by Dorothy Moon, IDGOP Chairwoman
This week, Idaho received a special visit from the strange world of Blue America. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York seem to be pretty popular on the left, despite promoting a tired, discredited ideology with rhetoric lifted straight from the 1960s.
They parachuted into Nampa to deliver a sermon against “oligarchy”, a word that doesn’t mean what they think it means. They want you to believe they’re standing up for the common man against evil special interests, but in reality, they’re opposing the democratic outcome of the 2024 election in which the American people truly spoke truth to power.
It was quite the spectacle: Bernie railing against billionaires after flying on private jets, and AOC calling for economic equity while sporting designer fashion. If hypocrisy were a commodity, their event could’ve funded itself.
But let’s give credit where it’s due. They’re at least consistent in their desire to grow government, restrict freedom, and redistribute wealth in ways that have never worked anywhere. The real irony is that they chose to bring this message to Canyon County, one of the most conservative regions in the most conservative state in the West. Idahoans didn’t need a lecture on “equity” from self-described socialists.
Meanwhile, back in Boise, Mayor Lauren McLean continues her own progressive crusade, this time by refusing to take down a so-called “pride” flag flying in front of Boise City Hall. Under House Bill 96, which was passed and signed into law a few weeks ago, government buildings are prohibited from flying political or ideological flags. The law is clear. Yet the mayor seems to believe that she is above it.
This is the same mayor who has presided over a homelessness crisis, exploding city budgets, and rising crime. Apparently making a statement with a rainbow flag matters more than upholding the rule of law or respecting the diverse views of her constituents.
What ties these events together is a pattern we’ve seen too often: national progressives trying to plant ideological flags in Idaho soil, while local officials too eager to please them forget who they’re actually supposed to serve.
Idaho is not Brooklyn. It’s not San Francisco. And it’s certainly not Washington, D.C. We are proud of our conservative values of faith, family, and freedom. That’s not extremism. That’s Idaho.
So to our visiting dignitaries: thanks for stopping by, and I hope you tried some finger steaks. But next time, maybe read the room before lecturing us.
And to Mayor McLean: Idaho’s laws apply to everyone, even radical left-wing mayors. It’s time to take the flag down and start focusing on your actual job.
Idahoans deserve leaders who put the Constitution above tired old slogans and the law above failed leftist politics.
About Dorothy Moon
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.
