Sound and Fury

Why I don't throw many bombs these days

Last week, I briefly mentioned that American Action Fund (AAF), a project of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL), has been running social media ads highlighting what it calls “Moyle’s 43% Politician Pay Hike.” AAF is also running ads featuring legislators who have agreed to oppose the pay raise. These ads direct viewers to a form enabling them to message their lawmakers, urging opposition to the hike.

I’ve written extensively about legislator pay — see here, here, here, and here — so I won’t rehash that today. Instead, I want to focus on the tactics of groups like YAL and explain why I have chosen a different approach.

YAL’s ads exemplify confrontational politics, a strategy embraced by outspoken conservative activists in Idaho and throughout the nation. This approach involves refusing compromises, forcing votes on contentious issues, and using social media to pressure politicians by shaping public opinion. Greg Pruett, president of the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, explained why he supports confrontational politics in this video posted earlier this year.

I’m not here to say that this strategy is wrong. Instead, I want to explain what I see as the potential downsides and how I want to use my own platform.

In YAL’s case, I believe its goals are threefold: first, to persuade the Legislature to reject the proposed pay raise; second, to hold accountable any lawmaker who won’t oppose it; and third, to grow its email list.

The first goal aligns with YAL’s libertarian-conservative ideology. The organization was founded in Texas in the wake of Ron Paul’s 2008 presidential campaign, and rejecting a pay raise for politicians is in line with that ethos.

The second, however, demonstrates the confrontational style at work. YAL’s messaging has little context, demanding rejection of “Moyle’s 43% Politician Pay Hike” even though that proposal hasn’t been on the table since it was first introduced in October. The ads omit details about the Citizens’ Committee or current legislator salaries, which might cause readers to think more deeply about the issue.

The goal isn’t to inform; it’s to provoke outrage.

The process is straightforward: viewers see the ad, feel anger toward lawmakers who have allegedly prioritized themselves over struggling constituents, and click through to send a message — and share their contact information with YAL. This creates an inbox full of emails for legislators, adds to YAL’s database for future campaigns, and leaves voters primed with strong feelings about their lawmakers.

Mission accomplished.

I don’t mean to beat up on YAL, it’s just the most recent example of what I’m talking about. I think most of the organization’s positions are fine, save for its support for drug legalization and softness on immigration. I’m not even going so far as to condemn YAL or any other organization that engages in confrontational politics; rather, I want to explain why I have chosen a different path.

I briefly worked for Idaho Freedom Action (IFA), which uses similar strategies, so I know a little bit about how the sausage is made. These methods aren’t inherently wrong; I just believe they have limitations. One downside is that they can alienate potential allies. If legislators are bombarded by identical messages, especially if they’re from people outside their district, or even their state, they might resist rather than reconsider.

Last week, former senator Scott Herndon shared some details about the way legislator pay works, and AAF responded by saying “these politicians do not deserve a raise. Period.”

AAF might well be correct, that our lawmakers do not deserve a raise. I’m not going to argue that. However, isn’t it a bit odd that a Texas-based organization is telling Idaho voters what Idaho legislators do and do not deserve? If you’re a conservative Idaho legislator, dedicated to voting according to your conscience, the Constitution, and your constituents, how do you feel about taking marching orders from an out-of-state organization?

IFA engages in some of the same tactics, but at least it is based right here in Idaho, and employs Idaho people. (EDIT: AAF’s Sulamita Rotante currently lives in Idaho.) This is exactly why sixteen legislators withdrew from YAL’s Hazlitt Coalition — they did not believe YAL was listening to their concerns as Idahoans.

Another downside is the tendency to personalize political disputes. YAL’s targeting of House Speaker Mike Moyle is a perfect example. YAL has made Moyle the face of the pay raise, coming on the heels of YAL-adjacent PAC Make Liberty Win’s relentless attacks during the primary election. While this might please a small base of conservative voters, it risks burning bridges. If Moyle fights back by opposing bills associated with YAL’s priorities, how does that benefit the people of Idaho?

I think politics becomes worse when it becomes personal. We become reluctant to criticize our heroes and unwilling to praise our villains. We pigeonhole people into these boxes, which narrows our perspective. Like training a puppy, I believe in praise for good actions and criticism for bad ones, regardless of a politician’s perceived alignment. That means I sometimes praise “villains” or criticize “heroes”, which causes some to wonder where my loyalties lie. During a committee hearing in early 2024, Sen. Kelly Anthon gave a blistering speech in the Senate State Affairs Committee explaining what Idaho law defines as “materials harmful to minors”, asking the librarians in the room why they’re fighting so hard to defend them. It was a great speech, and I linked it in a story I wrote, but I heard from several people that I shouldn’t be praising Anthon because he’s a RINO, a moderate, etc.

When I first started writing here in 2022, I decided to make endorsements in the Ada County and statewide primary races. I spoke to as many candidates as I could, then told you who I believed you should support. I ended up with a fairly low batting average that year, which caused me to stop and reevaluate what I thought I knew. I made local endorsements in November of 2023 as well, but starting this year I decided not to continue.

Why? Our choices in the 2024 primary were already pretty stark. Nearly every contested race had a so-called conservative and so-called establishment candidate. Numerous other organizations, such as ConservativesOf and iLuvIdaho, were making endorsements, so I did not feel like I had much to add in that space. Instead, I decided to provide you with as much information as I possibly could. I created Primary Pulse, which evolved into Candidate Central, and which has reached its final form as Idaho Insider. I decided to give you the tools to make informed decisions rather than tell you what to do.

Ever since I launched this platform in January 2022, I’ve been trying to figure out my lane. Am I an activist? A policy wonk? A one-man think tank? A journalist? I think the answer was in the name all along. What is a “chronicle”? It’s a factual record of what happened at a certain place at a certain time. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a record of the happenings in the pre-Norman kingdoms of England. The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of books about the history of a fictional world. The Gem State Chronicle is a source of information about Idaho politics — past, present, and future.

That doesn’t mean I won’t continue sharing my opinion on things. My preferred style is to present the strongest arguments for both sides of an issue, then share what I believe. You are free to disagree, and I won’t hold it against you if you do. Sometimes I won’t have a strong opinion either way, in which case I’ll tell you. I’ll even continue to be harshly critical when the situation warrants it, such as when I explained why Sen. Jim Guthrie would not be a good choice for Senate Majority Leader.

My purpose for the Chronicle is not to generate outrage, or clicks, or use half-truths or bumper-sticker slogans to get you to do something. Rather, it is to provide you with news and analysis that empowers you to make positive change in Idaho, and in your communities. I want you to come away from every article with not only a greater understanding of the issue than before, but with actionable tools you can use to get things done.

I’m not trying to tell anyone else what to do. As I said last week, a lot of conflict in this arena comes from trying to force other people to be more like ourselves. I definitely believe there is a place for confrontational politics, but I also believe it can easily go too far and become detrimental to the very movement it seeks to promote.

There is a time and place for PACs, lobby groups, and other nonprofit organizations that engage in confrontational politics, but it’s not my lane. There are already people and groups operating in that space, and doing it better than I can. I’ll be over here doing my thing — sharing as much information and context as possible so as to help move the needle in a conservative direction. If you think this is a valuable service, then I invite you to support my work.

I so appreciate every time I meet someone new who says that he or she enjoys my writing and finds it valuable. Thank you so much for your support and your encouragement. I’m excited to bring you the news of the 2025 session and continue giving you the tools to make positive change in Idaho!