Red State Rebels

Notes from the blogosphere

Just a few notes from the blogosphere ... my essay on how red-state expats ought to support their home state Democratic parties is featured this morning (Saturday, December 20) on the politics front page at The Huffington Post. (Here's a direct link, too. Please send it to Idaho friends and family who've moved to more progressive climes.)

Canyon County is inching Demward and it's already home to several bloggers including the estimable MountainGoat and Unequivocal Notion. Now it's also home to the Western Democrat, a new podcast-based blog. Check it out. Also, the Canyon County Democrats invite Democratic actvists from across southwestern Idaho to a planning session set for January 3 at the Nampa Civic Center. The time to get ready for 2010 is now.

Speaking of MountainGoat, MG and Tara from The Political Game have teamed up to launch a Zeb Bell page to chronicle the most egregious utterings of Idaho's own wingnut radio host and his "festering refuge for hate speech." It's already starting to get some coverage in the national blogosphere. You'll find all the info you need to take Bell (and his advertisers) to task for his racist, homophobic, xenophobic, theocratic crap. Have at it. 

Finally, a reminder: the Idaho Democratic Party is interested in seeing independent, grassroots watchblogs established in legislative districts represented by some of the state's most regressive Republicans. If you'd like to help with this effort, shoot me an email at [email protected] and I'll get you into the loop.

Happy holidays!

Frank Church Dinner - Butch Otter - and a thought

Just a couple of quick notes, have you heard yet?  Jim Messina (an Obama insider) will be the speaker at the 2009 Frank Church Banquet.  

Our Gov has been getting some air time lately it seems, and I hear he has been doing great.  Anyone hear him and have a comment?  I hear he was on 670 KBOI and also was a guest on Glenn Beck.

And the temporary Capitol also known as the old Ada County Courthouse has some amazing murals.  That said some of the art is less then politically correct; including showing men preparing to hang a male Indian.  I understand that there has been a decision made to place some plaques under/with some of the murals to explain.  

Anyone here know the details or have thoughts?  As I understand it (and could be wrong) the tribes had input and everyone agreed on wording and such?

OH! and I almost forgot, any comments on shoes as weapons or statements?

t

Minority leadership announced

from the Statesman

Rep. Wendy Jaquet, from Ketchum, is stepping down after a decade as House minority leader.

She'll fill one of the Democrat's four seats on the Joint-Finance Appropriations budget-writing committee.

Now, Rep. John Rusche of Lewiston becomes minority leader, with Rep. James Ruchti of Pocatello ascending to assistant leader and Bill Killen of Boise to caucus chairman.

In the Senate, Clint Stennett, a Ketchum Democrat, remains minority leader, while Boise Sen. Kate Kelly takes over as his deputy following David Langhorst's departure.

Boise Sen. Elliot Werk, will be minority caucus chair.

Thoughts??

Werk is my senator so I am always happy to see him at the center of things.  

t

Statesman endorsement

I'm happy to report that yesterday I was endorsed by the Idaho Statesman. As the largest newspaper in Idaho and certainly the major source of news in the Treasure Valley, its endorsement was very important to me.

Here's what the Statesman said:

"The Legislature has been high-tech challenged for years. Too many legislators seem unaware of the importance of the technical sector in the state's economic picture.

"Fisher, of Kuna, says her top priority is high-tech - a trenchant choice, considering the recent job cuts at Micron Technology and Hewlett-Packard.

"Fisher favors luring tech jobs not through tax breaks, but instead by improving math and science education programs and by adding the kind of urban services businesses expect. Those will be tough sells in 2009 and probably beyond, as lawmakers deal with the slow tax collections stemming from an economic downturn. But it's important to have legislators push the dialogue about the state's role in attracting, and keeping, high-paying high-tech jobs in the Valley.

"Fisher would be a newcomer to the Legislature, but she's no newcomer to the process. Two years ago, she was an intern for the budget-writing Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. More recently, she covered JFAC for the online news site NewWest.Net. Fisher is a pragmatist: as a Democratic lawmaker and a freshman, she doesn't expect to land a seat on JFAC. Still, her familiarity with the budget gives her an edge in this open race."

Or, read it for yourself at http://www.idahostatesman.com/editorial/story/537221.html

New campaign video from Byron Yankey

Byron Yankey is running for the Idaho House of Representatives seat 13B in Canyon County. Here is his new campaign video:

Check out Byron Yankey's website and blog.
Donate to his campaign and help send another Democrat to Idaho's Legislature.

Fancy a weekend in Vegas ... or Bozeman?

The Obama-Biden campaign is asking Idaho supporters to consider taking a trip to Nevada or Montana over the next few weeks to help reach voters in those important swing states. Nevada in particular looks ready to tip Obama's way. As The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza wrote on The Fix today:

The Nevada caucuses way back in January gave Democrats a huge jump on voter registration and voter identification efforts. (The Republican side was barely contested with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney winning easily.) At the end of August, there were 458,877 registered Democrats in the state as compared to 397,172 registered Republicans. Compare that to November 2004 when there were 442,122 registered Republicans and 438,906 registered Democrats and you see that the trend line is moving in the wrong direction for the GOP.

Now it's a matter of registering even more people - then getting out the vote. So be like these people, and If you can spare some time to travel to one of our neighboring states, fill out this form. And if you can't travel between now and Election Day, never fear: there's plenty you can do here in Idaho by pitching in with the Obama campaign, the state party, your county Democratic office, or the campaign of your choice.

What we're facing in District 21

My opponent apparently finally realized that the election didn’t end in May. He’s been a no-show all summer – his website and blog still encourage people to vote in the primary, and I never saw him at Meridian Dairy Days or Kuna Days and other events, and he didn’t respond to the Statesman’s questionnaire in July.

However, the Statesman did their endorsement interviews last week, and he deigned to show up for those, and the Statesman let him respond to their questionnaire at that point. I’d been concerned that he had the opportunity to see my answers before formulating his own, but it doesn’t seem like I have to worry.

But hey! Don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself:

The Statesman questionnaire

The Statesman interviews:
Mine
His

An additional question on energy (to which he didn’t respond)

There’s not a lot of meat to comment on, but he does have one idea, which he mentioned in both the questionnaire and the interview: “I would like to see us make it mandatory to graduate from high school!”

Well, I’m certainly not going to deny that it’s a problem. As the mother of a child in school, I’m not trying to insist on people’s rights to drop out. But this brings up a lot of questions.
• Just how would he propose making it mandatory?
• How would he force the people to come to school?
• How long would it take? Will we have disgruntled people in their 20s lurking around the high schools because they’re forced to be there?
• Would it result in people getting diplomas they hadn’t earned, diluting the value of an Idaho high school diploma?
• One of Tom Luna’s reasons for asking the Legislature for a high-priced longitudinal data system is to help track high school graduation rates better. Shouldn’t we find out the true scope of the problem first?
• Based on current data, Idaho actually has a pretty good graduation rate compared to other states. Where we fall down is getting our children beyond high school to college.
• The flawed federal No Child Left Behind system is essentially predicated on cutting loose the children who don’t perform, or running the risk of having a school labeled as “failing to meet adequate yearly progress.” What will happen to Idaho schools’ ranking when they are forced to keep these students around?

But the biggest problem is that he prefers to just slap a law on something rather than finding out the cause of a problem. What is making the kids drop out in the first place? Let’s determine that, and address *those* issues, perhaps by providing other options for letting Idahoans earn high-school diplomas.

And this is a guy who wants to be on the Education Committee!

Please. Tell your friends in District 21. If you can contribute time or money, please let me know. Write letters to the editor, in both the Statesman and the Press Tribune. This is Bill Sali’s old seat, and this guy’s ideas are in Sali's fine tradition of repealing the law of gravity and “abortions cause breast cancer.” Southern Ada County deserves better.

Candidate tries to pull a fast one in North End

Here's an interesting note from District 19 House candidate Brian Cronin's newsletter:

My opponent has plowed over $22,000 of his own money into his campaign. His first mailing started hitting households last week. It's a slick, expensive piece that labors to position him as the progressive in this race, while neglecting to mention his party affiliation and trying to disguise his lack of experience and credibility on two of the most important issues in our district: conservation and education. But you can't put lipstick on a....oh, never mind.

Earlier this month, my opponent was at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, hobnobbing with Republican Party elites. He boasts of his endorsements by Jim Risch, Gov. Butch Otter, top Republican operatives, and the ultra-conservative, anti-education lobby, the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry (IACI). Just last night, he skipped out on a candidate forum sponsored by a group of organizations dedicated to advancing early childhood education, women's issues and reproductive rights, human rights and a safe energy future. This was a great opportunity to address a number of issues that are important to District 19 voters, but my opponent was a no-show.

There's a vast difference between someone who tries to say all the right things to get elected and someone who's walked the talk and stood up for conservation, education, transit, local control, energy security, working families, and our quality of life. Despite his rhetoric, my opponent is closely aligned with the status quo and the very forces that have resisted change and a forward-looking vision for Idaho. I need your help in reminding voters that the last thing Idaho's reactionary Legislature, with its 75% Republican super-majority, needs is more of the same. 

For sure. Brian - the former Ada County Democratic Party chair and a longtime community leader - is the only choice in this race. Visit his website and learn more, and be sure you vote for Brian if you live in District 19.

Weekend edition 9/19-21: Three cool events

Every election season, there are a few events that just rise above the rest in utter coolness. This fall, so far, these are my picks for the most Ida-licious shindigs for progressive people who care:

Tuesday, September 23 - "Turn the Feather Blue" is a fundraiser for state Senator Kate Kelly, future state Senator (and current Rep.) Nicole LeFavour, and the Canyon County Democrats (represented by future Canyon County Commissioner Estella Zamora). Enjoy great local food and fine beverages at the Red Feather Lounge in downtown Boise. Tickets are $25 for happy hour or $75 for a full six-course meal hosted by the Red Feather's Dave Krick. Get more info here and sign up here.

Sunday, September 28 - Several downtown Boise businesses are teaming up for an afternoon of music and fun to help elect officials who will safeguard our clean air, water, quality of life, and natural places. Conservation Voters for Idaho board member & Record Exchange owner Michael Bunnell and CVI Executive Director Lee Flinn are hosting the party with free hors d’oeuvres and drinks, friends, and music, plus a silent auction featuring a Nirve Paul Frank Cruiser bike and other great items. Tim Johnstone of KRVB 94.9 The River will emcee, and Idaho Mountain Touring and the Boise Co-op are helping out, too. All proceeds from the auction and from the sale of the Record Exchange’s 3’ x 3’ mounted rock posters will go to Conservation Voters for Idaho Action Fund. The fun runs from 2 to 6 p.m. No RSVP's needed; just come to the RX at 11th and Idaho and have fun.

Friday, October 10 - Internationally known Boise-based musician Curtis Stigers will give a rare solo acoustic performance to benefit the Ada County Democrats' Get Out the Vote effort. The "Concert for A Change" is set for 8 p.m. at the Egyptian Theater in Boise. Tickets are $30; order 'em online here or get 'em at the Record Exchange, the Boise Co-op, or the Egyptian Box Office.

This is an open thread. I'm going to spend my weekend walking in the Women's Fitness Challenge (Go, Team Obama!), watching the Broncos battle the Ducks, and planting Team 17 yard signs all over my precinct. What are you doing?

Legislative forum TONIGHT

Just a final reminder that a candidates' forum for Legislative Districts 17, 18, 19, and 21 is set for 7 to 9 TONIGHT, September 18, in Boise State University's Jordan Ballroom A, 1910 University Drive in the Student Union Building.

The other Ada County districts (14, 15, 16, and 20) will hold their debate a week from tonight, on September 25 at the Maple Grove Grange, 11962 President Drive, Boise. Click here to see a map of the county's eight districts.

Update 9/19/08: We read in the Idaho Statesman this morning that a candidate forum for the 1st Congressional District and for state districts 14A, 15B, 16, and 17 is set from 9 to 11 a.m. tomorrow (September 20) at the DoubleTree Hotel Riverside, 2900 Chinden Blvd. Garden City.