Seems uber-cons are gnashing their teeth in Legislative District 4 (Coeur d'Alene) because former Coeur d'Alene city and tribal police chief Tom Cronin was elected as the new Idaho GOP district chair, besting Barbara Hedden 11 to 9. Cronin, as you may recall, is part of the board of Balance North Idaho, an anathema in Hard Right circles. One particular noisy uber-con views the election as the beginning of a pendulum swing toward more moderate (i.e. "liberal") government. I view it as a sign that all is not lost in the Shire.