Musings on ideology, and other news

Daily Digest 5/7/26

I’ve been pondering the concept of ideology lately and how it interacts with politics. I presume that most in our circles are motivated by ideology. We believe there are moral laws that govern the universe, put in place by our Creator, and that society should be structured in a way that supports those moral laws. We ban murder not because it is a net drain on the economy, but because it is morally wrong to wantonly take the life of another human being. We extend that principle to the unborn, recognizing that they too bear the image of God and that destroying them is morally evil.

Those of us motivated by ideology often find it difficult to evaluate political figures who are not. Yet it’s true that many in politics are motivated by other factors, such as pure pragmatism, economics, or simply maintaining their own power and prestige. It can be hard for ideologues to discern the motives of non-ideologues because we assume they are operating from the same perspective we are. Obviously, that is not always the case.

Yesterday, five of the seven statewide constitutional officers—Gov. Brad Little, Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke, Secretary of State Phil McGrane, Controller Brandon Woolf, and Superintendent Debbie Critchfield—expressed support for Sen. Jim Guthrie. To me, and presumably to many of you as well, that is mind-boggling. Guthrie voted with Democrats on numerous important issues, including keeping men out of women’s restrooms and protecting children from being socially transitioned without parental notification. He also boasted on the Senate floor this year that he voted against hundreds of millions of dollars in tax cuts. Yet Republicans in the executive branch still want to see him reelected.

Why?

It doesn’t make sense from an ideological perspective. But if you take ideology out of the equation, there is a certain logic to it. Guthrie has been around a long time and has surely built relationships with many of these figures. They probably know they can count on him to do what they believe needs to be done—even taking the blame for holding bills they would rather not see reach the Senate floor. How many favors have been traded over the past decade?

What I’m suggesting is that their political calculus is different from ours. I still disagree, don’t get me wrong. Kudos to Attorney General Raúl Labrador for publicly supporting David Worley, who I hope will unseat Guthrie and send him somewhere more suited to his views—perhaps the Idaho Statesman editorial board. But it is valuable to take the time to understand why people do what they do so we can better compete in the political arena. Remember: Patton beat Rommel by first reading his book.

The Podcast of the Gem State Chronicle

I converted yesterday’s article on Homedale Police Chief Jeff Eidemiller’s refusal to cooperate with ICE into a podcast. Find it at Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or your favorite podcast platform. Substack subscribers can access it via the Substack app.

Scott lauds new civics program

Rep. Heather Scott wrote a great Substack post about Idaho’s new civics curriculum:

This session, the Idaho Legislature passed Senate Bill 1336 (sponsor Rep. Barbara Ehardt), which is a step toward refocusing education back to some of the key American foundational principles. In many ways, this may be one of the most important underappreciated pieces of legislation passed in decades to help re-direct our kids in public education towards a more positive direction.

Donnelly defying the law?

Edward Clark of Idaho Family Policy Center exposed how the Donnelly Public Library is attempting to evade Idaho law regarding protecting children from adult materials:

Idaho Family Policy Center recently received a tip that the Donnelly Public Library is now offering blanket consent waivers disguised as “patron applications” that allow children to access obscene materials without parental supervision.

We obtained one of these patron applications through a public records request—and you won’t believe what it contains…

Recall that Donnelly is also a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the state over the law.

Press releases

• Attorney General Labrador arrested some bad guys

• Lt. Gov. Bedke went nuclear

• Congressman Simpson celebrated small businesses

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As always, stay tuned for more. I’m continuing to work on a project related to the Idaho GOP Platform, still looking into where our healthcare tax dollars are going, and I’m following up on some reader tips. Welcome to all the new subscribers, and thank you to those who have been here for the long haul!

Remember to make a plan to vote, whether by mail, early, or on Election Day on May 19. Early voting is going on most everywhere now.

Thanks as always to sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Please reach out if you have a small business and want to partner with the Gem State Chronicle.

New Saint Andrews College will be returning as a sponsor next month, so go ahead and check them out too! Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!