Sunday, June 15, 2014 5:57:21 PM
Idaho GOP convention fiasco leaves state party in disarray
U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador listens to the parliamentarians as they try to resolve a motion on the floor during the last day of the Idaho Republican Convention on Saturday, June 14, 2014, in Moscow, Idaho.
Kyle Miles photo
Betsy Z. Russell
June 14, 2014
Idaho’s state Republican Party convention degenerated into a fiasco Saturday after attempts to disqualify up to a third of the delegates attending appeared to be succeeding – and the convention ended up adjourning without electing a chairman, setting a platform or doing any of its scheduled business.
“For three weeks I’ve tried to broker a deal to prevent what happened today,” 1st District Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador told Idaho Public Television just after the convention adjourned, but he failed; Labrador was the convention chairman.
“It’s hard to blame all this on Raul Labrador, but on the other hand, this does not strengthen his credentials for a national leadership position, either,” said BSU professor emeritus Jim Weatherby, a longtime observer of Idaho politics.
Far from uniting the deeply divided party, the gathering in Moscow degenerated into dysfunction - though it’s the party that holds every statewide office in Idaho, every seat in the congressional delegation and more than 80 percent of the seats in the state Legislature. It also proved not to be the finest hour for Labrador, whom many looked to as the healer for the fractured party just a day after he announced that he’s running for Majority Leader of the U.S. House; instead, he ended the convention facing jeers and walkouts from his own party members.
Weatherby said the only comparable event he could think of was Nevada’s GOP convention fiasco in 2008, which was canceled before delegates to the national convention had been selected. “And again, Ron Paul forces or libertarian forces were involved in that fiasco as well,” Weatherby said.
Libertarian and tea party forces had lost badly in most parts of the state in the May 20 Idaho GOP primary - though they were ascendant in North Idaho - but geared up to keep control of the party anyway at the state convention.
“There’s always been disagreement on platforms and things like that, but to go to the level they went to this time to disqualify people,” Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said wonderingly as he hit the road home after the convention Saturday. “People that have been around a long time don’t remember anything like this. … One person files a complaint, keeps 102 people from voting for no real grounds.”
The state Senate assistant majority leader said, “It was basically the ultra-, ultra-conservative, tea party libertarian type people basically flexing their muscle in the way the thing was organized.”
State Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, made the motion to adjourn at 3 p.m. on Saturday; a challenge to the move failed, as many delegates walked out.
Melissa Davlin, an Idaho Public Television reporter who was in Moscow covering the event, said, “Both sides were just so fed up – they were done.” She noted, “They had been through hours of parliamentary procedures and confusion over rules and all of these things, and they still weren’t getting anywhere.”
“I heard people on both sides say that this is the last time they’re going to come to a state convention,” Davlin said.
The failure of the convention means a full day of laboring Friday over resolutions, rules and platform planks was for naught. Committees had recommended resolutions to repeal Idaho’s state health insurance exchange, encourage Bible study in public schools and oppose Common Core state standards for student achievement, among others.
The platform committee had agreed on one major change in the party platform: Doing away with its current clause calling for repeal of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which requires direct election of U.S. senators. Repealing the amendment would return that choice to state legislatures, instead of voters.
State Rep. Brandon Hixon, R-Caldwell, who made the motion in the committee to remove the plank, said, “Idahoans want their voices to be heard. … I can’t imagine taking the voting power away from all 1.6 million people in Idaho and giving it to just 105 people in the Idaho Legislature to elect our United States senators.”
However, that plank will now stay in the state GOP platform for the next two years.
Current party Chairman Barry Peterson, who is aligned with the libertarian/tea party wing, will stay in office unless it’s determined that his term has expired; if so, the state central committee could name a replacement.
© Copyright 2014, The Spokesman-Review
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/jun/14/idaho-gop-convention-fiasco-leaves-state-party-dis/ [with comments]
*
Idaho’s GOP convention adjourns without electing chairman, setting platform
Rep. Raul Labrador listens to parliamentarians Saturday during the Idaho Republican Convention in Moscow.
Associated Press photo
Betsy Z. Russell
June 15, 2014
Idaho’s state Republican Party convention degenerated into a fiasco Saturday after attempts to disqualify up to a third of the delegates attending appeared to be succeeding – and the convention adjourned without electing a chairman, setting a platform or doing any of its scheduled business.
“For three weeks I’ve tried to broker a deal to prevent what happened today,” 1st District Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador told Idaho Public Television just after the convention adjourned. Labrador was the convention chairman and wants to be the next Majority Leader of the U.S. House.
“It’s hard to blame all this on Raul Labrador, but on the other hand, this does not strengthen his credentials for a national leadership position, either,” said BSU professor emeritus Jim Weatherby, a longtime observer of Idaho politics.
Far from uniting the deeply divided party, the gathering in Moscow deteriorated into dysfunction – though the GOP holds every statewide office in Idaho, every seat in the congressional delegation and more than 80 percent of the seats in the state Legislature. The outcome wasn’t promising for Labrador, whom many looked to as the healer for the fractured party just a day after he announced that he’s running for Majority Leader of the U.S. House. Instead, he ended the convention facing jeers and walkouts from his own party members.
Weatherby said the only comparable event he could think of was Nevada’s GOP convention fiasco in 2008, which was canceled before delegates to the national convention had been selected.
“And again, Ron Paul forces or libertarian forces were involved in that fiasco as well,” Weatherby said.
Although they experienced success in North Idaho races, libertarian and tea party forces lost badly in most parts of the state in the May 20 GOP primary. But they geared up to keep control of the party at the state convention.
Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, sharply criticized an attempt at the convention to disqualify the entire delegations from three counties.
“It was basically the ultra-, ultra-conservative, tea party-libertarian type people basically flexing their muscle in the way the thing was organized,” said Winder, the state Senate assistant majority leader. “It’s a real shame that a convention comes to that stage, where there really wasn’t any real floor leadership, there wasn’t any fairness in the process, either in the credentials committee or on the floor. It was all pre-determined. It’s kind of ‘who’s going to have the power,’ rather than working together.”
State Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, made the motion to adjourn at 3 p.m. Saturday. A vote challenging the move failed, as many delegates walked out.
“Both sides were just so fed up – they were done,” said Melissa Davlin, an Idaho Public Television reporter who was in Moscow covering the event. “They had been through hours of parliamentary procedures and confusion over rules and all of these things, and they still weren’t getting anywhere.”
The failure of the convention means that a full day of discussion Friday over resolutions, rules and platform planks was for naught. Committees had recommended resolutions to repeal Idaho’s state health insurance exchange, encourage Bible study in public schools and oppose Common Core state standards for student achievement, among others.
The platform committee had agreed on one major change in the state party platform: Doing away with its current clause calling for repeal of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which requires direct election of U.S. senators, and handing the power to pick senators back to state legislatures.
“Idahoans want their voices to be heard,” said Rep. Brandon Hixon, R-Caldwell, who made the motion in the committee to remove the plank. “I can’t imagine taking the voting power away from all 1.6 million people in Idaho and giving it to just 105 people in the Idaho Legislature to elect our United States senators.”
However, that plank will now stay in the state GOP platform for the next two years.
Current party Chairman Barry Peterson, who is aligned with the libertarian-tea party wing, will stay in office unless it’s determined that his term has expired; if so, the state central committee could name a replacement. “I heard people on both sides say that this is the last time they’re going to come to a state convention,” Davlin said.
© Copyright 2014, The Spokesman-Review
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/jun/15/idahos-gop-convention-adjourns-without-electing/ [with
comments]
--
Attack dog turns
Jun 13, 2014
http://www.allvoices.com/cartoons/c/105194317-attack-dog-turns [no comments yet]
--
Reince Priebus After Eric Cantor Loss: I Don't Think GOP Is Divided
In this Jan. 24, 2014 file photo, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is seen at the RNC winter meeting in Washington.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
By Elise Foley
Posted: 06/15/2014 12:51 pm EDT Updated: 4 hours ago
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus fought Sunday to downplay the notion that the GOP is divided, particularly over immigration, after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) lost his primary last week.
The same day that economics professor Dave Brat beat Cantor [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/10/virginia-primary-results_n_5479472.html ] in a shocking upset, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) won his primary, creating a debate [ http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/06/why-eric-cantor-lost-and-lindsey-graham-won/372597/ ] over whether support for immigration reform measures could doom GOP members. While Cantor was part of a GOP leadership that has not allowed votes on reform bills, he also has been supportive [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/11/eric-cantor-bob-goodlatte-kids-act_n_3581635.html ] of measures like legal status for undocumented young people, prompting attackers to say he supports "amnesty." Graham was an even easier target on that front -- he helped draft and pass [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/27/senate-immigration-reform-bill_n_3511664.html ] the Senate's comprehensive immigration bill -- but he won, anyway.
CBS "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer started out by asking Priebus about those two primaries and to what degree they show divisions within the GOP.
"I don't think it's divided at all," Priebus replied. "You have districts that are 85 percent Republican, and more than one Republican wants to be congressman, and in some cases more than one person wants to be a senator."
Priebus said he agreed with other Republicans that Cantor may have been hurt in his district by his leadership position, which required him to travel the country and think on a more national level.
"It takes you out of your district, and pretty soon that good work you're doing nationally becomes liability locally," he said. "I think it's a local issue."
Priebus gave somewhat conflicting answers on whether his party is divided on immigration. When Schieffer noted that some Republicans are for immigration reform and some are opposed, Priebus said, "The Democrats don't agree on everything either." But he went on to say the GOP may be more united on the issue than they seem.
"There is consensus that the immigration system is broken. How to fix it is another issue," he said.
Copyright ©2014 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/15/reince-priebus-eric-cantor_n_5496763.html [with comments]
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U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador listens to the parliamentarians as they try to resolve a motion on the floor during the last day of the Idaho Republican Convention on Saturday, June 14, 2014, in Moscow, Idaho.
Kyle Miles photo
Betsy Z. Russell
June 14, 2014
Idaho’s state Republican Party convention degenerated into a fiasco Saturday after attempts to disqualify up to a third of the delegates attending appeared to be succeeding – and the convention ended up adjourning without electing a chairman, setting a platform or doing any of its scheduled business.
“For three weeks I’ve tried to broker a deal to prevent what happened today,” 1st District Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador told Idaho Public Television just after the convention adjourned, but he failed; Labrador was the convention chairman.
“It’s hard to blame all this on Raul Labrador, but on the other hand, this does not strengthen his credentials for a national leadership position, either,” said BSU professor emeritus Jim Weatherby, a longtime observer of Idaho politics.
Far from uniting the deeply divided party, the gathering in Moscow degenerated into dysfunction - though it’s the party that holds every statewide office in Idaho, every seat in the congressional delegation and more than 80 percent of the seats in the state Legislature. It also proved not to be the finest hour for Labrador, whom many looked to as the healer for the fractured party just a day after he announced that he’s running for Majority Leader of the U.S. House; instead, he ended the convention facing jeers and walkouts from his own party members.
Weatherby said the only comparable event he could think of was Nevada’s GOP convention fiasco in 2008, which was canceled before delegates to the national convention had been selected. “And again, Ron Paul forces or libertarian forces were involved in that fiasco as well,” Weatherby said.
Libertarian and tea party forces had lost badly in most parts of the state in the May 20 Idaho GOP primary - though they were ascendant in North Idaho - but geared up to keep control of the party anyway at the state convention.
“There’s always been disagreement on platforms and things like that, but to go to the level they went to this time to disqualify people,” Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said wonderingly as he hit the road home after the convention Saturday. “People that have been around a long time don’t remember anything like this. … One person files a complaint, keeps 102 people from voting for no real grounds.”
The state Senate assistant majority leader said, “It was basically the ultra-, ultra-conservative, tea party libertarian type people basically flexing their muscle in the way the thing was organized.”
State Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, made the motion to adjourn at 3 p.m. on Saturday; a challenge to the move failed, as many delegates walked out.
Melissa Davlin, an Idaho Public Television reporter who was in Moscow covering the event, said, “Both sides were just so fed up – they were done.” She noted, “They had been through hours of parliamentary procedures and confusion over rules and all of these things, and they still weren’t getting anywhere.”
“I heard people on both sides say that this is the last time they’re going to come to a state convention,” Davlin said.
The failure of the convention means a full day of laboring Friday over resolutions, rules and platform planks was for naught. Committees had recommended resolutions to repeal Idaho’s state health insurance exchange, encourage Bible study in public schools and oppose Common Core state standards for student achievement, among others.
The platform committee had agreed on one major change in the party platform: Doing away with its current clause calling for repeal of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which requires direct election of U.S. senators. Repealing the amendment would return that choice to state legislatures, instead of voters.
State Rep. Brandon Hixon, R-Caldwell, who made the motion in the committee to remove the plank, said, “Idahoans want their voices to be heard. … I can’t imagine taking the voting power away from all 1.6 million people in Idaho and giving it to just 105 people in the Idaho Legislature to elect our United States senators.”
However, that plank will now stay in the state GOP platform for the next two years.
Current party Chairman Barry Peterson, who is aligned with the libertarian/tea party wing, will stay in office unless it’s determined that his term has expired; if so, the state central committee could name a replacement.
© Copyright 2014, The Spokesman-Review
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/jun/14/idaho-gop-convention-fiasco-leaves-state-party-dis/ [with comments]
*
Idaho’s GOP convention adjourns without electing chairman, setting platform
Rep. Raul Labrador listens to parliamentarians Saturday during the Idaho Republican Convention in Moscow.
Associated Press photo
Betsy Z. Russell
June 15, 2014
Idaho’s state Republican Party convention degenerated into a fiasco Saturday after attempts to disqualify up to a third of the delegates attending appeared to be succeeding – and the convention adjourned without electing a chairman, setting a platform or doing any of its scheduled business.
“For three weeks I’ve tried to broker a deal to prevent what happened today,” 1st District Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador told Idaho Public Television just after the convention adjourned. Labrador was the convention chairman and wants to be the next Majority Leader of the U.S. House.
“It’s hard to blame all this on Raul Labrador, but on the other hand, this does not strengthen his credentials for a national leadership position, either,” said BSU professor emeritus Jim Weatherby, a longtime observer of Idaho politics.
Far from uniting the deeply divided party, the gathering in Moscow deteriorated into dysfunction – though the GOP holds every statewide office in Idaho, every seat in the congressional delegation and more than 80 percent of the seats in the state Legislature. The outcome wasn’t promising for Labrador, whom many looked to as the healer for the fractured party just a day after he announced that he’s running for Majority Leader of the U.S. House. Instead, he ended the convention facing jeers and walkouts from his own party members.
Weatherby said the only comparable event he could think of was Nevada’s GOP convention fiasco in 2008, which was canceled before delegates to the national convention had been selected.
“And again, Ron Paul forces or libertarian forces were involved in that fiasco as well,” Weatherby said.
Although they experienced success in North Idaho races, libertarian and tea party forces lost badly in most parts of the state in the May 20 GOP primary. But they geared up to keep control of the party at the state convention.
Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, sharply criticized an attempt at the convention to disqualify the entire delegations from three counties.
“It was basically the ultra-, ultra-conservative, tea party-libertarian type people basically flexing their muscle in the way the thing was organized,” said Winder, the state Senate assistant majority leader. “It’s a real shame that a convention comes to that stage, where there really wasn’t any real floor leadership, there wasn’t any fairness in the process, either in the credentials committee or on the floor. It was all pre-determined. It’s kind of ‘who’s going to have the power,’ rather than working together.”
State Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, made the motion to adjourn at 3 p.m. Saturday. A vote challenging the move failed, as many delegates walked out.
“Both sides were just so fed up – they were done,” said Melissa Davlin, an Idaho Public Television reporter who was in Moscow covering the event. “They had been through hours of parliamentary procedures and confusion over rules and all of these things, and they still weren’t getting anywhere.”
The failure of the convention means that a full day of discussion Friday over resolutions, rules and platform planks was for naught. Committees had recommended resolutions to repeal Idaho’s state health insurance exchange, encourage Bible study in public schools and oppose Common Core state standards for student achievement, among others.
The platform committee had agreed on one major change in the state party platform: Doing away with its current clause calling for repeal of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which requires direct election of U.S. senators, and handing the power to pick senators back to state legislatures.
“Idahoans want their voices to be heard,” said Rep. Brandon Hixon, R-Caldwell, who made the motion in the committee to remove the plank. “I can’t imagine taking the voting power away from all 1.6 million people in Idaho and giving it to just 105 people in the Idaho Legislature to elect our United States senators.”
However, that plank will now stay in the state GOP platform for the next two years.
Current party Chairman Barry Peterson, who is aligned with the libertarian-tea party wing, will stay in office unless it’s determined that his term has expired; if so, the state central committee could name a replacement. “I heard people on both sides say that this is the last time they’re going to come to a state convention,” Davlin said.
© Copyright 2014, The Spokesman-Review
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/jun/15/idahos-gop-convention-adjourns-without-electing/ [with
comments]
--
Attack dog turns
Jun 13, 2014
http://www.allvoices.com/cartoons/c/105194317-attack-dog-turns [no comments yet]
--
Reince Priebus After Eric Cantor Loss: I Don't Think GOP Is Divided
In this Jan. 24, 2014 file photo, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is seen at the RNC winter meeting in Washington.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
By Elise Foley
Posted: 06/15/2014 12:51 pm EDT Updated: 4 hours ago
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus fought Sunday to downplay the notion that the GOP is divided, particularly over immigration, after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) lost his primary last week.
The same day that economics professor Dave Brat beat Cantor [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/10/virginia-primary-results_n_5479472.html ] in a shocking upset, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) won his primary, creating a debate [ http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/06/why-eric-cantor-lost-and-lindsey-graham-won/372597/ ] over whether support for immigration reform measures could doom GOP members. While Cantor was part of a GOP leadership that has not allowed votes on reform bills, he also has been supportive [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/11/eric-cantor-bob-goodlatte-kids-act_n_3581635.html ] of measures like legal status for undocumented young people, prompting attackers to say he supports "amnesty." Graham was an even easier target on that front -- he helped draft and pass [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/27/senate-immigration-reform-bill_n_3511664.html ] the Senate's comprehensive immigration bill -- but he won, anyway.
CBS "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer started out by asking Priebus about those two primaries and to what degree they show divisions within the GOP.
"I don't think it's divided at all," Priebus replied. "You have districts that are 85 percent Republican, and more than one Republican wants to be congressman, and in some cases more than one person wants to be a senator."
Priebus said he agreed with other Republicans that Cantor may have been hurt in his district by his leadership position, which required him to travel the country and think on a more national level.
"It takes you out of your district, and pretty soon that good work you're doing nationally becomes liability locally," he said. "I think it's a local issue."
Priebus gave somewhat conflicting answers on whether his party is divided on immigration. When Schieffer noted that some Republicans are for immigration reform and some are opposed, Priebus said, "The Democrats don't agree on everything either." But he went on to say the GOP may be more united on the issue than they seem.
"There is consensus that the immigration system is broken. How to fix it is another issue," he said.
Copyright ©2014 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/15/reince-priebus-eric-cantor_n_5496763.html [with comments]
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