Bonneville County GOP’s most recent request for Idaho GOP elected officials to meet with their committee is another action to hold on to their minority rule. Over the past couple of months, there is enough evidence to show that the whole Idaho GOP is on trial with itself. There is no credibility in a party that spends more time on the purity of its members than time on the issues most important to Idahoans.
Without any apparent reason, the Bonneville County GOP wants to continue the inner turmoil by acting as if their committee voice is the only one elected officials should consider constituents. The request comes with allegations of violating the Republican Party Platform. It is the effort of a pocket minority within the Idaho GOP struggling to keep hold of their rule. We Idahoans need legislation that focuses on problems, not the culture war designed to create fear. Allowing third parties like the Idaho Freedom Foundation to orchestrate chaos and push lies.
It is no longer a slow burn but a firestorm that is sucking up the resources of the Idaho GOP. The high cost of an unqualified extremist superintendent will stunt the educational growth of West Bonner students for years. We should all be concerned when top officials resign from the office of the attorney general, stating questionable ethics as the reason. Local committees are made up of local citizens for a reason: they know their neighbors. Dorothy Moon is attempting to interfere in Blackfoot’s GOP committee to insert her extremism.
Michael Armstrong is another excellent example of the local Bonneville County GOPs games, instead of focusing on their local members and their needs. Michael switched parties to become an elected Democratic Precinct Captain, all while publicly professing his desire to take down the Democratic Party. Michael rarely attends meetings; he only wants to bring his guns in a sad attempt to intimidate other committee members. The rest of his free time is spent emailing Bonneville County Democratic Committee members attacking their intelligence and weight.
The Idaho GOP is in the midst of a tug-of-war. Which side will win? Will it be the Dorothy Moon soldiers pushing for elected officials that will always place third parties over people? Can the vanguard of leaders like Congressman Mike Simpson and local Mayor Sean Coletti breakthrough with their strong example of making decisions about the people they represent? Sadly, each week we get the next episode of how the Idaho GOP is breaking apart, stealing air and voice from what is happening to the people who elected them.
Each election and each vote matters in the state of Idaho. As November 7th approaches, think about the priorities of the people running for office. Are they talking about the issues in your school or the problems in North Idaho and Washington, DC? In Bonneville County, we need elected officials who want to make our schools and local programs what makes our community great and solve the challenges facing our community.
Dan Barker is a leadership and management consultant. He is the vice-chair of Bonneville County Democratic Central Committee.