"That idiot is just an absolute idiot. He doesn't have one ounce of empathy in his whole fricking body. And you can put that in the paper."
http://www.thehill.com/...
That's a quote on Bill Sali, the GOP's new nominee for Idaho's 1st Congressional district. Is it from Democrat Larry Grant? A blogger? A disgruntled ex-employee?
Nope. It's the REPUBLICAN SPEAKER OF THE IDAHO HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Bruce Newcomb, a conservative Republican made that remark following a "classic" Bill Sali moment:
"Sali's critics pointed to an incident earlier this month in which he insisted on discussing studies linking abortion to breast cancer during a debate on a bill to require doctors to inform women about abortion-related risks. The Idaho House Democratic leader, a survivor of breast cancer, walked out in tears, and her Democratic colleagues followed her." (From "The Hill" article)
And Sali's not ashamed of it, either. In fact, on his own campaign website, you can read the following informational links:
"National Pro-life Alliance joins in Support!
Silent No More on Abortion & Breast Cancer
Right to Life of Idaho and Informed Consent
Generation Life & the Abortion/Breast Cancer Link
Brandi Swindell's (Anti-choice activist) Thoughts on Informed Consent
DEM. WALKOUT OVER ABORTION/BREAST CANCER LINK
Idaho Chooses Life Selects Sali in First District
National Right to Life PAC gives Sali Clean Sweep
Is Abortion Safe?"
http://www.billsali.com/... (If you dare!)
Sali was endorsed by numerous "right-to-life" organizations, and for good reason - he makes Marilyn Musgrave sound like a moderate. He's also considered an ideologue with little legislative accomplishment, as Idaho's chief political reporter, Randy Stapilus of the Ridenbaugh Press reported in October:
"Bill Sali. In first place? Are you nuts? The objections will come in hard and fast from anyone who has worked around Sali, regarded by many as one of the weakest Idaho state legislators of the last couple of decades. The stories reflecting poorly on Sali are of near-legendary quality, from his removal as a committee chair (something that almost never happens) to his stunning answers in a civil lawsuit, declaring that critical thinking skills were relatively unimportant for such as legislating..." http://www.ridenbaugh.com/...
And the Boise, Idaho Statesman attacked Sali in their editorial for the primary:
"With nearly $400,000, state Rep. Bill Sali of Kuna has the money lead in the race -- but he's a wholly owned subsidiary of a big out-of-state benefactor, the anti-tax Club for Growth. Sali's 16 obstructionist years in the Legislature can be summed up in one monumentally bad vote: He opposed a temporary sales tax increase in 2003. He would have preferred tens of millions of dollars in cuts for public schools, a particularly crippling move in high-growth areas such as his legislative district. With only two seats in Congress, Idaho cannot afford to elect a narrow-thinking ideologue disliked by many mainstream Republicans."
http://www.idahostatesman.com/...
And the parade of nuttiness from Sali goes on and on. As "The Hill" article mentioned, Congressman Mike Simpson - his possible future colleague - hates his guts, and will likely sit on his hands in the general election. Indeed, it is likely that a number of moderate Republicans will come out against Sali.
Before you bemoan this man's "elevation" to Congress, allow me to bring in some key facts:
-This Congressional district was represented by a Democrat before the 1994 "Gingrich Revolution", Larry LaRocco. He won in 1990 in an upset, in a district virtually similar to now, that gave George Bush, Sr. 64% in 1988. Our current Bush got 68% in 2004.
-Jim Matheson and Chet Edwards represent equally "red" districts - and have won and kept their seats. Neither will ever be "safe" incumbents, but neither are they easy to beat.
-Idaho's Republican, sure, but the vast majority of voters (and 57% of Idaho Republicans) want stable leadership first. And they're not adverse to electing Democrats statewide, either, as Governor Cecil Andrus and current Education chief Marilyn Howard can attest to.
To be short, the Democrats CAN win this seat in 2006. The climate is perfect for a Democrat - a fiscally responsible, socially moderate Democrat - to win back Larry LaRocco's seat. And the Democratic nominee, Larry Grant can do that.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/...
This article from the Boise, ID Statesman lays out the Grant appeal: He's not a firebrand, he's not an idealogue; "competence is his strength", said the reporter covering his kickoff event. He's a former executive at Micron Technology, Inc. in Boise, which is a major computer company for the state, and is a board member for the Frank Church Institute. In fact, the late, beloved Senator's widow, Bethine endorsed Grant recently, joining Governor Andrus in getting a small, but determined Idaho Democratic Party behind him.
Grant's website, http://www.grantforcongress.com has a link to his "Top 5 Reasons to go to Congress". They are:
. Jobs. To make sure that every person who wants to work can find a job that pays a living wage, to be sure that Congress passes trade, technology, and tax policies that create jobs here instead of sending them overseas, and to stop giving tax cuts to the wealthy while cutting benefits for the poor and middle class.
2. Education. To make sure that every child gets a good education and an opportunity to go to college or learn a trade, to be sure that teachers and public schools get the money and respect they deserve, and to stop the federal government from telling us how to educate our children without providing the money to do it.
3. Health Care. To make sure that every family that needs a doctor can see one, to be sure that every person who needs prescription drugs can afford them, and to protect Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare.
4. Spending. To make sure we get back to balanced budgets and stop Congress' current spending spree, to rein in the outrageous amount of money spent on pork barrel projects, to halt subsidies for oil and gas companies at a time when they are making huge profits, and to change energy policies that do little or nothing to end our dependence on foreign oil.
5. Respect. To restore America to its rightful place as the most respected and powerful nation in the world by ending the greed and corruption currently raging through the top ranks of our government, to end the war in Iraq with dignity and purpose, and to make sure every individual is treated fairly under our laws and that their rights are protected from undue governmental interference.
Larry also has a "Meet the Candidate" session on his campaign blog, which you can link to from his site. An example of how it worked in April can be found here: http://larrygrant.typepad.com/...
The only problem for Grant currently is money. Until now, nobody's really seen this race as competitive, or even worth bothering with. But the Cook Political Report's May 19 Edition put this race into the "Competitive" area for the first time, at Likely Republican. With the unpopular and controversial Sali as the nominee, it is likely that the DCCC will take some notice.
But the DCCC is unlikely to invest money in ID-01 unless Grant can show he has the dough first. And that's where we, the blogosphere can help. Having a nutjob like Bill Sali in Congress - especially a DEMOCRATIC Congress - in 2007 would be harmful to the legislative process and produce an even more polarized legislature than before.
If you can imagine Bill Sali promoting his inane belief that "abortion causes breast cancer" on C-Span - then give your support to Larry Grant.
If you can imagine Bill Sali joining Tom Tancredo and Tom Coburn in the "Nuts R' Us" club in Congress, fighting for xenophobia and jingoistic rhetoric - then give your support to Larry Grant.
And if you can imagine Howard Dean's 50-state strategy spreading all the way to Idaho in 2006, giving us a Democratic Congressman from that state - then give your support to Larry Grant.
His contribution link is http://www.grantforcongress.com/... . I hope you will give some thought to helping a solid, decent Democrat a chance to stop a radical Republican (and not the good kind) from going to Washington - and electrify the nation at the same time.
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