Summary
"In his first term, I think [Dave Reichert] just followed the leadership of the party (reflexively opposing environmentalists)," says Jim DiPeso, policy director for Republicans for Environmental Protection, a national group based in Albuquerque, N.M. But in Reichert's sec- ond term, DiPeso says, "he's been doing his own thinking, and he understands his district better" - it includes tech compa- nies whose employees like outdoor recre- ation and wilderness. "Reichert also sees the unfavorable dynamics for Republicans in general. That's all caused him to move in a green direction," says DiPeso, who lives in the Seattle area. "Reichert has gotten crossways with some very powerful Republicans in Congress on environmental issues, and he's taken (green) stands anyway. He's walked the talk."
"[Larry Craig] built a career on maintaining the status quo," says Rick Johnson, head of the state's biggest environmental group, the Idaho Conservation League. "[Jim Risch] still represents the (traditional) interests, but he is definitely looking forward," taking into account Idaho's changing electorate, which includes both newcomers and old-timers who want more effort put into protecting wilderness and the air and water quality. "He's pragmatic," says Republican state Sen. Brad Little, another former High Country News board member, who is helping to run Risch's campaign. "There are some things he won't compromise on, but he knows gridlock is not conducive to quality of life for his constituents.""Excellent job tonight," a woman in the Idaho Falls crowd tells [Rex Rammell] as she shakes his hand. Rammell points to another man, and says that through his own work as a veterinarian, ? saved his prize horse." There are other signs that Rammell has support around southeast Idaho. Prosecutors dragged him into two trials in local courtrooms, on minor criminal charges stemming from interactions with state wildlife agents who killed his escaped elk, and in both cases, the juries - composed of local voters - quickly found him not guilty. Rammell sums up the spirit of many of today's Republican-versus-Republican battles, when he says, "There's going to be bombs going off' in the final lap for the Senate seat. "When the smoke clears," he predicts, 'I'll be the only one standing."See the full content of this document
Extract
A Fractured Party
The old brick Bonneville County Courthouse, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, seems like a good place for a Republican Party love-in. After all, the Grand Old Party has a tighter grip on Idaho than on any other state. Republicans hold Idaho's seats in the U.S. Congress, the governorship and all other statewide offices, and 75 percent of the state Legislature. Visitors at the courthouse walk beneath a blazing, Statue-ofLibertyesque torch sculpted on a stone panel above the front door - representing, perhaps, the Republicans' traditional conservative emphasis on personal freedom.
But when the local Republican hierarchy holds a meeting in a wood-paneled room inside the courthouse one evening in April, there's discernable tension among party members.About 40 influential Republicans, including precinct bosses, fill the wooden benches. A woman stands and begins with a prayer, "Our Father in heaven, we bow our heads at the beginning of this Central Committee meeting . . . please bless us that it will be handled with kindness and civility . . . we pray for these things in the name of Jesus Christ."After the collective "amen," speakers give updates on party business, one of them warning that Idaho must be kept out of the clutches of Democrat Barack Obama - "the left-wing messiah." Then Republican candidates for various offices give speeches, describing their positions on hot-button issues, such as taxes and abortion. When a woman running for the Legislature says she's for abortion rights, the crowd kind of gasps quietly.They relegate the most controversial candidate, Rex Rammell, to last. Undeterred, Rammell strides to the podium. He's a longtime Republican gadfly who...See the full content of this document
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