Bob Pedersen and Rally Right: Staying Conservative

COEUR d’ALENE - Bob Pedersen, spelled with all e’s, is from southern California - a transplant. For the past four years Pedersen has been guarded, at least publicly.

He has consistently turned down interview requests, avoids online political threads - especially the ones about him - and deflects credit for the recent conservative movement inside the Republican Party.

But Pedersen, founder of the far-reaching Rally Right, moved to North Idaho from Orange County, Calif., 18 years ago.

“I’m not one of those Californians who wanted to change anything, you know?” Pedersen said last week, meeting over coffee at a Post Falls coffee shop. “I wanted to stay conservative.”

Love him, hate him, Pedersen is conservative.

Supporters, including those who label themselves Ron Paulers, say he’s restoring conservatism to its true roots. Opponents, and there are plenty, call him fringe, far right, a divider inside the Grand Old Party.

“He wanted to be a RINO hunter, but he thought everybody was a RINO,” said Jeff Ward, co-founder of the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans, a political group with its own large following that dismisses Pedersen and Rally Right. “It turned out anyone who didn’t kiss his ring was a liberal.” Full story , Tom Hasslinger, Cda Press

Bob Pedersen: restoring conservatism to its roots or fringe far right?