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November 7, 2008
To: Key supporters
From: Joe Volk, Executive Secretary
Re: Specific opportunities for FCNL in the first months of 2009
President-Elect Barack Obama and his administration will take office at a moment when hundreds of millions of people in the United States, and many more around the world, are eager for change and willing to work with him to achieve shared goals. The honeymoon here in Washington, throughout the United States, and around the globe will not last forever, however. These good feelings need to be acted on soon.
What do we at FCNL think is possible in the first few months of the new administration? As we look back at the election campaign and analyze the candidates' positions, campaigns, and parties, we see many openings for nonpartisan change. Even with these openings, we will be relying on your hard work lobbying at the grassroots and your financial support to help us mobilize the movement that can take advantage of the opportunities presented by a new administration.
The potential is there for change. For 65 years, FCNL has practiced hope by nurturing that kind of change potential. We are hopeful now because
- both major party candidates for president ran against the policies of the past eight years;
- both candidates spoke of the need to repair the image and role of the United States in the world;
- both parties recognized the importance of working for new international treaties on climate change and reducing the danger of nuclear war, and both candidates spoke out against wasteful military spending;
- more young people, more African Americans, and more Hispanics voted in this election than ever before, and millions of voters went to the polls for the first time; and
- both Obama and his former opponent, Sen. John McCain (AZ), have a history of working across party lines.
If the new administration and the new Congress work together, they can make real changes in the first few months of the next administration. Here are key opportunities for the president and Congress to open the doors to hope:
- Ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in the Senate. This treaty is a cornerstone of efforts to control the spread of nuclear weapons. Obama says he strongly supports ratifying the test ban treaty, but ratification requires a yes vote from 67 senators. Our lobbyists believe there are 58 votes now in the Senate in favor of ratification. The first nine months of the new Congress offer the best chance to get the additional eight votes. Obama needs to signal now that passage of the CTBT is a priority by appointing someone at a high level to secure Senate ratification.
- Ban cluster bombs. Half the nations of the world, including nearly all of the NATO allies of the United States, will sign a treaty on December 3 banning these weapons. Even before taking office, Obama could declare his intention to sign the treaty and to work for Senate ratification. FCNL helped persuade Congress to ban cluster bomb exports and has been working to persuade both the new president and the new Congress to support a ban on these weapons. The best chance for action on this treaty will be early in the new administration, while the world is still focused on it.
- Renegotiate the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia. The treaty, which limits the number of nuclear warheads and other strategic weapons that each country can maintain, expires in December 2009. After he takes office, the president should propose a 12- or 18-month extension of the treaty to allow for more comprehensive negotiations toward further reducing the number of nuclear weapons in each country's stockpile.
- Ban torture, no exceptions. With the stroke of a pen on January 20, 2009, President Obama could end torture by all U.S. government agencies. We at FCNL will also be mobilizing congressional support for the repeal of the Military Commissions Act and the restoration of the full habeas corpus rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
- Start negotiations for a grand bargain in the Middle East. Obama has argued for a new, bipartisan U.S. policy in the Middle East. His administration should take a comprehensive approach that establishes a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and embraces negotiations with Iran on Iraq, on international safeguards against Iran's development of nuclear weapons, on initiatives to resolve the Israeli-Arab conflict, and on stabilizing Afghanistan. However, opposition to these negotiations and initiatives persists in Congress and must be turned around by presidential leadership and grassroots lobbying across the country.
- Invest in preventing war. The current financial crisis will put tremendous pressure on the president and Congress to reduce government spending. The president could embrace the call from House Financial Services Committee Chair Barney Frank (MA) for a 25 percent reduction in military spending and urge that these savings be invested in preventing future wars through diplomacy, development assistance, and international engagement. He would still have sufficient money left over for green infrastructure initiatives at home to create jobs and reduce CO2 emissions.
- Bring our nation's checkbook back into balance. Too much attention in the current financial crisis has been focused on saving Wall Street, while people on Main Street continue to suffer. Congress will approve a new economic stimulus package sometime in the next four months. The new president and new Congress could use this legislation to invest in reducing income disparities in the United States, making new investments in reducing the number of people living in poverty.
- Address climate change. The governments of the world will meet in Copenhagen at the end of 2009 to take new steps to address climate change. What will the next U.S. president bring to the table to show the international community that his country is serious about reducing its greenhouse gas emissions? Will Congress and the president have made real progress by passing legislation to reduce climate change and helping those most harmed by climate change?
- Bring Native American health care into the 21st century. Both presidential candidates and both major political parties have called for new efforts to help Indian Country. In 2008 the Senate passed legislation that would dramatically improve health care for nearly 2 million Native Americans by bringing modern health care services such as hospice and mental health care to Indian Country. Unfortunately, the House has so far failed to act. Reauthorizing Indian health care programs should be on the 60-day agenda for the next president and the new Congress.
On Tuesday night, President-Elect Obama said, "This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change, and that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of service and responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other."
We at FCNL look forward to working with President Obama on these opportunities. We will need your participation in FCNL, and we look forward to working with you in our common practice of hope.
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More Election Responses
Reviewed:
11/21/2008
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