The new multiauthor version of Red State Rebels is now online. Click here.
[...]It’s been almost four years since I started Red State Rebels. The blog has served as a focal point for Idaho’s blue blogging community for several years now, and it’s been a lot of fun to write.
But the time has come to move on. As of tomorrow, I am taking [...]
With 1500+ posts, it's hard to narrow down my favorites. But here are a few dozen posts I especially like from the RSR archives, listed in reverse chronological order. Most are serious; some are silly; many are here to provide a handy document to Idaho, national, and global politics these [...]
Happy Labor Day! In our culture, many of us worship (or at least admire) athletes, actors, musicians, politicians, and wealthy entrepreneurs. Some of these high-profile people are worthy of the acclaim; others, not so much.
But at its heart, today is a day to celebrate the people who spend their [...]
Today was as much about Idaho history as it was about politics. Here are a few photos I took at the Boise Depot this morning.
Hundreds of people were on hand for Craig's announcement.
Crystal White was one of several people holding signs referring [...]
Friday was my final day on the LaRocco for Senate campaign. In July, I accepted an offer to launch a new national blog for community organizers and public officials. I start that job Tuesday; I'll have more news on that next week.
Meanwhile, yes, I've needed to keep quiet on [...]
The most surreal week in Idaho political history is expected to reach its conclusion this morning. Embattled Sen. Larry Craig has scheduled a press conference at 10:30 at the Boise Depot. Use this as an open thread to discuss what Craig has to say, how he says it, and its [...]
Just got this from Jim Hansen of United Action for Idaho:
If you live in the Treasure Valley, we are back by popular demand with Camp Democracy. This time in Nampa thanks to the organizing prowess of Maria Gonzalez-Mabbutt and others. I know it is short notice but the trainers [...]
From CNN, Friday morning:
Several well-placed GOP sources in Washington and Idaho have told CNN that embattled Republican Sen. Larry Craig is likely to resign soon, possibly as early as Friday.
GOP source with knowledge of the situation told CNN's Dana Bash that the Republican National Committee was poised [...]
Starting this morning, several members of the Idaho Legislature will join the Idaho Peace Coalition’s effort to get Sens. Senators Mike Crapo and Larry Craig to withdraw their support for next year’s Iraq war funding. Here's more from the Peace Coalition:
Representatives Les Bock (Dist. 16), Nicole LeFavour (Dist. 19), Anne [...]
On this second anniversary of Katrina's assault on the Gulf Coast, let's pause to remember what our esteemed Idaho lawmakers said and did in the months following the disaster.
First off, then-Congressman Butch Otter was one of only 11 lawmakers to vote against the initial aid package to Katrina's victims in September [...]
If you agree with me that Dave Bieter deserves another term as Boise mayor, here's your chance to help. The Bieter for Boise team plans a campaign fundraiser from 6 to 8:30 tonight (Wednesday, August 29) at the Rose Room, 718 W. Idaho St. Twenty-five [...]
In an event planned several weeks ago, U.S. Senate candidate Larry LaRocco will write his fourth diary at Daily Kos today.
Update: He's online now, at noon Mountain.Click here.
From a campaign news release:
Fresh from a front-page mention last weekend on the nation’s busiest political blog, U.S. Senate candidate [...]
C-SPAN 2's Book TV Bus is in the Boise area today, with visits planned to the Garden City Library from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and at the fabulous Rediscovered Bookshop in the Overland Park Shopping Center (just east of Cole Road) starting at 3 p.m.
The bus will [...]
Via Roll Call, CNN, the Idaho Statesman and across the blogosphere comes the news that U.S. Sen. Larry Craig pleaded guilty earlier this month after being arrested in June by a plainclothes police officer investigating complaints of lewd conduct in a men's public restroom in the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
[...]
Via Talking Points Memo and Daily Kos, which are picking it up from the subscription-only Roll Call (a site that seems to be crashing at the moment):
Given my role in the LaRocco campaign, I'll have no further comment on this at this time except to say I am [...]
Just some quick reminders about the many out-of-Iraq actions planned this week:
This afternoon, at 4 p.m. Mountain/3 p.m. Pacific, a Virtual Town Hall coinciding with George W. Bush's Seattle-area visit is set at www.darcyburner.com. Burner, a Congressional candidate hoping to represent Washington's 8th District, has emerged as a [...]
Wow - two great Monday mornings in August where we've been greeted with the news that a top Bush-Cheney administration official is gone, daddy, gone. Alberto Gonzales has resigned as attorney general, effective September 17. With the departures of Don Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, and now [...]
Here's a prediction: A few years from now, many public officials will be regularly and fearlessly using blogs to communicate with constituents. They won't all be Democrats, either; did you know HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt now has his own blog? (On TypePad, no less?!)
Sun Valley Councilman Nils Ribi is [...]
Saturday, August 25, is the mutual birthday of two great Idaho Democrats: former four-term governor Cecil Andrus and former U.S. House member (and current Senate candidate) Larry LaRocco. Cece turns 76 tomorrow, while Rocky will be 61. What's more, Larry and his wife Chris will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary [...]
This is my 1,500th post at Red State Rebels. Early on, some wag writing about the blog noted that there seems to be only one Red State Rebel. And that's been true for almost four years, at least when it comes to writing posts.
Ah, but it won't be for [...]
I wish I had a copy of the column Rabbi Dan Fink wrote a few months ago in the Idaho Statesman. Citing Shakespeare's Macbeth and its line, "Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill," Fink wrote that the war in Iraq was and is doomed because it was built [...]
I wish I had a copy of the column Rabbi Dan Fink wrote a few months ago in the Idaho Statesman. Citing Shakespeare's Macbeth and its line, "Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill," Fink wrote that the war in Iraq was and is doomed because it was built [...]
Shea Andersen of Boise Weekly has an extensive cover story this week about the growing schism in the Idaho Republican Party, especially its fight over whether to close the GOP primary. Idaho Democratic Party executive director John Foster gets his licks in with this great quote (and several others): [...]
Ada County is switching from punch ballots to optical scan voting next spring this fall. (No, the machines are not made by Diebold.) The county elections office has a booth in the Expo Building at the Western Idaho Fair where you can try out the new machines and also [...]
Alert reader Sisyphus sent in a tip on this story from the KTVB website, noting, "You just don't get to see headlines like this too often."
"Mayor regrets keeping bong at home."
The mayor of Idaho Falls says he made a bad decision to keep boxes of [...]
So maybe you've been sitting on the sidelines a while, but you are ready to get more involved in the Ada County Democrats. One great place to plug in: the Central Committee meetings, held the third Tuesday of each month. They're currently happening at the IBEW Labor Hall, 225 N [...]
Read this story about why Congressman Keith Ellison was out of the country and unable to take a phone call from his colleague Bill Sali. I hope Sali, Bryan Fischer, Cal Thomas et al take note of the way this American Muslim speaks about the fundamentalists who are giving his faith a [...]
Guess which movie was atop my Netflix queue last Monday, when word came of Karl Rove's resignation? Bush's Brain, the 2004 documentary based on the book of the same name, about Karl Rove. I was way overdue to see the film, and I finally screened it two nights ago.
I have [...]
I am volunteering with United Vision for Idaho at the Western Idaho Fair from 3 to 7 p.m. today. We'll be asking fairgoers how they'd like to see their tax dollars spent. Stop by and say hi if you're out there!
[...]Serephin at 43rd State Blues has a great video clip of Larry LaRocco on the job at the site of the new International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers building in Pocatello this week. LaRocco worked with Local 808 of the Carpenters Union out of Idaho Falls, also rubbing elbows with people [...]
My friend Bob - who like me, plans to indefinitely leave a certain 2003-04 vintage bumper sticker on his car - writes:
MIAMI (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Dean strengthened into the 2007 Atlantic storm season's first hurricane on Thursday as it careened toward the Caribbean and looked set [...]
That's Idahoans' share - so far - of the half a trillion bucks the United States has sunk into Iraq. At the same time we started spending vast sums in the Middle East, "war president" George W. Bush and a complicit GOP Congress repeatedly slashed taxes on the wealthiest Americans [...]
Would each of you email me privately at juliewrites at yahoo.com, please? I don't have your email addresses, and I'd like to ask each of you something. Thanks - Julie
[...]I'm slammed with work at the moment, so here are some good links to check out:
I had a blast watching the NASA Channel spacecast between the Endeavour crew and children at the Discovery Center of Idaho yesterday. But Irwin Horowitz was there in person (at DCI, that is; not [...]
Ever since the Sali story broke last week, I've been wanting to say a few more well-considered words on the subject. So here goes.
Bill Sali is a victim. You might say that the real victims in this saga are Keith Ellison, the first Muslim congressman, or the man who first [...]
I was going to wait until tomorrow morning to post another Sali roundup, but mcjoan at Daily Kos has written pretty much everything I planned to, so here you go. But here are a few handy links for direct access:
Larry Grant apologizes for Sali's remarks.
Randy Stapilus [...]
This news is a few days old, but I just stumbled on it while trying to find out whether and when I can buy BSU single-game football tickets!
Former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart will keynote this year's Frank Church Conference at Boise State. The conference's timely-as-always topic will be “Tipping Points: [...]
There's plenty to talk about this morning, starting with the fact that Turd Blossom is resigning.
Also: The big news out of the GOP's Iowa straw poll was its low turnout. Mitt Romney is basking in his expensive win, while Tommy Thompson has [...]
Phoebe and her mom made it to the coast! Yippee!
Let me explain. About 10 days ago, I got an email from Robin, who was taking (and blogging about) a 42-day trip along the Oregon Trail with her seven-year-old daughter, Phoebe. They're from Massachusetts. Robin used [...]
I'll be representing Idaho on a roundtable of Northwest bloggers tonight - Saturday, August 11 - about 10:20 p.m. Mountain Time on the David Goldstein Show on Seattle's KIRO Radio. You can listen live on the 'net.
Update: It sounds like we'll be on at 10:05 p.m. Mountain.
[...]Idaho's 1st CD congressman is making some big waves with his bigotry toward non-Christians, specifically his complaints about his Muslim colleague (Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota) and the Hindu who offered a prayer in the Senate last month. Bill Sali's comments have predictably drawn an outpouring of support among people [...]
Last week at YearlyKos, U.S. Senate candidate Larry LaRocco sat on a panel of congressional candidates along with Gary Trauner of Wyoming and Charlie Brown of California. The panel - moderated by Christine Pelosi - airs on C-SPAN 2 tonight (Thursday), at 9:56 p.m. Mountain/8:56 p.m. Pacific.
Do you have an hour or two to give Friday morning, August 10? The Larry LaRocco for Senate campaign is looking for some volunteers to help with a mailing.
Volunteers will meet at 10 a.m. at the Idaho Democratic Party headquarters, 988 Longmont, Boise. If you can help, please email [...]
Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean is in Pocatello today for a picnic and rally that run from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Bonneville Park (next to ISU's Holt Arena). Cost is $20 for singles, $50 for families, which includes a barbecue lunch buffet. I can't go because I'm [...]
On January 28, 1986, I was a 24-year-old wire editor at The Vindicator in Youngstown, Ohio. That morning, my job included supervising the guys in the back shop as they pasted up the pages. (This was at a time when, although we edited stories on computers, [...]
RSR just got word that a few spots are still available for the 2nd Annual Uncle Sam Scramble Golf Tournament this Saturday (August 11), with guest hosts George Karl (coach of the Denver Nuggets) and Coby Karl (recently signed with the L.A. Lakers). Call the Ada Democrats' office at 331-2128 [...]
Pengilly's was packed Monday afternoon to greet Raul Alvillar, Western region political director for the Barack Obama campaign. Fresh from Obama appearances this weekend in Salt Lake City and Elko, Nevada, Alvillar said that although no Idaho campaign stops are certain, he'll be working hard to [...]
New West has a report on a new Greg Smith poll showing that nearly half of 253 people polled last month have a "very" or "somewhat" unfavorable view of Idaho 1st District Congressman Bill Sali. Only 13 percent have a similarly sour impression of Larry Grant, who faced Sali in [...]
I'm back in Idaho after the exciting four days at YearlyKos aka Netroots Nation. I'll try to backtrack to show and tell you some more of the highlights of this bloggers' convention.
The event's highlight had to be the Presidential Leadership Forum on Saturday afternoon, co-moderated by Idaho native mcjoan of [...]
Any community that can attract seven of the eight presidential candidates and get international media attention has grown up, and when we meet in 08, it will be as Netroots Nation.
It's Sunday, and I just left the Bloggers Brunch. Gotta catch a bus back uptown, where I am meeting one [...]
I'm at my hotel across from Grant Park, serenaded by the muffled sounds of Lollapalooza. Really muffled - I can't even make out who's playing.
Since I last checked in with you this afternoon, we had the fun Netroots Candidates Celebration, chronicled here. I met [...]
It's been a full eight hours-plus at Day 2 of YearlyKos with another several hours to go. This is the first chance I've really had to sit down and post (and I'm missing another panel to do it). There have been great events all day, ranging [...]
The big news here tonight is that Hillary Clinton will show up for the Presidential Leadership Forum on Saturday, but she'll skip the breakout session where Kossacks expected to meet with the candidates (and which Dodd, Edwards, Gravel, Kucinich - a recent add - Obama, and [...]
Greetings from Chicago and YearlyKos 2007. I just met Gary Trauner, who's making his second run for Congress in Wyoming after his razor-thin loss to incumbent Barb Cubin last year. Gary and his wife Terry are two of the three Wyoming residents here. (The [...]
Still packing, but there are good reads to recommend:
MountainGoat Report has a verrrrry interesting piece on whether Bill Sali staffer Wayne Hoffman is doing anonymous political blogging on the taxpayers' dime. Read it here. MG also had good stuff yesterday on the GOP's hypocrisy when it comes to [...]
Mark and Sisyphus remarked on yesterday's water cooler about the spectacle of Butch Otter, Larry Craig, and Mike Crapo draped across the front of today's Idaho Statesman, bellyaching about how federal government policies helped send a southern Idaho wildfire out of control. Their comments pretty much say it all, [...]
Barack Obama may visit Boise. According to the campaign website, Raul Alvillar, Obama's Western political director, "is making a personal visit to Boise to see for himself just how many supporters Obama has here in Idaho. If we all attend and show our support is strong, we have a GREAT [...]
I'm back from 17 days on vacation, the longest holiday I've had in 14 years. We started in Portland, spent a week at our beloved Eliot at Seabeck, then headed for a week in British Columbia (where I took the photos at right and below). [...]
It's time for my 4th annual midsummer blogging hiatus. But before I leave ...
Forty years ago, we had the Summer of Love. This year, perhaps we'll have the Summer of Reason.
The Idaho Peace Coalition plans an "End the War" meeting next Thursday, July 19, at 7 p.m. at [...]
Seven Republican senators and one independent voted with all 48 Democrats this morning to end debate and vote on an amendment to the fiscal 2008 defense appropriations bill. Jim Webb's amendment would have protected overtaxed American troops by mandating specific minimum intervals between deployments. George W. Bush said Tuesday [...]
Over the past few years, the Republican-dominated Idaho State Legislature has repeatedly passed big-business tax giveaways to keep top employers happy. And what are the thanks we get?
Last year, Minnesota-based SuperValu - the new parent company of Boise-born Albertsons - announced it would move many Boise employees to the [...]
I am still really jazzed about the Live Earth concerts. I rarely watch five hours of TV in a week's time, but I spent that much time in one stretch in front of my set on Saturday night, thrilling to the music and the calls to action to address the [...]
The nation's newspaper of record has had enough. In its Sunday edition, The New York Times editorial board writes, "It is time for the United States to leave Iraq, without any more delay than the Pentagon needs to organize an orderly exit."
It's worth noting - and the editorial writers do [...]
That's all. It's just cool. I am into my fifth straight hour of watching the Live Earth concerts, mostly on Bravo. (I rarely watch five hours of TV in a week.) More on that Monday. Meanwhile, enjoy your weekend!
[...]U.S. Senate candidate Larry LaRocco issued a statement yesterday asking Larry Craig to join the growing chorus of Republican senators who are expressing support for a change of course in Iraq. LaRocco said:
A number of senior Senators, including Pete Domenici, a conservative Bush administration supporter from New Mexico, [...]
Ever since Bill Sali's most unlikely victory last fall, it's been widely presumed there will be a GOP primary in 2008. Sali is deeply unpopular with many Idaho Republicans, as evidenced by his 49.9% vote tally in last year's general election (and his 25% victory in the six-way 2006 GOP [...]
Howard Dean has been to the Boise area at least three times (maybe four?), but he hasn't seen other parts of our state. That'll change August 8 when the good doctor and Democratic National Committee chairman pays a house call to Pocatello. The Idaho State [...]
I know many of you are enjoying a five-day holiday weekend. Good for you! I went to see SiCKO again yesterday - this time with the rest of my family - and was reminded about the five weeks minimum of vacation time enjoyed by the French. Mais oui! Michael Moore [...]
I know I wasn't going to write anything today, but I am peeved. I just watched the much-hyped coverage of Boise's July 4 Parade on "Today's Channel 6," and it was basically nothing but a half-hour ad for "Today's Channel 6," with lots of inane puffery for the station's [...]
Between the Scooter Libby pard, er, commutation, the presidential campaign cash sweepstakes (the Democrats are kicking butt), and a round of Idaho candidate announcements, July has started with a bang.
First of all, I can no longer write that Larry LaRocco is the only declared candidate for Idaho's 2008 U.S. Senate [...]
Matt Singer at Left in the West has a post parsing the Billings Gazette poll showing that a majority of Montanans would consider voting for Barack Obama or Bill Richardson (each 55 percent), Joe Biden (53 percent), or John Edwards (51 percent) for president. Given the fact that [...]
Did you see the news over the weekend of a new Pew Research Center survey reporting the sharp drop in Americans who see children as "very important" to a good marriage? In 1990, 65 percent replied that children are key to a healthy marriage. Just 41 percent say so [...]
Blasting Bill Sali's extremist voting record, Larry Grant announced today he will run again to represent Idaho's 1st Congressional District in 2008. Grant narrowly lost to Sali last year. Here's the news release announcing his move:
Larry Grant, Fruitland resident and former Vice President and General Counsel of Micron Technology, [...]
Update, 7:30 a.m. Saturday, June 30: The tally is now just shy of $8K. Midnight tonight is the deadline. To all of you who have already donated, THANKS!
***
If you're like me, you are getting a lot of emails from candidates this week. I've already kicked in to two presidential campaigns [...]
Just got this email from Idaho Democratic Party chair Richard Stallings:
The Idaho Democratic Party is excited to announce that on August 8, 2007, we will be having a huge event in Pocatello. The event will occur around the lunchtime hour. Stay tuned for more details.
I think it's an open [...]
Dr. Cronin says there are still some seats available for the Ada County Democrats' benefit Treasure Valley premiere of Michael Moore's new health-care documentary, Sicko. Twenty-five bucks helps the county party and includes the screening and hors d'oeuvres, with a reception at 6 p.m. and the movie at 7. See [...]
I'm in downtown Boise, where disgraced U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales refused to appear at a scheduled press conference when about 75 more than 100 protesters (including Jean Boyles of Boise, at right) showed up on the east side of the Fort Boise Community Center, [...]
