By Gregory Graf
Political Potatoes
Dorothy Moon, chairwoman of the new Idaho Republican Party, recently called anyone supporting Proposition 1 her “mortal enemy.” To make her point, she’s put up signs around the state saying: “Don’t Californicate Idaho’s Elections – Vote No on Prop 1 Ranked Choice Voting.” She even went so far as to sell these signs for $40 to those who wanted to prove their loyalty to her.
If you are paying attention, her clever signs might amuse you if you don’t cringe at the hypocrisy.
These signs trick people into thinking they’re official state signs using the State of Idaho’s seal. It’s pretty obvious these aren’t from the government, but Moon is clearly hoping that some folks won’t notice the difference. It’s as if Moon’s gang believes that a lack of critical thinking among voters justifies such a deceptive approach.
In 2017, Raul Labrador sent out fundraising letters with the state seal on them, and he was called out for his sneakiness. Does Moon think she is immune from campaign rules because Labrador put his reputation on the line to support her crusade against Proposition 1? With most of Idaho’s recent growth coming from conservative political refugees from California, perhaps they’ve never seen the official state seal.
If you think trying to dupe voters by using the official state seal on signs is a good idea… here’s your sign!
Moon is serious about stopping what she considers a complicated leftist plot to destroy Idaho’s election integrity … by deploying the same Ranked Choice Voting system used in a red state like Utah for municipal elections and the Utah Republican Party.
Moon is making it sound like Ranked Choice Voting is some super-complicated system that ordinary voters can’t understand.
If you’ve followed the final four brackets in college basketball playoffs, then Ranked Choice Voting is easy to understand. If your favorite team loses just like your favorite candidate, your ballot is not spoiled; you also get to root for the team playing the one you can’t stand! You get another chance at winning by ensuring your rival loses. How cool is that!
If Ranked Choice Voting is this easy to understand, perhaps the concern is less about complexity and more about a fear of losing control over election outcomes by limiting who can vote.
If you are cool with Dorothy Moon convincing you that you’re too dumb to understand Ranked Choice Voting… here’s your sign!
Moon and her allies pushed for a bill to ban books with certain words to protect kids from being groomed by books in public libraries. Any content that spelled out fornication of any kind was deemed “pornography” and not safe for children to read. Now, the same person who wanted to ban those words has signs that say “Don’t Californicate Idaho” right where kids can see them — like along school bus routes. If preventing kids from reading about fornication was the goal, why use that word in her anti-Proposition 1 signs? Was the grade-school graphic design made for children?
If you believe removing certain words from books will keep kids safe but aren’t bothered by the same word displayed on school bus routes… here’s your sign!
Dorothy Moon’s desperate anti-Proposition 1 campaign is a perfect example of irony and hypocrisy. It’s almost like she’s showing us exactly why her arguments don’t hold up.
So next time you see one of those signs, remember: sometimes Bill Engvall’s best joke is right in front of you.
If you have concerns about these signs, please get in touch with the Idaho Secretary of State’s office or your local Highway District. You can also voice your concerns about Moon’s signs to your local County Republican Central Committee.
Gregory Graf is the creator of Political Potatoes and a lifelong Conservative Republican whose articles often criticize the hypocrisy committed by far-right grifters who’ve taken control of the GOP. Graf is the CEO of Snake River Strategies, a communications and political consulting firm based in Eagle, Idaho.