OPINION: Out-of-state bribery dealers are stepping up their smear campaigns

With the political season about to begin, far-right dark-money interests are gearing up to elect legislative candidates who will sing their tune in the Idaho Legislature. They had some success in the GOP’s closed primary elections, defeating several reasonable Republicans who supported public education. Now they are targeting Democratic candidates who oppose spending public money to subsidize the education of students at private and religious schools.

The American Federation for Children, a billionaire-funded political action committee with a school privatization agenda, has begun smearing Democrats. The AFC falsely claims that Democratic candidates have “aligned themselves with radical special interests and OPPOSED parental rights” because Democrats oppose forcing taxpayers to pay for private and religious education. One grotesque ad portrays Sen. Rick Just of Boise as a puppet manipulated by an invisible puppeteer. It’s an ugly exercise in psychological manipulation. The AFC’s only reason for existing is to buy legislators who will do its job. Another ad claims that Just opposed lowering the property tax, which is patently false.

I have known Senator Just for decades. He is not anyone’s puppet. Rather, he is an extraordinary public servant. Rick served as a Marine, was educated at Boise State University, and then worked for the Idaho Parks and Recreation Department for 30 years. In 2023, he introduced the bill in the Senate to appropriate $100 million to fund long-overdue maintenance and infrastructure for state parks enjoyed by people of all political persuasions. He has been a staunch advocate for Idaho veterans in the Legislature. In addition to his legislative service, he is a dedicated scholar of Idaho history and writes about it on his blog Speaking of Idaho.

There can be no doubt that the AFC will continue to wage a vicious and truth-less campaign against Rick and his fellow Democrats who believe that sponsors of private and religious schools should not be allowed to feed at the trough of public taxpayers.

AFC and several other out-of-state dark money-funded school privatization zealots were up to their necks in the GOP’s closed primary, using scorched earth campaign tactics to defeat reasonable Republicans who strongly supported Idaho’s public schools.

The AFC spent $400,000 in an effort to elect extremist legislators sympathetic to its causes. The Idaho Citizens Alliance spent a similar amount for the same purpose, with only $10,000 of that coming from outside the state. Make Liberty Win, a Virginia group linked to Texas-based Young Americans for Liberty, spent more than $703,000 supporting extremist candidates in the May primary. This combined effort succeeded in defeating several Republican legislators who were staunch supporters of public schools.

Now, outsiders have turned their malevolent designs on Democrats who stand between private schools and the public treasury. It is time for reasonable Idahoans who value public education over irresponsible private and religious schools to set aside partisanship and support candidates who support and adequately fund public education. Idaho’s future depends on ordinary people becoming informed about the issues so they can see through the smokescreen thrown up by these out-of-state groups who have no interest in the future of Idaho’s children.

Voters who want to save our public schools from the onslaught of billionaires need to do a little research. Here are some tips for casting an informed vote:

Don’t be influenced by ads that attack people. Rely on truthful material.

Check out fact-based voter guides. Take Back Idaho will have a fact-based voter guide and Idaho Education News will likely have a reliable guide as well.

Ask the college students who knock on your door if they receive money from Young Americans for Liberty or similar groups to distribute campaign material. If so, toss the article defaming the billionaire into the recycling bin.

Only vote for candidates who support the public education system, regardless of party affiliation. Remember that every taxpayer dollar that goes to private and religious schools comes from the public school budget.

Vote for the Open Primary Initiative, which will restore civility, competence and pragmatism to Gem State government.

Let’s not let out-of-state corruption merchants control Idaho’s political future.

• • •

Jim Jones is a Vietnam War veteran who served eight years as Idaho’s attorney general and 12 years as an Idaho Supreme Court justice. He blogs at JJCommonTater.com.

GOLF COURSE:

American Federation for Children:

https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The_American_Federation_for_Children

Billionaire-Funded Political Action Committee:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/betsy-devos-american-federation-children-private-school-rcna76307

Patently false:

https://www.electrickjust.com/general-7

He took the bill to the Senate:

‘Once-in-a-generation investment’: Idaho state parks receive record funding for improvements  

Blog Talking about Idaho:

https://www.facebook.com/speakingofIdaho

I spent a similar amount:

https://www.mtexpress.com/news/state_regional/a-look-inside-idaho-s-2024-primary-election-spending/article_ac4d5502-1ea9-11ef-a8ad-2ba0fdbbba5c.html

Spent more than $703,000:

UPDATED: The third-party PACs: Where they spent, and how they fared

Take Back Idaho:

Take Back Idaho

Idaho Education News:

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