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Idaho politics 2009

Idaho Should Reach Outside Itself in 2009

By Jill Kuraitis, 12-31-08

This month, 48 governors and governors-elect met with President-elect Obama in Philadelphia, but Idaho Governor Butch Otter was not among them. 

It’s disappointing to think of the teachable moments missed by both men.

I also thought it was rude.  However, it should be pointed out that Otter was coming down with the Boise Plague, an upper respiratory monster that had gripped the town by the throat.

Otter’s official reason was that budget problems in Idaho kept him away from the meeting, but it seems as if taking a day off to go to the historic meeting, had he been well, could have been managed. Idaho’s Cowboy Cheapskate (and I mean that in a nice way) could have spoken authentically about how he is trying to keep Idaho financially afloat, including how he makes numerous unpopular decisions without getting held up with a Colt .45 behind the barn.

Of course, it helps that his party is so dominant that Idaho has the reddest legislature in the country.

Some things Otter is cheap about go against my core principles, such as across-the-board budget cuts instead of targeted ones which could spare the poor and disabled from losing their services.

“It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped,” said Hubert Humphrey.

But with some exceptions, Otter’s no-nonsense approach to budget planning is generally a good example for other governments to study.

In our current economic cataclysm, pennypinchers are admired, and their advice sought. Otter would have been a valuable contributor to the meeting. And since lifelong learning is a sign of leadership, Otter should have gone with an open mind and heart.

His absence implied that he had nothing to learn, at least from a Democrat. And it hinted at a post-election animosity which is inappropriate.

Though Otter said he was pleased that President-elect Obama was reaching out to governors (Obama, not the governors, convened the Philadelphia gathering) Nathaniel Hoffman of the Boise Weekly wrote:

The majority of state governors have lobbied Congress and met Dec. 2 with President-elect Barack Obama to plead their case for a state budget bailout that could include additional Medicaid funding, spending on state infrastructure programs and extended unemployment benefits.

They call it economic stimulus. Otter calls it fiscally reckless.

“I think that exacerbates the problem,” Otter said at a Dec. 1 press conference where he announced an additional 3 percent, across-the-board budget cut. “I don’t think that’s a responsible course of action by the governors themselves. Certainly it’s one that we complain about almost on a daily basis through any campaign, about the federal spending.”

But that’s a narrow viewpoint of what I saw on C-SPAN.

I saw a President-elect who reached out to the governors as much as they to him. I heard tough words from both Republican and Democrat governors. I heard them ask Obama for things other than money; for reform of various regulations; for moral support for new ideas and projects, and for ideas about other issues with which states struggle.

During down times in Philadelphia, there’s little doubt those governors talked to each other and learned something, telling each other stories of their work, helping each to form a more complete picture of what’s going on across these United States. Otter should have been there, teaching and learning.

Idaho tends to be isolationist, and would do better to join with other states more often with projects and policy. And Rocky Mountain residents would do better to form a more cohesive picture of how we fit into the whole United States.

At the meeting, President-elect Obama, who got his start in state government, paid tribute to the governors:

“Of all our elected leaders, you are the ones people count on most to solve the problems in their communities and to help them get by in difficult times. And it’s your state governments that bear some of the toughest burdens when an economic crisis strikes. […]”

“…any true solution will not come from Washington alone. It will come from all of you. It will come from the White House and the State House working together every step of the way. That is the kind of strong partnership I intend to build as President of the United States. […]”

As President, I will not simply ask our nation’s governors to help implement our economic recovery plan. I will ask you to help design that plan. Because if we’re listening to our governors, we’ll not only be doing what’s right for our states, we’ll be doing what’s right for our country. That’s how we’ll grow our economy – from the bottom-up. And that’s how we’ll put America on the path to long-term prosperity.  [...]”

Gov. Otter has been known to say stuff like that.  From the day before the governor’s meeting:

“I encourage you to meet this new challenge head on, to be aggressive in assessing what is reasonably achievable and to keep the best interests of the people we serve first and foremost in your mind,” the Governor wrote in a memo to agency directors and administrators. “Do not limit yourself to what has been done before; circumstances demand fresh approaches and a willingness to change and adapt to these difficult times. Being good and accountable stewards of public resources requires nothing less than our best efforts.”

The next day, Obama said,

“It was [Supreme Court] Justice Brandeis who said, during a period of far greater turmoil in our markets, that one of the blessings of our democracy was that – and I quote – “a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory,” experimenting with innovative solutions to its economic problems. That is the spirit of courage and ingenuity that so many of you embody.”

Obama’s remarks included his declaration that he will listen to people, “especially when we disagree.”

“We are not going to be hampered by ideology,” he added, discussing working with GOP governors, and “Let’s have a conversation.”

Unlike Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, Otter rarely talks about bipartisanship and cooperation with Democrats, which is odd because he does it from time to time. But since his election, Obama has shown extraordinary bipartisanship in his cabinet and other appointments. Otter could think about the productivity that can happen when people work together.

Leading by example, which Otter does well, by hiring and appointing more Democrats to state positions, would go a long way in this stubborn state toward less cranky political separatism. 

At year’s end, I remain disappointed that we haven’t heard from Otter about support for the new president, ending the rancor between parties – especially in the state legislature – and that he hasn’t asked Idahoans to put aside the politics of fear and opposition for opposition’s sake and for the good of the economic and social fabric of our troubled country. 

I am disappointed that Otter has not reached out to President-elect Obama with a pledge for active participation in the new administration, instead of saying Idaho will pull through hard times on its own. A review of Sen. McCain’s concession speech would be good for him - and all of us.

One of my favorite comments from this year at New West, posted anonymously:

I am a conservative, however President-elect Obama has won the vote of the people. While I may or may not always agree with him, he is my president. I ask that all conservatives welcome him and give him a fair shot. I also ask all liberals to remember that neither they nor conservatives are representative of the American people as a whole. Too much has been placed on differences, the time has come to unify and stop debating history.

Nothing comes from wrapping a blanket tighter around yourself than more warmth for you.  And I’m willing to bet all our mothers taught that self-centeredness isn’t a virtue.

My wish for 2009 is that Idaho, led by Gov. Otter, will enter a new era of extending itself into the western region and the whole of America as a cooperative player, and practice more principled governing by including Democrats and most especially, the Obama administration, in our national and world views.

Happy New Year.

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