A Fracture Becomes a Chasm in Idaho Politics

I’ve had some people recently beg me to say nice things about some politicians I know.   Somehow, they’re okay if I badmouth people in politics they don’t like.  Let me repeat, I don’t work for the Republican Party, the so-called Gang of Eight, nor the State of Idaho.  I work for a private entity, which answers to shareholders and advertisers.  I’m in my 12^th year on the job, having never before been at a job that lasted seven (two came close).  So far, the boss has been happy.

We're Dealing with Egos that Need to be Checked

There was a time when I counted some of these gang members as friends, as the picture attests.  Then, last summer, one of their allies told a significant lie about state GOP chairwoman Dorothy Moon on my radio program.  The guy claims he’s a Christian.  He could’ve cleared things up by saying he misunderstood something on-air.  He didn’t.  The gang, which claims an all-for-one, and one for all ethos, decided they would back him because he, I’m told, controls a large share of campaign spending in the Magic Valley.

Now they’re growing concerned about their electoral prospects.  I’ve stated I don’t have issues with how they mostly vote.  I haven’t endorsed any opponents.  Their friends claim nobody listens to me.  So, what’s the point?

Let Me Propose a Solution

They can have Lyle Johnstone issue an apology to Dorothy Moon, who is one of the hardest-working chairs I’ve ever met.  She doesn’t get paid for the job, and the grief.  When she warns candidates they’re harming themselves.  She’s offering motherly advice, and not an attack.  The gang can also apologize to me.  All eight of them.  In writing.  Because their minions have verbally scourged me, and I’ve had other assorted threats.  They’ve not only lost me, but the support of former allies in the legislature.  In less than one year, they’ve gone from being viewed as happy warriors to pariahs, and all they can do is shriek when someone suggests behavior modification.

They may be gone in a few months, and let me tell them that Linda Hartgen was always nice to me, even when I sometimes criticized her votes.  People remember kindnesses and never forget jackasses.