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Butch Otter emerges from the worst session of the Idaho Legislature in decades still governor, but not leader of his party. Most of his fellow Republicans brushed him off like so much dandruff on their lapels, and it’s hard to see him exercising much power again in the near future. Otter’s failure to wring even a face-saving pittance of the gas tax increase he made his first legislative priority stems partly from his own clumsiness. He staked his status on an initiative he should have known he was destined to lose in a House driven by right-wing, anti-tax ideologues. And by the time he resorted to the one big stick any chief executive has, the veto stamp, he was losing people who had stood by him earlier/Jim Fisher, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Will Butch Otter be a one-term governor?
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.
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Nick_Adams on May 11 at 10:24 a.m.
Will Otter be a one-term governor? Until this session I’d say I hope so, but given the lack of a legitimate Democratic candidate, I’m afraid we’d end up with someone even worse (re: Moyle, Labrador, Nonini).
That said, even with Butch’s woeful performance during his term, he has a considerable war chest and it’ll be tough for anyone to take him out even in a primary.
Idaho_Spud on May 11 at 10:45 a.m.
OMG I truly hope so. He is an arrogant person who likes to throw his weight around because he is the “Gov Ner”. I hate to admit I voted for him, but, I do not agree with him at all at this point. Seems like its the same old story, they make you promises and give you hope, then they flush you down the toilet.
wheels on May 11 at 4:50 p.m.
Noninis political career stops here.