During these last few years, the Republican Party has strayed far from its traditional roots as a political party dedicated to bipartisanship, equal rights, pragmatism, civility and respect for the rights of others. The official party is now ruled over by Dorothy Moon, her cronies in the ill-named Idaho Freedom Foundation and a collection of regional bosses–Brent Regan in the North and Doyle Beck in the East. Dysfunction and conflict is the name of their game.

Traditional Republicans, like Butch Otter, Bruce Newcomb, Jerry Evans, Lydia Justice Edwards and Ben Ysursa, no longer influence the official party’s direction since the GOP closed its primary election contest in 2011. The closed primary has given Moon and the other bosses inordinate control of the type of Republican who gets elected. Culture warriors who foment chaos and have nothing positive to offer now predominate in the Legislature. That all could change in the May 21 primary.

I have spoken to hundreds of past and present Republicans over the last several years about the official party’s sharp departure from its traditional roots. These good people are despondent about the politics of fear, outrage and intimidation being practiced by the Moon faction of the GOP that now holds control of the party machinery. Most have had their fill and are ready to rise up and cast off the troublemaking chaos crowd.

The key is for everyone who is tired of the intimidation of librarians, teachers, doctors and other decent folk to turn out in force to vote the scoundrels out–to replace them with traditional problem-solving Republicans who will listen to voters and make government work for them. That means every conscientious Republican who can make it to the polls must make it a point of doing so. If they are not registered, they can register in-person at polling places during early voting or on Election Day, May 21.

Idaho’s 274,301 unaffiliated voters (independents) also need to register in the Republican primary because it is the only way they can have a say in the election. Again, they can register as a Republican at their polling place when they go to vote. Voters registered with another party cannot register for the GOP primary.

Dorothy Moon and her minions hit the ceiling when anyone suggests that independent voters exercise their legal right to vote in the Republican primary election. Moon contends that the GOP is a “private club” where only the faithful can participate and vote. She is dead wrong because Idaho law allows independents to register and vote in the Republican primary. Moon’s extremist branch of the Republican Party has tried to change that law a number of times and has always failed. After all, every taxpayer, regardless of party affiliation, pays for the election and nobody should be barred from voting in the GOP primary where most races are decided. Moon and her minions claim to be the law and order party, but they seem to place themselves above the law when it comes to voting.

Voters often fail to vote for those running for Precinct Committee offices, either because they don’t know what the office does or don’t know who the candidates are. These are important offices because the branch of the GOP that holds the majority of them in a county controls the county party and so on up the ladder. The Moon extremists gained control of the state party by overpowering traditional Republicans in these lower offices. Voters should find out who the reasonable candidates are and vote for them. The rule of thumb is to vote against Precinct Committeemen supported by the official party.

Unbiased voter guides are available for voters who are looking for reasonable candidates to support. The Idaho Education News has an excellent voter guide that focuses on important education issues, which can tell voters who is generally reasonable on a range of other issues and who is not. The League of Women Voters has a reliable voter guide. A comprehensive voter guide will soon be available in a link from the Take Back Idaho website. It will give a balanced portrait of candidates in both parties. A rule of thumb is to disregard voting recommendations of current GOP committees at all levels, since most are currently controlled by the Moon branch.

There is a real chance of wresting control of the Republican Party from the extremists who have used it as a culture war weapon. It is up to traditional Republicans and Independents to fix the damage on May 21. Don’t miss this golden opportunity!

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