Huckleberries Online

MT: Allred Is Antithesis Of Otter

Posted by DFO

Dec. 16, 2009 9:20 a.m. • 9 comments

Voters now have a choice. Perhaps they agree with Otter that government must live within its means. Possibly they share the House GOP leadership’s view that taxes are too high and that programs from schools and higher education to transportation or social are a burden. That’s the conventional wisdom in this reliably Republican state. Or just maybe Idahoans have entered their 15th year of single-party rule wondering if the GOP is so busy fighting itself that it has lost track of them. It’s possible they’re fatigued with a governing philosophy that says investments in their education system must be slashed while tax breaks for big business retain their priority. If anyone can bring that message home, it’s Allred. Almost the antithesis of Otter, Allred likes to get his mind around complex, policy questions/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Do you believe one-party rule — whether its in Washington, D.C., or Idaho — is a good thing?

Nine comments on this post so far. Add yours!

moscow_minidoka on December 16 at 9:32 a.m.
One party rule is terrible, PERIOD. It’s bad for Idaho when the GOP dominate everything, just as it was terrible for Seattle (when I lived there) when the Democrats dominate everything.

We need to shake things up in Idaho, and we *really* need to get rid of Butchie. I’d rather have any of our last half-a-dozen governors from Dirk on back (ignoring Risch) in office than Otter. I hope Allred is up to the task.

Butch Otter was a good Lt Gov for many years, and I helped him stay in office. But he is a terrible governor.
Smacky on December 16 at 9:33 a.m.
One-party rule is like driving a car with only one headlight. You tend to miss half of the road in front of you.
Charles_Dixon on December 16 at 9:38 a.m.
While I hate the one-party rule in Idaho and I do think it has stunted growth in Idaho in many areas, it really bothers me to see Marty Trillhaase with his pom-poms on the top of the Democratic cheerleading pyramid.
scootermom on December 16 at 10:04 a.m.
Well said Smacky.
moscow_minidoka on December 16 at 10:05 a.m.
“it really bothers me to see Marty Trillhaase with his pom-poms on the top of the Democratic cheerleading pyramid. ”

Why, did he forget his bloomers again?

Realistically, an Idaho Democrat is nothing more than a progressive Republican. Why do so many here try to equate Idaho Democrats with some sort of liberal east coast ideology? Most (if not all) Idaho Democrats would pass for conservative Republicans in a place like Massachusetts.
hhuseland on December 16 at 12:51 p.m.
Not all, MM. My answer to the question is no. An imbalance that lasts for very long tends to eliminate watchdogs in government and can lead to corruption. What was it Lord Acton said? “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Or something to that effect.
ShoshoneConservative on December 16 at 1:56 p.m.
Even though the numbers say the legislature is dominated by Republicans, not all Republicans in the legislature are in right-wing lockstep with each other - Dick Harwood and Tom Trail, though both Republicans, are on the opposite sides of many issues. Conversely, on the Democrat side, Mary Lou Shepherd and Nicole LeFavour are not exactly ideological clones, either.

If Tom Trail called himself a Democrat, Mary Lou Shepherd called herself a Republican, and other moderate legislators followed suit, the numbers would show a more “balanced” two party system, but, when it came down to voting, what, exactly, would change?

Also, recall how well “balanced government” worked when Clinton was President and Gingrich was speaker? Realistically, it wouldn’t be a group of intellectuals sitting around, listening to the “other side’s” persepective, and presenting reasonable legislation by consensus. It would be gridlock, fighting, procedural delaying tactics, and shutdowns.
Phaedrus on December 16 at 2:03 p.m.
It would be gridlock, fighting, procedural delaying tactics, and shutdowns.

ShoCon, like last session when the uber-majority fought with itself and dragged the session into near historic length?
ShoshoneConservative on December 16 at 2:26 p.m.
“like last session when the uber-majority fought with itself and dragged the session into near historic length?”

Yes. Only worse.

That last session, by the way, is also proof that there is, really, no such thing as “Idaho Republican One-party Rule.” You have a group who, while their views range from those of moderate Democrats to hardline right wingers to libertarian, all choose to call themselves Republican for whatever reason, but, in actualilty, it is just a label, and little more.

« Back to Huckleberries Online

You must be logged in to post comments.
Please create a profile or log in here.

About this blog

D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.