O-SenseSometimes politicians say stupid things. Very few of them ever acknowledge that they did such a thing.
During a hearing on the abortion ultrasound bill, Rep. Pete Nielsen (R-Mountain Home) was quoted: “Now, I’m of the understanding that in many cases of rape it does not involve any pregnancy because of the trauma of the incident. That may be true with incest a little bit.”
Just as this was blowing up and attracting national media attention, Rep. Nielsen did something remarkable. He told KTVB-TV: “I was in error, and I regret it.”
Wow. It takes a lot of guts to admit you made a mistake and be willing to acknowledge it to the public. Good for Rep. Nielsen. He is fully deserving of a pat on the back.
Now if Rep. Heather Scott and Rep. Judy Boyle would do the same for their support of the domestic terrorists who occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge . . .
Mitt Romney also deserves kudos for his powerful speech shredding Donald Trump at the Hinckley Institute at the University of Utah (my alma mater for law school).
Romney said: “I believe with all my heart and soul that we face another time for choosing, one that will have profound consequences for the Republican Party and, more importantly, for the country.”
He then proceeded to outline the consequences of Republicans handing the Republican nomination to Donald Trump:
“His domestic policies would lead to recession. His foreign policies would make America and the world less safe. He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president. And his personal qualities would mean that America would cease to be a shining city on a hill.”
If you haven’t viewed Romney’s short, pithy and devastating address, you should before March 8 if you are an Idaho Republican. You can here.
One Idaho legislative bill to keep an eye on is HB 568 sponsored by Rep. Eric Redman (R-Post Falls). This measure limits the ability of Idaho courts to consider foreign law in Idaho, even if the parties have agreed to apply such to a contract, family relations, etc.
For instance, one provision states:
USE OF FOREIGN LAWS -- ENFORCEABILITY. Any court ruling or decision that violates the public policy of this state shall be void and unenforceable if the court bases its ruling or decision in the matter at issue in whole or in part on any foreign law that would not grant the parties affected by the ruling or decision the same fundamental liberties, rights and privileges guaranteed under the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Idaho including, but not limited to, due process, freedom of religion, speech or press, and any right of privacy or marriage embodied in the constitution of the state of Idaho.
While not precisely identical, there was some similar language in the child support measure that was the subject of the special session last year. The Idaho Attorney General’s Office has indicated that the measure would likely be defensible.
But, things went off the rails at the hearing on the bill. The sponsor, Rep. Redman, distributed a photo of a severed hand and printouts blasting Islam, according to Betsy Russell of The Spokesman-Review. Ugh.
Let me suggest, yet again, that it is not good for Idaho’s image to blast any particular religion. Nor, is it a winning legal strategy. Despite the relatively neutral language contained in the bill, Rep. Redman is demonstrating that his motive is to target a particular religious tradition.
That is a loser and the precedent is Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Legislature in 2010 passed State Question 755 which targeted Sharia law and foreign law. Because of a similar anti-Islamic focus, it was struck by a federal court despite being approved by Oklahoma voters. The federal judge noted:
“Having reviewed the numerous statements by the legislators who authored the amendment, it is abundantly clear that the primary purpose of the amendment was to specifically target and outlaw Sharia law and to act as a preemptive strike against Sharia law to protect Oklahoma from a perceived 'threat' of Sharia law being utilized in Oklahoma courts...
While the public has an interest in the will of the voters being carried out, the Court finds that the public has a more profound and long-term interest in upholding an individual’s constitutional rights.”
By going down the same path, Rep. Redman has likely undermined the long-term prospect of his own measure. And, he simultaneously undermined Idaho’s reputation. Not cool, Rep. Redman.
Who will win the Idaho GOP presidential primary on Tuesday, March 8? It is hard to tell with the limiting polling available showing Cruz, Trump and Rubio relatively tightly bunched.
My guess is that the closed primary will weaken Trump’s showing. He tends to do less well when independents can’t vote for him. That will be true here in Idaho. Only registered Republicans are eligible.
Both Cruz and Rubio just swooped in to try and boost their own efforts. Cruz went (I’m writing this Thursday, March 3) to Coeur d’Alene on Saturday and Rubio spent Sunday in Idaho Falls and Boise.
I suspect one of the two will prevail but I don’t feel a strong movement toward either. We’ll see tomorrow.
The Gallup organization always puts out fascinating data.
One thing that recently caught my eye is the favorable/unfavorable ratings of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. These are as of January 14-27 of 2016. Based on other numbers available nationally, these are in the ballpark of their current numbers.
Clinton has a favorability rating among all Americans of 42%. A full 52% have an unfavorable impression. That is a net negative of -10%. Not great.
Trump’s numbers are far, far worse. His favorables are only 33% while his negatives are a crushing 60%. That is a net negative of -27% and is the highest negative number Gallup has registered in its modern history for a presidential candidate except for Ross Perot.
This reinforces the point that Trump would likely lose overwhelmingly to Clinton in a general election matchup. I predict he would struggle to get 40% of the popular vote.
Steve Taggart is an Idaho Falls attorney specializing in bankruptcy (www.MaynesTaggart.com). He has an extensive background in politics and public policy. He can be reached atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
