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Here's the letter from the Supreme MoveOn leader:

Dear MoveOn member,
This year our top goal is breaking the right-wing Republican stranglehold on Congress. That is our main focus every day.

It is also part of our work together to hold Democrats to their Party's highest values on issues like foreign policy, economic prosperity and good government.

That sometimes means grappling with specific right-wing Democrats who consistently side with big corporations and right-wing Republicans.

One approach is to support progressive primary challengers to right-wing Democrats. We think this makes sense but it's a big decision so we wanted to check with you and other MoveOn members. What do you think? Click below to let us know.

The story about "the Democrat who sold out" has become too familiar. Too often progressives tip toe around these betrayals. But there needs to be real consequences for these Democrats.

Replacing a right-wing Democrat with a more progressive Democrat will help voters more clearly understand what Democrats stand for—and that will help Democrats win.

Many of these conservative Democrats we would challenge represent states or districts that are heavily Democratic—so we're not imperiling a Democratic majority by doing this.

Why is this a big decision? At some level it isn't—we've consistently held Democrats feet to the fire on a long list of issues. But challenging right-wing Democrats in an electoral setting would be new for MoveOn.org Political Action. That is why we're asking for your feedback. Click below to let us know what you think.

Who are the Democrats we would challenge? One example is Congressman Henry Cuellar in Texas. Cuellar is a right-wing Democrat infamous for supporting the Bush agenda and Republican legislation.

He is wrong on many core Democratic issues like the war and Medicare, he often undermines key Democratic initiatives and too often pokes progressives in the eye with his votes and statements. (More on Cuellar tomorrow.)

We would start with the worst like Cuellar and work to build a progressive majority one election at a time.

A Democratic majority will be a big step towards progressive reform. But at the same time we have to work to build a progressive majority that will work towards bold reforms.

Please help by giving us feedback on this decision.

Thanks for all you do.

–Tom, Jennifer, Rosalyn, Justin and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Tuesday, February 14th, 2006

P.S. Here are some key practices we'll follow:

Member endorsement. MoveOn.org Political Action only endorses candidates with the consent of MoveOn members in the state or district—surveying them before an endorsement. If members are split, we won't endorse.

Viable candidates. We don't want to waste your money—so we work hard to pick candidates who have a real shot at winning.

A progressive majority. We believe that all Democrats are not the same—and we work to elect progressive members of Congress when we can.
Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.3 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:

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