What's the matter with Idaho?

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Sure, that may be something of a rhetorical question, given that Idaho is about as red as it gets, but the good news is there's a mini rebellion going on in that state's 1st Congressional District, where Republican Bill Sali, an eight-term state representative, is embroiled in a surprisingly tough race with Democrat Larry Grant, a former Micron executive.

Sali is an extremist even by current Republican standards. As Bruce Reed put it recently at The Has-Been, Sali won the primary "with a commanding 26 percent of the Republican fringe". "Human Events calls him a 'swashbuckling conservative.' The leading political historian in the state, Randy Stapilus, dubbed Sali 'one of the weakest Idaho state legislators in the last couple of decades.'" (Check out Stapilus's pre-primary profile, which includes these nuggets: "He has been Mr. Anti-abortion in the Legislature, more than anyone else, for a decade and more." "You want a flat-earther (to use the critical terminology)? Got your flat-earther right here.")

Yes, in Reed's words, Sali is "an embarrassment". Consider this: "Earlier this year, Sali brought the Democratic minority leader, a breast cancer survivor, to tears on the House floor by alleging that abortion could cause breast cancer. The Republican speaker of the House was so angry, he stripped Sali of his committee assignments and started fuming like Idaho's favorite son, Napoleon Dynamite. The speaker said of Sali, 'That idiot is just an absolute idiot.'"

Which pretty much sums it up.

While Bill Sali is an absolute idiot, Larry Grant is right for Idaho and right for America. Hopefully the voters of the Fightin' First will send him to Washington.

(The Idaho Statesman has endorsed Grant, who is "the right choice for this district and for these times". Read the endorsement in full for more on the two candidates. Tip: IdaBlue, which seeks "to bring rationality to Idaho politics". To which I say: Good luck. A Grant victory would be a nice start.)