Will NC-11 Republicans Get in Bed With Rove?

It’s understandable that, given the bruised egos of western North Carolina’s disgraced Republican leaders, they would welcome a visit from a nationally renowned strategist like Karl Rove. God knows the National Republican Campaign Committee left former Congressman Charles Taylor twisting in the wind during the 2006 race, spending millions of his own dollars, running unsophisticated ad after unsophisticated ad on radio and television. The NRCC spent hundreds of millions of dollars for the privilege of losing to Democrats across America, but they didn’t spend it in NC-11.

NC-11′s Republican Party leaders have decided to hitch their wagons to Bush’s dying star. Karl Rove’s visit to Hendersonville, NC in late April is the beginning of a concerted effort among George Bush/Charles Taylor Republicans to desperately cling to Rove’s slash-and-burn style of politics.

We’ve seen the GSA testimony reveal the depth of corruption of this administration, spending taxpayer dollars to teach government employees how best to target and defeat Democrats in 2008. We’ve seen Alberto Gonzales lie to Congress while his President stands by him. We’ve seen Karl Rove mock the Congress of the United States at the Correspondent’s Dinner. Rove’s tactics are uncivil, misleading, and bad for democracy.

Take the new NRCC attack site. The Shuler page is filled with poorly referenced disinformation. Rove’s partisan hit squad accuses Shuler of turning over “United States homeland security protections to the United Nations” for voting to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

For voting to strengthen our national security based on the findings of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, Rove and his colleagues attack Heath Shuler. Why? Because they are not interested in truth. They are interested only in retaking Washington to restore the unaccountable systematic culture of corruption they worked to create since 2000. The entire attack site is riddled with inaccuracies like the one I mention above. Rove and the Bush/Taylor Republicans plan to retake Congress with lies, spin, and fury.

NC-11 Republicans will likely be hypnotized by Rove’s promises of money. They will likely turn the Congressional race over to Washington consultants who will stroke their tender egos. Our district will likely see a campaign so dirty that people will pine for the days of Taylor’s stupid graphics and grade school scripts. This is not good for us or for anyone. Even Bush/Taylor Republicans must know that Karl Rove and George Bush’s era of lies is ending, so I must conclude that this pack of Republicans are desperate, desperate enough to sacrifice their principles for Rove’s dark star power.

Contact your local Republican party today to let them know that Rove’s slash-and-burn politics aren’t welcome in our mountains, or take this opportunity to donate to Heath Shuler. He’s going to need some major resources to fight this sort of underhanded, well-funded, dirty politicking.