Think back to a couple of months ago, when senators only had to worry about whether to remove an impeached president. Those were the good-old-days – light work compared to the coronavirus pandemic.
When Sen. Mary Souza of Coeur d’Alene talks about the state of the economy – with businesses closed and staff reductions – she isn’t thinking only of situations happening to “somebody else.”
It doesn’t take a political genius to know that a Republican presidential nominee will carry Idaho by a wide margin. As a result, it doesn’t make sense for candidates on either side to spend much time and resources in the Gem State.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
President Trump has called on Congress to support efforts to lower the outrageous costs of prescription drugs, and what’s playing out in Congress is the political version of the “Me Too” movement.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
State Superintendent Sherri Ybarra, who taught third grade for 11 years at Mountain Home before being elected as the lead advocate for public schools, knows all about the importance of children in the early grades reading proficiently. She has first-hand knowledge about the consequences for those who fall behind.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
After all these endless hours of opening statements and grilling of House impeachment managers and President Trump’s defenders, there was one key question not asked.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
In the life of a newspaper writer, mood swings are common. Turn a couple of good stories for the front page, and it’s a good week. It’s maybe not so good if it’s a week of mundane stories that land deep on the inside pages. I’ve been on both ends …
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
There’s speculation, with perhaps some wishful thinking among Democrats, that former state Rep. Paulette Jordan will run for the U.S. Senate this year – giving Idahoans at least one competitive high-level race.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Idaho Congressman Russ Fulcher can do a lot of things in his official capacity – including casting votes and helping his First District constituents navigate the federal government’s maze. But he might not be much assistance when it comes to career counseling.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
WHEW … 1965 was a long time ago. Lyndon Johnson was president, the Great Society was alive and well, and I was in junior high school – with aspirations of becoming a Major League baseball player. I ended up playing in a few beer-drinking slo-pitch softball leagues in my adult …
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
While most of the national news is consumed by impeachment hearings and Democratic proposals to offer Medicare for all, Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo wants to bring attention to the elephant in the room. The $22 trillion debt that nobody from President Trump on down seem to want to talk about.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is accustomed to getting questions from the media. But there are a couple of ground rules that he is exercising these days.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
In Washington politics, the shrill voices are the ones who tend to get heard, but it’s those who are trying to stay above the fray – such as Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo – who are trying to deal with some of the real-life problems.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Idaho Sen. Jim Risch chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is the No. 2 figure on the Select Intelligence Committee, which means he has access to President Trump – and lots of clout to boot.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Here we go again. Two more mass shootings, one in El Paso and one in Dayton, and we’re hearing some predictable rhetoric – this time with a Democratic presidential nomination on the line.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Judging by some of the statewide political commentaries that rail against Republicans, one might get the impression that Idaho is a legitimate two-party state – and a toss-up in any presidential election.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Former Idaho Democratic congressmen Walt Minnick, Larry LaRocco and Richard Stallings are not on the front lines of this presidential campaign. But they have better thoughts about what it will take for a Democrat to win the White House than most of the candidates running.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
If there were a television program titled, “Worst Jobs in American Politics,” the chairmanship of Idaho’s Republican Party would be sure to make the list – if the series lasted long enough to get to that segment.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Forget any talk about Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson stepping down after 11 terms, or speculation about the political drama that would occur from a hotly contested GOP primary.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who is a proverbial heartbeat away from being Idaho’s next governor, might be making Gov. Brad Little’s heart flutter a bit.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO
You won’t get this through the network television news or by listening to the talking heads, but this is a nice time to be a Republican on Capitol Hill.
After receiving 58 percent support in the last election, there was no question that Gov. Brad Little earned the right to be the state’s chief executive through 2022.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
Mayor Tammy de Weerd of Meridian describes herself modestly as a mother and grandmother, a wife and a former business person who has a passion for her city.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
As a female jockey, Nikeela Black of the small town of Greenleaf has experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of being kicked in the teeth and bucked off a horse.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
Say what you want about President Trump – and there are plenty of strong opinions on both sides – but this much is clear. He’s the president that the Democratic Party so richly deserves.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
In newspaper wars, such as the one that is brewing in the Treasure Valley with the Idaho Press of Nampa and the Idaho Statesman of Boise, the big guys don’t always win.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Rep. Heather Scott of Blanchard, a hardline conservative and one of the few legislators who writes regular newsletters to constituents, usually has plenty of dialogue that appeals to her base.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Imagine what would happen if Idaho legislators tried to sneak through a 2,232-page spending bill. They’d never get away with it, with the swarm of reporters covering the statehouse.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Lt. Gov. Brad Little’s victory in the Republican primary must mean that Idahoans basically are satisfied with the general direction of state government.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Former Republican State Sen. Russ Fulcher, the self-proclaimed frontrunner in the First District congressional primary race, often is asked how he would get along with Second District Congressman Mike Simpson.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO
For a political old-timer such as myself, it’s always interesting to attend a campaign function for Lt. Gov. Brad Little, who is hoping to become our next governor.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
If Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill of Rexburg were in the U.S. Senate, he probably would have voted for the controversial Republican-charged tax reform bill that was signed by President Trump.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch recently sent a letter urging the White House to give its support for a bipartisan effort to extend “critical” lifeline funding in future disaster aid.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
In Idaho’s First Congressional District, where the most conservative candidates generally win, ratings from the American Conservative Union tend to carry more punch than other places.
SHOSHONE NEWS-PRESS | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
