Letter from Senator Leahy: "I have no intention of contesting..."

[Amaryllis]

My purpose is posting this letter is NOT to start yet another “This really sucks, what is wrong with them, why can’t they see what’s in front of their eyes” thread.

My purpose is to direct you to this link to the Dean People’s new revised talking points which specifically address EVERY single reason Leahy gives for not contesting, as well as common reasons Leahy doesn’t mention but others do. They keep giving the same tired reasons for not contesting, and we keep giving the same reasons why they should. These talking points reframe the conversation. PLEASE consider this in your contacts with your senators today and tomorrow.

http://www.unioncountyfordemocracy.org/files/jan6points.html

Also see Will Pitt’s blog entry http://truthout.org/fyi/:

Manual for pestering Senators
Monday 03 January 2005 @ 11:15

If you are planning this week to write your Senators and ask them to stand up with Rep. Conyers at the Electoral College hearing on the 6th, take a look at the talking points prepared by the Dean people. There is a lot of good stuff in there.

My two cents are as follows: When writing your Senators, be sure above all else to lean on the words Conyers used in his letter. "I am hoping that you will consider joining us in this important effort," wrote Conyers, "to debate and highlight the problems in Ohio which disenfranchised innumerable voters."

Debate and highlight, not overthrow. This is enough of a political minefield as it is - any Senator who does stand up faces severe attacks from the GOP as well as from go-along Democrats. Debate and highlight allows for political cover, and puts any Senator who stands up under that premise to be the defender of our right to vote.

Tactics are as important as being right in this matter. Just a thought.
_____________________________________________________________________

Letter from Leahy:

Dear Ms. XXXXXX

Thank you for contacting me. I appreciate hearing from you about the 2004 presidential election.

While I share in the disappointment of many with the results of this election, I was pleased to see such a high number of Americans
turn out to vote. Since Senator John Kerry has conceded, I have no
intention of contesting the results of the election. That being said, the U.S. Government Accountability Office is conducting a
thorough investigation of all allegations concerning voter rolls and
registrations, fraud, and election concerns, and I will certainly
continue to pay close attention to this important issue.

Many Vermonters, after seeing Michael Moore's movie,
"Fahrenheit 9/11," contacted me raising questions and concerns
about the 12 members of the Congressional Black Caucus who
voiced their opposition to Florida's electors at the Joint Session of Congress convened for the ceremonial reading of the electoral
votes. Several key events preceded the January 6, 2001 Joint
Session of Congress, including: (1) the U.S. Supreme Court had
ended the vote-counting in Florida with its decision in the case of
Bush v. Gore, (2) the Electoral College had cast its votes, and (3)
the Democratic candidate, Al Gore, had conceded. For an objection
to be heard during this process, federal law states that the objection must be in writing and must be signed by at least one Senator and one Representative. Then-Vice President Gore met with the Congressional Black Caucus before January 6 and asked that they
not object, telling its members that, had the objection been
accepted, it merely would have opened the floor for debate and
would not have altered the outcome. Problems with the election
had already been debated for months and the decision had already
been made, meaning that additional debate would not have
changed the outcome of the election.

Again, thank you for contacting me, and please keep in touch.

Patrick Leahy
United States Senator

http://leahy.senate.gov/