Monday, January 1, 2001

Oppose Ashcroft Nomination

Letter to Congress opposing the nomination of John Ashcroft for attorney general...

I am writing to you to strongly urge that you oppose the nomination of John Ashcroft for attorney general. His positions and actions on a wide range of legislative issues make him an exceptionally poor choice to uphold and protect the nation’s laws. This is not merely a matter of political philosophies – Mr. Ashcroft’s record demonstrates that he is not fit to be the custodian of our citizens’ rights.

Mr. Ashcroft clearly does not believe in protecting women’s constitutionally protected right to reproductive choice. He has actively pursued legislation that would criminalize abortion even in cases of rape, incest and threats to a woman’s health. He has been so extreme is his quest as to propose legislation that would ban common forms of contraception.

Mr. Ashcroft’s cavalier approach to offering constitutional amendments – whether for banning flag burning, imposing term limits or outlawing abortion make it clear that he would be eager to use our precious Constitution as a tool of partisan politics – hardly the level of integrity that this great country needs in its attorney general.

Mr. Ashcroft has little respect for our citizens’ hard won civil rights – as evidenced in his position against legislation to deal with hate crimes, his opposition to even voluntary busing to support desegregation, his extremely obstructive activities to block confirmation of judicial appointments during the Clinton administration. His integrity is further in doubt when he created blatant misrepresentations of Justice Ronnie White’s positions in order to derail his nomination. Finally, how can we believe Mr. Ashcroft will protect minorities if he accepted a degree from Bob Jones University, whose racial policies are suspect, to say the least.

President-elect Bush promised to unite the country. John Ashcroft for attorney general is about as divisive a nomination as I could personally contemplate. If he is confirmed, it will be sad day for the protection of Americans’ rights – let alone bipartisanship for the next four years.

Again, I urge you to vote against the confirmation of John Ashcroft for attorney general. I’ll be watching the votes closely.