If Jon Bruning believes that he can simply dismiss all of his potential opponents as “carpetbaggers,” he might want to think again. He made the accusation about Hagel, who maintains a home in Virginia, and then later about Bob Kerrey, who has spent the last six years as President of The New School in New York City.

Here’s a brief overview of some of the initial reactions to Bruning’s announcement.

Leavenworth Street thinks that “Bruning’s son’s Little League Coach better watch out.”

Joe Jordan points out that Tom Osborne will endorse Bruning. Not much of a surprise there.

A Hagel spokesman (via The Hill): “Mr. Bruning is in over his head.”

The NDP: “Jon Bruning needs to focus on the job Nebraskans elected him to do. We wonder if he will hold a press conference next week to announce what office he will seek in 2010.”

Matt Stoller at MyDD, (noting my post at Daily Kos), wonders where the media coverage of this is on a national level. It’s a fair point. I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on this race. It’s fascinating, and frankly, some of the best political reporting on this race so far has come from the local blogs – on both the left and the right. Kyle Michaelis had a great commentary on this dynamic a couple of months ago. He was talking mostly about the failure of Nebraska media to think critically about Dave Heineman’s tax policy, but the same applies here. With the notable exception of the Lincoln Journal Star’s Don Walton, virtually no one in the local or national media is giving this race any real scrutiny. Sure, they’ll report on it, but the forces at work escape their notice.

Which is one of the most fascinating parts of this race. We’re breaking new ground here, piecing together a narrative about Bruning, about Hagel, about Heineman, and bringing it all together.