Field Report :: Eagle, Idaho Town Hall Meeting
Meeting the Good People of Idaho's 1st Congressional District
This past Friday night,
was joined by Kaylee Peterson, who is running for Congress in Idaho’s First Congressional District for a community conversation in Eagle, Idaho. To give a sense of scale, the district runs from the Canadian border to northern Nevada, from south of Boise up through the Gem State’s panhandle.The district’s representative, Russ Fulcher, didn’t join us.
Eagle, Idaho is only about 10 miles from Boise. It’s an area, like several in the Mountain West, that have seen incredible growth over the last 30 years. In 1995, it was a sleepy town of about 6,000. Now, more than 30,000 people call the suburb along the Boise River home.
This is my fourth town hall this spring*; three of them in “red areas.” Each meeting has provided a window into how individual Americans see their country and their towns. For me, it’s an important reminder that, though Donald Trump gets most of the attention, the poisonous movement he leads has seeped into much of the country far afield from the Beltway.
*You can find information about the other events in the News and Notes section below.
About 40 citizens joined us in Eagle High’s cafeteria. The walls were festooned with dozens of banners for state championships in sports and activities. They served as a good reminder that, for each of one those victories, there were dozens of kids, parents, coaches, teachers, and volunteers who made them possible.
Kaylee is a native of Eagle. She attended Eagle High School and is running for Congress in a +22 Republican district. She isn’t dismayed. During our conversation she shared different things she’d learned putting 60,000 miles on her hybrid to travel up and down the state.
First, she noted how few voters had ever actually met someone running for office. Given the size of the district, its Republican make-up and ubiquitous right-wing media outlets, members of Congress like Russ Fulcher don’t feel the need or responsibility to see their constituents in person.
Next, Kaylee said conservative Republicans are surprised by how nice she is. Recounting a story from a rural gas station, she told us about a couple of confronted her, calling her a ‘baby killer.’ Instead of anger, she turned it around on them. She asked them about their beliefs, smiling warmly the whole time.
This, my friends, is how you do it. Yes, it’s easy to be angry or dismissive, but it leads no where. MAGA buys in bulk, it only sells one at a time. Do I believe the couple Kaylee met will vote for her next fall? No, probably not. But I promise you that when they got home, they told their friends and family that Kaylee was nice, respectful, and listened. This is a crucial first step.
She also noted that even in Ruby Red (Gem State joke!) the idea of cuts to Medicaid are worrying Republican politicians. Governor Brad Little was in Washington last week pleading with Congress not to cut federal programs in Idaho, explaining how efficient the state is delivering the services. I think Governor Little is missing the point of all this: Trump, Elon, the Republican Congress don’t care about how well you spend federal money. They’re going to give you less, regardless of outcomes and consequences.
Listen, Actually Listen
We took questions from the crowd, but mostly they were opportunities for folks to share their concerns. Contributing to Eagle’s population boom is a surge of Californians - many of them retired cops and firefighters - who’ve decamped the Golden State for lower taxes, cheaper land, and less expensive cost of living.
So they’re spending their California pension dollars in a deep, deep red state…I’d be interested to see an economic study displaying how much California taxpayer money is leaving the state this way.
A lot of the people moving to town are not involved in the community. The newcomers arrive, take advantage of the good schools and services but are giving too little back in the minds of our attendees. I’ve seen this, too. Where I live, it is easy to enjoy a beautiful lifestyle in a mountaintop enclave without ever attending a school board, planning, or county council meeting.
This stuff matters.
There are municipal elections being held this week in Idaho. Driving around Eagle, I saw signs for the sewer board, the water board, and the library board. The Republican candidates’ signs were bright red with big GOP elephants on them. They extolled the virtues of fiscal conservatism and the like.
How much ideology is involved in the local sewer system? None, hopefully. That’s not true of the library board. Last year, the board voted to remove several books considered ‘offensive’ and with two seats up this week, the campaign will likely come down to whether or not Ada County Democrats can deliver enough votes to keep the First Amendment alive (for now.)
Given how much open (empty space) there is in Idaho, it was interesting to hear from rural residents. One young woman laughed at the idea of Eagle being ‘rural.’ “Rural means there’s not another house for 10,000 acres.” The nature of Ada County’s growth, and its impact on the Urban Rural Interface is of concern.
As the population density thins out, so do the services provided to residents outside the urban and suburban core. The counties have less money for basic services like the jails and hospitals. Since abortion was outlawed in Idaho, nearly one in four OBGYNs have left the state.
In rural areas this means labor and delivery units are being shut down. If you’ve ever been to the Mountain West you know that a ‘short drive’ could mean two or three hours. Once federal budget cuts arrive, even fewer rural health providers will be available.
Violating the Stalin Rule
I’ve been laying out my friend
’s Seven Rules for Dealing with Autocrats. Rule #5 is “The Stalin Rule” - that is, you fight along side people who you might not otherwise agree with on anything on behalf of the greater good.The incredible team
invited 10 organizations affiliated with local Democrats to attend and participate in our event. Not only didn’t they show up, none of them even bothered to get back to us. Rudeness aside, if your party is clocking in at just over 12% of all registered voters in a state, one would think you’d be lookin for all the help you can get. I guess not.This is a broader message to my Democratic friends: You’re not popular enough, nor do you hold enough moral authority to deny assistance from those offering it. If you want to go the way of the Whigs, we can’t stop you. But we’ll be damned if we’re going to let you sink what’s left of the Republic while you do it.
News and Notes:
We’ll be on the road all year, supporting organizations, hosting conversations, and helping pro-democracy candidates. Please consider contributing to The Union today!
You can watch our Community Conversation below.
If you haven’t yet, check out my terrific conversation with
.
Field Report :: Oviedo, Florida Town Hall Meeting
Last night, The Union and local leader Jennifer Adams hosted a town hall meeting in Oviedo, Florida, part of the 7th Congressional District ‘represented’ by Congressman Cory Mills. We invited Mills to join us, but he declined. Per the locals, he hasn’t held a public meeting more than two years. Given that he is neither from the district nor does he live there, this is no surprise.
 | A guest post by
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Listened to the Town Hall from Eagle, Idaho. Keylee Peterson is a joyful and serious warrior. I was interested in the discussion of the cutting back on the federal workers in the national forests and national parks. It does fly under the radar. Needs to be brough up all the time. People just think a forest and park can take care of itself. They will soon find out. As we need to care for people, we need to care for this "garden" earth. Taking care of the national forest does require those that understand forest management and best practices. And our national parks are a treasure for us all. Park rangers and workers are needed to keep the experience safe and enjoyable. Appreciate all you do Reed. Take care.