I hear that a lot during the legislative session from people of all political persuasions.
When the legislature passes something like school vouchers—something that Republican, Democratic and unaffiliated voters have been pushing back against for years—we know they don’t care what we have to say. When the governor signs it in the face of widespread public outcry and doesn’t even make an excuse for ignoring the citizens, it tells us something.
It tells us they aren’t concerned about re-election. And why should they be? Why should our elected leaders listen to us? We just send them back. Hoping next time they’ll fight against the extreme policies that have become commonplace in our legislature.
Another example is the most recent Medicaid “compromise.” All our local representatives voted for it, even though it’s a step toward dismantling the Medicaid expansion we, the people, demanded of them. They couldn’t quite countenance a full repeal, so they created an unnecessary “compromise.”
What do they think we will do if they kill Medicaid with a thousand cuts? Probably send them back. Because that’s what we do. We make phone calls and send emails and then vote them right back in.
Our elected officials get more of what they want from anyone but the voters, whether it’s money from the out-of-state special interest groups that push these bills, influence at the national level or the hope they won’t be bothered with a primary if they just go along sometimes.
One of our legislators once told me they hate voting for some of these bills, but the pressure from party bosses was sometimes too much to bear. They have to hold their nose to earn a little “independence” to vote no on other bills.
As policy moves ever-right, various advocacy groups and individuals discuss registering more Republicans to vote in the primary. I’ve got bad news, folks. That’s not a new idea. Indeed, it’s been the go-to since the Republicans closed their primary. I’ve noticed that many work harder to get a “moderate” through a primary than they will to support someone closer to their values in the general election.
On a practical policy level, the IFFs of the world have been accomplishing their agendas with the support of the moderates we “save” in the primary. The legislature continues to focus on culture war issues and ignore Idahoans’ priorities. All this “register as a Republican to vote in the primary” hasn’t, on a practical policy level, resulted in more moderate legislation or focused on issues that impact most Idahoans. That’s been the play for over a decade, and increasingly extreme policies are coming out of the legislature.
Ultimately, they need not satisfy the moderate center or answer to most Idahoans. We’ve already shown that we won’t challenge them at the ballot box if they present as “more reasonable.” They know who holds the influence and who is most likely to give them what they want.
And it isn’t us.
Miranda Marquit, Master of Business Administration, is a nationally recognized financial expert, speaker and writer. She is the vice chair of the Bonneville County Democratic Central Committee.