PERSPECTIVES
Idaho’s three-party system By Rep. Steve Berch, D-Boise Reader Contributor
U.S. Constitution), and systematically acquiring gold and silver metal because paper currency has no real value. People told me something Perhaps the most I’ve never heard before as I was visible sign of this knocking on doors last year: schism is pressuring all “Stop the crazy!” Voters are conRepublican candidates cerned about increased extremism to sign a loyalty oath to and inflammatory rhetoric in the this new party platform Idaho Legislature: a fear-mon(called “Integrity in gering alphabet soup of acroAffiliation”), which nyms (CRT, SEL, DEI, ESG, states: “I support the etc.); witch hunt task forces; Rep. Steve Berch. File photo. Idaho Republican Platand punitive laws that deliberately defund form and accept it as the standard by which institutions and can throw ordinary citizens, my performance as a candidate and as an doctors and librarians in jail. officeholder should be evaluated.” The results of the 2022 November This draconian “my way or the highelection appears to have revealed a schism way” attitude is kicking many loyal, lifewithin Idaho’s majority party: longtime long Idaho Republicans to the curb. They traditional Republicans versus a new crop are being shunned by a party that is rapidly of leaders who advocate an extreme and unmoving away from them. compromising definition of what it means I believe in our republican form of to be a “conservative.” This new faction has government. My job as a legislator is to begun to aggressively attack the other. Liferepresent my constituents, not party bosses long Idaho Republicans are now repeatedly or a party platform written in a back room called RINOs (Republicans In Name Only). by political insiders. It is not my job to These extremists have taken control write laws that punish people who don’t of the state party. They wrote a party agree with me. platform that includes absurdities such as To determine how the political landtaking away your right to vote for your scape has changed, one must use proxies U.S. senator and giving it to the Legislasuch as “score cards” published by ideoture (repealing the 17th Amendment to the logical organizations, endorsements by
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extremists, and what individual legislators have actually said and done. Taking these factors into consideration, Idaho now has a virtual three-party system. This is what the composition of the Senate and House may now look like: Democrats (blue), Traditional Republicans (red) and Extremists (yellow). Several of my Republican colleagues have confirmed this to be a reasonable depiction. Actual votes cast can often skew even more to the extreme as some hope to protect themselves from influential forces that align with the Extremists. Some of the Extremists have formally affiliated themselves with the “Freedom Caucus” in Washington, D.C. Others have been officially designated to turn the 2022 Idaho Republican Party platform into laws that will rule over the lives of every Idahoan. Robert Caro, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, has written about people who
wielded great power in the public sector. We are all familiar with the expression, “Power corrupts.” Caro has a different perspective on this: “But although the cliché says that power always corrupts, what is seldom said ... is that power always reveals. When a person is climbing, trying to persuade others to give them power, concealment is necessary. ... But as a person obtains more power, camouflage becomes less necessary.” You will soon get to see what “power reveals” as the growing number of Extremists — and their backers — exert themselves during the 2023 legislative session. It won’t be pretty. Steve Berch is a first-term Democratic House member representing District 15 in Boise. He serves on the Business, Education and Local Government committees.
VA representative to meet in Priest River By Reader Staff Bonner County Veterans Service Officer Bryan Hult will be at VFW Post 2909 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, assisting with ongoing claims, answering questions about current veteran’s benefits, and taking new claims for benefits for eligible veterans and their dependents.
VFW Post 2909 is located at 113 Larch St. in Priest River. Attendees are asked to schedule an appointment by calling 208255-5291 to ensure they are given quality time. If there are no appointments scheduled for the outreach, or if conditions prohibit travel, the outreach will be canceled.