Bill Sali is defying the political odds by making Idaho's first-district congressional race competitive. That isn't good for Mr. Sali: He is the incumbent.

A 54-year-old Republican from Kuna, 18 miles from Boise, Mr. Sali represents one of the most heavily Republican electorates in the U.S. The district hasn't elected a Democrat to the House since 1992; in the 2004 presidential race, 69% of its votes went to George W. Bush. [...]

A month ago, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report said Mr. Sali was safe; now, Cook analyst David Wasserman says the race for his seat is contested. Conservative pundit Robert Novak recently said Republicans "need to worry" about the seat.

The results are staggering, especially for Latinos. Take a look at the data from Idaho:

--47 percent of Latino workers earn less than a living wage for a single adult, compared with 25 percent for white workers.

--82 percent of Latinos earn less for a single adult with one child, compared with 56 percent of white workers.

--92 percent of Latinos earn less than a living wage for a single adult with two children, compared with 70 percent of whites.

--88 percent of Latino workers earn less than a living wage for two adults (one working) with two children, compared with 65 percent of white workers.

You can find the full report here.

The facts are painstakingly clear: the George W. Bush economy serves very few, and others, even less.

Essentially, he's claiming to have about the same understanding of the Internet as his "Series of Tubes" colleague, so he couldn't have known about the restroom's online reputation.

The Examiner says not to believe it:

» In an op-ed he wrote this summer on the SCHIP health care program, Craig refers to doing a Google search on the term “mission creep.”

» He’s a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus.

» He co-sponsored a bill designating June 2007 as National Internet Safety Month.

» He was presented with the 2007 Internet Keep Safe Coalition Award.

» On his Web site, he lists as a top accomplishment a Silver Mouse Award given to his site in 2003 and 2006 by the Congressional Management Foundation in 2003 and 2006.

» When he endorsed Mitt Romney for president, he did so on YouTube.

Sen. Larry Craig won't resign from the Senate while awaiting a judge's ruling on his effort to get a guilty plea withdrawn in a restroom sex sting, a source said Wednesday. [...] Craig had said he would resign from the Senate if he could not get the guilty plea overturned by September 30. But on Tuesday, Craig said he wouldn't resign until "legal determinations" are made.

So when will those legal determinations be made? According to the AP, the judge has said that he "probably wouldn't rule in the case until late next week."

But it isn't looking good for the Senator. Here's what his own attorney had to say: getting the plea withdrawn is "near impossible, and it should be."

Is that what he told the judge?

State parties will publish their delegate selection rules and clearly explain how to participate in the summer of 2007.

Idaho Democratic Party
988 South Longmont, Ste. 110
Boise, ID 83706
800-542-4737 (toll free)
208-336-1815 (local)
208-336-1817 (fax)

District-Level Delegates: 12
At-Large Delegates: 4
Pledged Party Leader & Elected Official (PLEO) Delegates: 2
Unpledged Delegates: 5
TOTAL Number of Delegates: 23

Alternates: 4

TOTAL DELEGATION SIZE: 27

System type: Caucus

State convention page: None available
State plan: Plan Available (PDF)
State filing form: Not available online. Please contact the state party to receive a copy.

** This information is prepared by the DNC's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection and may be subject to change. For more information, please call 202-863-8000.

Romney’s decision to keep the press out of last night’s speech follows an embarrassing string of goofs, gaffes, and flip-flops during his previous forays into foreign policy. From calling the capture of Osama bin Laden “insignificant,” to saying he would shift U.S. troops to military bases in Saudi Arabia—bases the United States closed four years ago—to offending Cuban Americans by misquoting Fidel Castro’s communist rallying cry and echoing stereotypical portrayals of Cuban immigrants, Romney’s foreign policy blunders reveal his lack of experience or knowledge of key issues. Worse still, while the American people overwhelmingly want a new direction in Iraq, Romney has consistently failed to offer a plan or outline his vision for how he would handle the war if elected.

“If Mitt Romney expects the American people to trust him to lead our country in a time of war, he should respect them enough to publicly outline his views on the issues, not try to spoon-feed them canned quotes and empty slogans,” said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera. “Smooth talking Mitt may have hit a bumpy road in talking about national security, but the American people deserve candidates who offer real leadership and vision, not more of the same failed Bush policies. The American people already elected one inexperienced governor with no foreign policy credentials, no plan for Iraq, and a consistent pattern of foreign policy blunders, they’re not about to do it again.”

ROMNEY’S GOOFS, GAFFES AND FLIP-FLOPS ON FOREIGN POLICY

Romney Takes Checklist Approach to Foreign Policy to Cover Lack of Experience. The Associated Press highlighted Romney's "checklist" approach to winning the Republican nomination: “As Mitt Romney transitions from one-term governor to presidential candidate, he has been ticking through a presidential checklist, sometimes with perilous results. Where he lacked foreign policy experience, his staff arranged one-day visits to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Check, check, check." [Associated Press, 3/26/07]

Romney: Catching Osama “Insignificant,” Said It’s “Not Worth Moving Heaven and Earth” to Capture bin Laden. In an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, April 26, 2007, Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney said, “the country would be safer by only ‘a small percentage’ and would see ‘a very insignificant increase in safety’ if al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was caught because another terrorist would rise to power. ‘It's not worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person.’” [Associated Press, 4/26/2007]

Romney: We Can Move U.S. Troops to Our Bases in Saudi Arabia. Trying to smooth talk the voters into thinking he has an Iraq plan, Romney claimed the United States “can have a presence in the region” without permanent bases in Iraq because the U.S. “has bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.” [Associated Press, 6/7/07]

• FLASHBACK: U.S. Closed All Bases in Saudi Arabia in 2003. Romney apparently forgot that President Bush withdrew virtually all U.S. troops and closed all U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia in 2003, a gaffe that highlights his lack of the foreign policy knowledge and experience. [Foxnews.com, 4/29/03]

Romney Flip-Flops on Iraq Benchmarks. In April, Romney opposed public timetable for Iraq, saying on Good Morning America that “The president and Prime Minister al-Maliki have to have a series of timetables and milestones that they speak about. But those shouldn't be for public pronouncement.” [Good Morning America, ABC News, 4/3/07] Weeks later, Romney said President Bush should disclose benchmarks and milestones, telling the AP that “If you don't publish any kind of milestone or benchmark,” Romney said, you leave people thinking “you're only telling us the things that you wanted to tell us.” [Associated Press, 6/7/07]

In China, “Romney Stumbled Over Relatively Straightforward Geopolitical Issues.” Reporting on Mitt Romney’s trip to China, the Boston Globe wrote: “Romney stumbled over relatively straightforward geopolitical issues: Romney had to ask the US Embassy staff accompanying him the value of the Chinese renminbi to the US dollar, despite the fact that this is one of the hottest economic issues between Washington and Beijing.” [Boston Globe, 12/9/06]

Romney Misquotes Castro, Offends Cuban Americans with Stereotypical Comments. Romney delivered a speech to the Miami-Dade Republican Party that was heavy on anti-communist rhetoric but full of errors. First, he condemned the Venezuelan president who has embraced Castro. Romney said, ''Hugo Chávez has tried to steal an inspiring phrase -- Patria o muerte, venceremos. It does not belong to him. It belongs to a free Cuba.'' Actually, the quote belongs to Castro who is abhorred in the Cuban American community. The quote, for many Cuban Americans, represents the oppressive regime of Fidel Castro. Then, “he punctuated his speech with 'Libertad, libertad, libertad!’ to show his support for freedom in Cuba. But to some, he was echoing a line from Scarface, a movie notorious for its stereotyped portrayal of Cuban immigrants.” [Miami Herald, 3/19/07]

This week, Boise State University College Republicans have joined the list of College Republicans who have held anti-immigrant "games" by creating a despicable ad to promote a conservative speaker on campus. The ad advertises a food stamp drawing and a free meal at a "Mexican restaurant" for students who "climb through the hole in the fence" and submit illegal identification. This recent derogatory stunt comes on the heels of national news reports that confirm the rise in hate groups who are feeding off of anti-immigrant sentiments. Sadly, while these activities continue on America's campuses and while Republican presidential candidates use harsh words on immigration for political gain, the national Republican Party has remained quietly on the sidelines.

It has been three weeks since Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and DNC Hispanic Caucus Chair Ramona Martinez sent a letter to RNC General Chairman Mel Martinez regarding the despicable conduct of College Republicans. The Republican Chairman has yet to respond.

"Mel Martinez and national Republicans cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the disgusting tactics of College Republicans," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda. "It has been over three weeks since the DNC called on Republican Chairman Martinez to not only speak out against the despicable tactics College Republicans are undertaking, but to act proactively to stop them. As a leader in the party Martinez has a duty to set a positive example for young Republicans and to make it clear in no uncertain terms that these activities will not be tolerated by the Party's national leadership. Mel Martinez's deafening silence is enforcing not just stereotypes of immigrants but of the Republican Party itself."

"Democrats remain committed to working in a bipartisan manner to achieve comprehensive immigration reform, and today's introduction of the STRIVE Act of 2007 is a good step forward. We call on Republicans to stamp out the hateful rhetoric in their Party and to work on a bipartisan basis to pass this critical legislation."

RNC and College Republicans have a long and disgraceful track record of organizing and condoning these anti-immigrant tactics:

College Republicans In Idaho Stand By Racist, Negative Portrayal of Immigrants. "BSU College Republicans' flier stirred up controversy Friday when it advertised a speech about illegal immigration with a dinner for two at a local Mexican restaurant for the winner of a 'food stamp drawing' that required climbing through a hole in a chain link fence and offering fake identification. Boise State officials asked the College Republicans to remove the wording regarding the hole in the fence and the drawing from the flier, but the group declined, BSU College Republicans President Jonathan Sawmiller said. He said Monday that the group intends to continue with the drawing as advertised." [Idaho Statesman, 3/20/07]

College Republicans Host Anti-Immigrant Game at New York University. "A game called 'Catch the Illegal Immigrant' staged on New York University's campus by a student Republican group drew several hundred students yesterday. But most came to protest the game, not to play it. Under the game's rules, according to one student Republican, players were to search on campus for the student chosen to wear a name tag saying 'illegal immigrant.' The winner received a small reward. But many students and other critics said they were repelled that anyone would want to play such a game." [The New York Times, 2/23/07]

College Republicans Issue Response Which Fails to Condemn These Disgraceful Events. "The New York College Republican State Committee, Inc. will not deny that there are more constructive ways to express your opinion on controversial issues, but as an organization we neither denounce nor support the actions of the NYU College Republicans. As long as everyone involved were willing participants, nothing illegal took place, no constitutional rights were violated, and as long as the NYU College Republicans were conducting this activity as last resort to bring attention to a political issue that the members and leadership of that chapter feel so strongly about." [NYCRSC Statement, 2/23/07]

College Republican Leadership Takes No Responsibility For Anti-Immigrant Activities. "We do not sponsor them. They're individual chapters and do whatever they'd like to do," said Amanda Trice, Deputy Executive Director of the CRNC. "We don't necessarily condone it. ... At the national organization, we don't sponsor that or give them materials or anything like that." [ABC News, 2/23/07]

RNC Hired Intern is Planning "Catch an Illegal Immigrant" and "Fun With Guns" Events. "Morgan Wilkins, the intern hired by the Republican National Committee to win the hearts and minds of Michigan 20-somethings, is planning events that some may find odd. To others, they may be offensive. One such idea is 'Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day,' in which a volunteer would play the part of an illegal immigrant and hide somewhere on campus while others try to find him. The winner would receive a prize. Her other ideas include an event called 'Fun with Guns,' in which young Republicans would use a BB gun or paintball gun to shoot cardboard cut-outs of Democratic leaders such as Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)" [The Michigan Daily, 9/12/06]

College Republicans at Penn State Proposed Playing "Catch an Illegal Immigrant" As Segue Into Immigration Discussion. The College Republicans at Penn State University wanted to enter the debate about the nation's borders by playing a "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Game. "People would be invited to "catch" group members wearing orange shirts symbolizing illegal aliens. Amid the student outcry that ensued, they softened their plan to an illegal immigration awareness day in which leafleting and speech-making would let both sides air their views on immigration policies. [Scripps News Service, 4/14/06]

Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day Reportedly Planned at University of Texas. Members of the University of Texas' multicultural center cited UT Young Conservative's proposed "Catch an Immigrant Day" last spring as one of the causes of Latino students feeling unwanted at UT. Though there was no such event on March 2, and representatives from YCT denied planning it, the idea caused uproar and protest from multiple organizations on campus, including the Latino Leadership Council. [University Wire, 6/15/05]

Newly elected Democrats stood up and left their desks empty on the floor of the House chamber during Friday's organizational session, a show of unity against a patently unfair and mean-spirited move by Republicans who refused to recognize Democratic electoral gains.

According to custom and tradition, legislative committees are assigned to lawmakers based on their partisan percentages. This year, Democrats gained six seats in the House, an increase of 8.57 percent, for a total of 19 representatives out of a 70-member House.

But the Republican leadership, lead by newly-elected Speaker Lawerence Denney, decided that wasn't enough to merit another seat on the budget committee. By law, the Speaker may determine the makeup of the committees; but past precedent has allowed each party a fair representation on committees.

Not this year, and not with this new leadership.

“This is a breach of trust,” House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet told the House in brief remarks protesting the Republican move. “We won our seats, you won your seats. ... It is political. It is mean-spirited.”

Democrats then stood and walked out of the House chamber en masse. Republicans sat in their seats and stared, dumbfounded at the courage of the Democratic Caucus.

House Assistant Minority Leader George Sayler, D-Coeur d’Alene, said: “If this continues, it’s going to be a very tough session and a very contentious one, and I’m very disappointed that they chose to go this route. I guess it’s a reflection of the political agenda of the new leadership,” as reported in the online blog "Eye on Boise" by Idaho Spokesman-Review reporter Betsy Russell.

House Republican Speaker Lawerence Denney then broke another tradition by continuing the organizing session without a single Democrat on the floor.

Jaquet said Democrats will continue to fight for the seat on the budget committee using procedural tactics.

"The Republicans are disenfranchising the voters when they refuse to recognize our election wins," Jaquet said. "We worked hard to win these seats, and we will fight hard to get the respect and representation we deserve."

Democrats Discover New Political Frontier
By Carl Hulse
New York Times
November 1, 2006

"...Despite a Republican edge in registration, Democrats are discovering the Mountain West - and Colorado in particular - to be a new political frontier as the party benefits from a potent mix of changing demographics, anger over the war in Iraq, resentment toward conservative social initiatives and millions of dollars' worth of advocacy advertising.

"...If that trend holds, Democrats could be in for a big day next Tuesday. The Democratic candidate for governor, Bill Ritter, is leading in his race against Bob Beauprez, a Republican congressman. If Democrats can retain control of the State House and Senate, which they gained in the 2004 elections, they would have total control of the state government for the first time since the early 1960s.

"...In neighboring states, Democrats are seen as having a good chance of capturing a Senate seat in Montana, are battling in what should be safe Republican House seats in Idaho and Wyoming, and have their eyes on Republican seats in Arizona and New Mexico. The increasingly blue tinge of the formerly red region - some say it gives new meaning to the phrase 'purple mountains' - has the national party seriously considering holding its 2008 presidential convention here at the foot of the Rockies. ..."

To read the entire article, please click here.

Democrats push for gains in Mountain West, look to '08
Billings Gazette (Montana)
By Noelle Straub
October 28, 2006

"Democrats' hopes for a political resurgence in the Mountain West have soared nearly as high as the region's snow-capped peaks recently. Party officials want not only to increase their tally of governors and members of Congress next month, but to put some Western states in their column come the 2008 presidential election.

"...They are trying to build on a number of recent successes. Four Western states, including Montana and Wyoming, that all had GOP governors have elected Democrats since 2002. In Colorado in 2004, Democrats won control of both houses of the state Legislature for the first time in 40 years, and the Salazar brothers won U.S. House and Senate seats that had been Republican. The state may elect a Democratic governor Nov. 7. ...Democrats control at least one house in half the Mountain West state legislatures. They have a chance to pick up U.S. House seats in Colorado, Nevada and Arizona. Even in Idaho, which went 68 percent for President Bush in 2004, Democrats have a shot at picking up the governorship and a congressional seat.

"...Between 30 and 40 full-time staffers are on the ground in the West, according to DNC officials. State parties make the hiring selection and supervise the staff, who work to mobilize voters and get the national party's message out. ..."

To read the entire article, please click here.

Republican and Democratic candidates in a few major Idaho political races are separated by just a few percentage points and virtually tied, according to a new statewide poll of 625 voters who said they were likely to cast a ballot Nov. 7.

U.S. Rep. C.L. "Butch" Otter, the GOP candidate for governor, is tied with Democrat Jerry Brady, according to the poll conducted Oct. 23-25 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research of Washington, D.C., for KIVI-TV and the Idaho Statesman, which published it Sunday.

...

The 1st District congressional race on the west side of the state - for the seat Otter is vacating - also is tied, the survey found. Republican Bill Sali, an eight-term state legislator, was supported by 39 percent of those polled, compared to 37 percent for Democrat Larry Grant, a former Micron Technology Inc. executive.

The WaPost summarizes the race:

It is, perhaps, the political equivalent of hell freezing over in the interior West.

This red state where conservative Republicans routinely wipe the floor with hapless Democrats has a Republican running for Congress who just might lose.

The suddenly competitive race is a delicious development for Larry Grant, a Democratic candidate for the House who finds himself transformed from sacrificial lamb to reason for worry among national Republican strategists.

His Republican opponent is Bill Sali, an eight-term state representative with a corrosive reputation for irking his fellow Republicans. The Republican speaker of the Idaho House, Bruce Newcomb, said this spring of Sali: "That idiot is just an absolute idiot."

The Idaho Statesman, in its endorsement of Larry Grant, described Republican Sali like this:

Sali has spent 16 years in a GOP-dominated Legislature fixated on hot-button issues such as abortion, alienating fellow Republicans in the process. We doubt he will be effective in a sharply divided U.S. House, whether Republicans maintain a majority or not. We've seen nothing in this fall's campaign that demonstrates a commitment to advance anything but another divisive social agenda, including a constitutional amendment banning flag burning and a bill making English the nation's official language.

Check out Democrat Grant's new ad.

And: tonight is the final debate between Grant and Sali, more information at Grassroots for Grant.

Idaho residents can request absentee ballots until November 1.

Wind and other renewable sources meet what appears to be a growing desire among Idahoans for green energy. A public outcry over emissions was a factor in the defeat of Sempra Corp.'s proposed coal-fired plant in the Magic Valley this spring, and wind was the energy source of choice in a 2005 Boise State University study of energy policy issues.

Idaho has taken a leading role in the power of the wind. Wind power is an emerging technology that doesn't burn a single fuel.

Wind farms are built primarily in rural areas, bringing jobs and tax revenues with them. Wind can also be a source of income for local ranchers and farmers on whose land wind turbines are erected. Depending on the amount of power produced, they typically receive $4,000 to $7,000 per year per turbine. The turbines' effect on crops and livestock is minimal.

From the Spokesman Review:

Members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe call it the "S word" and are pushing for 13 squaw references to be erased for good from maps of the Inland Northwest.

But some local politicians have vowed to fight the change, saying the colorful history of the Wild West should not be plowed under simply to be polite.

The issue of potentially offensive place names has been simmering for years, but it could boil over in coming months as a recent proposal from the Coeur d'Alene Tribe makes its way through state and federal agencies charged with overseeing map names. The tribe wants to replace the names with terms that honor women or reflect the history of the place. If approved, the changes could happen as soon as next year.

...

Although linguists continue to debate the true meaning of the word, there's no such debate within the Coeur d'Alene Tribe or other tribes across the Northwest, Peone said. Like most other American Indians, Peone believes the word is a derogatory reference to a woman's genitals. This term is never uttered on the reservation. Seeing it on highway signs and maps is disturbing, she said.

"We know why they used that word back in the day. My family comes from a long line of French trappers. We know what they meant," Peone said.

Changes have already started across the region, with Washington removing at least four references to squaw in the last decade and Montana scratching off about 20, according to research conducted by Janet Ward, a Boise resident who has taken up the cause on behalf of the American Association of University Women. Four such changes have already taken place in Idaho, mostly on the Nez Perce Reservation, but Ward said the state has a long way to go.

...

"Why should you continue to demean women to preserve colorful history?" Ward said. "There are no names in Idaho that would refer to a man in that way."

The AAUW has been working with tribes in Idaho for six years to push for the changes. The Idaho chapter of the group has even convinced all other state chapters of the organization to take up the cause nationwide, Ward said.

You can watch it, here.

The ad echos the sentiment thousands of Idahoans: Idaho is not for sale.

As one local blogger writes:

If you could boil it down to five words, it'd be: Idaho is not for sale. That's Jerry Brady's slogan, but we'll all run with it. From preserving access to public lands to keeping our air and water clean to building strong local economies that lift every boat (not just the yachts), Democrats are standing up for working Idahoans. We're fired up...

In addition to getting us the ad in advance of its airing, the Brady campaign provided some facts about Idaho's uniqueness, both for its expansive wilderness areas and the access the people have to their public land. For instance..Did you know:

• Idaho has the largest contiguous wilderness area in the lower 48 states and the most roadless wilderness with roughly nine million acres.
• Idaho’s Owyhee-Bruneau region is one of the country’s richest high-desert ecosystems and encompasses an area twice the size of Yellowstone National Park.
• Anchored by 4 million acres of congressionally designated wilderness in the central part of the state, Idaho's forests are among the healthiest, most ecologically intact lands in the nation. They offer habitat for such rare species as the grizzly bear, Canada lynx, and steelhead and bull trout.

Brady's opponent Otter has tried to sell out our national treasures before. He joined extreme fringe groups when he opposed a bill introduced by one of his own Republican colleagues which would protect the Boulder-White Cloud Mountains in central Idaho.

Recent polls show that Idahoans are shifting away from Otter and embracing Jerry Brady's call for change. With a large chunck of undecided voters still up for grabs, the race is in single digits and getting closer every day.

Other Idaho candidates are gaining momentum as well. Congressional candidate Larry Grant and LG candidate Larry LaRocco have been on the radar for a while and are just more proof that Idaho Democrats are working hard for a new direction in their state.

On October 7th, Idaho Democrats will host 18 seperate events for the 50-State Turnout all across the state. From Boise to Blackfoot, every voter counts in Idaho and the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates are running hard to win November 7th.

For more on Idaho, check out these great local blogs: 43rd State Blues and Red State Rebels.

More on Larry here and here.