Dear MoveOn member,
Donald Trump wants to give "Steve 'Turn On the Hate' Bannon" a set of keys to the White House, but we can’t let that happen.1 Can you spend five minutes fighting back? Read on!
As one of his first big post-election moves, Trump announced his appointment of Bannon—a known white supremacist, anti-Semite, and misogynist—as a White House chief strategist and senior counsel.2 This has been followed by a spate of horrific announcements, including Senator Jeff Sessions—a man who's on record as calling the NAACP "un-American"—as Trump's pick for attorney general.3
And while MoveOn is working with allies to fight the most odious appointments, we're also narrowing in on Bannon's appointment to make sure his truly hateful, bigoted politics aren't normalized at the core of the White House.
That's why MoveOn members have sprung into action, generating upward of 350,000 signatures on a petition to senators and House members, demanding that lawmakers use every tool at their disposal to stop Bannon's appointment.4 And just last week, we generated the first 8,000 calls demanding the same.
Now, it’s time to pick up the phone and ask Senate members to sign on to a "fire Bannon" letter being circulated by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and already signed by progressive leaders Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and others. It is critical to get senators to publicly state their opposition now, before Bannon's appointment is viewed as a fait accompli.
Please call:
Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand
Here’s where to call: 1-844-311-4726 (All you have to do is dial this number, enter your ZIP code, and you'll be connected right away.)
You can say: "There is no place for a white supremacist, anti-Semitic misogynist in the White House. Please sign on to Sen. Merkley's letter asking Donald Trump to fire Steve Bannon."
Trump's appointment of Bannon has been heralded by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, as well as the chairman of the American Nazi Party and other ultra right-wing pundits who believe Bannon will be able to help ensure the fulfillment of Trump's most bigoted campaign promises.5
An excerpt from Sen. Merkley's letter to Donald Trump reads,
"... it is your responsibility to put an end to the crimes of hate and prejudice sweeping our nation. These wounds to our national citizenry are of your making. It is your responsibility to rectify the damage. You have the power as President to move beyond the hate-filled rhetoric of your campaign.
"We call on you to repudiate your campaign attacks against diverse communities of Americans.
"We call on you to address the American people and demand that all Americans end their verbal and physical attacks and replace acts of hatred with acts of kindness.
"We call on you to exclude the proponents of discrimination and hatred from the ranks of your Administration, and that includes immediately firing Steve Bannon as your Chief Strategist."
Please pick up the phone now and make your voice heard loud and clear.
Please call:
Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand
Here’s where to call: 1-844-311-4726 (All you have to do is dial this number, enter your ZIP code, and you'll be connected right away.)
You can say: "There is no place for a white supremacist, anti-Semitic misogynist in the White House. Please sign on to Sen. Merkley's letter asking Donald Trump to fire Steve Bannon."
Each of Trump's picks deserves a storm of public outrage. But for now, MoveOn members, as well as our allies in Congress and across the nation, will start by focusing our energy on ousting Bannon, because we cannot risk normalizing the white supremacy and bigotry at the heart of his politics.
Thanks for all you do.
—Justin K., Victoria, Maria, Stephen, and the rest of the team
P.S. Here's the full text of Senator Merkley's letter to Donald Trump, followed by the current list of co-signers:
Mr. President-Elect:
Your campaign conduct and Electoral College victory have unleashed a wave of verbal and physical assaults against our fellow Americans. In just the last six days, the Southern Poverty Law Center has documented hundreds of acts of discrimination and violence toward many of the ethnic and social groups you attacked in your campaign. These attacks are absolutely unacceptable. We condemn them. We stand united with our fellow Americans.
Unfortunately, these acts of hate have been enabled by your campaign strategy of promoting bigotry, racism, and sexism. It is the logical consequence of your campaign attacks on and discrimination aimed at Hispanics, African Americans, veterans, immigrants, women, Muslims, Jews, and individuals with disabilities. Millions of Americans see a President-elect who has chosen to knock them down rather than to lift them up. Your conduct has empowered too many Americans to act on their darkest impulses.
This is the wrong vision for America and the wrong path for your coming Administration. We call on you to change course. We urge you, as our future President, to join us in rejecting hate and embracing respect for every ethnicity, race and gender. We urge you to join us in fighting for a nation free of discrimination, where every child has the opportunity to thrive and to contribute according to his or her ability. We urge you to join us in fighting for our Constitutional vision of equality and opportunity and the vision in our Pledge of Allegiance of liberty and justice for all.
As you assume the mantle of leadership in office, it is your responsibility to put an end to the crimes of hate and prejudice sweeping our nation. These wounds to our national citizenry are of your making. It is your responsibility to rectify the damage. You have the power as President to move beyond the hate-filled rhetoric of your campaign.
We call on you to repudiate your campaign attacks against diverse communities of Americans.
We call on you to address the American people and demand that all Americans end their verbal and physical attacks and replace acts of hatred with acts of kindness.
We call on you to exclude the proponents of discrimination and hatred from the ranks of your Administration, and that includes immediately firing Steve Bannon as your Chief Strategist.
It is time for you to act boldly and powerfully to put the nation on a path of healing. For the sake of all Americans, we call on you to rise to the challenge.
Signed:
Senator Jeff Merkley
Senator Mazie Hirono
Senator Elizabeth Warren
Senator Sherrod Brown
Senator Ed Markey
Senator Bernard Sanders
Senator Al Franken
Senator Ron Wyden
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Tom Carper
Senator-elect Chris Van Hollen
Sources:
1. "Steve 'Turn On the Hate' Bannon, in the White House," The New York Times, November 15, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/6733?t=2&akid=173399.10220574.JaKT7q
2. Ibid.
3. "Jeff Sessions, Mike Pompeo, Michael Flynn picks for Trump administration signal shift to right," CBS News, November 19, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/6814?t=4&akid=173399.10220574.JaKT7q
4. "Stop Steve Bannon," MoveOn.org Petitions, November 15, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/6673?t=6&akid=173399.10220574.JaKT7q
5. "White nationalists see advocate in Steve Bannon who will hold Trump to his campaign promises," CNN Politics, November 15, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/6672?t=8&akid=173399.10220574.JaKT7q
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