Iraq's a big issue. Medicare. Corruption. Etc, etc, but ... didn't Congress and George W. Bush just shred the Constitution a couple weeks ago? Didn't the basis of our entire system of justice (Habeas Corpus) get discarded? Shouldn't we be mentioning this?
Well, I took it upon myself to do something about this. I'm locked in the fevered last days of my campaign against John McHugh, and we had a strong series of ads ready ... but I couldn't let this moment pass without registering my protest. I couldn't allow this to happen to our basic American rights. I began campaigning for Congress to stand up to governmental abuses, and I'll be damned if I stop now, avoiding the biggest abuse in our history, just because I'll be swimming against the tide when I do so.
Follow me below the flip ...
When I say "swimming against the tide," I don't mean the tide of popular opinion. I actually firmly believe the American people are against this, or at least they would be if they only knew. But, by tacking the issue, I'm going against the tide of news coverage. It'd be far easier to release another ad about Iraq, or hitting John McHugh for voting with George Bush 82% of the time, or a number of other issues that would be immediately recognizable to people. After all, I don't have a lot of money to spend on ads, so I should do ads that resonate with what's in the news.
But I can't do that. I couldn't look back on this moment and recognize that I didn't speak up. I have a megaphone right now that others don't have. The way I see it, I have an obligation to speak up about the gutting of our rights here at home.
So I produced an ad, and I'll be airing it around my district in the last weeks of the campaign.
Here it is:
And here's the transcript of what I say:
On September 27th, John McHugh voted away your right to a fair trial. You can now be rounded up, thrown in jail and held without charge. The right to a fair trial has been the cornerstone of our system of justice for over 700 years, but George Bush wanted it gone, and John McHugh and the rest of Congress gave it away. On September 27th America was betrayed. On November 7th, you can take it back. I'm Bob Johnson, and I approved this message.
America was betrayed. Our founding fathers were betrayed. Every American who fought in our nation's military to protect our way of life was betrayed. The thousands of unheralded labor heroes who fought for a better America were betrayed. The brave African-Americans who marched, and died, for civil rights were betrayed. In short, every person who sacrificed to make America a better place was betrayed by the actions of the Republican Congress and George W. Bush.
I couldn't let that moment stand. I had to speak up.
I don't have a lot of money, though, and, as I said, I'm out on a limb here. So, if you believe as I do that this issue must be aired, give to my campaign. I promise you that every penny you give will go to running this ad. And, if we can get enough money and you make a big enough splash, this will be noticed. When you in the net-roots propel an issue forward, folks notice.
We can't remain silent while our most precious rights are given away.
{I'm Bob Johnson and I'm running in NY-23 against GOP footsoldier John McHugh.}