State Democrats adopt unified platform

POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho Democrats wrapped up their three-day biennial convention this weekend, adopting an abortion rights platform and giving generalized support for same-sex marriage.

About 400 Idaho Democrats spent hours hammering out the party’s position on topics that also included education, health care and President Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq.

Platform Committee member Jeff Winmill of Pocatello said the committee and the party achieved the greatest consensus possible with polarizing issues.

“I think this document is a positive statement of principle that Idahoans can be proud of,” he said.

“What we tried to do was promote a positive vision for Idaho, and I think we’ve come close to doing that.”

Democrats developed a blanket abortion rights plank, and at one point delegates settled on a statement that reaffirmed an abortion rights stance but told voters that the party acknowledges “differing values of our party and communities.”

The plank passed 112-94, but delegates soon called it wishy-washy and rejected it 136-86, replacing it with a simple, “We reaffirm our commitment to choice in reproductive matters.”

This is a change for the party that didn’t mention “reproductive rights” in its 2002 platform. The decision came a day after party chairwoman Carolyn Boyce said the party should avoid hot-button issues. And some say its candidates in conservative districts will find the plank difficult to explain to voters.

Delegates voted multiple times on same-sex marriage, settling on a plank that scantly affirms the issue.

Senate Minority Leader Clint Stennett of Ketchum said Democrats should give candidates latitude on gay marriage.

The platform now says the party opposes “Amending our Constitution in ways which build discrimination into law.”

The party stunningly rejected a platform plank long-touted by Democrats, calling for the elimination of sales tax exemptions.

Ada County delegate Gary Allen, speaking for 1998 gubernatorial candidate Robert Huntly, lost the bid to codify the Democrats’ objection to exemptions.

He said Democrats should support a plan to repeal the state’s assorted sales-tax exemptions, and doing so would lower the tax from 6 percent to 4 percent. But delegates agreed with Canyon County delegate Karl Malott, who said Democratic legislators should decide that issue.

Democrats denounced the Bush Administration’s approach to Iraq, saying they regret the deployment of Idaho’s National Guard troops and condemn the forced extension of the troops’ tours of duty.

Like Idaho’s Republican party stated last week in its convention, Democrats called for the repeal of certain provisions of the USA Patriot Act. Democrats also stated their opposition to the president’s No Child Left Behind Act.

They also favored allocating Idaho’s electoral votes in proportion to the popular votes received. Currently the candidate who wins Idaho receives all four electoral votes.

Revised education planks include supporting mandatory kindergarten and consolidating schools for budget efficiency.

The party also opposed telecommunication industry deregulation.

During the recent legislative session, Qwest Communications lobbied to remove price caps from basic phone service provided to nearly 400,000 Idahoans. The bill failed by one vote in the Senate.