Campaign ‘96

Tenacity 101

There may not be many Democrats left standing in North Idaho, but you have to give them credit for sticking with the fight. Former legislator Barbara Chamberlain, who suffered a surprising defeat in the 1994 election (that’s surprise among Democrats) is back in the ring. She’s running for a place on the Board of Trustees at North Idaho College. It’s not the glory of Boise, perhaps. Nor is it the angst. But it’s probably almost as thankless.

Millionaires for higher income taxes

The 1990s has fueled one of the greatest surges in changing the name to protect the identities of various organizations. There are anti-environmental groups with Green in their personal headline. There are liberal Democrats labeling themselves as middle of the road. Now try this. Silver Valley native and Coeur d’Alene mining executive Dennis Wheeler is giving money to a political action committee named “Alaskans for Don Young.” Does this means that the north-south split in the potato state is so bad we seceded and the capital of our land is now Juneau? And if that’s the case, what does it do to the salmon question?

So much for the blue-collar vote

Politicians rarely give a speech without talking about how much they are doing for the working men and women of America. Now we understand why actions don’t always follow those words. An analysis of campaign donations on the Internet reveals that the number one occupation listed by people giving to political causes is retired. This potent group, 58,900 strong, has given $29 million - $10 million more than the next most frequently listed occupation. Writers didn’t measure up. The 908 writers with money to give could cough up only $761,736 this election cycle. Attorneys did much better, digging $10.8 million out of their 17,693 pockets - or their clients’ pockets. Given that lopsided comparison, it’s surprising the First Amendment has survived so long. And it’s not surprising tort reform has the life-span and the bite of a mosquito.

Nuke the campaign waste

The latest barrage of shots fired in Idaho’s U.S. Senate race almost seemed timed to go with the recent explosion of controversy over Idaho’s anti-nuclear waste storage initiative. U.S. Sen. Larry Craig sent out an official letter from Washington, D.C., bragging about his legislation to, among other things, continue “the scientific study of a possible site for a permanent disposal facility.” Democratic opponent Walt Minnick says putting that on Senate stationery and using Senate postage is an illegal use of taxpayer dollars for campaigning. Former Gov. Cecil Andrus wonders where Craig was when he was trying to negotiate with the federal government to get rid of the waste. (Easy - not running for office.) English teachers might want to get on board too, however, to examine the use of the words “permanent disposal.” How do you permanently dispose of something that stays lethal for between thousands and hundreds of thousands of years… besides electing it to national office?

Web Site of the week

At the risk of blowing our own horn - and because we received numerous calls last week from people seeking more info because they vote - we’re suggesting Virtually Northwest, The Spokesman-Review’s own web site, for readers looking for political information. Just up and running is a new feature dubbed Election Central, which has collected the newspaper’s stories on state, local and national races over the last month that some people may have missed or forgotten. Find it on the cover page all week at http://VirtuallyNW.com … It’s also a snap to send the computer meisters an e-mail to let them know what you think.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: How they voted

MEMO: Campaign ‘96 is published regularly during the campaign season and is compiled by Ken Olsen from staff reports. To submit information on a political event or a question you want the candidates to answer, write us c/o The Idaho Spokesman-Review, 608 Northwest Boulevard, Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814. Or call Cityline at (208) 765-8811 on a Touch-Tone phone, then press 9893 to leave a message, your name and phone number.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by Ken Olsen from staff reports