Democracy breeds contention, and since George Washington became America’s first president, party lines have been drawn. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at tension in Idaho with the new Republican super right-wing and their paranoia about Democrats turning the state of Idaho blue. That is a startling concept since Idaho is one of the most conservative states in the union.

Recently, there was an image put on Twitter by Idaho lawmaker, Rep. Tammy Nichols. The image shows former President Donald Trump, a red-colored outline of Idaho replacing his face, carrying a barbed wire-wrapped baseball bat with behind him, heads covered with logos representing 11 groups, including Boise State University. The image evokes a violent scene from a horror film, “The Walking Dead.”

Has it come to this? Will Republicans and Democrats devolve into street gangs engaged in open warfare?

Nichols added a caption: “Idaho has a swamp and there are many players that are working hard to turn it blue. We must stand and not let a Rocky Mountain Heist happen here in the Gem State. Local elections are coming up and they will have consequences.”

Nichols declined a phone interview, but stated she is worried about corruption in Caldwell. The exact “corruption” wasn’t detailed. Why was this disturbing image of Trump as some avenging thug even used? His targets are also unsettling. The Trump pugilist is intent on destroying the logos of national news organizations, including the AP.

There has been a response, and Idaho might soon make national news again for something negative.

“I did take it as a threat of physical harm,” said Mike Satz, executive director of the Idaho 97 Project, which aims to counter disinformation and extremism. The group was depicted in the meme. “The problem with this kind of behavior and what makes it so pernicious is people like Tammy Nichols can pretend they didn’t mean what the meme obviously means. But anyone with two brain cells knows that there are people out there in her base who would look at that and take it as a call to action against all of those organizations through violence.”

The Idaho Conservation League, which advocates for the environment through collaboration, is also a target. Could images like this not only condone violence but encourage it? I would hope that Idaho citizens capable of abstract thought would not take to the streets as a mob because of a provocative meme.

Another question is this: Is the meme posted by Tammy Nichols appropriate for Idaho politics and could it become an embarrassment for the Idaho Legislature?

As a journalist, I feel uncomfortable with the suggestion of attacks on the media, including reporters. Joe Parris, a reporter for Boise-based KTVB-TV that’s also in the meme, responded on Twitter to Nichols’ tweet: “Only the elected official can say what they meant by a tweet. I can tell you from experience though that threats against journalists from community members can often be rooted to images like this.”

We have seen the murders of journalists in other countries, including Russia.

Perhaps I am overreacting to Nichols’ adolescent bad taste tweets, but political parties should realize change is inevitable, and with so many new people moving to Idaho, it is possible that our very red state could turn purple or even blue. We don’t need an in-state civil war.

Michael Corrigan graduated from San Francisco State with a Master of Arts degree in English and creative writing. He was active in theater and attended the American Film Institute. He retired from Idaho State University as an instructor of English and speech communications. He has written several books, including “Confessions of a Shanty Irishman,” “Mulligan” and “These Precious Hours.” NPR broadcast his play for two readers: “Letters from Rebecca.”