The MountainGoat Report

Idaho Vets Support LaRocco

A group of Idaho veterans announces support for Democratic Senate candidate and fellow veteran, Larry LaRocco.

On December 10, a group of Idaho Veterans launched the Veterans for LaRocco Committee that is comprised of vets from every major conflict since WWII.  The veterans gathered during a light snow at the Veterans Memorial in Boise ’s Veterans Memorial Park to express their support for vet, Larry LaRocco, to be the next U.S. Senator from Idaho.

The Veterans for LaRocco Committee is a statewide organization that supports LaRocco’s bid for the U.S. Senate and advises LaRocco on veterans’ issues during the 2008 campaign and after he is elected to the U.S. Senate.

Larry was recently endorsed by VetPAC, a group dedicated to educating and electing candidates who preserve the values for which veterans have served, fought, and died.  You can view the endorsement here.  LaRocco was also endorsed by former Four Star General Wesley Clark who rose to the rank of four-star general as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe .  Clark said, “Larry is a seasoned leader who will bring the change we need to the U.S. Senate.  He served with distinction not only in our military, but also in Congress, and he can win this race.”

Read the full press release here and join LaRocco at noon today for another live blogging session at DailyKos.  Also Thursday evening, he'll be doing a Virtually Speaking Interview.  You can check out info on that here.

LaRocco Works at CSI

Democratic Senate candidate Larry LaRocco is working his 12th job today, alongside the student financial aid administrator and his staff at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.

“My wife Chris and I are products of first-generation Americans who wanted a better life for their children and believed it could be attained through education,” LaRocco said.  “We saw our parents struggle to educate us, and we did the same when it came time to pass it forward.”

“I am “working for the Senate” side-by-side with Idahoans throughout our great state, so I can listen as Idahoans tell me their stories about the challenges facing them as they raise their families, plan for retirement, struggle to make ends meet, educate their kids, pay their taxes, and deal with the exploding costs of health insurance.”

LaRocco also recently gave a speech at a conference of the Idaho Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.  Check out the speech here.

Workin' it

While Idaho's Senator Larry Craig (who apparently has never heard a lie he didn't love) was trading in resignation for infamy; Larry LaRocco, the Democrat who hopes to take his place in 2008, was busy.  The latest job in LaRocco's "Working for Senate" campaign was on a sheep ranch near Bellevue.

It's time Idaho had someone in the Senate working hard for Idaho.  Larry LaRocco's that guy.  Check out the website for how you can help and if you can, consider making a contribution to his campaign.

Gen. Wesley Clark Endorses LaRocco

Larry LaRocco, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Idaho Senator Larry Craig, has received a big-time endorsement from the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, General Wesley Clark.

From a LaRocco press release:

General Wesley Clark, 2004 Presidential candidate, today endorsed former Congressman and fellow Army veteran, Larry LaRocco, for the U.S. Senate in Idaho.

"Larry is a seasoned, experienced leader who will bring the change we need to the U.S. Senate," said Clark. "He served with distinction, not only in our military but also in Congress, and he can win this race. It is wide open."

"LaRocco is the kind of plain speaking, common sense western Democrat whom America needs. He believes in keeping America safe by fighting the real war on terror, not wasting lives or eviscerating our military, with a Bush blank check in Iraq," Clark said.

"LaRocco doesn’t hesitate to speak his mind," said Clark , "but his solid judgment and proven ability to bring people together will result in real progress in Congress. Larry’s campaign of working in jobs all across Idaho has him listening to people in every corner of the state and walking the walk in their shoes."

"Larry was a great Congressman and will make a great Senator for Idaho. I am proud to endorse him today for the U.S Senate."

LaRocco in Hot Water?

Larry LaRocco, Idaho's hardest working 2008 Senate candidate, is in hot water—or more precisely, he's going to be working with hot water.  LaRocco has taken another job, the ninth of his "Working for Senate" campaign.  This one, scheduled for Friday, will be at the Raft River Geothermal project located south of Malta in Cassia County.

From a LaRocco for Senate press release:

MALTA – Demonstrating his support for energy independence and economic development, U.S. Senate candidate Larry LaRocco will spend Friday, August 24, working at the U.S. Geothermal Raft River Phase One plant in southern Idaho.

“America is dangerously dependent on foreign oil, and we are also a major producer of greenhouse gasses,” said LaRocco, a Democrat who is spending a day on an array of jobs around the state to learn more about working Idahoans’ lives and concerns. “Alternative energy developments like the new U.S. Geothermal plant will help our state and nation become more energy independent, safeguard the environment, and create good jobs, too.”

The $40 million Raft River Phase One plant is one of three that U.S. Geothermal plans for the site 15 miles south of Malta. Company officials project that the new plant will produce an average of 13 megawatts for use by Idaho Power when it comes online later this year. The plant will pump superheated underground water of 280 to 290 degrees Fahrenheit into heat exchangers that boil pentane to power turbines that generate power. In addition to its many contractor employees, U.S. Geothermal currently employs 8 people at the site and expects to have 12 people working there by 2008.

This area in the Raft River Valley was home to a government geothermal demonstration project during the energy crunch of the 1970s.  The project generated power for a short time and then was abandoned in the early '80s. 

Renewed interest in alternative energy sources prompted a second look at the site which is predicted to contain the capability of producing 15.6 megawatts per square mile and was rated first in the "Final High Temperature Ranking: Pacific Northwest" of geothermal sites in the four state Pacific Northwest region.

For more on the Raft River Geothermal Project, check out their website and read more about LaRocco's energy independence plan here.

LaRocco Makes Cheese

Idaho Democrat Larry LaRocco, 2008 candidate for the Senate seat now held by Senator Larry Craig, was in Twin Falls yesterday making cheese.  From the Twin Falls Times-News:

"That's the freshest cheese I've ever tasted in my life," said Larry LaRocco, a Democrat vying for the U.S. Senate in 2008, a large grin plastered across his face.

LaRocco's taste test came toward the end of an eight-hour shift as a cheese maker in the latest stop of his "Working for Senate" campaign. Beginning at 7 a.m. and finishing mid-afternoon, LaRocco -decked out in a white lab coat, plastic shoe covers and an orange helmet - followed and assisted the plant's bustling workers as they pushed buttons, crunched numbers and, ultimately, processed cheese in giant containers.

This was the third job LaRocco has taken in his "Working for Senate" campaign.  He has also worked as a sanitation worker in Orofino and a nurses aid in Pocatello.  His next stop will be in Lewiston working with the Nez Perce County Court Services.

On Monday, July 16, LaRocco will spend the day working with the staff of the Nez Perce County Court Services, which supervises about 600 adult offenders and 150 juvenile offenders at any one time. His duties may include fieldwork with probation officers and assisting staff at the Region II Juvenile Detention Center. LaRocco was invited to work by John Triplett, court services director, after Triplett read about the candidate’s June 11 “Working for Senate” kickoff as a sanitation worker in Orofino.

He'll also be attending the Nez Perce County Democratic Picnic on July 15 in Lewiston.  Read more here.

LaRocco to Craig: Speak Up

A couple of weeks ago it was Senators Richard Lugar of Indiana and George Voinovich of Ohio.  This week it was Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico and Congressman John Doolittle of California.  Republican support for the president's policy in Iraq is seeming to erode by the minute; MSNBC is running an AP report that asks, "Who's next?"

Potential wildcards include members up for re-election who have broken with the president on other issues such as immigration or who face growing anti-war sentiment in their home states. Those include Sens. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Ted Stevens of Alaska, Pat Roberts of Kansas, Michael Enzi of Wyoming, James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Jeff Sessions of Alabama.

Norm Coleman of Minnesota already has expressed grave doubts about the president's Iraq policies, but he hasn't signed on yet to legislation calling for a change in strategy.

The list does not mention Idaho Senator Larry Craig whose seat is up for election in 2008 (though he hasn't said yet whether he'll seek another term) but Craig has yet to break with the president on this or any issue. 

Democratic challenger Larry LaRocco thinks it's time he did.  [Read LaRocco's entire statement here.]

Senator Larry Craig continues to be a rubber stamp for a failed foreign policy.  His silence on the most critical issue facing our country is deafening. Even Senators in the Republican leadership such as Lamar Alexander and Robert Bennett have signed on as co-sponsors of the bi-partisan “Iraq Study Group Recommendations Implementation Act.” Today I call on Senator Craig not only to speak out but to join his colleagues in supporting S. 1545 to implement these recommendations. It’s time. It’s long past time.

The bi-partisan Iraq Study Group bill to draw down the number of troops in Iraq should mark the beginning of the end of the disastrous and delusional Bush Administration policy in Iraq. Because our original reason for going to war in Iraq—removal of Saddam Hussein—has long since been accomplished, Congress should also consider revoking the original authorization for the war in Iraq. Should that effort fail, Congress should reassert its power of the purse over Pentagon appropriations.

How about it Senator Craig?

LaRocco Reports

Larry LaRocco is in whether Senator Larry Craig is or not.  LaRocco's 2008 Senate campaign is reporting nearly $80,000 in contributions in the three months since entering the race in April. 

From ABC affiliate, Local News 8 in Idaho Falls:

Larry LaRocco, the former Democratic US House member running for Senate in 2008, said today he's raised nearly $80,000 since April for his bid to return to Washington, DC.  [...]

LaRocco says, "There's a lot of enthusiasm for my race - and for my candidacy."

LaRocco's campaign will also report that more that 200 in-state supporters gave an average of  $116 each. 

Money isn't always the deciding factor, but early money (the election is still a year and a half away) can be a good gauge of support.  From the looks of it, LaRocco's off to a good start.

A Tale of Two Larrys

Idaho 2008 Senate candidate Larry LaRocco was at Daily Kos again today live blogging and kicking off a 72 hour blograising push.  After pulling sanitation duty in Orofino a couple of weeks ago, LaRocco writes that he's lined up a new job in his "Working for Senate" campaign.  On Friday he'll be working at a Pocatello nursing home, Beacon Hospital and Rehabilitation.  A LaRocco press release described the new job.

“My shift starts at 6 a.m., and I’ll be working under the direction of a certified nursing assistant,” LaRocco said. “Health care is a key segment of Idaho’s economy. It’s a fast-growing field that employs some of our most skilled and compassionate people. I look forward to listening to and learning from Beacon Hospital’s staff as I work alongside them.”

In this live blogging session, LaRocco spent over an hour answering questions and exchanging ideas with people from all over the U.S.  In one response he encapsulated the sentiments of many Idahoans.

I live in a region in transition.  Idaho is the third fastest growing state in the US.  We have many new residents with strong feelings about the future of the state and country.  We can all agree that we're on the wrong track and the slightest uptick in accountability at the national level would be a big improvement. ... [Larry Craig] has asked no tough questions and consequently many Idahoans have had not representation on a major issue confronting our state and country today.  It's simply time for a change and new direction in the US.

Meanwhile the other Larry, Senator Craig, (who has yet to decide if he's up to another term) seems to have angered more veterans.  VA Watchdog dot Org is reporting that Craig attempted but failed to block a measure allowing Priority Group 8 veterans, those with no service-connected disabilities and incomes of at least $27,000 a year, from enrolling in the VA healthcare system. 

In a post entitled "Sen. Larry Craig continues fight to deny healthcare to qualified veterans" the group pulled no punches.  Read the whole post for background and links to all the relevant info.  Here's a snip:

The Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs has voted to allow Priority Group 8 veterans to enroll in the VA healthcare system.  They were denied that legal benefit in 2003.  [...]  But, once again, trying to stand in the way was Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), Ranking Minority Member on the Committee.

They conclude by saying that they were thankful that cooler and smarter heads prevailed in the Committee. 

We hope that in 2008, cooler heads prevail as well and voters send the Larry who is willing to work alongside average Idahoans to work for Idaho in the Senate.  That would be Larry LaRocco. 

LaRocco Blograising

Catch Idaho 2008 Senate candidate Larry LaRocco at Daily Kos for some more live blogging on Wednesday, June 27 at noon Mountain/11:00 Pacific.  The live blogging will kick off a 72 hour end-of-quarter fundraising push that the campaign is hoping will meet or exceed Senator Larry Craig's totals for this quarter.

Plan to join the live blogging if you can.  In previous sessions, LaRocco has been able to articulate some fairly in-depth responses on a variety of topics and no question goes untouched.  In case you missed them, here are links to the earlier sessions:   

• IdaBlue
• NewWest
• Daily Kos

Also if you can, contribute to the blograising fund at ActBlue.  Let Senator Craig know that it's time to go.

LaRocco is Working for Senate

This guy doesn't just want your vote; he's willing to work for it — literally.  Larry LaRocco, the only announced candidate for the 2008 U.S. Senate race in Idaho, will kick off his “Working for Senate” campaign at 6 a.m. Monday by picking up garbage.

“I will be working for Simmons Sanitation in Orofino, picking up and hauling garbage,” LaRocco said. “My shift starts at 6 a.m.”

"Today's campaigns are awash in money, consultants and negative TV ads, and candidates spend very little time actually meeting voters," said LaRocco, who plans to take half- or full-day jobs throughout Idaho as he campaigns for the U.S. Senate throughout 2007 and 2008.  "Idahoans are sick of being taken for granted by aloof politicians who have no idea what their lives are really like.  I will take no voter for granted."

"Last year, running for lieutenant governor, I shook hands with more than 22,000 Idahoans to reach out to them and hear their concerns," LaRocco said.  "I want to meet and work with as many Idaho voters as possible, to listen and learn from people who face tremendous pressures to raise their families, pay for housing, health care and education, plan for retirement and keep up with the rising cost of living."

LaRocco is returning to his roots with the "Working for Senate" campaign.  In his first run for Congress in 1982, he held 22 different jobs over eight months, including milking cows in Cottonwood, picking apples and working at Amalgamated Sugar in Canyon County, and working at a nursing home in Coeur d'Alene, a restaurant in McCall, and a grain elevator in Craigmont.

LaRocco wound up winning 46.5 percent of the vote that year despite little name recognition, and he later won two terms to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1991 to 1995.

If you happen to be in Orofino on Monday, wave to the newbie trash guy. 

Despite Power Outage, LaRocco Blogs On

Idaho 2008 Senate candidate, Larry LaRocco, has finished his third of three live blogging sessions scheduled for the early stages of the campaign.  Today's session, perhaps the most impressive of the three, was held at Daily Kos this afternoon and was completed despite challenging technical difficulties that apparently included rolling blackouts throughout much of Idaho. 

Red State Rebels commented on the problems as reported by the Idaho Statesman.   

A mistake during an annual safety drill at Idaho Power this morning led to blackouts that knocked out power to at least 75,000 people across Idaho, Idaho Power spokeswoman Anne Alenskis said.

Idaho Power was practicing to prepare for an energy emergency when “human error” led to rolling blackouts just before 11 a.m. that affected pockets of customers from Blackfoot in the southeast to Riggins in the northwest, including some Treasure Valley residents, Alenskis said. She did not have details on exactly what led to the error.

The power outage hit Canyon County just before 11:00 but was restored around 11:30, in plenty of time to join the live blogging, however Boise's outage was evidently closer to noon when the blogging was scheduled to begin.

It didn't phase LaRocco at all as, on a borrowed laptop, he managed to give thoughtful and in-depth answers to nearly every question asked.  Now that's the kind of quick thinking under fire we could use more often.

To see LaRocco's views on everything from Iraq to the environment to expanding rural broadband access, go check it out.   

Blogging With LaRocco

For those who haven't heard yet, Idaho's 2008 Senate Candidate, Larry LaRocco, is planning several live blogging sessions in the next few weeks.  LaRocco, who in April made history by using his website to announce his run for Senate, will blog at Idaho-based sites Idablue and New West-Boise and at Daily Kos, a national Democratic blog that draws a half-million visits each day. The dates and times are:

• Tuesday, May 29 - http://www.idablue.blogspot.com/, 8 p.m. Mountain/7 p.m. Pacific.
• Friday, June 1 - http://www.newwest.net/index.php/city/main/C108/L108, 12 noon Mountain/11 a.m. Pacific.
• Tuesday, June 5 – www.dailykos.com, 12 noon Mountain/11 a.m. Pacific.

Mark the dates; this is a great opportunity to ask LaRocco about the issues that matter to you.

Fanselow Joins LaRocco

Idaho's own Red State Rebel, Julie Fanselow, has signed on to Larry LaRocco's 2008 Senate campaign.  Julie proved an invaluable asset to Larry Grant's 1st District Congressional campaign last year and should give LaRocco's campaign a netroots boost as well. 

It's to LaRocco's benefit that he's taken this step early in the campaign because, according to Julie's announcement post, many don't have Idaho's Senate seat on their radar.

Rothenberg and Cook list Larry Craig's seat as safe - but then Cook didn't call Idaho's 1st Congressional District race a toss-up last fall until November 6, and most prognosticators didn't even give Larry Grant a chance until mid-October. Bill Sali wound up winning by a mere 5 percent in a district George Bush took by 40 percent in 2000 and 2004.

Idaho is capable of surprising people. And I believe Larry LaRocco can pull off one of those surprises, which is why I've joined his campaign to help kick start Internet outreach and communications.

Julie will certainly help generate the buzz that LaRocco will need to be successful. 

The race is on — the question now is who will be LaRocco's opponent.