Freedom's Watch

Freedom's Watch, the conservative lobbying group formed in part to counter liberal organizations like MoveOn.org, is targeting U.S. Reps. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Tucson) and Harry Mitchell (D-Tempe) in a round of robo-calls this week. The freshman Democrats' districts are among 16 nationwide Freedom's Watch has selected for the calls, which blame congressional Democrats for high fuel prices.

According to an accompanying press release put out by Freedom's Watch, the Democrats are being lambasted for "standing between Americans and increased domestic energy production."

“Instead of standing in the way of responsible domestic production," said Foster Morss, communications director of Freedom's Watch, "[Giffords and Mitchell] need to lead the charge to increase American oil to relieve the intense pressure residents are feeling from high gas prices.”

Freedom's Watch, the conservative advocacy group, is launching about three dozen robocalls over the next week targeting U.S. House members across the country, including several vulnerable incumbents in Arizona, PolitickerAZ.com has learned.

The target list for the robocalls includes Democratic Reps. Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords, among a host of other members of Congress.

The calls start off by reminding recipients of current gas prices and emphasizing how the prices affect the cost of food. The calls also stress the potential for domestic drilling and mention that the member in question has voted against exploration on the continental shelf.

After Freedom's Watch launched in 2007, it initially focused its efforts on conveying a national security message. But the new robocalls underscore how the organization is switching to a more economic-focused message that is aimed at blue collar areas.

"We're absolutely going to be concentrating on economic issues," said Freedom's Watch spokesman Ed Patru. In honing in on gas prices, Patru argued, Freedom's Watch was picking an issue in which the divide between conservatives and liberals was stark.

WASHINGTON -- When Arizonans opened the pages of the Arizona Republic on Veterans Day in November, there was a good chance they saw a full page advertisement taking aim at Democratic U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell for his vote in support of a bill that included a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. The advertisement featured a letter from injured Iraq veteran Andrew Robinson, pictured seated in a wheelchair.