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Democrats do the work, while Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson takes bows
Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson should be sending thank you notes to Democrats and President Biden, for they have given him a wealth of material for press releases. Since the first of the year, Simpson has sent out more than a dozen news releases about how he has “secured” funding through the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus […]
Idaho Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke: ‘I will not misuse the office’
A lieutenant governor strolling in to talk with the governor or chief of staff is hardly a shocking development – unless you consider how life was before former House Speaker Scott Bedke took the job a few weeks ago. He provides a marked contrast from his predecessor, Janice McGeachin, who spent much of her term […]
As Idaho GOP chairwoman slams Little’s priorities, fissure between GOP, elected officials grows
Gov. Brad Little, who by his admission is not known for his great oratory skills, must be feeling good about the quality of his State of the State address that he delivered to kick off this legislative session. In fact, better than normal. Mind you, there was nothing spectacular about the speech. There were lots […]
Idaho’s new Secretary of State Phil McGrane ready for tough new job
Here’s how a transition should work. A day after Phil McGrane was elected as Idaho’s secretary of state, he had a friendly lunch with retiring Secretary of State Lawerence Denney and his chief deputy, Chad Houck. As McGrane observed, “I’m pretty sure we were the only ones that had lunch together.” He’s probably right. It […]
When ‘privacy’ does not apply: Idaho voters should know if Simpson is voting by proxy
According to the Idaho Capital Sun, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson underwent surgery recently and will be out until after the new year. He gave his proxy to his counterpart in the First District, Congressman Russ Fulcher. Thank goodness, all is well for the longtime congressman. “He is doing great and will be back in D.C. […]
Debbie Critchfield sends message to Idaho’s school officials after Election Day
You’d think that a candidate might want to take a short break after 18 months of campaigning and scoring a landslide victory on election night. Not Debbie Critchfield, the resounding winner of the race for state superintendent of public instruction. The day after the election, she was on an airplane to the State School Board […]
Media bashing is not new in Idaho politics
News flash: Conservatives hate the “liberal” media. Always have, and always will. Wayne Hoffman, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, well describes sentiments from the right. “What you read in most local daily newspapers or see on the daily news isn’t really journalism. It’s leftist propaganda.” He says that Idaho’s media is “hot garbage” and […]
Idaho’s Sen. Crapo, Congressman Fulcher say ‘no’ to Ukraine federal aid
During their 13 years serving together in Washington, you probably can count on one hand the number of times that Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch canceled out one another with votes – and not use all five fingers. The exceptions, says Crapo – Idaho’s senior senator – is when there is justification for voting […]
Idaho candidates skipping televised political debates is the new fashion trend
Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson appeared to be getting himself into hot water with his recent refusal to debate his opponent, Idaho Falls attorney Bryan Smith, on Idaho Public Television. As it turned out, Simpson was setting a trend. Days later, Rep. Pricilla Giddings of White Bird – who is running for lieutenant governor – backed […]
As Republicans, Democrats play politics with insulin prices, their constituents deserve to live
Those who are faced with the grim choice between paying for insulin (which they can’t afford) or groceries, received what appeared to be good news from the House of Representatives earlier this month. The House passed the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which caps consumer insulin costs at $35 a month for most consumers – responding […]
Former Idaho legislator Steve Hartgen was top of his game as editor
It might have been surprising to some to see Steve Hartgen’s regular column in Times-News on Sunday, given the fact that he died two days earlier. But leave it to Steve to take care of the small details – such as sending out his column to editors in plenty of time for Sunday’s paper. Knowing […]
GOP, Democratic party leaders agree Idahoans should say ‘no’ to crossover voting in primary
Lately, I have been hearing from Democrats who will do everything in their power to prevent Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin and Rep. Pricilla Giddings from winning the top two Republican primary races. They’re even talking about registering as Republicans and voting in the GOP primary election – taking their chances with Gov. Brad Little and […]