Update on efforts to kill the anti-conservation measures in the House’s DOI budget bill for 2012-
This is a thorough update to the earlier story we posted on this. House Democrats to Take Aim at Policy Riders in Interior, EPA Spending Battle. New York Times. By Jean Chemnick.
A fair amount focuses on why (shudder) my congressman, the sub-committee chair, Mike Simpson, has suddenly gotten so bad on conservation issues. Part comes from demands from the Republican’s radicalized party leadership in the House, part is because he could face a tea party challenger in Idaho’s new closed* Republican primary election. Part is because he is just a bad guy who cares more about his place in Congress more than wildlife, the outdoors and public health.
This must be embarrassing to those Idaho conservationists who have buddied him up in the past.
There is a big push to pass the Dicks-Moran amendment that would strip the DOI budget bill of these anti-c0nservation provisions.
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*In a “closed” primary election, only those who are registered members of the Republican Party (registered as Republicans well before election day) can vote in the primary. Idaho Republicans want to go further and have a panel to decide first if Republican congressional candidates are “fit” (probably meaning radical enough) to run. In a one-party state this makes the system almost identical to the old Jim Crow, Democratic Party South of 1900 to 1960.
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Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University with specialties in natural resource politics, public opinion, interest groups, political parties, voting and elections. Aside from academic publications, he is author or co-author of three hiking/backpacking guides, and he is President of the Western Watersheds Project.
I like Jim Moran and I think he is sincere. I hope they can stop this terrible plan. If not, we are doomed, environmentally speaking. Wow. Idaho never ceases to amaze me – where on earth did they come up with this bizarre proposal?
Babbit speaks out.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/26/babbitt-blasts-radical-gop-bill-on-public-lands/?test=latestnews
While we’re on the subject, everyone should take a look at this:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/07/the-chart-that-should-accompany-all-discussions-of-the-debt-ceiling/242484/