Good night and good luck, Ari Fleischer.

Freedom’s Watch, the 501 (c4) organization heavily funded by Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson and hyped as the conservative answer to MoveOn.org, is shutting its doors. Ed Patru, Vice President of Communications for Freedom’s Watch, said in an interview that the organization would be effectively ceasing its operations at the end of the year.

Freedom’s Watch launched in the summer of 2007 with a splash, launching a $15 million nationwide ad campaign supporting President Bush’s troop escalation in Iraq and announcing a staff roster that read like a who’s who of the Washington Republican establishment, including former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer and Bradley Blakeman, a former deputy assistant to President Bush. Rumors circulated that the organization would spend as much as $200 million in the course of the 2008 election cycle...read on

With all your help, Blue America took them head on. Blue America vs Freedom's Watch

Chris Cilliza of the Washington Post wrote this today:

We don't want Karl Rove to pick off the good progressives who are already running in 2008, so we're putting robocalls into their districts to counter the deceptive ones created by Freedom's Watch," explained Jane Hamsher, the founder of Firedoglake and a member of Blue America.

John Amato, founder of Crooks and Liars, added: "[Freedom's Watch is] blaming Democrats for the outrageous gas prices we now see all across America, ... which is actually the product of almost eight years of Republican control."

You didn't think we'd just sit around and let Karl Rove's buddies at Freedom's Watch try to attack us and we would just turn the other cheek, did you? Mike Farrell, from Mash fame, and who has contributed on C&L before was kind enough to jump into this with us and he recorded a series of calls designed to combat this gaggle of billionaire Bushies led by Ari Fleischer. Jane Hamsher writes:

Freedom's Watch, the Ari Fleischer outfit that is now being advised by Karl Rove, is running robocalls against vulnerable Democratic freshmen and challengers, trying to pin the high cost of gas on them. As if.

Chris Cilliza of the Washington Post wrote this today:

We don't want Karl Rove to pick off the good progressives who are already running in 2008, so we're putting robocalls into their districts to counter the deceptive ones created by Freedom's Watch," explained Jane Hamsher, the founder of Firedoglake and a member of Blue America.

John Amato, founder of Crooks and Liars, added: "[Freedom's Watch is] blaming Democrats for the outrageous gas prices we now see all across America, ... which is actually the product of almost eight years of Republican control."

It's a good article and Chris closes with this:

National Democrats have long warned that it is Freedom's Watch, not the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, that poses the greatest threat to maximizing their gains at the ballot box this fall.

Is Blue America's robo-call campaign the start of something bigger or just a lone voice in the wilderness?

We've started a new page to fund-raise against Freedom's Watch. If you can---please donate here. Blue America vs Freedom's Watch

Digby says:

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