By now you’ve likely heard about Idaho state Sen. Dan Foreman telling a Native American candidate to go back where she came from at a recent forum. (Check out Marty Trillhaase’s Oct. 13 column for details on this and Foreman’s many other childish outbursts.)
Many have been quick to point out the obvious: telling a Native American to go back where they came from makes no sense. The problem is, it does — if you believe that only white people can be here legitimately and everyone else gets to be here as a matter of their beneficence.
However, more interesting than the incident itself — which is just the sort of thing we’ve come to expect from Republican politicians in the Trump era — is his defense, which reveals the intellectual and moral decay of today’s GOP. For example:
- Denial and nonsensical explanations: The Idaho GOP claimed that the incident was a both a setup and didn’t actually happen while making no attempt to clarify or provide evidence. This is very reminiscent of the way the GOP wrote off Jan. 6 as an ordinary tourist visit, a false-flag operation by the FBI, an Antifa plot, and the actions of proud and noble patriots. Obviously those explanations can’t all be true, but the important thing is that as long as you’re thinking about that, you’re not thinking about what actually happened.
- Claiming evidence that doesn’t exist: In Foreman’s statement about the incident he states, “I have reports from numerous folks who were there that the statement of my accuser has no basis in merit or fact,” but he has yet to bring such witnesses to light.
- Culture war politics: In his statement, Foreman equates his success as an elected official with his ability to generate controversy. His tantrums on social media are perfect evidence of this proclivity.
- Bullying: In true Trumpian fashion, Foreman routinely attacks opponents and constituents but immediately resorts to whining and playing the victim the moment he’s challenged about his behavior. Blaming is just so much easier than being accountable for your actions, though it’s the antithesis of leadership.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of Foreman’s defense is the strategy of accusing anyone who calls out racist behavior of being the one who’s racist: a classic “I know you are, but what am I” defense. It’s foolproof in a way: assert as a fact that systemic racism doesn’t exist; then, whenever someone disagrees or provides evidence to the contrary, accuse them of “race-baiting” for disturbing the placid waters of white privilege. Apparently, racism can’t exist if we don’t acknowledge it, the same way taking batteries out of smoke detectors prevents house fires.
Suffice to say, if this was a case of race-baiting, Foreman took the bait. Also, a man who claims “I was born in America, and I am therefore a native American” has no business accusing anyone else of race-baiting.
Denying the existence of racism in spite of ample evidence reflects the core of the GOP’s intellectual rot: instead of seeking evidence to determine what counts as a legitimate conclusion, they start with the conclusion that feels good (no racism!) and then use that to determine what counts as legitimate evidence. This way, they never need to worry about reality getting the way of ideology and what they want to be true. It’s childish, but sadly makes for effective politics — at least when voters are completely checked out.
But why not make a political career out of lies, tantrums and bigotry? Trump has proven this to be an effective route to Republican devotion without all the messiness of actually legislating or solving problems. Just run your mouth and you get a fancy office, a fat paycheck, and full medical and retirement benefits. (You know, all that stuff that’s rankest socialism when poor people get it …) Until GOP politicians pay a price for this kind of behavior, we have to assume it will only escalate.
If you like having a whiny manchild make your decisions for you, vote Foreman this November. But if you’d rather be led by a competent adult, vote Julia Parker. And if you just can’t bring yourself to vote for a Democrat, then at least vote “Yes” on Prop 1 and maybe in the next election you won’t be stuck voting for an angry little windsock.
Urie is a lifelong Idahoan and graduate of the University of Idaho. He lives in Moscow with his wife and two children. You can find his writing online at Medium (hopeanyway.medium.com) or Substack (hopeanyway.substack.com). Or, you can email him at ryanthomasurie@gmail.com.
