On the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans Facebook wall, Jeff Ward writes: “Gov. Romney's pick of Congressman Paul Ryan for Vice President may have surprised many but not Congressman Raul Labrador. He predicted the pick at last Tuesday's special meeting of KCRR. Thanks to Rep. Labrador for his keen insight and the window into whats going on in our Nation's Capitol. You can expect more insights, predictions and analysis from our great speakers at KCRR at Fedora — Thursdays at noon.”

Question: Are you a political insider/outsider?

Congressman Raul Labrador fields a question from the audience during a town hall meeting at North Idaho College Tuesday night. (Phantom Photographer photo for Huckleberries Online)

Reflecting on difficulties faced in his career as a doctor, Norman Leffler had a dark prediction on Tuesday night. “I tell you what's going to happen under Obamacare. Doctors like myself in their 50s and 60s, if doctors are forced to take Medicare and Medicaid kids, they're going to quit, and you're not getting younger doctors coming in,” Leffler said, shouting into a microphone in the North Idaho College Student Union. “I advise my kids against going into medicine because of what's going on.” Responding to the Hayden man's words, Idaho's District 1 Rep. Raul Labrador said he hasn't supported the Affordable Care Act, either, because it doesn't address health care costs. “We need to do whatever we can to reduce the cost of health care,” the congressman said/Alecia Warren & David Cole, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Do you feel well represented by Congressman Labrador?

Idaho's 1st District Democratic nominee Jimmy Farris said Thursday that “transparency in our elected officials is of the utmost importance” and released a decade of federal tax returns. (Links are below.) Farris said he was doing so in the spirit for former GOP presidential candidate George Romney and former U.S. Senator Frank Church, D-Idaho, who made similar disclosures. The issue of releasing more than two years of returns has become an issue in the presidential race; GOP nominee Mitt Romney has resisted pressure to do more, though his father, George, released a dozen years of returns in 1968. “I want to make those available for anyone who wants to take a look,” Farris said in a speech prepared for a news conference at Meridian's Generations Plaza. GOP Congressman Raul Labrador declined to release his returns, or to comment, a practice he's followed through the campaign. Said his campaign manager, China Gum: “We will not be responding on this issue”/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here. (KLEW file photo)

Question: Do you care whether Congressman Raul Labrador releases his tax returns?

First-time Democratic candidate Jimmy Farris has a buoyant 60-second spot that he hopes will air this fall in his race against freshman GOP Congressman Raul Labrador. Titled, “A Future Leader, Now,” the video is available only on the Web. Farris raised about $37,000 through June 30, compared to Labrador’s $628,000 raised and $203,000 in the bank. Farris said Wednesday that he still plans to tap his roots as a former NFL player and needs to spend $300,000 to be competitive. His newcomer status has been a hurdle, Farris said, though he says he’s raised his profile with retail campaigning in recent months. He hopes to reach $150,000 in contributions by Sept. 30. “Now when I’m making phone calls people know who I am,” Farris said. Farris had hoped his NFL connections would be pivotal, but he has received just $4,000 from four contributors: $500 each from NFL veterans Alge Crumpler, Bryan Scott and Ryan Stewart, and $2,500 from Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here. (AP photo of Farris in 2000 during his days as a Montana Grizzly)

• Dan Popkey column on Farris' candidacy
• Boise Weekly feature on Farris

Question: Farris probably won't upset well-heeled Congressman Raul Labrador. But do you consider it a good sign for Idaho Democrats that they're able to attract new, young blood to run for office?

Some rural counties that once thrived off timber sales are hoping Congress will allow them to pay for roads and schools by increasing logging in national forests. Idaho Republican Rep. Raul Labrador introduced a bill last month allowing for the establishment of locally managed reserves where money from logging could be sent to rural counties. “Rural communities are suffering in this economy, and their greatest assets are being held captive by the federal government,” Labrador says in a statement. “Instead of being given the opportunity to generate jobs and revenue, they must accept millions of taxpayer dollars to make up for lost revenue.” A conservation group has decried the bill as the latest in a long-running attempt to circumvent environmental regulations in order to increase logging in national forests/Chris Stein, Inlander. More here. (Inlander photo)

Question: Do you agree with Congressman Raul Labrador that Idaho should support schools & roads by cutting more trees?

Congress approved a last-minute compromise to fund more than $100 billion in highway, transportation and mass transit projects — and keep interest rates on subsidized federal student loans at 3.4 percent for one more year. But while the catchall bill enjoyed broad bipartisan backing last week — passing the House 373-52 and the Senate 74-19 — it received scant support from Idaho's Republican delegation. Only Rep. Mike Simpson voted yes; Rep. Raul Labrador and Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch voted no. Labrador's Democratic challenger, Jimmy Farris, blasted the vote. “If Congressman Labrador had gotten his way, millions of Americans would have lost their jobs,” said Farris. “College students would be drowning in even deeper debt, and higher education would be further out of reach for those aspiring to go to school. Labrador voted against millions of people trying to support their families and better their lives”/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here. (Farris Campaign Photo: Jimmy Farris in Weiser showing Super Bowl ring to fan)

Question: Do you support/oppose Congressman Raul Labrador's transportation/student loan vote?

Idaho U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador reacted to Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision on health care reform by saying the nation’s Founding Fathers would be “appalled.” He wasn’t the only one invoking the Founding Fathers in the wake of the controversial decision. But David Adler, constitutional scholar and director of the Andrus Center for Public Policy at Boise State University, said a look at history suggests a different conclusion. “In the 1790s, the Congress on two different occasions passed statutes that imposed health insurance mandates,” Adler said. The first required the shipping industry to purchase insurance for its sailors to cover prescription drugs and visits to the doctor, Adler said, due to sailors’ frequent injuries and illnesses from scurvy and other causes/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Question: Do you think the Founding Fathers would be “appalled” by 21st century health care reform?

Idaho Republican Rep. Raul Labrador is looking past the November election with a bill that would give states opportunities to show they do a better job managing national forest lands. Labrador knows his bill, which would establish pilot projects to turn over about 1 percent of Idaho’s 20 million acres of national forests to the state to manage, is not going to fly now. Not with a Democratic Senate — which has blocked similar plans in the past — and with a Democrat in the White House. But Labrador is laying the groundwork with the Self-Sufficient Community Lands Act for a time when the GOP controls the Senate. Campaigning in Idaho in February, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney expressed support for state management of federal lands. Romney’s proposal, which he said came after talking to Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, was offered as an alternative to Rick Santorum’s call to transfer ownership/Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Do you think Idaho can manage federal land in the state better than the federal government?

Today Idaho First District Congressman Raúl Labrador voted with the majority of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee to find Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his role in the Department of Justice withholding evidence from the Committee in the botched Fast and Furious scandal.  The gun-running operation resulted in the death of United States Border Patrol agent Brian Terry as well as hundreds of innocent Mexican citizens.  The vote was 23-17. Labrador: “It has been over a year since this committee first requested and then demanded full documentation of DOJ files regarding this terrible operation.  We sought basic answers: who authorized it, when they authorized it and why they continued to authorize it.  Attorney General Holder has evaded questions and provided false information in an attempt to stonewall this committee from discovering the truth, and he must be held accountable for these actions.” Full Labrador news release here. (AP photo of Attorney General Eric Holder answering reporters' questions Tuesday)

Question: Do you agree with Congressman Labrador's vote?

It isn’t every day that a Dem congressional candidate in blood-red Idaho asks for support from a man who spoke at the 2008 GOP national convention on behalf of presidential candidate John McCain. And gets it. But Jimmy Farris is special to former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. Farris, who lasted eight years with five teams in the tough NFL after playing high school football at Lewiston, contacted his old coach when he decided to run for Republican congressman Raul Labrador’s 1st District seat. Farris told Huckleberries Thursday that he talked with Gibbs’ secretary, Cindy Mangum, when he couldn’t reach his old mentor. Later, Gibbs left a phone message in which he asked Farris whether he was running as a Republican or a Democrat. Chuckling, Gibbs said that Farris would get his vote if he ran as a Republican, and he’d get secretary Cindy’s vote if he ran as a Democrat. Then, turning serious, Farris said, the coach assured him that he would support his former player/DFO, Sunday SR Huckleberries. Full column here.

Question: Can a Democrat win the 1st Congressional District seat?

HucksOnline is interviewing Democratic congressional candidate Jimmy Farris (a former professional football player who played in the NFL for 8 years with San Francisco, New England, Atlanta, Washington & Jacksonville. He's wearing a huge Super Bowl ring earned during his time with New England). You can see Farris' Web site here:

Question: Is it harder to play in the NFL than it is to run for Congress as an Idaho Democrat?

Jimmy Farris: There are a lot of parallels. I was a long shot in both situations. I was definitely an underdog to make it to the NFL out of Lewiston, Idaho. I'm average size — 6 foot, 200 pounds. But so many things that I used to achieve that goal of playing in the NFL are the exact things I'm using now to run a campaign as a Democrat in a state where I'm a long shot.

• Question: Such as what?
• Jimmy Farris: The fundamentals. Hard work. Commitment. Dedication. Passion. And a desire to strive for something that's really important to me.
• Question: Has any of your former coaches or colleagues contacted you about this race?
• Jimmy Farris: I've been in regular contact with (former Washington Redskins) Coach Joe Gibbs. I've sought his advice. We talked about what he felt was important to people, characteristics and qualities that are missing from Congress. He talked about the need for people who want to do what's right and fix problems.
• More below

JEERS … to U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., Raul Labrador and Mike Simpson, both R-Idaho. The Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 may be just sloppily drafted. Or the measure - which all three Republicans joined in passing Tuesday by a 274-146 vote — might deliberately expose the nation's wilderness lands to all-terrain vehicles, off-road traffic, motor boats and aircraft, as well as road-building, logging and mining. Ostensibly, it's about preserving the rights of hunters, anglers and recreationists - and putting endangered Democrats, such as Montana Sen. Jon Tester, on the wrong side of a National Rifle Association priority. The Wilderness Society is worried the bill seems to elevate rights of motorized recreationists, loggers and miners ahead of the wilderness values. If it were just the environmentalists saying so, you might dismiss it/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. Full Cheers & Jeers column here.

Question: Do you think the Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 compromised our national wilderness?

First District GOP Rep. Raul Labrador told a national TV audience Sunday that likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney shouldn't attempt to mediate concerns about Mormon theology. Appearing on NBC's “Meet the Press” Sunday as part of a panel on religion and politics, Labrador suggested Romney talk about his work as a missionary and as a bishop and stake president. Moderator David Gregory asked Labrador, who also is LDS, whether Romney should squarely address “discomfort” with theological concerns. Some evangelicals question Mormonism, even labeling it a cult/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here. (AP file photo of Mitt Romney)

Question: What do you want to know re: Mitt Romney's approach to faith?

Incumbent GOP Reps. Mike Simpson and Raul Labrador have received grades of “A-plus” and “A,” respectively, from the National Rifle Association. According to the NRA’s website, an A-plus candidate is “a legislator with not only an excellent voting record on all critical NRA issues, but who has also made a vigorous effort to promote and defend the Second Amendment.” An A signifies a “solidly pro-gun candidate” who “has supported NRA positions on key votes in elective office or (is) a candidate with a demonstrated record of support on Second Amendment issues”/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Is a candidate's NRA grade important to you?

The Left and their cohorts in the media love a personal story to illustrate the need for a government-centered society. Here’s one they wish they could manipulate. It’s the story of a single mother who sacrificed a lot to raise her only son in Puerto Rico. Rather than teach him that he’s a victim of his circumstances in life, his mother taught him that with hard work and good character, he could achieve anything. She taught him that the success of others should be emulated, not envied. Eventually, the woman took her now-teenage son to Las Vegas, where she worked long hours in the hospitality industry. She also enrolled at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. She took one class per semester until she earned her degree in education and became a teacher. Meanwhile, the boy learned from his mother's work ethic and determination/Lisa De Pasquale, Townhall. More here.

Question: Do you still consider this country to be a land of opportunity for those willing to work hard to succeed?

From Labrador spokeswoman Ellen Carmichael: Congressman Labrador just spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives during the budget debate. In his speech, Congressman Labrador detailed his upbringing in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Raised by a single mother who struggled to make ends meet, Congressman Labrador was taught not to envy the success or covet the wealth of the prosperous. Instead, his mother encouraged him to aspire to become a successful person to create a life better than the one he had. In today’s speech, Congressman Labrador said, “If my mother would have had the same mentality the other side has, I would have never been able to amount to anything in my life, because what they believe is the only way you can actually amount to something is if you take from the ones who have if you are a have-not.” Video of speech here.

Question: How did your mother help you get a good start in life?

You might think it would be difficult to find a new way to insult Congress. Back in 1873, Mark Twain said, “I never can think of Judas Iscariot without losing my temper. To my mind, Judas Iscariot was nothing but a low, mean, premature, Congressman.” And in the 1930s, humorist Will Rogers said, “This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer.” But it seems that Moscow's congressman, first-term Republican Raul Labrador (pictured), has found a way.Early last week, he said Congress is worse than the Idaho Legislature. Quite a putdown, that. The Spokesman's Betsy Z. Russell wrote that Labrador told the Idaho House and Senate since he's been in Washington, D.C., “My appreciation for the Idaho Legislature has only grown more”/Lee Rozen, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.

Question: Which group of politicians do you consider worse: U.S. Congress? Idaho Legislature?

Here's Congressman Raul Labrador's reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in favor of Chantelle & Mike Sackett of Priest Lake: “I am overjoyed by the unanimous ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of my constituents, Chantelle and Mike Sackett of Priest Lake, in their case against the EPA. The federal government is an intimidating force against ordinary citizens, and standing up to its bureaucracy requires extraordinary bravery.  Thanks to the unwavering courage and selfless sacrifice of the Sacketts, Americans everywhere will be guaranteed the right to appeal a decision imposed by a government agency. Their victory also safeguards individual property rights against the encroachment of the federal government, a fundamental assurance of our Constitution. The EPA is one of the many federal government agencies whose overreach jeopardizes our civil liberties and obstructs our pursuit of prosperity.”

Question: Do you consider the EPA to be an overreaching, intimidating force against ordinary citizens?