Huckleberries: GOP slate has him looking elsewhere

David Bond, whose father, Dick, was a longtime legislator from Washington’s 6th District, is one of many Idaho Republicans turned off by the current crop of GOP state and county candidates. In his latest Wallace Street Journal column rant, Bond boasts of his pedigree as the son of a Republican “troglodyte” who plans to “pull a straight Democrat lever come next month’s county and state elections.” Bond said he respects and admires Republican Gov. Butch Otter and his wife, Lori, “but the reality is that loonies are running the asylum.” Quoth Bond: “Never in Idaho politics has extremism so suffused Idaho’s governance.” Bond reserves his harshest words for the religious right, whom he portrays as “vicious” and pharisaical. He concludes: “Let’s toss the Pharisees out. If we have to replace them with Democrats, sorry Dad, so be it.” Unfortunately, Bond isn’t exaggerating about the lack of good Republican candidates in Idaho this fall, particularly Kootenai County.

Tying one on

A.J. Balukoff, the Democratic candidate for Idaho governor, had this to say about his trademark bow tie when he stopped by Huckleberries Online HQ Thursday: “I like bow ties. They’re more festive. I know how to tie them. And I don’t have to worry about the tie getting in my soup” … Prior to the interview, A.J. (Andrew Joseph) handed me a small, sealed tin of campaign breath mints, inscribed with his name and the words: “Work hard, tell the truth, put people first.” Do you think he was trying to tell me something? … As for being a guy that the Average Joe or Jane would be comfortable quaffing a beer with, Balukoff reminded Huckleberries that he’s a Mormon: “I don’t drink beer. I’ll buy them the beer and drink a root beer.”

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner: “By the millions/does God make them,/but never comes/around to rake them” – The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Autumn Leaves”) … The Hill, the respected D.C. political mag, ranks Idaho as the third-most-conservative state in the union and Washington as the most liberal one. Yet, we live side by side in peace. Must be that wide conservative buffer provided by Eastern Washington that does the trick … Did you hear the one about the woman who called Coeur d’Alene police from McEuen Park last week, crying? She was upset that a man was taking a photo of her dog and her. The damsel may have been distressed. But she was also breaking city law by allowing her dog to run free in a city park … Quotable Quote: “I’m not confident Idaho could handle a pink eye epidemic” – Huckleberries blog reader S.L. Fisher re: Idaho’s preparedness for the possible spread of Ebola … One of Henry Johnston’s favorite hobbies is to look through old funeral records to see how services – and even song selections for the dearly departed – have changed over the years. Henry? He’s the Sandpoint High grad who runs the mortuary at Colfax.

Parting shot

One wag at Huckleberries Online pseudonymed “Joker” has a plan to take care of the 50 or so transients who are being evicted from the woods behind the Coeur d’Alene Target store: “The solution is simple. McEuen Park. This little fixer upper has all the comforts of home: Shelter from the elements, spacious heated bathrooms, close-to-downtown shops, walking distance from the library, unlimited parking, access to hiking trails, state of the art playground equipment, a splash pad, a giant dog run, a huge front yard, a furnished patio, a boat launch, plenty of storage space and best of all tremendous lake views. And there’s more: Inspirational art! Free Wi-Fi! Free landscaping! Free maintenance! Free rent! No money down.” Coeur d’Alene’s civil war over the $20 million upgrade to McEuen Park lives on.