Boyda: "Please Stay Out of My Race"

Text of a letter written by Congresswoman Nancy Boyda today in regards to independent expenditures in the 2nd Kansas Congressional district race:

In late July, I made a public request in the pages of the Topeka Capital-Journal. I called on out-of-state political groups, Democratic and Republican alike, to keep their TV ads out of the race for the Kansas Second Congressional District.

To my knowledge, no such call had ever succeeded in American history. Because these groups are fully independent, they can buy television time in any district in the country, without asking permission from me or anyone else.

Even so, I believed that urging them to stay away was the right thing to do. Many out-of-state groups have a history of running negative, misleading ads aimed at advancing a political party rather than informing voters. I felt that Kansans should have the opportunity to decide our election without their interference.

Unfortunately, in the months since then, numerous Washington groups have disregarded this request. Freedom's Watch, the Credit Union Legislative Action Council, the National Republican Congressional Committee, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have all reserved ad time in Kansas.

My sincere hope remains that all of these groups, on both sides of the aisle, will take their ads off the air. In particular, if anyone who is running ads in my support is reading this letter, here's my message to you: "Thanks, but no thanks." Please stay out of my race.

I continue to believe that I made the right decision in calling on out-of-state groups to keep out of our election, and you'd better believe I'll do the same thing when I run for re-election in 2010.

Sincerely,

Nancy Boyda

Member of Congress

(For what it's worth...we hope lots more independent groups spend on Boyda's behalf...but that's just another time we can prove we aren't in Boyda's pocket :-) )

UPDATE: Freedom's Watch Radio Ad Buy

As we reported on Monday, the radical group Freedom's Watch has radio ads up and running as we speak attacking Congresswoman Nancy Boyda for the price of gasoline.

And, as we expected, the ad throws up the claim that Boyda is standing in the way of new domestic drilling (without actually cite any instances where she has done any such thing), which, as we've also showing you all week long, simply isn't the case.

To echo what Boyda has already said: There is land available now for drilling that isn't being used. She supports a gas tax holiday. She has already voted in favor of new domestic energy exploration. And, biggest of all, nothing we do now will do anything in the short tern to lower the price of gasoline. We must, for a long term solve, invest in alternatives to oil. And, as long as oil companies are seeing world-record profits, they deserve not a single dime of taxpayer money. With the price of gas, we simply can't afford given them anything more.

If you'd like to listen to the ad yourself, click here.

It doesn't matter that much regardless- the ad buy from big, bad Freedom's Watch was TINY- only 20 spots on two stations totally $570.

Lord, if that's all it takes, maybe this blog should become a federal PAC...

Right-Wing "Freedom's Watch" Launch Radio Ads Attacking Boyda

The right-wing radical group "Freedom's Watch," which has already run full page ads in area newspapers attacking Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, and only weeks ago launched a blitz of robocalls lamely attacking Boyda first on military pay and then on gas prices.

We're guessing they're learning the hard way people hate robocalls, because they're newest volley comes in the form of radio ads.

"Since last year, gas prices are up 75 [percent]," says a narrator at the start. "Everything -- from bread and milk, to airline tickets, even diapers -- costs more."

The ad then details a series of energy votes by the targeted Democrats that have blocked attempts to lower costs.

"But, Nancy Boyda stands in the way," says the narrator. "While we cut back on gas and groceries, family outings, and summer vacations."

(We haven't found the whole transcript of the Boyda ad yet- we'll let you know when we do).

So, really, nothing more than the partisan finger pointing we've been hearing for months- the same drivel that ignores anything and everything proactive that doesn't result in drilling in Yellowstone National Park. They willfully ignore votes taken by Boyda to increase funding for alternative fuels (which are, in the end, our only real way out of this mess), her endorsement of a federal gas tax holiday, and for more domestic exploration.

These ads aren't about informing voters, they're misleading voters with half-truths and misdirection.

Since we don't have the exact votes from the radio ad, we can't go at them one-by-one, but we can promise you from a purely non-partisan position we wholeheartedly agree with what Chris Cilliza said when he broke this story:

Gas prices are the latest political football in the positioning of the two parties in advance of the fall election. The simple truth is that neither congressional Democrats nor Republicans can do much of anything when it comes to lowering the price of gas. There is no good short term solution.

Skyrocketing gasoline prices are neither a Democratic nor a Republica problem, they weren't caused by either party, and both parties would do anythign they could to lower the price today. The only problem is- there isn't anything- nothing at all- that will lower them short-term and keep them down. Every solution discussed from alternative fuels to more domestric drilling will solve the problem in 10 years, not tomorrow.

When faced with problems like these, we need politicians who are prepared to think about what will actually fix the problem, not what will be expediant- Boyda's looking toward the future while trying to do anything she can, along with the rest of the Democratic majority, while groups like Freedom's Watch can't see passed their own noses.