If we’ve learned two things over the child support fiasco that triggered the special legislative session slated for later this month, it’s this: The nine representatives whose votes are responsible for the session are fools, and the Republican Party leadership in Idaho deserves a lot more respect. Fueled by bizarre conspiracy theories about Muslims and seeing the issue as an easy chance to trumpet some anti-federalism rhetoric, the nine essentially voted to dismantle Idaho’s $205 million child support system and put about a quarter of the state’s population in jeopardy of not receiving badly needed child support payments. Hence the need for a special session to fix the problem. And here is where Idaho leaders have stepped up/Twin Falls Times-News. More here.

Note: Four North Idaho legislators were part of the 9-8 vote that got Idaho into this mess: Reps. Kathy Sims, Don Cheatham, Heather Scott and Shannon McMillan.