Clockwise from top left: Sens. Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Michael Bennet (Colo.), and Joe Manchin (W.Va.). (Photos: Evan Bayh, Housing Assistance Council, Jeffrey Beall, Third Way Think Tank)
Apr 06, 2017
The four Senate Democrats who voted Thursday to advance the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court have been labeled "Trump collaborators" by one progressive activism group.
The Democrats who voted for cloture--and thus bucked their party's filibuster of the controversial nominee--were Michael Bennet of Colorado; Joe Donnelly of Indiana; Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota; and Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
"Today's vote will be a defining moment in the careers of Senate Democrats," said CREDO senior campaign manager Heidi Hess. "The so-called 'Democrats' who voted to advance Gorsuch's confirmation will be remembered by history as Trump collaborators, if they're remembered at all."
"When Gorsuch casts the deciding vote to overturn Roe v. Wade," she continued, "the American people will remember that Senators Bennet, Donnelly, Heitkamp, and Manchin helped make it possible."
Indeed, earlier this week CREDO warned--upon the delivery of a life-sized spine to Bennet's office--that voting to advance Gorsuch "will tarnish Sen. Bennet's reputation for the rest of his career."
Previously, a coalition of progressive organizations collected and delivered more than 230,000 petition signatures urging the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) not to fund any Democrat who helped confirm Gorsuch.
"Any Democrat who rolls over and lets Mitch McConnell steal a Supreme Court seat for Donald Trump is dangerously out of touch with the popular resistance," said Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth Action, at the time. "It's no surprise that Trump has picked a right-wing extremist who would threaten our environment, our civil rights, and the foundations of our democracy. The DSCC should stand with the American people and refuse to support the re-election campaigns of Senate Democrats who support Gorsuch."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
democratic partyenvironmentfriends of the earthjoe manchinmitch mcconnellneil gorsuchroe v. wadetrumpismus senate
The four Senate Democrats who voted Thursday to advance the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court have been labeled "Trump collaborators" by one progressive activism group.
The Democrats who voted for cloture--and thus bucked their party's filibuster of the controversial nominee--were Michael Bennet of Colorado; Joe Donnelly of Indiana; Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota; and Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
"Today's vote will be a defining moment in the careers of Senate Democrats," said CREDO senior campaign manager Heidi Hess. "The so-called 'Democrats' who voted to advance Gorsuch's confirmation will be remembered by history as Trump collaborators, if they're remembered at all."
"When Gorsuch casts the deciding vote to overturn Roe v. Wade," she continued, "the American people will remember that Senators Bennet, Donnelly, Heitkamp, and Manchin helped make it possible."
Indeed, earlier this week CREDO warned--upon the delivery of a life-sized spine to Bennet's office--that voting to advance Gorsuch "will tarnish Sen. Bennet's reputation for the rest of his career."
Previously, a coalition of progressive organizations collected and delivered more than 230,000 petition signatures urging the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) not to fund any Democrat who helped confirm Gorsuch.
"Any Democrat who rolls over and lets Mitch McConnell steal a Supreme Court seat for Donald Trump is dangerously out of touch with the popular resistance," said Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth Action, at the time. "It's no surprise that Trump has picked a right-wing extremist who would threaten our environment, our civil rights, and the foundations of our democracy. The DSCC should stand with the American people and refuse to support the re-election campaigns of Senate Democrats who support Gorsuch."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
The four Senate Democrats who voted Thursday to advance the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court have been labeled "Trump collaborators" by one progressive activism group.
The Democrats who voted for cloture--and thus bucked their party's filibuster of the controversial nominee--were Michael Bennet of Colorado; Joe Donnelly of Indiana; Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota; and Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
"Today's vote will be a defining moment in the careers of Senate Democrats," said CREDO senior campaign manager Heidi Hess. "The so-called 'Democrats' who voted to advance Gorsuch's confirmation will be remembered by history as Trump collaborators, if they're remembered at all."
"When Gorsuch casts the deciding vote to overturn Roe v. Wade," she continued, "the American people will remember that Senators Bennet, Donnelly, Heitkamp, and Manchin helped make it possible."
Indeed, earlier this week CREDO warned--upon the delivery of a life-sized spine to Bennet's office--that voting to advance Gorsuch "will tarnish Sen. Bennet's reputation for the rest of his career."
Previously, a coalition of progressive organizations collected and delivered more than 230,000 petition signatures urging the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) not to fund any Democrat who helped confirm Gorsuch.
"Any Democrat who rolls over and lets Mitch McConnell steal a Supreme Court seat for Donald Trump is dangerously out of touch with the popular resistance," said Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth Action, at the time. "It's no surprise that Trump has picked a right-wing extremist who would threaten our environment, our civil rights, and the foundations of our democracy. The DSCC should stand with the American people and refuse to support the re-election campaigns of Senate Democrats who support Gorsuch."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.