When You Worry About a Blogger from Germany, You're Really in Trouble

After being hit on his Iraq stance by the ad of Americans United for Change, Dean Heller went on Bill Manders radio talk-show last night. That in itself is to be expected. However what is not to be expected is that a conservative talk show host and a sitting Congressman care about some little blogger from Germany. But apparently they do.

Listen to this clip (this is the second part of their talk).

Here's the transcript:

Bill Manders: "What do you know about this guy named Sven Stromann?"

Dean Heller: "Uh... Some guy from Germany."

Bill Manders: "Well, actually he's an exchange student in Nevada."

Dean Heller: "Yea, I think he was at one time..."

Bill Manders: "And he's got a, I guess they've got a website. They're attacking you, they want to defeat you in 2008.."

Dean Heller: "Yes they do..."

Funny, ain't it, how Mr. Manders and Congressman Heller have not only noticed a blog barely three days old but are worried enough about Heller's re-election to give it credence by mentioning me. Also, Mr. Manders, this is a one person effort. No need for invoking the "they've got a website" notion there.

Further highlights from the two parts of this interview: Heller claims that Lisa Mascaro misquoted him in the Las Vegas Sun article. Manders very worried that Heller might change his stance on Iraq, especially his support for the surge. Most hilarious thing, though, is that Heller clearly used information from this blog concerning the automated phone calls made by VoteVets. I'm not surprised, though, as Helluva Heller receives most of its hits from the server of the House of Representatives according to my site statistics (click on "Visitor Paths" on the sidebar and then scroll down).

All in all, you can only come away from this talk show segment with the feeling that Heller's not all that certain about his re-election prospects. Funny thing, that.

Here are the links to listen to this segment in full:

Clip 1
Clip 2

Thanks to JWH over at No Gibbons for the tip and the clips.

Las Vegas Sun on Anti-Heller Ad and the Launch of Helluva Heller

The Las Vegas Sun's Lisa Mascaro published an article today headlined "Heller hears it from every side and now in ads, too" regarding the ad campaign by Americans United for Change which will start to air on Reno stations today:

Today a national progressive group, Americans United for Change, will begin running television ads in Heller's Reno district , targeting six lawmakers whose war votes it hopes to change. Congress is preparing to vote on final passage of the Democratic timetable for troop withdrawal, which Bush has promised to veto. Heller voted against the plan last month.

[...]

The organization's spokesman Jeremy Funk said, "These particular folks, we felt holding them accountable in public, they could be convinced to change their own course and do the right thing." Even in Nevada's relatively conservative 2nd Congressional District, Heller "made the wrong decision to support the president and the war in Iraq." Americans United hopes that as a freshman, Heller is not too beholden to his party's leadership to change his vote.

Heller's already hearing about it from his constituents. Nevadans don't like the war any more than people in the rest of the country:

Heller returns to Washington this week after hearing deep opposition to the war from constituents in Nevada during spring recess. He said he heard similar sentiments in private conversations, in grocery stores and in homes from "some of my friends, neighbors, colleagues."

Heller came away believing that two of every three Nevadans oppose the war - on par with national polls.

Well, at least Heller isn't deaf. With enough pressure put upon him he might just be forced to change his attitude towards the war and vote accordingly, or as Heller calls it "reassess my positon."

There's much more in the article. Read it here.

BTW, "Helluva Heller" got its first mention in this report:

The Americans United campaign has encouraged the early launch of a Web site by a blogger in Germany, Sven Stromann. A former exchange student in Nevada, Stromann hopes to contribute to Heller's defeat in 2008 through the site: helluvaheller.blogspot.com.

And what do Republicans say when the topic of a possible Heller defeat in 2008 is brought up?

[Republican political strategist Ryan]Erwin noted that Heller is in a relatively safe district where he can, as a freshman, massage his views on the war in either direction and still find support.

"As long as he's explaining to his constituents, he can support what he wants to support," Erwin said.

Well, you might want to watch that ad again: