At the risk of sounding like a Rep. Mike Simpson fan boy, I have to say, I’m a fan. As predicted, Washington, D.C. did not catch on to my “Mike Simpson for Speaker” column, but the House did the next best thing by rejecting Rep. Jim Jordan for Speaker. Three times.

I’ll take the win, even though Capitol Hill does not subscribe to either the Times-News or the Idaho State Journal as far as I know.

Idaho Congressman Simpson went a step further in a column last week by denouncing Idaho GOP Chairwoman Dorothy Moon and her disciples, which I affectionately refer to as the “Moonies.” Congressman Simpson rightfully called out the Radical Right-Wing Party by saying “Their actions paralyzed the House’s legislative business and left Republicans looking like we are incapable of governing.” He went on to say, “Perhaps Chairwoman Dorothy Moon has not lived in Idaho long enough to understand how important things like agriculture, delisting wolves, our nation’s military, and the Idaho National Laboratory are for our state.”

For those who don’t know, Dorothy Moon is from Missouri (it’s the only endearing quality she has, as I am a Mizzou graduate), who claimed that Canadians came down to Idaho to fraudulently vote in recent elections. As you might expect, our neighbors from the North put in a pretty lackluster effort as Donald Trump won the state with 64-percent of the vote in 2020, and Republicans swept the statewide and federal races two years later.

Canadians promptly apologized for their role in both outcomes.

Congressman Simpson went on to make the very salient point that, “I cannot – and will not – support a speaker who has repeatedly taken positions against Idaho’s best interests. However, Chairwoman Moon made it clear this is the kind of speaker she would stand behind.”

I hate to applaud the obvious, but Congressman Simpson makes a very cogent and reasonable point. He represents the people of the State of Idaho and he won’t support someone who votes against the interests of Idahoans.

Job well done, as far as I’m concerned. So, why the controversy?

It’s pretty simple. The Radical Right-Wing Party does not care about Americans, let alone Idahoans. I’m sorry to break this to you, but it’s true. Do you really think Jim Jordan or Dorothy Moon care about the Idaho National Lab? How about Idaho’s parks and open spaces? They sure don’t care about our military, otherwise they’d be turning the screws on Sen. Tommy Tuberville for single-handedly blocking hundreds of military promotions. I hate to say it, but Congressman Simpson is saying what the majority of us have been thinking for years. That brings us to the next question, and it’s a big one: Are we getting back to normal?

I sure hope so, but that begs another question: What took “Republicans” like Mike Simpson so long to call out the fringes of their party? Why did it take a once-in-a-lifetime situation (ousting the Speaker of the House) before people like Congressman Simpson would speak up?

I’ve written many times in this column that a majority of our state adheres to Idaho Democratic values of freedom, security, and prosperity. Congressman Simpson would never admit to that out loud, but the fact that he’s punching back against the Radical Right-Wing Party (finally) and putting America and Idaho ahead of the party is heartening. I’m not a Mike Simpson fanboy, but he’s not bad.

I just wish he would have stood up before a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Better late than never I suppose.

He may be an imperfect candidate (just like all of them), but I will repeat my call for Mike Simpson for Speaker of the House. He would do Idaho, and America, a real service. Regardless of what the Moonies think.