Idaho Demo superdelegates back Obama
Tracking superdelegates is an iffy proposition, as they can change their mind at any time.
The Democratic National Committee says it doesn’t keep count. Many delegates remain uncommitted. But according to the Web site Politico.com, Idaho is one of just three states or territories where the Democratic superdelegates all have committed, now that state Democratic Party Chairman Keith Roark has endorsed Barack Obama for president over Hillary Clinton.
The other two: Nebraska, where all six superdelegates are committed to Obama; and American Samoa, where six are divided with four for Clinton and two for Obama.
Idaho has four superdelegates – all of whom now have endorsed Obama – and a fifth will be selected at the state party convention in June. Roark said with Idaho’s caucuses going more than 80 percent for Obama, it’s clear that the final superdelegate also will be an Obama delegate.
‘If he had done for elk …’
As Roark threw his superdelegate support to Obama, he had nothing bad to say about Hillary Clinton, but he did have strong words for her husband. He noted the former president’s recent crack suggesting Idaho has more elk than Democrats, and said Clinton’s two presidential terms weren’t good for Idaho Democrats. “In my view, if he had done for elk what he did for Democrats during those eight years, there wouldn’t be any elk either,” Roark said to laughter.
Roark also noted the strong support among Idaho Democrats for Obama, and said, “Sen. Obama netted more convention delegates from Idaho’s caucuses than Sen. Clinton got from New Jersey’s caucuses.” And he announced that Obama’s wife, Michelle, will visit Idaho during the summer, and the candidate himself may return as well.
Otter touts international trade
Idaho growth in international trade from 2006 to 2007 ranked fourth in the nation, Gov. Butch Otter said this week, and he pointed to the state’s six overseas trade offices and official state trade missions that introduce Idaho businesses to overseas customers as key to that growth.
Otter just returned from a trade mission to Mexico, where Idaho has had a trade office since 1994. Idaho’s foreign trade in 2007 totaled $4.7 billion.
“We have the resources in the Idaho Department of Commerce and the Idaho Department of Agriculture that are in place and ready to help any Idaho business explore the export marketplace,” Otter said.
Idaho GOP lawsuit hasn’t proceeded
The Idaho Republican Party’s lawsuit against the state of Idaho seeking to close the state’s primary elections has been sitting in federal court for a month, but the state hasn’t responded. The reason? They’ve never been served with the lawsuit.
Bob Cooper, spokesman for the Idaho Attorney General’s office, said, “When you’re named in a lawsuit, the court activity doesn’t begin, you have to serve the complaint upon the respondent.” That hasn’t occurred, he said.
Rod Beck, the party activist who earlier tried to file a similar lawsuit along with dozens of dissident party members, said, “It means they’ve filed a lawsuit but they don’t have any intent to pursue it.” He said his group is filing a 10-day notice today to intervene in the case.
Sid Smith, Idaho GOP executive director, said, “That certainly isn’t the case. We’re doing our due diligence to follow the rules of the party and the lawsuit is what they call for. I really don’t know why, what the reasons may be for the delay, or if it is considered a delay.”
One of the party’s attorneys told the Associated Press the delay was “strategic.”
Click it – there’s a seat belt crackdown
The Idaho Transportation Department and law enforcement agencies are launching a statewide seat belt enforcement campaign on Monday that will run through June 1. State law requires everyone in a vehicle to be properly restrained, and fines run from $10 to $69.
“It is a simple thing to buckle up every time you get into a vehicle,” said Kevin Bittner of ITD’s Office of Highway Operations and Safety. “The consequences of not doing so could be life-altering, if not deadly.”
The enforcement campaign will include overtime work by the Idaho State Police and 30 law enforcement agencies statewide to both educate Idahoans and “strictly enforce” the seat belt law.
The Panhandle has the state’s highest rate of seat belt use, at 87 percent, but southeastern Idaho is only at 60 percent.