Op-Ed: Idaho Republicans Have No Confidence In Simpson
By Bryan Smith • May 19, 2021In response to Congressman Simpson’s proposal to breach four hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River, I wrote an article last month entitled, “Congressman Simpson Should Put Idaho First and Do No Harm.” The article named players who oppose Simpson’s plan including, Governor Brad Little, United States Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, Representative Russ Fulcher, and even both houses of the Idaho State Legislature, which issued a rare joint memorial condemning Simpson’s plan. We can add the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power, who issued a final environmental impact statement without recommending dam removal.
Now we also can add the entire Idaho State Republican Party, which on May 8, 2021 formally passed a resolution giving Simpson a vote of “no confidence.” After listing many well thought out reasons to oppose Simpson’s risky plan, the Idaho State Republican Party passed the following resolution:
“NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Idaho Republican State Central Committee is adamantly opposed to breaching any of the dams on the Snake/Columbia Rivers and maintains no confidence in the Second Congressional District Congressman, Michael K. Simpson, or any elected official who does not act in the best interest of the citizens of the Great State of Idaho by defending against any effort to breach these dams.”
The no confidence resolution received 100% support in committee. The no confidence resolution received overwhelming support on the floor where it was amended to specifically clarify it applied to Congressman “Michael K. Simpson.” Only a few faint voices opposed the no confidence vote on the floor.
Why Simpson continues headstrong into the winds of opposition remains a mystery. As Simpson marches forward, it has become clear he doesn’t care what his constituents, party faithful or Idaho State leaders think of his risky plan. While Simpson is tone deaf to all these folks, he does care what liberal Oregon Governor, Kate Brown, thinks. Brown, who supports Simpson’s plan, presides over a state so liberal that Oregon leftists want to ban raising all livestock.
Congressional Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington recently discovered through a FOIA request in-depth coordination between Simpson and Governor Brown. Newhouse and Rodgers claim while Simpson has preached transparency for what Simpson has minimized as only a “legislative concept,” he has engaged Governor Brown extensively with hundreds of pages of communications with dozens of references to keeping the discussions under wraps and out of the public eye.
Newhouse and Rodgers claim, “it’s clear this proposal is not just a starting point, but rather a radical and fully-baked plan he is actively seeking to put into law.” Newhouse and Rodgers are asking, “why is he building his plan around the governor of Oregon’s perspective—not his own state’s? And why do so behind closed doors?”
Whatever his motivations, Simpson has said he hopes to include the $33.5 billion his proposal calls for in an infrastructure bill that congressional democrats will soon sponsor. This means Simpson likely will join democrats again to push their liberal agenda forward while his constituents are left trying to interpret the irony created by the man who every election cycle runs as a “conservative republican.”
Bryan Smith serves as the fourth vice chair of the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee.
Tags: Bryan Smith, Dan Newhouse, Kate Brown Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Mike Simpson
8 thoughts on “Op-Ed: Idaho Republicans Have No Confidence In Simpson”
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Zero Confidence, Vote him out in the Primaries.
Simpson is the poster boy for Term Limits.
The dams, as they stand today, have minimal effect on the salmon runs. The lower rate of salmon runs is affected by what is being done on the mouth of the Columbia. Perhaps, Simpson is so well off financially that higher utility costs will not affect him. He clearly does not care at all what happens to our lands that now have a complete eco-system that has developed around the dams. As the dams have been there such an extensive time frame, all types of flora and fauna have developed a dependency upon the dams.
Simpson is very much undereducated or there is some sort of payoff for him if he pushes this destructive narrative.
Agree with Linda M and Idaho Steven. Coming from Cali, this kind of push and adoption has created an apocalyptic result in water delivery with little to no effect on salmon totals. Simpson is on the take. It will take more sleuthing to find out who he’s to get paid by for this anti-Idaho “recommendation”.
Simpson voted with 34 other Republicans in support of the 9/11 style commission to investigate what took place on January 6, 2021 at the US Capital, while completely ignoring the real subversion, sedition and treason that took place with the “autonomous zone” (to include all the murders in those zones), and the $2 billion in damages caused by ANTIFA and BLM across the US. Talk about a shot to the neither region by Simpson. Its time for Simpson to go! We all deserve better than what he has offered and done to our civil liberties and Constitutionally Guaranteed rights over the last two decades.
Agree completely. Time for Simpson to go.
I hope someone runs against him. He runs unopposed that is why he is so arrogant.
Rep Simpson has had his day in Congress. Time to replace him with a true Conservative, one that doesn’t look to compromise with implacable opponents that will NEVER stop coming back for more.
I’m looking for a Conservative to support in running against Simpson. Any recommendations?
I will volunteer to help with that campaign!
Simpson has worked closely with the Idaho Conservation League for years. ICL is a “non-profit” with a $2M endowment, the building they work out of is paid for, they have the highest salaries of any non-profit in Idaho. They will stop business and work on running local political campaigns while collecting their salaries (which is completely illegal).
Simpson must be receiving “dark” money to push his and ICL’s narrative to save the salmon. He and the Mayor of Boise (who used to work for ICL and is the queen of dark money https://idahofreedom.org/mayor-lauren-mclean-the-dark-money-queen-boise/) are heavily supported by the North End libtards.