BLUE AMERICA PAC TAKES ON BUSH REGIME'S FREEDOM'S WATCH BILLIONAIRES

What do you know about the shady Republican swiftboat operation going under the name "Freedom's Watch?" Well, they registered as a lobbying organization and the group seems to be divided between a coven of second and third rate Bush Regime operatives-- Ari Fleischer, Bradley Blakeman, Matt David, Carl Forti-- and a gaggle of Neocon billionaires, many with ties to the Likud and the uber-reactionary Republican Jewish Coalition, willing to provide a virtually limitless slush fund for the most vile attacks on Democrats that even the GOP wants to keep at arms length-- or wants to appear to be keeping at arms length.

They fancy themselves a MoveOn.org of the right, except, as MoveOn's Eli Pariser points out, "the main difference is that MoveOn is a group of 3.3 million. Freedom's Watch is a few mega millionaires." Among the super-rich far right-wing supporters of Freedom's Watch-- all of whom are obsessed with keeping the Iraq war going and expanding it into Syria and Iran-- are Mel Sembler, who helped finance GOP activities disrupting the 2000 Florida recount, Las Vegas casino operators William Weidner and Sheldon Adelson, Matthew Brooks and Richard Fox of the RJC, John Templeton, Jr., Kevin Moley (a very close Cheney crony), Howard Leach, Anthony Gioia, and Gary Erlbaum.

Last September Armchair Generalist tried explaining the essence of the organization on the day they launched a $15 million media blitz whose purpose was to persuade Americans that Iraq was somehow responsible for the attack on the World Trade Center.

In George Orwell's 1984, there was an organization known as the Ministry of Peace, whose purpose was to promote perpetual war. The Wiki definition explains that "If the citizens of Oceania have a well-defined enemy, Eastasia or Eurasia, then they know whom they hate, and constant homeland propaganda helps to convince them to vent all their unconscious rage for their own country against the opposing one. Since that means the balance of the country rests in the war, the Ministry of Peace is in charge of fighting the war (mostly centered around Africa and India), but making sure to never tip the scales, in case the war should become one-sided."

That definition has come into fruition with Ari Fleischer's "Freedom's Watch" organization. While not a government agency per say, certainly it is doing the White House's bidding by overtly connecting the war in Iraq to 9/11 in an attempt to influence the American public into "staying the course."

Since then, the outfit, widely believed to be controlled by Cheney, has launched a series of media buys targeting Democrats in congressional districts around the country. Recently they illegally ran ads scripted by the NRCC against Democratic candidates in Louisiana and Mississippi. Their negative ads lacked any credibility and are widely believed to have actually helped Democrats Don Cazayoux and Travis Childers win those two races in heavily Republican districts.

It is worth noting that Cazayoux and Childers have bent over backwards to please Freedom's Watch and fellow travelers since getting into Congress and each has one of the most astoundingly Republican voting records ever compiled by a Democrat. They are already the fifth and eighth most Republican-voting Democrats-- on substantive issues-- in the House. But this hasn't pacified Freedom's Watch. Even though both Childers and Cazayoux both dutifully voted to continue the occupation of Iraq and each voted to grant retroactive immunity to illegal corporate wiretappers, Freedom's Watch has just launched a vicious and deceitful campaign of robocalls against them, accusing them of causing high gas prices. In fact, Freedom's Watch has launched their poisonous robocalls against nearly 20 Democrats, somehow hoping to convince people that the Big Oil agenda relentlessly pursued by Bush, Cheney and their Republican rubber stamps for the past 7 years-- including the war in Iraq-- had nothing to do with the rise in gas prices from $1.51/gallon, when Bush took over, to a rapidly increasing figure closer to $5.00 a gallon than to $4.

To be honest, I thought Cazayoux and Childers and some of the others from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party were getting just what they deserved. Vote with the Republicans and they pay you back by attacking you like mad dogs. But then we noticed that also on the list are solid progressives, Democrats who stand up for progressive ideals and values and stand up for working families over the demands of the special interests these Republican billionaires represent. When we saw the unfair and unwarranted attacks against Tom Allen (D-ME), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Linda Stender (D-NJ), John Adler (D-NJ) and Steve Kagen (D-WI), we knew we should respond and get their backs. They deserve it. So Jane and John went into overdrive and put together an incredible team to write, produce and deliver calls to every person Freedom's Watch has called in these districts. And they got Mike Farrell as the voice of a message that sets the record straight. Please give it a listen (and a look) and then please help us pay for these calls with a donation at Blue America vs Freedom's Watch. In today's Washington Post Chris Cillizza asks if this will get any traction: "It remains to be seen whether Blue America can put together the financial firepower that would allow it to compete with Freedom's Watch in congressional districts around the country over the next four months... Is Blue America's robo-call campaign the start of something bigger or just a lone voice in the wilderness?"

CONSEQUENCES OF THE 3 LOSSES FOR THE GOP IN THE RECENT SPECIAL ELECTIONS

Stender & Hall, beneficiaries of Republican Party disintegration

The other day I was working on our Carney campaign and I pulled up the Progressive Punch Chips Are Down table that shows the relative adherence to Democratic positions on key substantive matters. Predictably, Carney was way towards the bottom of the barrel with a 41.54 score, one of the half dozen Democratic freshmen voting again and again and again with the GOP on key issues. But then when my eyes drifted down into GOP territory, I noticed there was a Democrat who was voting far worse than Carney, even worse than perennial Dixiecrats John Barrow, Nick Lampson and Jim Marshall. Look at this chart. It shows Don Cazayoux voting more frequently with the GOP than 3 Republicans-- and virtually tied with Michael Castle, a mainstream conservative from Delaware. In fact, Cazayoux's voting record, so far, has more in common with Mean Jean Schmidt's, Patrick McHenry's, Tim Walberg's and the other most extremist Republicans than he has with even moderate Democrats like John Salazar (CO), Jim Cooper (TN), or Blue Dog caucus chair Mike Ross (AR).



I warned friends of mine who were working for his election that they would need to keep an eye on him after the election because it seemed likely that he would be prone to vote exactly how Woody KKKpecker, the neo-fascist he defeated, would vote. And he has.

That said, it has been even more than a great joy seeing the Republican Party thrown into a death spiral of dismay, panic and finger-pointing after the losses of the 3 special elections won by Cazayoux and 2 other conservative Democrats, Bill Foster (IL) and Travis Childers (MS). I say more than a great joy because one sees concrete political results of the Republican debacle every single day. Yesterday the minority leader of the Westchester legislature, Republican George Oros, abandoned his challenge to progressive freshman Congressman John Hall.

In a “Dear Friends” letter to supporters, Oros said he felt he could win a primary, but, citing recent Republican defeats in special congressional elections elsewhere, he has concluded the odds of winning in November, this time around, are slim.

The GOP-- at all levels-- has been plagued with recruitment problems, unable to find plausible candidates to run even in once solidly Republican districts. They have had to settle for self-funding vanity candidates and for wild-eyed ideological firebrands in race after race. Even in high profile races for the U.S. Senate they've been stuck with largely lackluster second and third tier non-contenders. In Arkansas, the four very mediocre Democrats who make up that state's Democratic congressional delegation will all waltz back to their seats without a single challenge between them.

And this morning's CQPolitics reports that in New Jersey, a state where the GOP has been suffering in more than most states from Republican top tier candidates passing on runs this year, another race to hold a Republican seat looks like a lost cause. Today a p.r. agent, the daughter of a failed GOP politician and a couple of hackish also-rans will meet in a bitter primary-- after half a dozen actual contenders dropped out of the race-- to determine which Republican will be beaten by Democratic state Senator Linda Stender in November.

At stake is a House general election race that projects to be one of the nation’s most competitive this year. The Democrats are making a strong push to take over the seat that four-term Republican Rep. Mike Ferguson left open with his surprise decision to retire, announced last November.

It is likely that Republican primary voters, out of step with mainstream Americans, will pick the wildly right wing extremist p.r. agent, Lenny Lance, over the more mainstream conservative daughter of Christine Todd Whitman, guaranteeing a blow-out for the Democrats in November. Previously rated as "Leans Republican" (Bush won here with 53% in 2004), CQPolitics didn't even wait for the primary results to come in to upgrade the race to "No Clear Favorite," which, for a timid, conservative organization means: "Landslide for the Democrat No Matter Who Wings the GOP Primary."

NEW JERSEY PREPARES TO CEDE TWO MORE CONGRESSIONAL SEATS TO THE DEMOCRATS

Fast forward to November

Yesterday the DCCC announced a batch of "red to blue" districts they would be targeting this year, including two open seats in New Jersey, the 3rd CD, where Jim Saxton is retiring, and the 7th, where Mike Ferguson is retiring. Each district has a small GOP lean but both are likely to go blue in 2008.

Saxton was hoping he could help his party avoid a bruising primary that could lead to a right-wing extremist getting the nomination in the moderate 3rd. His plan, to endorse Lockheed Martin executive Chris Myers (a mainstream greed-and-selfishness conservative) failed to scare off the nuts. Remember what Huckabee said about middle and working class voters not wanting to support someone like Mitt Romney because he reminds them of someone who lays people off? Chris Myers is one like that. And last week Meyers got the message that he'll have a far right extremist to contend with in June before he faces a very formidable Democratic opponent in November. The right winger is Ocean County Freeholder, Jack Kelly, who's being supported by Congressman Chris Smith, who represents the neighboring 4th CD. It should be a very bloody primary because Kelly and the people around him are straight out of the Bush-Rove-Cheney playbook.

Newly retired state Sen. Leonard Connors, who serves as campaign chair, also touted Kelly’s fiscal record.

"For a long time, the country has been leaning more and more toward socialistic ideas," said Connors. "I know Jack doesn’t agree with that. He believes in a strong military."... Kelly said with the information supplied to Congress leading up to the Iraq War resolution vote in 2002, he would have voted yes, just like Saxton. "We took the war to them," said Kelly, who stressed that the world is too dangerous and too volatile to remain on defense in what is a "worldwide jihad."

Asked if he would examine diplomatic measures to complement military action, Kelly said, "There is no diplomacy with terrorists who have nothing in their hearts but to destroy the United States."

The district gave Bush a narrow 51% win in 2004. And the winner of the Republican primary will be facing immensely popular-- and well-financed-- State Senator John Adler in New Jersey. "Worldwide jihad" may work for a narrow segment of voters in the 3rd-- but just a narrow segment. These folks are far more worried about the Bush Recession and about inflation and the impact that Bush's economic policies have had on the country. This probably won't be a good year for fat cat corporate executives or war-mongers.

There was fear that in the 7th CD, there would be no credible candidate at all when Ferguson decided to move over to K Street and, like in the 3rd, there is a hugely popular Democratic candidate, in this case Linda Stender. After all the top tier candidates announced they had better things to do with their time than get mowed down by Stender, Christine Todd Whitman's daughter, Kate, and another mainstream conservative, state Sen. Leonard Lance (Tom Keane Jr's boy), jumped in. Now Republicans are afraid that the two mainstream candidates will split the vote and allow an unelectable extremist, like Martin Marks, to make off with the nomination.

These two districts should be Democratic pick ups for 2008. Meanwhile, next door in Maryland's 1st CD, in an unexpected development, the far right jihad to purge mainstream conservative incumbent Wayne Gilchrest, suffered a setback when Bush himself endorsed Gilchrest over his far right opponents in the GOP primary coming up next month.

N.J. GOP SCRAPES BOTTOM OF THE BARREL TO FIND A CANDIDATE AFTER CHOICES 1, 2 and 3 DEMUR

Linda Stender gains as Republicans scramble

Today was all about big rats-- Trent Lott and Denny Hastert-- deserting the floundering SS GOP. But last week, the big story was how New Jersey fake moderate Mike Ferguson was giving up his House seat-- which is likely to be won by progressive Democrat Linda Stender. At the time, the New Jersey Republican Party had so many "likely" strong candidates they couldn't count them. Tom Kean's worthless son was the first choice and he quickly dove under his bed and refused to come out. That left Republican Assembly whip and key Kean ally, Jon Bramnick, a sure thing to get the nomination. He was next to call in sick. Ex-Congressman Bob Franks was next on the list-- and next to say no. This week the GOP is looking for a solid third tier sacrificial pig. They may have found one in Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks.

He may win in Scotch Plains but the reasons he gave the media for wanting to run may not inspire many people outside of the country clubs where hard core Republicans meet. "My feeling right now is ... that we need to focus in on retaining this 7th seat in Republican hands, and that's the way it's been for many, many years. The district has changed a little bit with redistricting, but it is still a Republican district." Other Republicans are pleading with outgoing Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance to save their party from someone as apparently unfit as Mayor Marks.

And today's Newark Star-Ledger is reporting that Kate Whitman, the daughter of NJ's ex-Governor, wants to run for the seat too. Also sniffing around are Somerset Assemblyman Peter Biondi, Somerset County Freeholder Jack Ciattarelli and William Mennen, a Hunterdon County freeholder-elect.

ARE THE REPUBLICANS GIVING UP ON NEW JERSEY? ANOTHER BUSH CONGRESSIONAL RUBBER STAMP FORCED TO RETIRE

It wasn't until after American progressives kicked reactionary butt in the 1770s that most of the treacherous right-wingers (i.e.- Tories or "loyalists") abandoned America and fled to England, Canada and other royalist domains. America was lucky to be able to grow into nationhood without them and their spawn. It looks like New Jersey reactionaries are giving up after just a simple skirmish. No sooner had a handful of local Republican legislators been defeated before what's left of Republicans on the New Jersey congressional delegation start talking about retiring.

Last week Republican rubber stamp Jim Saxton was the first to acknowledge he had seen the writing on the wall as he announced his intentions of abandoning his south Jersey seat-- probably to moderate Democrat State Senator John Adler. And today another Jersey rubber stamp, Mike Ferguson, who is only 37 years old and rumored to have been a frequent client of the DC Madam, announced he's had it too. Linda Stender nearly beat him in this district, purposely gerrymandered as a Republican seat but still trending against the party of hatred, greed, selfishness and bigotry. Juan Melli has the whole story at Blue Jersey today.

Tom Kean's ne'er-do-well son, Tom, Jr., who has been defeated in other attempts to win public office (including a primary run against Ferguson in NJ-07 in 2000), is expected to run for this seat, although a whole pack of Republican legislators and ex-legislators is sniffing around, including Kean ally Jon Bramnick, GOP Assembly whip. Tom Jr. never won a race that wasn't handed to him on a silver platter-- even having been appointed to his state senate seat. Congratulations to everyone at DumpMike.com; job well done for keeping this fake moderate on the run.


UPDATE: JUNIOR'S NOT RUNNING

Kean, Jr. says he isn't running for Ferguson's seat. Bramnick is the likely candidate, probably easier for Stender to beat.


RETIREMENT FEVER SPREADING RAPIDLY-- CALIFORNIA SOON?

Will crooked California Republican John Doolittle be the next to announce?


UPDATE: BRAMNICK BOWS OUT TOO

Do the Republicans just plan to give Stender the seat? After his liege pulled out yesterday, Assemblyman Jon Bramnick followed suit today. There is a guy down the street who voted for Bush and says he wants to bomb Iran and he hates children and he wants to run. Or maybe they can dig up some relic from the past like Lenny Lance or Bob Franks.