[KQQL]

Trashing of Shaffer has began..

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[OldFriend]

So now integrity and honor is defined as sidestepping?

[toomuchcoffee]

This is a tough call. Colorado may be conservative but with all of the Californians moving in, it could go the other way or, it could become even more conservative, if the Californians left The Sunshine State because it's too (waaay too) liberal to put up with.

[Clintonfatigued]

Looks like the field has been set. Bob Schaffer wasn't the Republican establishment's first choice, but he could still run a strong campaign. In 1986, everyone said that Ken Kramer was a sure loser, but he came within 2% of winning. The biggest problem Schaffer faces isn't his conservatism, but regional politics. The other U.S. Senator, Wayne Allard, also represented the 4th. district, and Colorado residents might not want two Senators who hail from the same area.

[coloradan]

In 2001, Schaffer retired from the House, making good on a promise to limit himself to three terms. He later said it was a mistake, costing him House leadership positions and plum committee assignments.

It was a mistake for another reason: Everyone makes term limit pledges, but only the honorable ones keep to them. Who does that leave in Congress?

[Colorado Buckeye]

You folks were curious about Bob Schaffer. This piece seems to fairly accurately describe him.

If I remember correctly, by his third term, he had become so popular in the 4th district that the rats didn't even bother to run a candidate against him.

[Tall_Texan]

University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato said Democrats will use Schaffer's conservative record against him to appeal to Colorado voters, who tend to favor moderate candidates. "Obviously, if there is going to be this matchup between Salazar and Schaffer, this will be the best chance Democrats have to capture a Senate seat in November," Sabato said Thursday.

Sabato is such a tool. Illinois is clearly the Democrats' best chance to gain a senate seat.

I do smirk at the "look at the freak" tone of this coverage. It's so sad that a candidate who stands by his conservative principles is immediately villified as some sort of alien creature.

I'm sure AP would have no problem with Osama bin Laden if he had a "D" next to his name and could win a statewide race.

[Kuksool]

The media would be a lot harsher if Tom Tancredo entered the Senate race. There would have been countless ads and newspaper articles accusing Tancredo of creating a final solution to the illegal immigration problem.