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Somehow, KCRCC sets a new low

| March 11, 2022 1:00 AM

When Kootenai County Republican Central Committee comrades say they want to take control of every single elected office, they mean it.

That includes offices within the Democratic Party, too.

Today marks the further deterioration of effective representation for all the people of Kootenai County, thanks to the KCRCC’s bid to flood Democratic precinct positions with “Republican” puppets. We put quotes around “Republican” because these folks aren’t any kind of Republican we have known, respected and voted for over many years.

Their alleged rationale for a takeover is that Democrats are trying to influence the GOP primary by registering as Republicans — so bam!, take that, you haters of freedom.

Questions: KCRCC, don’t you actually have something constructive to do? What, really, do you hope to gain from this ridiculous exercise other than to prove how low you’ll stoop in a quest for political power? Is this your best impersonation of Putin, perhaps — to take what isn’t yours because you think you can?

When it comes to real political bite, Kootenai County Democrats are toothless. Sorry, folks, but statistically it’s the truth. Local Democrats are outnumbered by Republicans and unaffiliated voters 8-1, according to January registration figures from the Secretary of State’s office. Partisan elections haven’t produced a local Democratic winner in years.

Yet, enter the KCRCC Paranoid Putin Patrol, which is invading the local Democratic Party with this strategy:

• Fill enough Democratic precinct positions with far-right Republicans to gain a majority

• Elect David Reilly chair of the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee

• Shut down operations for two years, except…

• Accept donations — and redirect them to Republican candidates

The attack isn’t just ethically underhanded; it very well could constitute fraud. And by running David Reilly for anything again is an extra little saber-skewer not just to Democrats, but to every conscientious citizen.

The vast majority of Republicans in Kootenai County are good people who adhere to conservative principles. What’s happening here is not the work of these good Republicans, but of invaders who could not gain power on their own so instead infiltrated the GOP.

Apparently, control of the local Republican Party wasn’t enough. Now they want to control the Democratic Party, too.

Paranoia? Revenge? Boredom? Whatever’s motivating them most, it’s sick. Perhaps this is just the kind of wakeup call our community needs to see the KCRCC for what it unfortunately has become.