(Cross-posted at Blue Jersey)
After the bruising the Republican Party took in the 2006 election cycle, a tight-knit core of right-wing operatives and donors loyal to George W. Bush and Karl Rove came up with a plan: organize a well-funded, "independent" political organization to sell the American people on the virtues of the Iraq War. This organization, known as Freedom's Watch, has since become the single most reliably pro-Bush organization in the country, demagoguing issues from immigration to Social Security privatization.
And now they've come to New Jersey in full force, with Linda Stender in their cross-hairs. While Freedom's Watch is targeting a number of Democratic Congressional candidates with new ads at the moment, Stender is clearly at the top of their hit list, with their $500,000 ad buy in the 7th district being their largest expenditure at the moment.
Hot on the heels of Bush's multi-million dollar rescue operation for Leonard Lance and Chris Myers, the White House has clearly put the word out that getting Lance elected is one of their top priorities. Who knows what's they're going to come up with next. Lance can try to weasel his way out of it, but the proof is undeniable at this point -- George W. Bush and Karl Rove want nothing more than for folks like Leonard Lance to be elected to Congress to protect their legacy. They know that electing people like Linda Stender means that their dreams of permanent majorities rubber-stamping policies from Social Security privatization to endless war in the Middle East will come to an end.
The last time that Freedom's Watch lobbed an attack Stender's way, the netroots stood up in her defense, countering the Bush front group's robocalls to the district with calls of their own, proclaiming that the election of Linda Stender would be the "worst nightmare" of the Bush Republicans in Washington. We couldn't agree more.
To help us respond to the coming right-wing onslaught, please consider making a contribution to the campaign at LindaStenderForCongress.com/Contribute. And if you aren't in a position to contribute, sign up to get involved with the campaign at LindaStenderForCongress.com/GetInvolved/Volunteer. You can help us immediately by knocking on doors, making phone calls, and letting your friends, neighbors, and family in the 7th district know that real change isn't going to come from the same tired Bush team in Washington and their handpicked candidates across the country. It's going to come when we elect more people like Linda Stender to Congress.