The Hill: NRCC circulates FISA opponent names to telecom PACs

As we mentioned earlier today, the Politico reports that Dems who flipped on FISA immunity see more telecom cash.  Walz voted against telecom immunity last week and The Hill posted his statement in one of its blogs.

Now it looks like the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has tried to use the votes of telecom immunity opponents to raise cash against them. In   FISA overhaul spat moves from Capitol to campaign, The Hill's Walter Alarkon writes:

A new poll suggests that the FISA debate hasn’t resonated with voters in the way Republicans would like it to. According to the Rasmussen survey, 32 percent of likely voters think the government worries too much about protecting individual rights, while the same proportion believes that the government is too worried about national security.

Republicans may also have a difficult time paying for attacks focusing on FISA, with the NRCC raising far less money than its Democratic counterpart and with polls showing other issues — the economy, energy costs and the Iraq war — more on voters’ minds.

Republicans may have to rely on outside advocacy groups to push the issue; the NRCC has even circulated the names of Democratic opponents of the White House-backed FISA deal among telecom companies and their political action committees (PACs). One advocacy group advised by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, ran ads earlier this year criticizing House Democratic freshmen for not supporting a bill that included immunity. The ads ran in the districts of Reps. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Michael Arcuri (N.Y.), Nancy Boyda (Kan.), Tim Walz (Minn.), Chris Murphy (Conn.) and several others, according to Factcheck.org.

Don't like special interests setting the agenda? With the June 30  FEC deadline for Q2 looming, now's a good time to contribute to and volunteer for Congressman Walz's re-election.

And if you have more coin, please help elect more good Democrats to join Walz in Washington by giving to Red to Blue.