I don’t have to tell you the difference special elections can make in setting the tone for national politics: the netroots has been there and done that in special elections over the years, from helping push Stephanie Herseth across the finish line in South Dakota a few years back to pushing the Iraq debate forward by making a powerful statement for change in a so-called rock-ribbed Republican district with Paul Hackett’s campaign.
Well, we’ve got another special election on our hands – only this time it’s the Republicans who are pushing to sneak one under the radar screen in Massachusetts next week. The Republicans are desperate to make the case – any way they can -- that they’re not in for a very long 2008, and believe me, when I say “any way they can” I know what I’m talking about, but with those scars come lessons learned.
I’ll give you the details below the flip:
A little personal history here: I first ran for Congress in the Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts in 1972, with my headquarters in Lowell. I’d won a hard-fought, crowded Democratic primary, and the pundits thought that was the tough part. They didn’t know the district, and they didn’t know the focus Richard Nixon would put on defeating me because I was such a prominent opponent of his disastrous war policy. The Republicans swept in with a smear campaign that probably would’ve made young Karl Rove’s heart go pitter patter – Richard Nixon himself stayed up all night waiting to hear the outcome of my race. I lost -- and I learned an important lesson.
Flash forward thirty five years later to Lowell – today. Today, Niki Tsongas is running against a Republican in that old congressional district, a Republican who, once again, has the support of the national smear and fear machine of the Republican Party and a President desperate to defeat any and all opponents of his war policy. They’re trotting out the tried and true tactics of distract, divide, and distort, trying to muddy the waters on Iraq and smearing the integrity of Niki Tsongas. But Niki is standing up to them and calling with a clear voice for an end to the Bush policies of the last seven years. She’ll be a strong ally of ours in the fight to get a new course in Iraq, while her opponent will side with Bush. No wonder the national Republicans are getting in on the act.
You can contribute to the ActBlue page I set up for her here. And, if you are in Massachusetts or close by in Southern New Hampshire and want to get involved with her campaign, they could really use the volunteers. You can go to her site to sign up to help.
Patrick Ruffini, Bush-Cheney 04 Internet Director, has begun to try to rally the “right roots,” as they like to call themselves, to the cause of Niki’s opponent. They want to create a moment for Republicans like you have created for Democrats a number of times: a surprise showing (even a surprisingly close loss) that can energize the national Republicans and give that party some small spark of hope. Don’t let them – instead, please help Niki remind them that they are on the wrong side of history. Remember what I learned in Lowell – no race is in the bag till the votes are counted, and we can’t give the right and their favorite mouthpieces any room to find vindication anywhere, especially not in Massachusetts.
update2: I was just told that you don't have to be near the 5th District if you're in MA. The MA Democratic Party is organizing phone banks across the state to help. Go to the calendar on the Party's website to find a phone bank in your area and sign up to help!
update: A few people asked in comments for more information about Niki and the race. There's been some great coverage on local blogs, like Richard Howe's blog, a blog called Left In Lowell, and Blue Mass Group has a section for the MA-05 race. Also, Scarce left a comment with this video introducing Niki:
