An Idaho Legislator Needs to Learn Her Card Has Expired

When Pravda-on-the-Potomac, sometimes known as the Washington Post, recommends a change in government, be very afraid. The newspaper’s editorial board is weighing in on ranked-choice voting, which as the writers say, is on the ballot next month. Therefore, you might conclude that anyone supporting the measure in Idaho is a fellow traveling lefty.

Enter outgoing state Senator Linda Hartgen of Twin Falls, who landed her job because she was married to a legislator (great qualification, no?) She’s making a pitch for approval of ranked-choice voting.

She begins by citing her retirement from the Senate. It wasn’t her choice. Voters in last May’s primary decided it was time she stepped aside.

Funny, the people who lost by wide margins now favor changing the rules. Or a better explanation is that the big donors they worked for want to tilt the playing field.

She previously blamed a low turnout for her defeat. Previous turnouts were lower, but she didn’t complain at the time because she won.

Her guest commentary is filled with bromides and plaudits. She argues that only a handful of places in California use the new system, and says comparisons to our future in Idaho are wrong. I retort that some cities in California use RCV is like saying you’re only a little bit pregnant. Those are among the weirdest, wildest, and left-leaning places in the Land of Fruits and Nuts.

Some people believe a public office is their private property. The lesson here is that when the landlord says your lease expired, it’s time to go.

News media loves Mrs. Hartgen. Our version of Liz Cheney. Enough said.