, everyone...
Randi Weingarten
AFT President
At Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ confirmation hearing, she was asked tough questions, and the American people saw how dangerously unqualified she really was. This led to millions of people contacting their senators—the Senate received more phone calls than ever before.
