I just sent this letter to one of my Senators, Cory Gardner. I thought I'd share.

[PatrickforO]

Dear Sen. Gardner,

I watched for 8 years as Republicans in the Senate and House steadfastly OPPOSED EVERYTHING Obama said or did. So, here's the deal. I'm among hundreds of thousands pressuring Democrats in the Senate to filibuster ANY Supreme Court nomination Trump EVER puts out. Because our president, Obama, forwarded Merrick Garland to you in the Senate for confirmation, and you did NOTHING. So, you know what - what goes around comes around. Be advised Democrats like me will urge our elected officials to oppose everything Trump comes up with or forwards - fight tooth and nail against everything you try to do. You want gridlock??? Great. You got it. That is if I can have anything to do with it. Yes, we are THAT divided. Trump isn't MY president and in my opinion is NOT a legitimate president. Clinton got 2.7 million more votes than Trump but the electoral college, which was created in the first place to help us avoid electing an unstable and amoral man such as Trump, did not vote as they should have.

Though I know you will disregard my letter because you have plenty of hard right people on the eastern plains so you can feel safe ignoring me, I am asking on my behalf as one of your constituents that you NOT vote to confirm the Trump nominee. Not because he's good or bad, but because you FAILED to uphold your constitutional duty to confirm Obama's pick, so you should not get to put anyone on the bench.

On other issues:
- DON'T allow the EPA to be undermined. Climate change is an existential threat to our species.
- If Trump finances his border wall with a tariff on Mexican goods, the American people will end up paying for it through higher prices charged for those goods; you DO know that, don't you?
- Why is the WH Chief of Staff, Bannon, allowed in high level security meetings, and the people who SHOULD be attending these meetings are partially barred?
- Why won't Trump release his taxes, and why aren't you alarmed about his many conflicts of interest, the nepotism and him allowing Bannon to attend high level security briefings?

I was born here in the USA. I've lived nearly 60 years here, and I am appalled that the people who supposedly represent my interests in DC have allowed this great nation to fall so far, so fast.

Regards,

[raccoon]

1. thanks for posting. recd. nt

[madamesilverspurs]

2. Good letter.

Not that he'll care -- if he even reads it. But someone on his staff will at least record that he received it, so that's a good thing.

When you get his standard boilerplate response, share that, too. Gardner is elevating ignoring constituents to an art form.

Damn, I miss Mark Udall!

.

[PatrickforO]

5. No doubt. I was deeply saddened that he ran such a lame

campaign.

[mascarax]

3. Why him?

What happened in the race so that Gardner won?

Or really: why did Udall lose?

Edited to add: thanks for sending the letter - and sharing here. They do count!

[PatrickforO]

4. Udall wasn't a bad Senator,

But he ran such a lame campaign that Coloradans were left wondering what he stood for, if anything. I panned the state Dem party that year for having such a wimpy message.

In the meantime, Gardner was well liked on the eastern plains by all the far right people there, and he definitely ran a better campaign. It was just sick, on election night, when we saw that Udall had lost.

Gardner's an empty suit, too. When you meet him he's all smiles but there's nothing behind the eyes. But, boy, he takes care of his base.

I wrote him because he's one of Colorado's two Senators, and he needed to hear from me. I wrote a nice one to Bennet too, telling him that if he caves in to the Republicans like SO many times in the past, then I will do everything I can to see that he gets primaried from the left next time around.

Because I'm tired. I'm tired of seeing our party, which stands for so many decent things, getting pasted in elections because we are too timid to trumpet out our populist message. We need to begin standing for things. The good and moral things that live in all our hearts. Common decency.

You should also be happy to know there's now a groundswell of support in our state legislature for the 'national popular vote' legislation. There may be a real chance to get that passed if we can put enough pressure on. Then we'll pick a NEW goal and focus on it with single minded intensity. Colorado is a blue state, and we stood with Clinton. Trump is doing so much egregious stuff that even people who are Republicans are alienated. Like this new 'religious freedom' executive order draft that got leaked through the Nation this morning. Plenty of battles to fight.