Last fall, late-night commentator/entertainer John Oliver mocked Idaho Legislator Mark Sauter for stating in an interview that he only recently had become aware of the pain surrounding issues about abortions.
I have enjoyed the length to which Oliver researches his subjects and the clever ways he turns the tables on really bad individuals and corporations.
But in that interview, Oliver mocked him for his lack of awareness of such an important issue.
So I wrote Oliver that I was “terribly shocked and disappointed with the way you made fun of Idaho State Representative Mark Sauter.”
I wrote Oliver that, “in my humble opinion, his admission was a sign of his outstanding character, to admit he doesn’t understand until he learns about an issue.”
In a page and a half, I laid out the reasons I value Mark as my legislator. I told him at length the challenges voters face with Idaho’s closed primaries and how rare good legislators are now in Idaho.
I let him know that abortion is exceedingly rare in Idaho. I wrote that until legislators overruled the will of the majority to prohibit abortion in this state, the issue generally was not on Idahoans’ radar.
Mark’s devoted to the will of the voters, I wrote, and shared how often he had held the line against overwhelming pressures from MAGA forces at work inside and outside of the legislature.
I told Oliver that thousands of volunteers like myself have worked for (at that point months, now over a year) to reform our election system with Open Primaries to give all voters the power to choose better representatives like Mark.
Then, soon after writing the letter I met legislative candidate Karen Matthee at a meeting in Sandpoint. Soon after that, she began frequent trips to Boundary County, meeting voters at their doors and listening intently to their concerns and responding with her own thoughtful plans.
When my absentee ballot arrived, I still was conflicted about whether to vote for Mark or Karen.
Both are excellent individuals. I’ve met and spoken at length with both and admire them, personally and professionally.
So I hung onto my absentee ballot, even after my husband voted for Karen and delivered his ballot to the courthouse. I very much hoped for a response to one of my emails to Mark asking for clarification, especially hoping he would support Proposition 1 (Open Primaries).
When I read two accounts of the candidate forum in Sandpoint and saw that Mark did not support Proposition 1, I happily voted for Karen and deposited my ballot in the secure box in front of the courthouse that day.
Clarice McKenney
Bonners Ferry