Real Democrats call out fake Democrats

On March 9, the Coeur d’Alene Press reported the youth director of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, Dan Bell, enacted a plot to take over the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee.

Bell recruited volunteers to change their party affiliation to Democrat on the last day of the filing period and run for precinct captain positions. Real Democrats would not have time to respond.

Bell recruited in dark precincts, where his fake Democrats would run unopposed. This was crucial, because they would be unlikely to draw Republican voters away from their closed primary. Further, Bell schemed to enlist Constitution Party voters to fill in for Republicans

Once elected, fake Democrats plotted to install a known anti-Semite as KCDCC Chair. He would divert funds to conservative causes, take control of all communications, and suspend future meetings to put the KCDCC out of business.

Brent Regan, the Chair of the KCRCC was said to be “fully on board.”

On March 9, John Grimm, a Republican former candidate for sheriff, gave the Press a tape recording of Dan Bell trying to recruit him into this plot.

A reporter notified me and asked for my reaction.

I said the scheme was diabolical. I alerted the Idaho Democratic Party and called an emergency Central Committee meeting. The Press published the story in two editions.

Over the next 48 hours a team of Democrats enlisted dozens of people to run for precinct captain, almost enough to fill every precinct. Some we knew and some we did not know. They all ran willingly to save the KCDCC from fraud and destruction.

Kootenai County reacted strongly to the attempted takeover.

On March 11, the lead editorial in the Press compared the KCRCC’s actions to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: “take what isn’t yours because you think you can.”

Six of the 48 people I called spontaneously compared Chair Brent Regan to Vladimir Putin.

People wrote letters to the Press to express their revulsion at Bell and his plot.

One letter writer objected that Bell referred to his followers as patriots, saying “the real patriots lie in places like the Arlington National Cemetery.” For Bell to use that term is

“despicable and totally unacceptable, just like their insidious scheme.”

Another writer addressed Bell’s hateful comment that certain local business owners were “freakin cockroaches.” The writer noted that the same words were used during the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and the Holocaust in Germany. The writer urged conservatives to ask themselves if they really want to be associated with the Idaho Republican Party.

A third letter writer identified herself as a Christian and addressed herself directly to Dan Bell, who is “passionate about his relationship with God…” She pointed out that “there are rules of engagement, directives and behaviors required of us as Christians. These include “Truth, Loving Kindness, Honor and Integrity of the Heart.”

The fake Democrats needed to win 37 of 73 precincts to gain the majority on the KCDCC. Fifty precincts were dark, so a KCRCC takeover was achievable.

Once the Elections Office closed at 5 p.m. on March 11 we began refreshing its webpage every couple of minutes hoping for good news. Nervous energy built up because we had no way of knowing how many Republicans went through with the plan or how many were scared away by the Press articles. We just had to refresh and hope.

Finally, at 7:21 the Elections Office issued its ballot.

We feverishly counted the names and did the arithmetic. Nineteen questionable candidates made it to the ballot. Twelve precincts remained dark. With write in candidates, Bell could potentially seat 31 fake Democratic precinct captains. That would still be 6 fewer than the number needed to control our Central Committee. We breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The KCDCC is now separating out and contacting the fake Democrats, to rid the May election of fraudulent candidates. Our message to each one is that your plot failed. You should step down as a matter of conscience. Either withdraw before the March 25 deadline or plan now to submit your resignation before the first meeting following the May 17 primary.

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Evan Koch is chair of the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee.