Complex problems and common sense

This isn't meant as an endorsement for Rep. Raul Labrador's next quest for political office, but it might sound like one.

That's because hearing someone from Washington, D.C., make sense rather than sound bytes is so rare anymore, and so refreshing.

One thing about Labrador: He's going to say what's on his mind, and he doesn't really care what the House Speaker or anybody else in office thinks about it. He does care what his constituents think.

He'll admit up front when he doesn't know much about a subject, and even when he does know a lot about a subject he pays attention to people with differing perspectives, especially when they've done their own research.

So earlier this week, during a discussion with the Press editorial board, Labrador said what's on his mind.

A few samples:

* Unlike some of his compatriots, the second-term Republican and tea party darling acknowledges recent improvements in the federal economy. Sure, he's reticent to give President Obama much credit, but saying he sees even a little blue sky is more grounded in reality than those who claim pure gloom and doom.

* He supports cuts in military spending and acknowledges that some of the excessive military spending is directly linked to politicians gaining votes in their districts, not doing what's best for their nation.

* With immigration reform debate hitting high gear - and pinching ultra-sensitive nerves with some citizens - his approach suggests rational solutions, not political ones. For instance, he says it's logistically and financially impossible to round up and deport 12 million illegals, and he instead prefers the idea of allowing illegal citizens already here to become legal through a documented worker program. He does not want to give them all the benefits available to citizens until they prove themselves. "If they're really here to work," he says, "let them work."

* Aware of the local controversy about an inappropriate remark from a public official, Labrador was asked if he thought there was a thread of racism running through the immigration debate. He wisely noted that the moment the word "racism" or "racist" is invoked in a conversation, effective communication dies, so it's not something people have had a lot of intelligent talks about. But he noted that he's a minority immigration lawyer with a Spanish-sounding name and he was just overwhelmingly elected to a second term. If there's a racist thread in Idaho, he said, it's not apparent.

* Asked about political ambitions down the road, possibly including leadership, Labrador shrugged off the likelihood of that ever happening. He said that by speaking his mind he alienates himself from some in power, and that his only intent is to serve Idahoans, not put in prodigious hours raising money necessary to gain political altitude.

"That's just not me," he said. "I want to get things done, the big issues of the day."

We wish more members of Congress did, too.