I just sent the following to Senator Dick Durbin, D-IL.
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Dear Senator Durbin,
As a constituent, an unemployed queer American, and a very scared Democrat after this week's election results, I am writing to urge you to seek the office of Senate Minority Leader in the wake of Senator Daschle's loss in South Dakota.
I had a tremendous amount of respect for Senator Daschle for many years, but he has squandered that respect since 9/11 by not holding the Bush Administration anywhere near accountable for their behavior. I don't begrudge him his decision, as he has been vulnerable politically for many years. Nevertheless, his actions have been hugely disappointing.
As the electoral maps from 200 and 2004 show, the upper midwest in particular and Illinois in particular are the heart of the Democratic Party. We desperately need a Democratic leader in the Senate who can be critical of the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans without having to look over his own back worrying about re-election. We also need someone who cannot be dismissed as an out-of-touch coastal liberal, as our brethren from the Northeast and West Coast so often are.
Senator Durbin, you are that man. I've been to your home town of Quincy, and I know that it represents the America that President Bush scared into voting for him. All over Illinois, politically minded folks know of your humility and decency -- you are the Senator who drives his own car and pumps his own gas. We need your credibility.
Senator Durbin, you have served the people of Illinois for a very long time. Now I write you to ask for more -- to ask you to serve your Party nationally and to help save this country. The Bush Administration is going to do its best to turn America into a theocracy, and we have to be ready and mobilized to respond.
We need you, Senator Durbin.
Respectfully,
Kevin J. Bogart
