Idaho’s Conservative Cannibalism Problem: For most of my life I was not wrapped up in Idaho politics. I never believed in social media so I didn’t spend my time chasing every skirmish on line. Instead, I was working hard, raising a family and building a life here with my wife of twenty-five years. Now I finally have the time and capacity to look up and pay attention and what I see is very troubling. I call it Conservative Cannibalism or conservative doing more damage to each other than to their liberal opponents.
Fiefdoms of the Republican Party
The Enforcers (scorecards and litmus tests): The Idaho Freedom Foundation’s Freedom Index scores bills and lawmakers. Admirers call it “transparency.” Critics say it pressures votes and fuels primaries against Republicans to stray from heir ideals.
The Purists (caucus vs caucus): Idaho’s Freedom Caucus was fractured in 2024 with public resignations, brand custody fights and even a leaked recording of a conservative power broker berating a sitting lawmaker for praising Speaker Mike Moyle. It is purity contests on tape.
The Populists and PAC’s (paid assassins): Outside groups pour money into negative ads during primaries, often targeting Republicans. A Libertarian-aligned PAC, Make Liberty Win, was singled out for funding attack ads in Idaho races. State data show out of state spending drove many of the 2024 negative ads.
The Social Media Pirates (pile-on’s and performative outrage): A cottage industry of local X accounts hurls insults at “insufficiently conservative” neighbors, often turning “We have been here” vs “Just got here” into personal dog piles. It is loud, vulgar and at times it reflects poorly on the movement.
The Establishment Bloc (leadership and growth-first politics): Speaker Mike Moyle’s leadership has muscled through large packages and tax moves. Allies see pragmatism. Detractors see power politics. Either way it is an axis in the interparty fight.
The Institutional Conservatives (sheriffs, commissioners, local officials): Those who are trying to govern budgets, roads, and facilities are often sidelined while factions above trade purity points.
Meanwhile: Boise is growing, but not only with conservatives
Idaho is a magnet a proverbial melting pot: Net in Migration has driven much of our growth and Ada County keeps swelling like the belly of a fattened hog. Boise just re-elected an ultra-progressive mayor and the city’s planning documents project continued population growth. Translation: While Conservatives fight each other Boise’s liberal enclave continues to grow larger and faster. If good-natured conservatives are not careful, we will wake up with an Oregon-style divide or a dominant metro with different priorities than the rest of the state and a conservative movement too fractured to deliver results.
Who Am I? Who Cares? What Am I Asking?: I have Heard the “Jab”. “Where have you Been? Welcome to the party”. Some say it as if not having been deeply involved is a weakness. I see it as a strength. I am not tangled in old grudges. I see what is happening on the surface: energy is being wasted on scoring purity points instead of solving problems.
My ask is simple: It is time for Idaho conservatives to become more statesmanlike, professional, respectful and considerate even of their like-minded opponents. We need to align, not splinter and bring forward candidates who can unite us so we can turn Boise back toward Idaho before Boise turns Idaho into Boise. We must keep Idaho as it was when it drew people here with real governance and protect the state as a whole from being overrun by the liberal opposition.
Idaho deserves maturity and unity. Let us conserve Idaho, not each other’s reputations.
One reply on “Bosie will be the Death of Conservative Idaho”
So we need to be more tolerant of conservative divisions because we know the liberals will respect that and act accordingly? Sounds more like compromise, which never seems to work out well for conservatives. Looks to me like we are in a civil war at the moment and these things are never civil.