TRUMPED: HOW CRAPO AND STURGILL CAN’T GET FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM THE DONALD ‘A seething undercurrent of disaffection’ GEORGE PRENTICE Idaho Botanical Garden’s Outlaw Field concert series recently finished its ninth season.

BOISE WEEKLY.COM

RYAN JOH NSON

Democrat Jerry Sturgill says his political playbook is nuanced, detailing what he calls a path to victory over incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Crapo. But the No. 1—and No. 2 and No. 3— game-changer is as glaring as a bad comb over. “It’s Trump. It’s Trump. It’s Trump,” said Sturgill. “It’s obvious that Trump won’t play well in Idaho, especially toward the Mormon vote.” Both Crapo, 65, and Sturgill, 63, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. When Crapo was first elected, he became the first Mormon to represent Idaho in the U.S. Senate. He’s now running for his fourth term and, while faith is not a primary factor in the Crapo/ Sturgill contest, morality casts a long shadow. Donald Trump was never Crapo’s choice to be the next U.S. president. “I liked Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Ted Cruz, Ben Carson,” Crapo told Boise Weekly, beginning a long list of would-be candidates who Donald Trump kicked to the curb through a bruising primary season. “One can speculate on whether a different nominee would be in a better position to beat Clinton, but this is the election we have,” he said. Crapo’s tepid endorsement of The Donald was upended Oct. 7 when a 2005 recording captured Trump claiming to have sex with a married woman, saying he could grab a woman “by the pussy,” adding, “I moved on her like a bitch.” “Trump’s repeated actions and comments toward women have been disrespectful, profane and demeaning,” said Crapo hours after the tape went public, urging Trump to “step aside” from the top of the GOP ticket. “Trump’s most recent excuse of ‘locker room talk’ is completely unacceptable and is inconsistent with protecting women from abusive, disparaging treatment,” he added. Trump insists he never acted on his claims and his statements were “only talk.” Still, the mounting evidence of Trump’s bad behavior only mounted. On Oct.12, The New York Times interviewed two women who said the real estate mogul and reality TV star touched them inappropriately. On the same day, CBS News reported a then-46-year-old Trump joked in a 1992 interview about dating a 10-year-old girl when she’s older. “This is not a decision that I have reached lightly,” wrote Crapo in a statement disavowing his party’s standard bearer. Sturgill said Crapo’s dismissal came too late.

“This latest group of detractors, including Sen. Crapo, look like a bunch of weak-kneed, last-minute deserters, demonstrating a history of poor judgment, hypocrisy and lack of independence,” said Sturgill. “These Trump ‘traitors’ are a symptom of a broken Congress, where any good judgement and independence are leached out in the mind-numbing marinade of Washington party politics.” Stung by a backlash from diehard Trump supporters on the far reaches of their own party, some of the same Republican members of Congress who previously demanded Trump step aside began changing their own course by Oct.12, when The New York Times reported a number of GOP senators and U.S. representatives conceded they would probably vote for Trump after all. Meanwhile Crapo’s criticism of Trump began catching flak from sectors of his own party. “Trump was chosen by us to represent us,” wrote Idaho County Republican Central Committee Chairman Jon Menough on Oct. 12. “With your announcement that you would no longer support Mr. Trump, in our opinion, you have relinquished your right to be associated with the Party we represent. Effective immediately, the Idaho County Republican Central Committee

will provide neither physical nor financial support to your effort to be re-elected.” Meanwhile, Idaho Republican Party leaders remained mum on Crapo’s non-endorsement of Trump, but were quick to issue a statement of their own. “Donald Trump has shown himself to be the agent of change,” wrote IDGOP Chairman Steve Yates on Oct. 11. “The Idaho Republican Party remains steadfast in its support for all of our nominees, selected by the people, from the top of the ticket to the bottom. As is our duty and privilege in the party, we will remain focused on electing Republicans in Idaho.” Meanwhile, Sturgill said the Trump debacle was “the No. 1 component of why Crapo is vulnerable.” “We’ve conducted our own internal polling and it revealed that the Trump effect was No. 1 in this race,” said Sturgill, who added that Crapo’s own “personal problem” had triggered what he called “a seething undercurrent of disaffection for Crapo after he got busted for DUI.” “When you Google Mike Crapo, what do you see? His mugshot,” said Sturgill. 6 The DUI incident occurred on the night of Dec. 22, 2012 when Crapo, by his

BOTANICAL GARDEN CRIES FOUL AT PROPOSED CONCERT SERIES FOR ANN MORRISON PARK Its formal classification is RFP-17-048-02017/wm, and the description from the city of Boise’s request for proposals is to, “Provide all services necessary to create a successful concert series.” Meanwhile, the Idaho Botanical Garden says the city’s proposal threatens the very livelihood of the nonprofit. “We don’t think we should be the only concert series in the Treasure Valley,” said Erin Anderson, executive director of IBG, whose Outlaw Field Concert Series played host this year to Tony Bennett, Bonnie Raitt and Neil Young. “We encourage healthy competition. But should the city subsidize a concert series that could negatively impact the Idaho Botanical Garden?” she added. “We want a fair playing field. But by the city hosting a concert series in a city park paid for with taxpayer dollars, it’s going to create a conflict.” The city’s RFP surfaced Sept. 28, asking promoters to submit a plan to create a “contemporary concert series” for Ann Morrison Park. The concerts would take place on available dates in 2017 and, according to the RFP packet, a number of dates would be available in late May; early June; the second, third and fourth weeks of July; the first two weeks of August; the final three weeks of September; and the final three weeks of October. The preferred proposal would carry a one-year agreement with a promoter, with a two-year extension option. “The City expressly retains the right to have sole discretion and approval of all entertainers proposed and selected by the proposer,” according to the RFP. “Performances would end no later than 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and no later than 9 p.m. on all other nights.” Anderson told Boise Weekly that, having worked in the Boise Parks and Recreation Department before becoming IBG executive director, she knows for a fact that concert promoters have approached the city on a number of occasions about using a city park for concerts. “I have a little background, and some concert promotion companies have asked the city—quite often—to use park space. But it’s something the city has shied away from for quite some time because of the ordinance,” said Anderson. 6 According to Boise Parks and Recreation’s own policies, “City Code restricts BOISEweekly | OCTOBER 19–25, 2016 | 5

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