OPINION: The KCRCC/IFF: A pig’s tale

The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee and its conjoined twin, the Idaho Freedom Foundation, remind me of the pigs in George Orwell’s prophetic novel, "Animal Farm."

Written in the 1940s, the book is an enlightened, entertaining yet frightening study of human nature. We can almost see the actions of KCRCC/IFF in the pigs’ behavior as rulers after the animal takeover of the farm. The pigs declared themselves the most intelligent of the animals (Mensa?), so they should create the rules and decide which animals were behaving correctly, and which needed discipline.

All of the animals had a voice during the original revolution. Their ideas were valued and they could agree or disagree with proposed actions. (They could even vote the way they wanted without banishment!) But as the power of the pigs’ leadership grew, so did their need for compliance. They demanded hard work (Donations?) from the lowly animals, and complete obedience to the decisions (Endorsed candidates and ballot measures?) made by the porcine directors.

“All animals are equal,” the pigs declared, to herald in their new commandments. But many of the animals were not so sure about the new rules. The pigs told them not to worry and gave them a Sample Ballot of the rules: “Four legs good, two legs (RINOs?) bad.”

This worked fairly well until the less informed animals (KCRCC members?) noticed the pigs were not doing any work but were getting all the benefits, which were not equally distributed as promised (Endorsing select Republican candidates before the Primary?). Then the pigs broke their other commandments by moving into the farm house, drinking alcohol, wearing clothes and sleeping in beds. (Using Lincoln Day dinner proceeds to pay for attack ads against other Republicans and promote candidates who are Libertarian/Anarchists, all while sending money to shady knee-busting-style campaign marketers in Nevada?)

The other animals became quite upset. They confronted the pigs about the commandment that “All animals (Republicans?) are equal.” The pigs answered, “Some animals are more equal than others.”

The downfall of the pigs was their own ego and self-importance. They fought each other for power and control. (State GOP fights?) Then outside forces were brought onto the farm to support the pigs. (Young Americans for Liberty, Citizens Alliance and more?) The “lower animals” (actual Republicans?) were dominated by the powerful pigs, and were soon treated just as badly, or worse, than before the original revolt.

So now back to our reality. Are you tired of the highly biased and misleading KCRCC/IFF “Sample Ballots” that list only their chosen candidates, not even all the Republican candidates? An actual Sample Ballot would show ALL of the candidates who have filed to run for each position, giving full information to voters.

Transparency and honesty used to be highly valued commandments of the Idaho Republican Party, as was the principle “all Republicans are treated equally.” Alas, those appear to have gone the way of the pigs now, replaced by “Some Republicans are more equal than others.”

We can return to our honest GOP values by rejecting the manipulation from KCRCC/IFF and their clones. The place to start is at the ballot box. Do your own thinking and make your own decisions.

Please make the time to vote on May 16. To get ready, you can go to your county elections website for information to find your polling place and a real sample ballot for your precinct. In Kootenai County, you can go to: https://www.kcgov.us/321/Polling-Place-Look-Up, put in your address, and it will show you your polling place and, listed down below in way-too-small letters, you’ll see “sample ballot.” That’s where your actual voting choices will be shown. Do some research on candidates and ballot measures, then you’ll be ready to go on May 16. It’s our responsibility as voters. Please don’t give that power away to any outside person, group, or pig!

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Mary Souza, a Coeur d'Alene Republican, represented District 4 in the Idaho Senate for eight years from 2014 to 2022.

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