Freedom Man Press

Wednesday September 8th, 2021 | by Diego Rodriguez

Two days ago, someone named Robert Strange posted what appears to be an email written by Darr Moon, to his Facebook page and it was just forwarded to me. The post can be seen here, but in short it is a brief commentary on why Darr believes that Janice McGeachin should be supported and specifically why Ed Humphreys and Ammon Bundy should not be supported for Governor.

I couldn't disagree more fervently with Darr and his commentary actually demonstrates EXACTLY EVERYTHING wrong with the Republican party today, and particularly everything wrong with so called "Idaho conservatives."

To the best of my knowledge, Darr Moon and his wife, Dorothy (House Representative in district 8B) are good people and politically "conservative." I do not question their political ideology and would assume that they would be on the "right side" of most political issues and that we would wholeheartedly agree ideologically on the nature of most political issues.

However, Darr's mini treatise is perfectly indicative of how and why TRUE CONSERVATISM has never really existed in Idaho, and why it never will if people like Darr Moon have any influence.

While Darr's intentions and ideology might be sound, his beliefs regarding politics and the actions people should take in the political sphere are completely distorted and will only guarantee that true conservative principles never take root in Idaho.

First of all, in case you are unaware, Idaho is not a conservative state—not by any objective measure. Sure, Idaho is a "red state," that is to say, it is a majority Republican state, but it is not politically "conservative" by any objective measure.

In fact, with the Republican party controlling the entire Idaho government for the better part of more than 4 decades, Idaho still has high personal income taxes, high corporate taxes, a grocery tax, high property tax, a high regulatory environment, a hostile business environment, inordinate licensing requirements, and excessive government enforcement mechanisms with the highest incarceration rates in the nation—just to "name a few."

And even with all those Republicans filling every single state-wide office in Idaho, including our entire Congressional delegation and every leadership position in the legislature, we still have abortion in our state and are the proud recipients of a Planned Parenthood abortion "super-mill," right here in Meridian. Thanks for standing up for life, Idaho Republicans!

Outside of gun rights, you'd be very hard pressed to find anything that Idaho is measurably "conservative" on.

And the reason why is simple—Idaho Republicans are all a bunch of do-nothing whiners and complainers who never advance conservative principles. NEVER.

And Darr Moon's email describes how and why we got to such a place—where even though Republicans control everything, they are totally unable to DELIVER any true conservative results.

What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. And what is Darr's thinking on how we can make a change and a difference for conservatism in Idaho? Well, by golly, it's for us to do the same thing and to keep voting for the same old do-nothing politicians who have proven themselves to be 100% totally incapable of getting anything done that actually preserves or promotes the rights of the people, or advances any true conservative principles. Darr, by definition, you're insane.

Most specifically, Darr's plea to support Janice McGeachin instead of newcomer Ed Humpreys or peoples' rights advocate, Ammon Bundy, is not only misguided, but it is a guaranteed path for failure and disappointment.

The truth of the matter is, if you genuinely value true conservative principles—you should NEVER vote for Janice McGeachin or any other sitting legislator who have completely failed on every single front imaginable in 2020.

I personally would never vote for Janice McGeachin for Governor of Idaho under any circumstance. She simply does not deserve anybody's vote. Let me sum it up for you in one simple statement—when the greatest violation of Constitutional Rights took place in the history of America and the state of Idaho, Janice was the #2 executive and Constitutional officer in the state and she did absolutely nothing about it. Period.

Janice should forever be known as Janice "Do Nothing" McGeachin, because NOTHING is exactly what she did when she was needed most.

Mr. Darr, since you are speaking up as Janice's apologist, would you please explain how someone who already was given power and authority and held the second highest office in our Executive branch, who stood by and did nothing while our rights were violated, while churches were shut down, while ministers had the Bible stripped out of their hands and handcuffed in the middle of a public worship service, while mothers were arrested in public parks, while due process was abandoned, while the equal protection clause was abolished, while jury trials were suspended, and while Idahoans lost their jobs, their businesses, their life savings, and their dreams—how does that person who stood by and did nothing deserve an even higher position or place of responsibility when she miserably failed at her existing position?!

The truth is that Janice and all who support her should be ashamed of her miserable performance while occupying the Lieutenant Governor's office. She has proven she is wholly incapable of fighting for conservative principles, and that she would never protect or defend the rights of Idahoans against a tyrannical federal government.

If she couldn't fight against Brad Little, Chuck Winder, or Scott Bedke, how in the world do you think she is going to fight against Joe Biden, the deep state, the Washington swamp, and the national media machine? What a joke!

The common response by both Janice and her supporters is "she couldn't do anything" or "her hands were tied." Well, that is the definition of a failure of leadership on every level. For sake of illustration, here is a short list for you:

This is just a short list. I could go on and on. Sadly, many of the things above were done by local community leaders and real conservatives who didn’t have Janice’s platform, influence, reach, or power.

Why in the world would anybody support such a miserable example of leadership failure? Janice might be a good person, but she is a failed leader and does not deserve to be further awarded with additional responsibility.

We can never really know what a candidate is going to do once they get into office, but past actions are a good indicator of the future. In the case of Janice McGeachin, we know based on her history while in office, that she will never have any true conservative principles actualized in Idaho rule or law, she will never fight for the rights of the people, she will bow to political pressure, and she will whine and complain about having her "hands tied" and not being "able to do anything about it."

So guess what, Darr…if you vote and support for Janice, you are guaranteed to keep Idaho in the same RINO-tastic swamp that we've been in for decades. And with COVID hysteria and Constitutional violations coming at us faster than we can count, we can basically be assured that the following prophecies would come to pass with Janice "Do Nothing" McGeachin:

Furthermore Janice does not have a true conservative voting record. Most "conservatives" in Idaho use the Idaho Freedom Index as the "gold standard" for determining whether a candidate is truly conservative or not. The problem in Janice's case is that she left office in 2012, one year before the Idaho Freedom Foundation started publishing the Freedom Index. This means that nobody has ever reviewed or scrutinized her voting record. So let's take a quick peek at it now to see if Janice really is or was the conservative stalwart she and her supporters want to claim she is. Here’s some highlights about Janice’s voting record that people DON’T KNOW:

1. Janice Voted Against Campus Carry — Janice voted against H222 which allowed guns to be carried on campus. Idaho conservatives were in favor of this bill—Janice voted AGAINST IT. There is not a conservative anywhere in the country who is opposed to campus carry, so if Janice is so conservative, why did she vote against it? Furthermore, the most well known conservatives in the Idaho House of representatives of the time all voted for it. Janice simply went against their vote(s).

2. Janice Voted in Support of Driver's Licenses for Illegal Immigrants — Janice is bad on both security and immigration as she voted against bill H366 which would require someone to be a legal resident before Idaho issued them a driver’s license. This means illegal residents could show their Idaho driver’s license and vote illegally in Idaho elections. It also meant that illegal immigrants could get an Idaho driver's license which serves as an official US identification document to do God only knows what—thanks in part to Janice McGeachin's voting.

3. Janice Voted for Socialist Business Controls on Liquor Sales — Janice voted against S1148 which would have got the state government out of the alcohol business. Whether you drink or not, the State of Idaho should not be in the business of selling liquor or competing against businesses that do!

Ironically, you may remember that Janice famously posed for a photo-op in support of the bar in Kendrick, Idaho where Idaho State Police later came to shut them down for defying Brad Little's lockdown orders. Well, Janice voted against the very bill that would have prevented this from ever happening in the first place!

And to add even more irony to the situation, most people don't know that after Janice got her photo-op and left the scene after effectively DOING NOTHING like she is so famous for doing, the Kendrick bar owner contacted none other than Ammon Bundy to actually protect his business and to prevent it from being shut down again. Cause you know, that "polarizing" Ammon Bundy actually does things.

Janice also did complete FLIP-FLOPS on at least two issues, where she voted one way and then changed her vote later and voted the opposite (not something that “proven conservatives” do):
VOTED AGAINST: H 121 - Smoking Ban in Bowling Alleys
VOTED FOR: H 121 - Smoking Ban in Bowling Alleys

VOTED AGAINST: H 729 - Prohibiting Text Messaging While Driving
VOTED FOR: S 1274 - Prohibits Texting While Driving

Look them all up for yourselves. And Darr, since you've chosen to be Janice's apologist, will you please justify these votes as a principled conservative? I humbly await your response.

Finally, Darr makes ridiculous and foolhardy criticisms of both Ed Humphreys and Ammon Bundy that only a well-experienced political operative could make. You see, political people know politics, think politically, act politically, and live based on the principles of politics.

They don't live or act on principles. It's always "politics first, principles second." Darr has expressed this very well in his letter.

Darr might oppose abortion, but he wouldn't support someone who has a plan of action to actually stop abortion—because it is not politically wise.

Darr might oppose personal income tax, but he wouldn't support someone like Ed who has proposed actually eliminating it—because it is too radical.

Darr might oppose the federal government controlling 61% of Idaho's land, but he would never support someone like Ammon who proposes taking that land back—because that is too "polarizing."

Darr, being the political animal that he is (but that he doesn't realize he is), only supports "safe" candidates who don't rock the boat, are not polarizing, and who always end up DOING NOTHING.

What do democrats do? They get the most whacked out extreme candidates, like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and ram them down our throats! Meanwhile, "conservatives" are told they have to support milquetoast pansies like Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush who wouldn't know a conservative principle if it hit them in the face.

And who promotes that crap to conservatives? People like Darr Moon who only vote for and support "safe" and "experienced" politicians who have a well known history of doing nothing for conservative principles. I would bet Darr and people like him probably even "pray for our country," and then when God actually sends men who have a history of actually taking action and possess the unique skills and potential to get things done, Darr ignorantly claims that they shouldn't be supported. Because you know, "conservative" political pragmatists know best!

Darr, you are the problem. Unprincipled conservative voters like you who vote based on political expediency rather than on TRUE PRINCIPLES are exactly what got us where we are today. It is why Idaho is red, but not conservative. It is why our legislature is filled to the brim with do-nothing whiners who after months and months of illegal tyranny in our state, after a special session, and then a regular session still could not stop the Governor from continuing with his tyrannical and illegal rule over the people of Idaho. Yes, that's right people! Brad Little first enacted his tyrannical and Constitutionally-violating emergency order in March 2020. According to state statute, an emergency order can last only 60 days, but Janice McGeachin as the Lieutenant Governor and President of the Senate along with a majority of Republicans in the House and Idaho State Senate simply could not lead or coalesce an effort to undo Brad's illegal and tyrannical orders. As I write this article in September 2021, we are still living under his emergency orders!

And yet Darr claims Janice is some kind of leader? Hmmmm. A do nothing leader. At least Ed had enough leadership skills to drum up nearly as much money for his campaign in a little over a month than Janice raised during her entire 2018 campaign!

And Ammon built a coalition of over 60,000 Patriots nationwide who took action, resisted tyranny, and prevented additional violations in Idaho and abroad while Janice stood by and did nothing.

How do you define "leadership," Darr? Leaders ought to, you know, actually lead.

To sum up Darr's criticism of Ed and Ammon, he basically claims that neither have enough political experience, that Ed is too young and naive, and that Ammon is too polarizing. What rubbish!

Ronald Reagan said it best when he said, "Professional politicians like to talk about the value of experience in government. Nuts! The only experience you gain in politics is how to be political.”

Reagan evidently disagrees with Darr. Who do you agree with?

As for Ed being too young, well a great number of Founding Fathers were as well. Jesus was only 30 when he started his ministry. Just how old do you have to be to understand principles, Darr?

As for Ammon being too polarizing…well, that sounds like what they said about Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump! The truth is that only a polarizing figure or a political outsider can actually GET DONE what needs to get done and pathetic do-nothing politicians like Janice McGeachin and the entire Idaho state legislature will only guarantee that NOTHING gets done.

Darr thinks we should vote for people with political experience. Well, we know what that will get us. It will get us RINOs like Butch Otter (36 years in politics) and Brad Little (20 years in politics). Or, if you vote for "conservatives" it will get us do-nothing legislators like Janice McGeachin (13 years in politics). I say we should vote for people with experience actually STANDING ON PRINCIPLES. And Ronald Reagan agrees!

Furthermore Janice has NO PLATFORM! Both Ed and Ammon have real ideas and real platforms to legitimately take action and change Idaho with real conservative values. Janice is just more of the same platitudes—vote for me because I say I'm a "conservative." But she has no plan. No platform. No nothing. But wait, doing nothing is actually Janice's specialty. So I guess I should take that back. Janice's platform must be—vote for me and I will continue to do nothing!

Janice McGeachin cannot win the Republican primary election. It is a mathematical impossibility. In 2018, she narrowly won her primary election with 51,098 votes compared to Brad Little's 72,548. Furthermore, Brad Little had much of his vote diluted by Tommy Ahlquist, so the number of RINOs who will support Brad is even higher. Further analysis on the election results of 2018 demonstrate that there is no mathematical path to victory for Janice McGeachin.

She should quit now and stop herself from further dividing the republican party and conservative voters in general, or switch her campaign to a Congressional campaign where she potentially has a chance since demographic makeups of the congressional districts are different from statewide campaigns.

But for her to obstinately continue her campaign as a candidate for Governor is a fool’s errand and will only further demonstrate her incapacity and inability to see what is true and do what is right.

Furthermore, the only mathematical reason why she won her seat as Lieutenant Governor was because the RINOs split the vote 4 ways! Look at the numbers yourself and you will see she was an anomaly in 2018 and would otherwise never have been elected.

“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Luke 12:48. Janice was already given the power and authority of the second highest executive position in Idaho. It is not too much to ask of her TO DO (or to have taken) any of the aforementioned actions. If she was unfaithful in the number two position, why should Idahoans entrust her with the number one position?

The bottom line is simple, if you value true conservative principles and you want to actually CHANGE the corrupt, RINO, liberal, leftist condition of the current government in Idaho, the very last person you should vote for is Janice McGeachin.

And Darr, I look forward to your response. But do us a favor and respond to the actual issues I raised. Please respond to Janice's history of doing nothing in 2020. Respond to her voting record. Respond to your support for candidates with "experience" in contrast with Ronald Reagan (and common sense). And please don't be like the leftist liberals who avoid every factual data point and argument that I brought up only to go down a completely separate rabbit trail while avoiding the genuine and legitimate criticisms I made against your previous commentary.