Re-taking the Senate

Happy New Year!

This may not be the first column you read in 2002, but it is almost certainly the first chain letter you will read. That’s right: This is a chain letter dressed up like a column. And very bad things will happen to you if you do not immediately forward it to 10 of your friends. In fact, very bad things will happen to the country if you do not immediately forward it to 10 of your friends.

You see, this is a column/chain letter devoted to helping put the U.S. Senate back into the control of the responsible, grown-up party – the Republicans. A strange combination of unusual factors including outright corruption in St. Louis, the shocking bad faith of the television networks on election afternoon and evening, and the unparalleled bad faith of Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords delivered the Senate into the control of Tom Daschle and a carnival-like collection of oddballs – including Excitable Pat Leahy of Vermont, Slow Joe Biden of Delaware, Barbara Boxer, Hillary Clinton, Paul Wellstone, etc. This crowd of marginal extremists makes Ted Kennedy look mainstream, yet they are running the upper chamber of Congress during a time of war. This must change in November of 2002, and that is going to take campaign contributions to those individuals best positioned to knock off incumbent Senate Democrats.

That’s why you need to forward this column/chain letter to 10 of your friends and they to 10 of their friends. The GOP’s candidates do not have organized labor dunning every union member for coerced contributions on payday. The GOP’s candidates need checks of $10, $25 and $50 from individuals genuinely concerned with the chaos in the Senate. Leahy has shut down the judicial-confirmation process. Biden is on the warpath to end missile-defense development. Tom Daschle killed economic-stimulus legislation in its cradle in the hopes of prolonging a recession for the political gains he thinks such a slowdown will bring. The list goes on and on. The extreme partisanship displayed by Daschle’s gang would be repellent in any year, but it is alarming during wartime.

So forward this column and then get out your checkbooks and make and fulfill a New Year’s resolution to get the Congress back in responsible hands. Here’s where you send your checks. Make sure you give what you can.

Send a check to John Thune for Senate. Thune is the congressman from South Dakota, and he’s running at the specific request of the president. He is South Dakota’s only congressman, so it is a very even race even though the incumbent, liberal Democrat Tim Johnson is a close friend of Tom Daschle, and Daschle is raising bucks for Johnson on a daily basis. The address is John Thune for Senate, P.O. Box 516, Sioux Falls, SD 57101.

Send a check to Congress’ Greg Ganske who represents Des Moines, Iowa. He’s running against a warhorse of the left, Tom Harkin. Ganske’s a surgeon and a moderate Republican who can win in a statewide race. Make the check out to Ganske for Senate and send it to 1200 Grand Avenue, West Des Moines, IA 50265, or contribute online.

Next send a check to Coleman for Senate. Norm Coleman recently retired as Mayor of St. Paul, and he’s running against hyper-lefty Paul Wellstone. Wellstone promised twice to only seek two terms in the Senate. He lied. Coleman has a great shot at knocking off the senator with the most liberal voting record. Mail the check to 1410 Energy Park Drive #11, Energy Park Plaza, Saint Paul, MN 55108 or contribute online.

Then contribute to Talent for Senate. Former Congressman James Talent should have been governor of Missouri, but the election-night games in St. Louis cost him the governor’s chair even as they cost John Ashcroft his Senate seat. Now Talent is running against Jean Carnahan, who is by all accounts an extraordinarily weak candidate. The check should be made out to Talent for Senate and sent to 1031 Executive Parkway, Suite 100, St. Louis, MO 63141.

In Georgia, Congressman Saxby Chambliss is running against incumbent Max Cleland. Cleland is far to the left of the average Georgia voter and Chambliss could win if he gets enough support. That check should be made out to Chambliss for Senate and sent to P.O. Box 4084, Macon, GA 31208.

The incumbent from Louisiana, Mary Landrieu, is another very liberal Democrat from a state that voted heavily for Bush. Congressman John Cooksey should be able to win this race. Send a check made out to Cooksey for Senate to P.O. Box 15020 Monroe, LA 71207.

There is no consensus opponent yet in Montana or New Jersey where Max Baucus and Robert Toricelli round out the field of vulnerable liberals who are running scared. Help the eventual nominees with an online contribution to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the organization with the single aim of reclaiming the U.S. Senate for the responsible party.

I hate to be the one to send you a chain letter, but this chain letter is in the national interest. The president deserves the support of a Senate that can rise above petty politics and do the nation’s business. Tom Daschle failed in his chance to do just that, preferring partisan posturing to bipartisan progress. He doesn’t deserve a second chance.

Politics is an expensive business, especially for candidates trying to knock off incumbents. So do your part by writing some checks and by forwarding this on to your friends.

You don’t have to stop at 10, by the way. The more people that read and respond, the greater the chances of getting the Senate back on course in November of 2002.

---

Related offers:

In ‘The Embarrassed Believer’, Hugh Hewitt is reviving Christian witness in an age of unbelief and is available in WND’s online store.