DFO: Let’s Stop RRampant Ideology

Now that the preliminaries are over — the 2012 general election — it’s time for Coeur d’Alene business and civic leaders and mainstream Republicans and Democrats to brace for the onslaught of Hard Right politics in nonpartisan races  in 2013. Huckleberries predicted a year ago that the Tea Party Lite Reagan Republicans would be targetting the North Idaho College Board of Trustees for takeover this fall. The minions of Ron Lahr & Jeff Ward failed by one spot to accomplish their goal of creating a second highly partisan nonpartisan board in Coeur d’Alene. The Coeur d’Alene School Board fell to the Reagan Republicans in close elections in 2011 and then through attrition and appointment this year. Now, the organized Reagan Republicans will be trying to defend the positions of the three highly partisan appointees on the school board elections this spring, while targeting Mayor Sandi Bloem and any of the three councilman targeted in the failed recall who decide to seek re-election. Coeur d’Alene has much to lose if the Reagan Republicans and their CAVEr (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) allies in Coeur d’Alene gain even one more seat on the Coeur d’Alene City Council. Urban renewal. Education corridor. Public Art. Progress. It’s time for a nonpartisan group to arise to fund and support quality nonpartisan candidates — and push back against ideologues who are trying to export the dysfunctionalism of the local Republican Party and replace visionaries responsible for Coeur d’Alene growth & vision. The unsuccessful Streamline Kootenai County movement proves there’s money available in the business community for the hard work of preparing voter rolls and funding campaigns. All that’s needed now is a group of leaders, including those who stopped RecallCDA, to say enough. It’s time to protect Coeur d’Alene/ DFO.

Thoughts?