A day after Republicans voted in lockstep to block debate on financial reform, Dem-friendly interest groups are beginning, slowly, to target GOP members—highlighting their obstruction, and pushing them to break the filibuster. But though it would be a stretch to call these actions an onslaught, the filibuster itself is earning the GOP plenty of negative attention, with or without a coordinated messaging strategy.
The Service Employees International Union is asking members and supporters to pressure several Republicans, including Richard Burr (R-NC), Kit Bond (R-MO), David Vitter (R-LA), George LeMieux (R-FL), Bob Corker (R-TN), George Voinovich (R-OH), Scott Brown (R-MA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), via phone call and online petition.
“Two years after the financial crisis began, the Senate finally introduced a bill to clean up Wall Street,” reads the petition targeting Snowe. “And what did Senator Snowe do? She voted against even considering it.” [Emphasis in the original]
Google any of these senators, and likely as not you’ll find an ad highlighting his or her role in the obstruction.
Americans United for Change is up with this ad, in Washington DC, broadly pushing Republicans to support financial reform:
But if you’re wondering how this is playing back in the red states, Media Matters has complied headlines from around the country. The montage they’ve put together is fairly striking.
As for the lone Democratic senator who sided with the GOP? Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) also finds himself the target of an pressure campaign today, as part of a new push by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
Brian Beutler
Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight, and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com.
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