OPINION: Out-of-state sleaze merchants are cranking up their smear campaigns
With the political season upon us, extreme-right dark money interests are gearing up to elect legislative candidates who will sing their tune in the Idaho Legislature. They were somewhat successful in the closed GOP primary election, defeating several reasonable Republicans who supported public education. They are now gunning for Democratic candidates who oppose spending public money to subsidize the education of private and religious school students.
The American Federation for Children, a billionaire-funded political action committee with a school privatization agenda, has begun smearing Democrats. AFC falsely claims Democratic candidates have “sided with radical special interests and OPPOSED parental rights” because the Democrats oppose forcing taxpayers to pay for private and religious schooling. One grotesque ad portrays Senator Rick Just of Boise as a puppet being manipulated by some unseen puppet master. It is an ugly exercise in gaslighting. The AFC’s only reason for existence is to buy legislators who will do its bidding. Another ad claims Just opposed property tax relief, which is patently false.
I’ve known Senator Just for decades. He is nobody’s puppet. Rather, he is a remarkable public servant. Rick served as a Marine, was educated at Boise State and went on to work for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation for 30 years. In 2023, he carried the bill in the Senate to appropriate $100 million to fund long overdue maintenance and infrastructure for the state parks that people of every political persuasion enjoy. He has stood tall in the Legislature for Idaho’s veterans. In addition to his legislative service, he is a dedicated student of Idaho history, writing about it in his Speaking of Idaho blog.
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