OPINION: Politics can be productive

Politics can be productive. That’s a novel thought. But one that is gaining bipartisan momentum. 

Politics can be less about right wing culture war issues and more about improving and simplifying the lives of ordinary citizens. 

Even though Idaho remains a solidly Conservative state, when it comes to actually governing, the far-right fringe of the GOP may be losing influence. 

In counties where Democrats endorsed candidates in nonpartisan elections, the Democrat-endorsed candidates won a whopping 73% of the time. More than 30 candidates in Ada, Bannock, Blaine, Bonneville, Latah, Teton, Valley, and Washington counties were openly endorsed by those respective county Democratic Central Committees — and they all won their races.  

Locally, Conservatives vented their frustrations on our Facebook page in the runup to the Nov. 7 elections. However, those frustrations weren’t just with Democrats. Frustration with politicians failing to accomplish anything substantial leads to political apathy.     

Said one commenter, “The majority of the disillusioned former (Trump) supporters will not be turning to join the RINOS nor the more moderate Democrats … Many of us are slowly becoming apolitical … and just want to be left alone.”

While frustrated Republicans slowly become apolitical, Democrats host popular events like food drives and school supply drives. We elect moderate candidates who openly campaign as the alternative to the KCRCC’s “Rated and Vetted” puppets. 

Apathy toward far-right politics will likely become more evident with the state’s 2024 primary caucuses. That’s because Republicans implemented a confusing list of registration deadlines and purity tests. 

Democrats, on the other hand, are working tirelessly to make the primaries as easy, inclusive and accessible as possible. We believe voters should have a voice in choosing responsible, productive candidates who work to solve our existing problems rather than creating new ones.

At least one astute observer has noticed this shift toward making politics productive. 

In his most recent column, published in newspapers across Idaho, Chuck Malloy amplified a winning message from Idaho’s Democrats. Malloy devoted the entire column to sharing perspectives from Idaho House Minority Leader, Rep. Ilana Rubel (D-Boise). Rep. Rubel called the Democrats the party of “common sense,” and she invited disaffected Republicans to join the “adults in the room.”

Malloy wrote that, “with the constant berating of traditional Republicans for not being ‘conservative enough,’ we should not be surprised to see Democrats trying to attract those who are more centrist in their political thinking.”

Plenty of centrist and Conservative voters don’t want a government that defunds public education, outlaws women's rights, tells us how to raise our kids, what clothes to wear, and what books we can read.

Malloy faulted county Republican central committees for paying too much attention to divisive culture war issues, and too little attention to the real kitchen table issues like living wages, affordable housing and maintaining our assets and infrastructure.

That’s certainly true in Kootenai County.

The KCRCC seems to have forgotten that local politics should not be dominated by cheers, jeers, name calling and tribalism.

Further, the KCRCC seems to have forgotten that partisan politics should be kept out of North Idaho College, the Community Library Network, school boards and law enforcement. 

Local elections determine how roads are maintained, teachers are paid, homes are assessed and our tax dollars are spent. The KCRCC culture war waged on our college and libraries has only led to massive squandering of Kootenai County’s tax money. This unwarranted waste results from destructive, ill-considered actions by the extremist partisans who hold hostage critical nonpartisan positions.

If there was a political party that embraced the idea that politics should be productive, would you want to know more? 

If so, it might be time to check out the Kootenai County Democrats, who believe our elected officials should repudiate culture war divisiveness and work together for the common good of all Idahoans.

We believe it is possible to elevate all our lives and together create a more perfect union.

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