If I haven’t written about Idaho politics this legislative session, it’s not for want of content.
I could write about Idaho’s legal battles to ensure that pregnant women who have complications die rather than safely abort a nonviable fetus. I could write about H0176, which would dismantle Idaho’s medical education program. (Idaho already has the fewest doctors per resident of any state.) I could write about Idaho leading the charge to outlaw gay marriage or the blatantly unconstitutional attempt to require Bible readings in public schools. (Better stick to the Old Testament; the new one focuses almost entirely on some radical, leftist, immigrant Jew preaching compassion for the poor. Liberal indoctrination much?)
I could write about the attempts to repeal Medicaid expansion, a popular, voter-approved measure that insures 90,000 Idahoans while saving the state money. Or how our state is setting aside $50 million to pay for religious “education” and private-school subsidies for the wealthy even as our public schools crumble — and after 86% of the voters who contacted the governor asked him to veto it. I could write about legislators trying to give Idaho its own DOGE committee to, I dunno, fire and rehire every state employee in the name of “efficiency”? Or I could reflect on the bill to make firing squads Idaho’s primary form of lethal execution, which definitely has nothing to do with insecure legislators wanting to feel like big, tough men.
I could write about HJR001’s attack on public schools. Or S1070’s attack on public schools. Or H0298’s attack on public schools. Or S1094’s attack on public schools. (It is, in fact, an attack on the levies that are only necessary because the state doesn’t fund public schools as the constitution requires.) Or HJ0042, S1007, S1023, H0292, H0295, H0041, S1032, H0275, S1046, H0273, H0293, SCR108 and others that ... well, you know.
But why bother? With that information, will you:
- Vote for someone else? Who cares. This is Idaho, and the Republican always wins. If Jesus was facing off with the Antichrist, the average Idahoan would demand to know who was on the Republican ticket before picking a side.
- Contact your representatives? They don’t care. They can do anything, or nothing, and still get reelected. No matter how overwhelming the public input on an issue, our political “leaders” always do what far-right, dark money groups tell them to.
- Protest? See previous bullet.
- Primary them to get more responsible Republicans? Our closed primary system ensures that only the most recklessly far-right candidates get to the general election. After that? See above.
- Change the system? We tried that with the Open Primaries Initiative, which failed spectacularly after Republican leaders told Idahoans they were too stupid to put four names in order of preference ... and Idaho voters agreed.
- Launch a ballot initiative? Idaho’s legislators would just overturn it, like they did when Reclaim Idaho’s initiative to increase school funding was set to pass, and like they’re doing now with Medicaid Expansion.
- Bribe our legislators to do their jobs? This one would work, but only if you can outbid the Idaho Freedom Foundation and their ilk.
Voting in Idaho has become an empty ceremony to pacify voters into thinking they’re part of a democracy. As long as Idaho’s elections are noncompetitive, politicians have no incentive to care what voters want. And they don’t. Republicans’ blind loyalty (i.e., obedience) has killed our democracy. I suspect most of them couldn’t be happier to be ruled by stern daddy figures, though.
Some will say I’m just bitter because liberals never get what we want from Idaho’s political system. Well, no s*. This state would be downright idyllic were it not run by the most ignorant, amoral, freedom-hating nutjobs in the Pacific Northwest.
That’s not the point. Liberals and independents have never had a voice in Idaho, but now even Republican voters have been sidelined. Every means of political participation has been nullified by power-hungry politicians and the devout Republicans who enable them. Too cynical? Then prove me wrong.
To our nominally elected leaders, I would like to suggest that all of this may not be in your long-term best interests. The stability and relative peacefulness of our political system is the direct result of citizens having peaceful means to participate in their governance. Take those away and what are we left with? Ask the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. In the words of JFK, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
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 on Substack (hopeanyway.substack.com) or you can email him at ryanthomasurie@gmail.com.
