EDITORIAL: Pull back curtains on 'rating, vetting'

No honeymoon lasts forever.

Will the wedding cake finally hit the fan at Tuesday’s special meeting of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee?

It’s been almost four months since dozens of new committeemen were elected to the KCRCC, with hardly a whisper anywhere that the old rigid right regime and the somewhat more centered newcomers weren’t getting along splendidly.

That could change two days from now.

KCRCC’s special meeting is what it proudly hails as its “rating and vetting” session. Candidates have filled out questionnaires that not only seek answers to policy questions but allegedly test candidates’ loyalty to the GOP platform. 

The rating-and-vetting exercise has been described over the past decade or so as an enlightening if rigorous process that party officials claim pushes the very best candidates to the forefront. The KCRCC then works hard and spends many thousands of dollars trying to get these candidates elected.

And yet, if rating and vetting is such an effective tool, how could so many candidates supported by KCRCC perform so disastrously (see North Idaho College and Community Library Network trustees)?

While the library network is sitting out this election, three NIC trustee seats — the board majority — are up for grabs. So are other important positions featuring Republicans of various persuasions.

Typically, these secretive rating-and-vetting exercises have resulted in unanimous or near-unanimous support for those most inclined to swear fealty to the party rather than the people. Because the precinct committee newcomers don’t have a majority, they’re unlikely to win many arguments Tuesday — but they’re well positioned to keep the group’s rubber stamp in a desk drawer.

The Republican Party holds the keys to virtually every partisan elected office and a great many nonpartisan positions, so vigorous debate behind closed doors will best serve not just the party but the people of Kootenai County. 

While partisanship is unquestionably part of the game, a little transparency might help many Republicans understand the rationale behind KCRCC’s supported candidates, even if that rationale might not resonate with everyone.