By Dorothy Moon
Were you surprised by President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would not be running for reelection? I know many people expected something like that, yet it was strange to see it happen in real time. After his disastrous performance in last month’s debate with Donald Trump, many prominent Democrats began calling for Biden to step aside and now he has finally done it.
Reactions to Biden stepping down perfectly illustrate the differences between the two major parties.
When the Legislature erased our presidential primary last year, the Idaho GOP worked hard to host a caucus that allowed Idaho Republicans to cast their votes for the presidential nominee of their choice. Six candidates applied to be on our caucus ballot and Donald Trump won with an overwhelming majority of votes.
Accordingly, I had the privilege of leading the Idaho delegation to the floor of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week and casting our 32 votes for Donald Trump.
The Democrats lost their presidential primary too, so they also held a caucus. Theirs was structured a little bit differently from ours. About 2,400 Idaho Democrats took part, a tiny fraction of the number of Republicans who participated in ours. It did not really mean much since President Biden had already clinched the nomination, but at least they got to participate, right?
Well, maybe not. With Biden dropping out, Idaho’s Democratic delegates have decided to support Vice President Kamala Harris instead. It makes you wonder what the point of the Idaho Democratic Caucus — or any of the Democratic primaries — really was, if the party was simply going to nudge its nominee out and prop up someone not chosen by the voters.
Remember that Harris ran for president in 2020, receiving less than 1% of the vote and not a single pledged delegate. She was too extreme and unprepared even for the Democratic Party. Now they want you to believe that she is the best person for the job? Give me a break.
The Republican Party believes that the voice of the people is paramount. We stand for the “one person, one vote” principle that has guided our elections from the beginning. This is why we oppose complex schemes like ranked-choice voting. We worked hard to host a caucus open to every Idaho Republican. Idaho’s voice was heard and its will was done.
The republican form of government created by our Founders depends on the participation of the people. Our caucus mattered because it represented the will of the people. It is unfortunate that the other party was so quick to disregard the outcome of theirs.
Dorothy Moon was elected to serve as the chairwoman of the Idaho Republican Party in July of 2022, and reelected in 2024. Moon served three terms in the Idaho Legislature as State Representative for District 8. Moon’s career in public service has focused on the advancement of individual liberties and reducing the size and scope of government.
