Party “purity” tribunals are the latest fad among the authoritarians who, in Twin Falls, stole and are now destroying the apparatus of the Idaho Republican Party.
They concocted new Section XX of the Idaho GOP Rules at this year’s Party retreat in Challis. Its process for purging “nonbelievers” would make Grand Inquisitor Torquemada of Seville, Spain, proud, and Magistrate John Hathorne of Salem, Massachusetts, envious.
In section XX these “should-be servants” of Idaho’s 600,000 Republican voters award to just themselves a rare power: the ability to “call into question the conduct” of any and all elected Republicans, whether in party office, or in local, state or even federal government.
Party “insiders” now become self-anointed judges of the Idaho and U.S. Constitutions, as well as the Twin Falls-adopted Platform of the Idaho Republican Party. Strangely excluded is the National Republican Platform, a document the Idaho GOP usurpers despise and frequently ignore.
What is wrong with enforcing “party principles?” Nothing . . . except that “force” part. Persuade, encourage, even reward? Yes. Force. No! That empowers too narrow of a special interest.
Consider the Idaho Platform position against term limits:
In 1994 Idaho enacted a law limiting how long elected officials could serve, broadly supported by Republicans. But in 1995 the Supreme Court overturned an Arkansas limit on Democrat Ray Thornton’s running for Congress. Term limits on city and county offices also became unpopular, and in 2000, the Idaho Republican Party switched, adopting the following in its platform:
“The Republican Party of Idaho, supporting the right of every citizen to seek elective office, recognizing the need for experience and institutional memory in elective office, and recognizing the difficulty of filling important offices in smaller cities and counties, supports the repeal of Idaho's term limits law.”
That same year, Don Morgan, head of Idaho Citizens for Term Limits, failed to get signatures on a new initiative removing federal, county and city offices from the 1994 term limits. In 2002 the Republican legislature repealed all, including the Congressional term limits.
The Sun Valley GOP Platform that year dropped mention of city and county officials and “repeal”, but retained the opposition to term limits as it appears today.
Bryan Smith campaigned for Congress in 2022 on three key issues, one being the need for Congressional term limits. He lost, but finagled anointment as GOP National Committeeman, where he proclaimed unequivocal devotion to the entire Idaho GOP platform. Last week I reminded him the platform opposes “term limits.” He angrily corrected me, “that doesn’t apply to Congress.”
Okay. That is Bryan Smith’s “interpretation.” It is not consistent with history, or the facts, or the truth. But he’s made an important point: a tribunal controlled by his supporters will read the platform in whatever way he wants.
Which is why this descent into platform purity tribunals is antithetical to everything American, and an insult to a Constitutional Republic. It’s a return to rule “by a few people,” abandoning the more liberty-protective “rule of law.”
Platforms put forth “principles” of good government. Those principles are often pitted against each other. Concealed carry is a right ensuring liberty. Modern medicines preserve life. But should judgment-impairing medication mix with firearms? Both Constitution and Platform are silent.
In American-style self-government, these tradeoffs are made by individuals elected and answerable to “We, the People.” Answerability to a subset of party cronies has historical precedent: the Stasi, the Gestapo, or the Cheka. But such enforcers of “crimes against the Party” are not constitutional.
Conservative commentator Armstrong Williams recently observed “Our nation stands at a crossroads. Will we choose to be loyal to our respective political parties or to ourselves? I do hope that we choose the latter.”
We do not force Republican activists to campaign for candidates they don’t support. And that is where their legitimate power is firmly rooted, controlling “the conduct” of no one but themselves.
(15) comments
Bruh.......with the country going to ch-it, do you think that you could start bashing the democrats
Instead of always harping against idaho Republicans? It's getting as old as your grandma's douc-hebag.
It's always fun when the wheels come off on a clown car.
"Republicans eat their young."-Donald Jenius Trump
Still whining about Idaho Republicans while Biden
Commiecrats are destroying the country? You would think that with the democrats doing everything they can to get us into a war with Iran
You could find something better to opine about.
First, I’m a Republican and support our National Platform. The people I’m talking about do not, and are not (Republican, that is). Second, what makes you think the power-hungry divisive forces in the White House are truly separate and different from the divisive power-hungry forces currently squatting in the GOP headquarters in Boise?
You never Trumpers just can't get over the fact that he took over your party. It's MAGA or it's...
Hit the road jack.....don't ya come back no more no more no more no more. I would rather have the backstabbers proclaiming to be Republicans, to Just switch to the commiecrat party.
And who here is a "never Trumper?" I happen to know Trump is 100% opposed to (1) caucus instead of primary, (2) parties biasing their primaries, and (3) "purity" squads. He's right on all three.
I'm for primaries too, but the choice is pretty much made before we ever get a vote. I'm totally fine with purity squads because there are a lot
Of posers out there.
You two should get a room.
In the navy, in the navy.....freaking tutu wearing swabby.
Trent Clark is debating with an unarmed man.
Glenn Alford loves illegals and offers them sanctuary in his own home. Just look him up,
He's in the book.
"RESOLVED, That the Republican Party has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President's (Trump's) America-first agenda."- Republican Party's 2020 National Platform
In other words, our Party Platform is whatever Trump says it is.
Four more years of the guy who showed a top secret military map of North Korea to Kid Rock and asked for his advice? Good idea.
Well I hope Eraserhead told him to nuke it.
The Trump agenda is lightyears better than
Your leftist lunacy. The inuit offered science guy
Some salmon which he declined and went into
A long spiel about eating only mice to see if wolves could survive on only eating mice......long pause......inuit responds......"good idea.'
Not much of a standup act there Ewe-Gene. Better stick to movie quotes.
Squeal like a pig.
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