The Weekly Political Potato: January 12–18, 2025
This week in Idaho politics, the legislature served up a mixed plate of policy debates, with some potential wins for Idahoans and a few questionable priorities.
Political Hot Potato of the Week: Anti-DEI Legislation and the Political Flag Ban
This week, Idaho’s culture wars flared up with two controversial proposals: anti-DEI legislation aimed at dismantling diversity programs and a sweeping ban on political flags in public schools. The latter, championed by far-right activists and their allies, was pitched as a way to remove LGBTQ+ Pride flags from classrooms. But here’s the twist—they failed to tell their supporters that the ban would also apply to Gadsden flags, MAGA banners, Trump flags, and even Pine Tree flags.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation and its allies wanted to put a hateful spin on this bill. In their eagerness to promote this bill as a win against the LGBTQ+ community, they’ve unintentionally targeted symbols embraced by their base. Some in the community hated by the IFF have decided this bill may actually be a win. One Redditor commented on this bill, noting that it would also ban flags flown by MAGA in classrooms; they said:
Rotten Potato of the Week: Dorothy Moon’s Lavish Spending
This week, the Idaho GOP sent an email asking for donations to help cover the rent on their new office building—a surprising move considering Chair Dorothy Moon’s claims about her stellar fundraising abilities. But after digging into the party’s finances, the real story emerged, and it’s not a pretty picture.
According to data from the Federal Election Commission and the Idaho Secretary of State, Dorothy Moon’s leadership has been defined by skyrocketing expenses, including some eye-popping travel reimbursements. Here’s the breakdown:
Total Expenses: Moon spent $608,287 in the same timeframe—more than double Luna’s $292,829.
Travel and Meals: A staggering $143,992 went toward Moon’s travel and meals, compared to just $33,988 under Luna.
Mileage Reimbursement for Chair: Moon racked up $19,481 in mileage reimbursements, claiming she drove over 29,000 miles in a single year. For perspective, that’s equivalent to driving across the United States more than ten times.
During the Idaho GOP Winter meeting, a resolution to pay the party chair a salary out of GOP funds was rejected. Moon’s spending was deemed so over-the-top that many of her allies felt it was not conservative.
Perhaps the party would not need to beg for rent money if Moon were not so busy getting Idaho GOP donors to reimburse her for what appears to be an Idaho whistlestop tour in preparation for a future statewide office campaign.
Sweet Potatoes: Practical Bills for Drivers
Amid the political noise, two practical bills offered some good news for Idaho drivers this week.
Mobile Driver’s Licenses: A bill sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen (R—Idaho Falls) would give Idahoans access to mobile driver’s licenses, making it easier to store and present identification through an app on their smartphones. Advocates say this would streamline processes and reduce the hassle of carrying physical IDs. Neighboring red states like Utah already have mobile driver’s licenses available.
Lower Costs for Seniors: Another proposed bill would reduce the cost of driver’s licenses for seniors, offering financial relief to older Idahoans. It’s a simple but meaningful step to help one of the state’s most financially vulnerable populations. The bill offers to lower the cost by $5.
Both bills represent a practical policy that could make everyday life a little easier for Idahoans.
Legislation Watch: Pay Raises for Judges and State Employees
Lawmakers are also considering a bill that would increase pay for judges and more than 25,000 state employees. While pay raises are often contentious issues, the need to retain talent and ensure fair compensation for public servants makes this a critical topic. Judges and state employees rely on these paychecks to compensate for their hard work, and their financial futures are at the mercy of legislators who may use this issue to horsetrade for necessary culture war bills.
Some legislators have already expressed concerns about the fiscal impact, but with inflation hitting everyone hard, there’s broad recognition that Idaho’s workforce needs competitive pay. Expect this debate to pick up steam in the coming weeks. The price of eggs has gone up, and so must the ability of state employees to pay for them.
What Were They Thinking? Award: Dorothy Moon Again
We couldn’t resist giving Dorothy Moon a second shoutout this week. Her $19,481.26 mileage reimbursement is the kind of expense that raises eyebrows—especially when the party sounds like it is struggling to pay rent.
What’s Next?
This week highlighted the contrast between practical policymaking and political distractions. While bills addressing mobile IDs and senior discounts show lawmakers can get things right, looming anti-DEI legislation and the Idaho GOP’s financial woes remind us how easily priorities can go astray.
Next week, watch the debate over pay raises and the first signs of anti-DEI legislation. Let’s hope the Idaho GOP can find its fiscal conservative values and pay its rent.
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Disclaimer
The following is intended to convey an opinion on newsworthy events of public concern regarding public figures and/or public officials in the exercise of their official duties. No implications or inferences—beyond those explicitly stated in the preceding— are intended to be conveyed or endorsed by the Author. Wherever available, hyperlinks have been provided to allow readers to directly access any underlying assertions of fact upon which this opinion is based.
Dorothy Moon needs to go pound sand.
Wait…, mobile drivers licenses!? You mean the Idaho Legislature is actually doing something practical? Would this mean we just need a screenshot of our phone to access PornHub?