Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Todd Chretien for US Senate
Contact: Ragina Johnson 415.412.4540 or Cres Vellucci 916.996-9170
Feinstein failure to openly oppose Alito nomination 'big problem' for women, people of color & working
poor, charges US Senate candidate
SAN FRANCISCO - Sen. Dianne Feinstein's comment today that a Bush nominee to the Supreme Court is not necessarily a
"problem" to her is, in fact, a "big problem" for California women, people of color and working people, charged Senate
candidate Todd Chretien.
Feinstein, speaking on national public radio Tuesday, admitted that she is reserving judgment on the nomination of Samuel Alito even though ultra-conservative Pat Robertson said Alito's nomination is a "grand slam" for those who oppose abortion.
"If Samuel Alito is confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice, then it will only be a matter of months before Roe v. Wade is either overturned or entirely gutted by Alito's swing vote," said Chretien, a former Ralph Nader presidential campaign organizer seeking the Green Party nomination to run against Feinstein in November.
"Although it may not be a problem for Dianne Feinstein, if Alito is confirmed, people of color's rights to seek redress in the courts against racist discrimination in school and work place will suffer a sustained assault, as will workplace rights of all employees, no matter their race, gender or sexual orientation," Chretien added.
Chretien suggested that Feinstein is the most well-placed Senator - as the only woman on the Senate Judiciary Committee - to lead a sustained filibuster against Alito. And that if she doesn't do so, a vote against Alito later would be like "yelling at a horse that's already left the barn."
"There is only one way to stop Alito and protect women's rights: Sen. Feinstein must draw a line in the sand and publicly call for an open-ended filibuster that makes it plain to the Republican leadership that she will not relent until they withdraw Alito's name," said
Chretien.
Chretien, a major leader in the U.S. anti-war movement, formally launched his campaign for U.S. Senate in December. He is the co-author of a successful ballot measure to kick military recruiters out of the schools in San Francisco. His campaign goal is to collect "A Million Votes for Peace" because "It is time to bring all of our troops home from
Iraq now."
