HELP END DEMOCRAT OBSTRUCTION

RNC e-mail:

The proposal Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist sent to his Democrat colleagues yesterday could not have been a fairer compromise to end Democrat obstruction of President Bush's highly qualified judicial nominees.

Leader Frist's proposal would guarantee President Bush's nominees a fair up or down vote on the Senate floor while allowing all Senators an opportunity to have their say through a guaranteed 100 hours of debate.

This is a reasonable resolution to the Democrats' unprecedented use of the filibuster against President Bush's nominees, and will ensure that the filibuster remains intact for use against legislation.

Democrats are obstructing President Bush's nominees because they know that these nominees will strictly interpret the law -- not legislate from the bench. Democrats have even gone so far as to say they will "shut down" the Senate if they do not get their way on judicial nominations.

One of President Bush's nominees, Janice Rogers Brown, grew up as the daughter of Alabama sharecroppers and became the first African American woman to serve on the California Supreme Court. In 1998, Californians reelected her with 76 percent of the vote and the majority of Senators support her nomination for a federal judgeship, but Democrats are standing in the way of her receiving an up or down vote on the Senate floor.

Please visit GOP.com to sign a petition supporting Leader Frist's proposal to ensure President Bush's judicial nominees receive a fair up or down vote. And please also click here to write letters to the editor of your local newspapers.

A fair up or down vote for highly qualified judicial nominees is too important for Republicans to stand by as Democrats sacrifice decades of Senate tradition for partisan gain. I hope I can count on your help to make sure that the President's qualified nominees are given a fair up or down vote.

Sincerely,

Ken Mehlman
Chairman, RNC

P.S. Democrats have never before used the filibuster against judicial nominees. Visit GOP.com and tell them to accept Senator Frist's compromise and stop obstructing the Senate from doing the people's business.