Freedom Watch to target Kuhl and Walsh
This sounds like a joke I realize but a group called Freedom Watch is going to be running pro-war ads in 37 Repbublican districts to make sure that the rubber-stamping continues unabated.
Americablog tells Ari Fleischer (who’s heading up the campaign):
Our researchers tell us your ads are targeting 90% Republicans (37 out of 41). We’ve had strong fundraising but we never thought a $15 million TV buy was in the works. Every extra minute of TV time talking about Iraq is another drip, drip, drip of bad news for politicians who won’t break with Bush. So, thanks.
Related posts:
I saw one this morning locally. I wasn’t awake enough to make note of which station, but I was infuriated with the content. It was the vet with no legs. Dailykos and FireDogLake have the videos.
AmericaBLOG lists the recepients of this ad buy, and sure enough, Randy Kuhl is on the list, actually, with one of the larger ad buys, at least in terms of Gross Ratings Points, the standard measure of how many people will see the ads. In addition, there will be a Syracuse buy, in “support” of Walsh, which may bleed into Randy’s district in some areas.
Pro-War Ads May Air In Rochester Market…
Rochesterturning reports that a conservative group, headed by former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer, may be airing ads in the Rochester market. Freedomswatch.org is making a $15 million national buy, and according to Americablog, $187,235 will be s…
I actually saw one of these this afternoon. It’s just the same ol’ scare tactics. I don’t see them having any significant impact, other than wasting republican resources, which is fine by me.
I just heard on of these ads…the TV was on in the other room and I clearly heard “they (Iraq) attacked us.” That lie is so old and only gets more disgusting as it ages because everyone should know better.
What’s next? A save the war petition?
[...] Earlier we told you that a group called “Freedom’s Watch”, headed by Ari Fleischer, is running ads in NY-29 and NY-25 to try to gin up support for the war, or perhaps to try to frighten Kuhl and Walsh into rubber-stamping more “surging.” Here’s some more “freedom-related” news: Boehner’s leadership PAC, known as The Freedom Project, made donations to 10 GOP candidates last month that party leaders have identified as being especially in need of early campaign cash  and all of them are incumbents, including Shays and Ferguson. The others are James T. Walsh of New York, Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois, Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado, Dean Heller of Nevada, Vern Buchanan of Florida, Thelma Drake of Virginia and John R. “Randy†Kuhl Jr. of New York. [...]
The Today Show did a piece on this today, with Matt Lauer questioning the comparison by Bush of the Iraq War to Vietnam…and asking “What were they thinking?”
[...] We told you earlier that a group called Freedom’s Watch is planning to run ads in NY-25 and NY-29 (Fighting29th notes that Freedom’s Watch disputes the details of the ad buy in the post that we linked to). Well, the campaign is off to a rousing start: Ari Fleischer couldn’t remember the name of the soldier featured in the ad when he was on “Hardball” today: On MSNBC’s Hardball tonight, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who is leading a White House front group to defend Bush’s escalation, was unable to name the wounded Iraq veteran featured in his organization’s pro-war ad. “I don’t have his name in front of me,†said Fleischer when asked by host Mike Barnicle if he knew the soldier’s name. [...]
[...] National Journal solves the riddle of the puzzling Freedom’s Watch ads running in NY-25 and NY-29: Freedom’s Watch, a conservative group with ties to the Bush [...]
[...] the beginning I’ve been puzzled by the Freedom’s Watch ads that are now playing in NY-29 and NY-25. Why the confrontational tone? Why the “they attacked [...]
[...] we have seen the introduction of advertisements designed to bolster the popularity of supporting the Administration’s stay [...]