Sunday Tidbits

Alabama: State Senator Vivian Figures has officially announced that she is a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2008. She asks of Jeff Sessions, and answers: "Has he made our schools better? Has he lowered the cost of health care? Has he even made insurance affordable? No. No. No." We'll see if it resonates in the inevitable polling to come.

Oregon: It deeply bothers me when the few remaining supporters of Bush's Iraq War still can't separate support for the well-being of the troops from support for the war, that one can say both that the Iraq War was wrong and Bush's execution of the war has been a failure and also that the troops have performed admirably and done the best they could. Supporting the troops and supporting the war are two very different things - which is why it also bothers me that Oregon Republicans are dishonestly trying to turn Speaker Jeff Merkley's vote back in 2003 for a resolution in the Oregon House meant as a show of support for our troops into some sort of declaration of support for the war, as though it somehow exonerates Gordon Smith from his election cycle conversion on Iraq. Dishonest and shameful.

Colorado: "Backwards" Bob Schaffer sees his latest setback, a wary base:

Sportsmen, a traditionally Republican-leaning voting bloc in Colorado that swung blue in 2006’s gubernatorial contest, are warily responding to 2008 Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer’s ties to the energy industry. ...

Eddie Kochman, a retired fisheries manager who spent 35 years with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, said the ties of any candidate to the energy industry are a subject of increasing concern to hunters, anglers and other outdoorsmen.

“I’m not saying the energy industry is bad, and I’m not saying there aren’t people there who want to do things right because there are,” Kochman said. “But I’ve seen too dang many times both in my career and even since I’ve retired that when the lobbying’s all done … most of the time, wildlife gets short-shafted big time.”

Kochman said the thought that one candidate might be in bed with the industry could push outdoorsmen to support Schaffer’s opponent, 2nd District Congressman Mark Udall, a Boulder County resident with strong ties to the organized environmental movement.

Schaffer's eroding support from a divided base is just the latest reason why his Senate campaign is hurting.

Idaho: Democratic former Congressman, and the only announced candidate at present for the 2008 Senate race in Idaho, Larry LaRocco offers this video look at one of his latest jobs in his Working for the Senate campaign, discussing the needs of Idaho's families and the value of unions in our workforce. As it turns out, this weekend is LaRocco's 61st birthday and his and his wife's 40th wedding anniversary. And you can personally ask Larry LaRocco questions during his latest liveblog session on Daily Kos this Wednesday (August 29th) at 2pm Eastern, 1pm Central, Noon Mountain, 11am Pacific.

Nebraska: WaPo offers its edition of the "Bob Kerrey is getting closer to running for Senate" story.