Americans United for Change to Air Ads Against Dean Heller

Patrick O'Connor at the Politico reports that Americans United for Change are to start a new ad campaign next Tuesday against 6 vulnerable House Republicans.

Among them: our very own Dean Heller!

The ads are a response to Heller's Iraq war votes. O'Connor writes about Heller and the other targeted Republicans: "Each could face a difficult reelection challenge if the war persists." Yeah, no kidding. More:

The ads come at a critical time in the showdown between Bush and congressional Democrats over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The first ads will air Tuesday, a day before Democratic leaders are scheduled to meet Bush at the White House.

[...]

Next week’s ad campaign is expected to be sizable, if not overwhelming, according to the same source. The group is expected to spend “several hundred” thousand dollars on the ads, running approximately 500 gross ratings point in each market.

Sounds like this will be the opening call to see to it that Heller won't be re-elected in 2008. What can television viewers in Northern Nevada expect? Well, here's the script for the ad against New Mexico's Heather Wilson:

[T]he ad begins with the president's now-infamous “Mission Accomplished” speech from the deck of an aircraft carrier when he declared, “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended.”

His speech is followed by a montage of chaos on the ground in Iraq, including footage of Humvee hitting a roadside bomb.

Wilson is then shown appearing with Bush as the announcer says, “Heather Wilson is still voting with the president on Iraq” followed by a reference to her vote against the supplemental spending bill to fund the war.

“Tell Heather Wilson, after four years, it’s time to end the war,” the ad concludes.

The ad against Heller will likely be similar. A couple of weeks ago Americans United for Change started their first campaign against 3 incumbent Senators. Watch the one against New Hampshire Sen. Sununu:



Now it's upon Nevada Democrats and new Chair Jill Derby (Heller's '06 opponent) to find a suitable and credible challenger for Heller, assuming that Jill Derby herself will not run again.

Help Charlie Brown Beat Doolittle

Charlie Brown is making it up to you. Do you want to see Doolittle defeated? Then you have to act. Here's an example what it's all about:

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Last week, the House passed an Emergency Supplemental Bill that would improve veterans healthcare services and military readiness, repair Walter Reed Army Medical Center, direct more resources to fighting a resurgent Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and establish a timetable for ending U.S. involvement in Iraq’s civil war.

In addition to voting against the measure, John Doolittle also voted to strike language from the bill that would restrict the deployment of U.S. troops who are wounded, not properly equipped, or un- trained---a violation of basic military guidelines that exposes thousands of brave servicemen and women to preventable death. Click Here to read our release.

I'm sure by now you have heard of the magic March 31st fundraising deadline. How could you not have as you're probably getting just as swamped by presidential campaign emails as I do.

Hovever, this is a special race. It's a difficult race and it requires everyone's attention, no matter where you live between Sacramento and the Sierra, or even beyond that. The fact is that Doolittle is one of the most corrupt members of Congress. Charlie Brown got him below 50% in November. And he can beat him in 2008.

Now he needs your help. Anything will do. $100, $50, $10, even $5. See how your money would help Charlie:

• $50 buys enough gas to travel between events in Roseville and Quincy.
• $100 pays for more than 100 Brown for Congress Campaign Buttons.
• $250 pays for 500 Brown for Congress Bumper Stickers.
• $500 pays for a mailing to nearly 1,000 people.
• $750 pays rent for one month at our soon to be re- opened campaign offices.
• $2300 pays a full-time field organizer to help register new voters in the 4th CD for one month.

This will be one of the most crucial congressional races in 2008. Make sure, Charlie has the resources he needs. You can contribute now through the Turn Tahoe Blue ActBlue page.

Ensign Lowering Expectations for 2008

The ensignificant Senator from Nevada readily admits to the Washington Times that he expects a net loss in the 2008 Senate contest. Of course, he doesn't quite say it like that:

"The odds are that we are going to have more risks than they will, and it turns out that we do have more risks," he said.
He singled out five Republican seats that are in danger in Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon and New Hampshire, compared with two vulnerable Democratic incumbents in South Dakota and Louisiana and long-shot possibilities in Iowa and Montana.

Keep in mind that Democrats consider Iowa and Montana relatively save. Ensign also claims to have cleaned house and to have reorganized the NRSC. Wonder if that happened before or after some staffer at the NRSC floated the idea of an Ensign presidential run...

NRSC Working on Democratic Landslide in 2008

What one "deluded Republican staffer" can cause by thinking his boss might make a good President... First of all, I have to thank him/her for getting me five blogger minutes of fame and 1,000 visitors in one day.

Looking at my stats throughout the past 24 hours was quite revealing. First of all: it's true. All of Washington reads Wonkette. I'm surprised anything at all gets done in DC. You could probably fire half the staffers in DC and not a soul would notice.

Among the thousand visits to this post were at least nine (see below, times are MET) by the National Republican Senatorial Committee which started this whole thing. Seems like they have nothing better to do. If they keep up working like this (and with the ensignificant Senator running the show this seems likely) they will practically ensure a Democratic landslide in the 2008 Senate elections.

(Un)Surprisingly, this wasn't John Ensign's first time on Wonkette. He was featured prominently last year under the headline "Senator John Ensign: This White Man Can Jump". No wonder, Wonkette would like to see him run...