[First, a cheap plug for my blog Senate 2008 Guru: Following the Races.]
Note: I am not associated with Larry LaRocco's Senate campaign. This diary entry is completely independent of the LaRocco campaign.
(This diary first ran Monday morning. I'll attribute the quietness to a blogospheric case of the Mondays. I urge you to read this, or else we could be stuck with "Nintendo warrior" Larry Craig and his doodling-during-debate for another six years!)
I have some good news for you. In 2008, we could see a competitive U.S. Senate race in Idaho. Idaho! The state that went 69-28 for Bush over Gore in 2000 and 69-30 for Bush over Kerry in 2004 could see a competitive U.S. Senate race in 2008. In fact, Democrats have their best chance in at least fifteen years to win a U.S. Senate seat in Idaho.
How?
Find out how below the fold!
Democratic former Congressman Larry LaRocco is stepping up to plate. With the mantra "Do right; risk consequences," he is currently the only formally announced candidate for Senate in Idaho in 2008. The incumbent, Bush rubber-stamp Larry Craig, is the focus of persistent retirement rumors, and he is not raising money at a pace that would suggest that a committed re-election effort is on the horizon. Meanwhile, Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch is chomping at the bit for a Craig retirement so that he can enter the race. Should that be the case, Risch will face a primary opponent who will miss no opportunity to go for his political jugular, softening him up for a general election.
Regardless of who LaRocco might face in the general election, his campaign is off to a terrific start. He is demonstrating a desire to lead on issues that Larry Craig has quietly taken a back seat on, like the War in Iraq and alternative energy. LaRocco's "Working for the Senate" effort has earned him some great local press and sets LaRocco up to be quite the positive foil to Craig.
Perhaps more than any other Senate challenger so far this cycle, LaRocco has made a concerted effort to reach out to the grassroots. LaRocco has held four live blog sessions over the last two months, including two here at Daily Kos (6/5 and 6/27), one at New West (6/1), and one at IdaBlue (5/29). Over the course of these four live blog sessions, he has discussed a range of issues from Iraq to health care to expanding internet access to rural areas lacking it to the importance of public service and political courage. He wouldn't just be an improvement over Larry Craig. He would be a terrific Senator, progressive on a number of issues.
One of the upsides of running in Idaho is that a dollar can go very far, with a smaller population and less expensive media market. $100,000 can make a huge difference in a Senate campaign in Idaho, which brings us to the point of this post.
Congressman LaRocco has done four live blogs, at about an hour apiece. If he was paid the minimum wage (currently $5.15 per hour nationally and in Idaho until the hike kicks in on July 24) for his time live blogging with us, for four hours he would make $20.60. Now, Daily Kos gets almost a half-million visits each weekday. If only about 1% of you (just one tiny percent), or 5,000 people, contributed $20.60 to Congressman LaRocco's Senate campaign, it would add up to $103,000. That would make a massive difference and give Congressman LaRocco resources to leave the GOP in the dust while their candidate situation is still unknown.
So, what do you say? You can probably afford to swing $20.60 to the first Democrat in at least a decade-and-a-half with a real chance to win a Senate seat in Idaho. If just 5,000 of you chip in $20.60, you will be making a huge difference and spreading the map even further, giving the NRSC major headaches!
So, right now, please, please, please give $20.60 to Larry LaRocco via ActBlue. Send a message to the Republicans that we will challenge them everywhere and hold every single Bush rubber-stamp accountable!
(And, for extra mojo, recommend this diary so that it might work its way up into the Recommended Diaries section so that more people might read it and contribute $20.60 to the cause!)
Thanks for reading,
Senate 2008 Guru
http://senate2008guru.blogspot.com/