Everybody has an opinion, and that is especially true around election time. Voters are bombarded with signs, texts, mailers, and social media ads designed to change their views on one candidate or another. Some of these messages are substantive\u2014sharing an incumbent\u2019s voting record or explaining what a challenger will do differently\u2014but others are nothing more than dirty, ugly mud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the past few weeks, a group calling itself the \u201cConservative Accountability Project\u201d has begun flooding mailboxes across the state. If you\u2019ve seen these mailers, you know exactly what I\u2019m talking about\u2014dark red and black designs, ominous imagery, and over-the-top accusations aimed at conservative Republican candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of these mailers claim that by opposing calls for an Article V Convention, legislators oppose a balanced budget. Others claim that by participating in a unanimous vote in 2025, conservative legislators voted to cut funding for law enforcement\u2014which is a bald-faced lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let me say this plainly: I hate liars. It\u2019s one thing to criticize, and it\u2019s one thing to campaign, but outright lying is wrong. These mailers are not about spreading the truth. They\u2019re not about accountability. They\u2019re about intimidation and manipulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As chair of the Idaho GOP, I have a responsibility to Republican voters\u2014the grassroots foundation of our party and our political system. These are the people who pay the taxes, who show up, stay informed, and participate in the process. I don\u2019t take kindly to big-money groups lying to their faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve seen this before. Groups with slick branding and vague names show up during election season, spend large sums of money, and then disappear just as quickly. Their goal isn\u2019t to build the party or strengthen our communities\u2014it\u2019s to pick winners and losers behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Big donors, powerful politicians, and special interests spend a lot of money trying to shape a legislature that will implement their priorities. In that process, voters can become little more than tools\u2014chess pieces to be moved around by shadowy forces pursuing goals that are not always obvious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No matter which side of an issue you\u2019re on, or which candidate you support, that should raise your hackles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our republican form of government depends on honorable candidates and informed voters. The modern system of drive-by mailers filled with outrage and falsehoods does a disservice to our republic. Deception and sensationalism are no substitute for reasoned debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you see an ominous-looking mailer denouncing your lawmaker, take a moment to think. Do your own research. Pick up the phone and have a conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ufeff The ultimate power in our state belongs to you\u2014not PACs, political nonprofits, or special interests. That\u2019s why they work so hard to influence your vote. Guard that power wisely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Everybody has an opinion, and that is especially true around election time. Voters are bombarded with signs, texts, mailers, and social media ads designed to change their views on one candidate or another. Some of these messages are substantive\u2014sharing an incumbent\u2019s voting record or explaining what a challenger will do differently\u2014but others are nothing more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":18468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[243],"tags":[28,348,1371],"class_list":["post-19670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinions-op-eds","tag-election","tag-idaho","tag-idgop","cat-243-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19670"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19671,"href":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19670\/revisions\/19671"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}