Mike Simpson – RINO:   An “R” After Your Name Means Nothing

By Bob Shillingstad

Idaho’s Congressman Simpson has been in Congress for the past 24 years and that “magic R” after his name has kept him in office along with campaign contributions from the corporate interests.  He spent 14 years prior to this in the Idaho House of Representatives so for nearly 40 years he has been living at the public trough learning how to convince the voters that he actually has conservative principles and listens to his constituents.  The mask has been dropping off amid the professionally Republican class in the fight for conservative leadership in the House of Representatives.  Many of the members of the House view themselves as something more than representatives of the their constituents.

Mike Simpson’s office has been bombarded by the people of Idaho asking him to vote for Jim Jordan as Speaker of the House and take on the important issues of spending, debt, world conflicts and most importantly the border crisis.   In public response to the requests of the voters, Idaho’s Second Congressional District Representative Mike Simpson reminds voters that their opinion means nothing.

For your information Steve Scalise has voted for Jim Jordan along with Kevin McCarthy.   Mike Simpson was one of over 21 congressmen not voting for Jordan and proud of the fact that he “will not” listen to his voters. With a cocky flair he states that “intimidation and threatening tactics do not- and will not- work.” Perhaps bankrupting of our nation with spending might work?  12 million illegals coming across our border with no vetting might work?  Thousands of deaths from fentanyl brought across the border might wake up Mike Simpson?  What events would wake up this representative from Idaho to become a patriot? Who is paying for Mike Simpson? Because apparently, he doesn’t think the voters matter much.

This is not the only issue where Simpson has ignored common sense and Republican platforms before. He was appointed to the House Energy and Water committee which gave him a voice for one of his favorite issues – “saving the salmon by removing the Snake River Dams.”  You can imagine the response to that knuckle headed $35 billion proposal.  Even Governor Little came out with this statement,“  I remain unconvinced that breaching the dams is a silver bullet for salmon recovery,”  Little said. “Breaching the dams would have devastating impacts on Idahoans and vital segments of Idaho’s economy.”  Duh! Other opponents of this idea were even more condemning.  Fire up more windmills and solar farms with tax breaks and see how that works for you.

The state of Idaho GOP (IDGOP) joined a growing number of frustrated Idaho voters expressing their disappointment in Simpson. The House has ground to a halt for more than two weeks following the ouster of Speaker McCarthy, and the IDGOP rebukes Simpson for engaging in “inside-the-Beltway political games rather than focusing on the pressing business that truly matters to our constituents is disappointing.”  The statement from the IDGOP ends with, “We urge our Congressman to reconsider his position and refocus his efforts on addressing the significant issues confronting our constituents — rather than waste his time engaging in protest votes and parliamentary delay tactics. The people of Idaho expect Mike Simpson to represent their concerns and prioritize their needs above political games and partisan divisions. The true measure of his success will be in his steadfast defense of the Constitution and the tangible benefits he delivers to the hardworking families of Idaho. We will be watching.”

Maybe the people of Idaho need to be asking how did we end up with this entrenched member of the deep state?  Why hasn’t someone defeated him in the primaries in the past? Oh, I forgot…..he had an “R” after his name.  Don’t let that deceive you in the primary in May!