Republicans nearly accomplished this week what months of campaigning by Idaho Democrats could not.

They darn near shifted five legislative seats to their rivals.

We’re referring to the offer of five Republican legislators with a total of two years’ experience between them to be removed from their committee assignments in an attempt to show solidarity with Rep. Heather Scott. Last week, Scott, R-Blanchard, was stripped of her three committee assignments by House Speaker Scott Bedke for saying female legislators received committee chairmanships not by earning them but by “spreading their legs.”

Ron Nate of Rexburg, who’s ideologically hooked to the hip of Rep. Scott, and four rookie Republicans from tiny towns all offered up their House committee assignments, which Bedke promptly rejected. Figuratively, accepting the forfeitures would have raised some eyebrows, but in reality, four rookies in the first year of their two-year terms are likely to accomplish little but learn how business is conducted at the Capital. Their voices on committees will likely be nearly inaudible anyway.

While all this drama kicks off the 2017 Legislative session in amusing style, it really doesn’t amount to much beyond political entertainment. An outspoken, self-described far right winger is censured for exercising her right to free speech, which she defended ardently on a radio talk show last Friday. Yet in that same broadcast with Nate Shelman on 670 KBOI, Scott hinted her lawyers would be contacting the legislator Scott is having her spitting match with — Rep. Christy Perry of Nampa — for exercising her right to free speech. Perry has described Scott as paranoid and accused her of damaging parts of the capitol building, looking for surveillance devices.

On one hand, we can’t help but laugh. Where but Idaho can you find this kind of sizzling soap opera to warm up your frigid January days?

And on the other, we can’t help but cry. Scott, with whom we disagree on most issues of importance, is being punished for saying things that would be rated G compared to the X-rated words tumbling from the mouth of the guy who’s going to be leading our nation on Friday.

When did ethics become so subjective?