WARNING! An Idaho Version of Mamdani Could Capitalize on Outrageous Housing Costs

Many of you can’t afford to rent, and if you can, you can’t save enough to buy.  That’s my takeaway from the elections in the East that dominated news coverage in recent weeks.  If the same type of elections had been held in Idaho, Iowa, and Kansas, there would’ve been a dramatically different outcome.  For now!  I say that because the main issue that drove the result in New York City was affordability.  This idea that the Republican Party has a lock on Idaho voters is bunk.

Democrats Can't Get Their Act Together

When I got the news last week that Richard Stallings had passed away, it reminded me that Democrats had some juice in this state not all that long ago.  If they stopped yapping about open borders being our duty and transgender rights, voters here would drop some objections.  I would add that if they weren’t hostile to traditional religious faith, they would be slightly rehabilitated in the eyes of many voters.

If a coherent candidate came along who had some strong traditional values (some Democrats had them when I was a kid), then I suppose people might listen.  A laser focus on housing issues would be the place to start.  Not that I’m offering advice to a party I don’t trust.  This is a warning to Republicans who believe housing costs won’t ever bite them.  When I mention it to GOP candidates, I get a nod of agreement and an acknowledgement that we have a problem.  But nobody looks to be in a hurry to suggest some solutions.

Arrogance in Politics Can Cost You

This is the kind of issue that can cause an inversion election.  1932 and 1980 were examples.  A charismatic candidate comes along and sweeps away an old order.  Call it a response to a crisis.  Republicans can talk all they want about founding ideals, Austrian economics, and a rising tide lifting all boats, but if people are drowning and can’t buy a boat, well, there’s the challenge.