What's In a Name?

Have you noticed the proliferation of words being used to describe people on the right side of the political spectrum? Words like “Conservative”, “Constitutionalist”, “Patriot”, “Liberty- or “Freedom-Lover”. These words are not new; they are as old as the republic itself. If you were to look them up in a dictionary, each of these words could be used interchangeably to describe the values of the Republican Party (as stated in the Republican Party Platform; see Links page). But in today’s political landscape, they seem to have taken on a different meaning. Let’s take a quick look at why this may be happening.

The goal of such words as they are bandied about in Republican circles is to differentiate the people who claim them from “swamp-loving, politically-compromised, establishment RINO’s (Republicans In Name Only)". The purpose of using these words is to divide the party between “good guys” and “bad guys” and signal to voters which politicians will “stand up for them” in the policy showdowns that will follow the elections. The problem is everyone knows these are the desirable buzz words. Everyone from the true RINO’s, to moderate Republicans to traditional conservatives all the way to the Libertarians wear these labels like a badge of honor. This is so much the case that these words are rendered virtually meaningless and give no real assistance to voters in determining who stands for what.

It’s not just these terms that are being used with little care for the real qualities they are meant to signify. Some candidates claim they are not only Conservatives, but Christian Conservatives. What does that mean? Does it indicate their religious preference? Their stand on matters of conscience? What about the way they treat one another? When someone claims to be a Christian, can we count on them to drive that conviction through all their policy positions and through their personal conduct? A quick survey of the political landscape would indicate that we cannot assume this. So where does that leave us in trying to figure out how to vote? We have the following suggestions to help us in this process...

#1: Pray For Discernment –

These days call for great spiritual wisdom and discernment. Because we Christians have the Spirit of God within us, the first/best place to start is to ask God to help us discern what spirit is operating in the speech and actions of a candidate (see our post, “It’s All in Black and White”). As we’ve mentioned before, social media and public debates and meet & greets can provide insight into a candidate’s convictions and character. Is what they say meant to enlighten or obscure, to gather together or to scatter, to build up or to tear down? If a candidate’s message leaves you angry rather than hopeful, that may be a good sign that they are not on the side of righteousness.

#2: Look at Incumbents’ Voting Records –

Conduct an examination of what politicians running for reelection say about themselves by the way they've voted in the past. There is a site where you can look up an incumbent’s voting record on the issues that matter most to you. The link to that site is provided below, along with some basic instructions. Hopefully, you’ve created your own list of non-negotiables, issues on which you insist candidates vote in alignment with your faith (ie…sanctity of life, standing against legalizing drugs, prostitution, etc.). We suggested this in our post, "By Their Fruit You Will Know Them". If you have done so, you can search by pertinent subjects, see the texts of relevant legislation and see exactly how different incumbents voted. It takes a bit of patience, but it is one place you can see in no uncertain terms what people stand for.

#3: Follow the Money -

Take a look behind the proverbial curtain to see who and what motivates a particular candidate. A great place to start in determining who really loves this country and the values we hold dear is to look at the contributors from whom candidates are willing to take money. Below we provide a link where you can research just that. If a candidate is receiving money from an organization whose intentions are dubious or not aligned with our own, we do well to call into question whether, when the rubber meets the road, they will stand up for us.

#4: Investigate the Movements Behind the Man (or Woman) -

Further, we suggest you consider the bias of the persons or organizations that are trying to subdivide the party using the aforementioned labels. Political Action Committees (PAC’s), for example, will often use benign titles to obscure the interests they are actually serving and where their money comes from. If you listen to their messages, they are most often full of accusations against a particular candidate, which they can make with impunity on behalf of competing candidates with whom they claim to have no connection. It’s all smoke and mirrors, and we cannot make responsible political decisions on the basis of such propaganda.

#5: Explore Voter Guides -

As mentioned in a previous article, Voter Guides can be helpful, if they come from a reliable source. We have provided links to a number of those, also on our Links page. There are other voter guides which provide partisan recommendations/ratings for their constituents. In the interest of providing more objective information here, we have not included these. If there is an organization whose values are in alignment with your own, check to see what guidance they offer.

Remember Why You Came To Idaho

One final suggestion to ponder: so many people are moving to Idaho because it is a fantastic place to live, work and raise a family. They are responding to the wholesomeness and honesty of who we are and how we conduct ourselves. We would do well to remember that the Idaho we know and love was established by the efforts of good men and women who have held leadership positions here in the past and still serve us today. There may be some incumbents who have lost their will to fight for our values, but why would we want to paint every incumbent with the same broad brush? Instead, we suggest that you directly engage legislators and political leaders, asking questions and offering feedback. Direct, respectful engagement is far better than shaming, and we can do so without trampling on the person’s dignity. Furthermore, as we examine how our leaders conduct themselves, isn’t it a sign of Christian temperance to be able to speak kindly to and work constructively with people on both sides of the political aisle? This is not to say we want them to compromise first principles; rather, we are merely saying that fighting everyone is not a winning strategy. We want a government that can effectively pass legislation in line with our Republican values.

Why Does All This Matter? -

In the book Blueprint: How the Democrats Won Colorado , authors Adam Schrager and Rob Witwer tell the story of how Democrats flipped the state in just a few election cycles. Colorado’s demographics were similar to ours:

1) Fast-growing state

2) Infighting among Republicans

3) Republicans took their eyes off the enemy, leaving themselves open to a sneak attack

This model was so successful in Colorado that it was replicated in Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona. Idaho is next on the list. If we continue to keep our critical eyes and pointing fingers directed at each other, before we know it, our true opponents on the left will sweep in and carry our beloved state away. We cannot allow this to happen!!

The interesting thing about all this wordplay is that the one word that has fallen into relative disfavor, the one few people are willing to use as an identifier is the word, “Republican”. Yet, the Republican party has a solid, God-honoring platform. We are the party of conservatism, the constitution, patriotism, liberty and freedom – all of the desirable labels mentioned at the beginning of this post. If we think for a second about who we are actually helping by backing away from the one word that most effectively communicates all these great qualities, it becomes clear who ultimately stands to benefit from it all (hint: it’s not the Republican Party!!) Let’s stop dividing and instead unify our party around its formidable strengths, defending our beloved state from the encroachment of our enemies, spiritual and terrestrial!!

Resources -

Campaign Contributions - To access the Secretary of State's site disclosing campaign donations by PACs or individuals go the following website:

https://sunshine.sos.idaho.gov/

Click on your choice of the 5 categories:

Candidates & PACs

Contests (Candidates Only)

Donors & Donations

Vendors & Spending

Reports

Begin typing the name of the person, organization of office you are interested in. Usually an alphabetized list will drop down that will also help you search. Please note that some organization operate a PAC under a different name than the parent organization, so if the name of the organization doesn't come up, check out similar organization names to see if you can find what you're looking for. Click on the name you desire or finish typing, then click the blue Search bar at the bottom. Results will be revealed on the right. Scroll up and down as the list warrants.

Past Legislation and Vote Tallies - To see past proposed legislation and how legislators voted:

https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/

Select the legislative session you wish to investigate.

Bill Center – Will give you a listing of all proposed legislation by bill # with a short abstract of the subject. Click on the bill of interest and you can read its text (click link near the top that says “Bill Text”) and see the entire voting history, as well as whether it passed or not.

You can also search for legislation:

By legislation number

In an alphabetical list by subject matter

In a list including only enacted legislation

In a list including only vetoed legislation

There is a also link where you can search all current and prior sessions’ legislation. Click this link and then enter the keyword to search by subject.

There is also a link where you can receive weekly updates on the ongoing weekly bill status of legislation that is being considered.