Posted on 06/16/2008 12:14:36 PM PDT by GOP_Raider
SANDPOINT, Idaho — New Idaho Republican Chairman Norm Semanko takes over a party that dominates the state but threatened to burst at the seams at this weekend's convention, with disparate factions at odds over everything from tackling marijuana legalization to whether to close the state's GOP primary to all but registered party voters.
Semanko ousted two-term incumbent Kirk Sullivan, who earlier Saturday had been endorsed by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter. The tally was 227-169.
A separate 199-192 vote among delegates in Sandpoint that supported retaining the state's open primary is indicative just how divided this convention was. That vote is a reversal from two years ago, when delegates at the 2006 convention in Idaho Falls overwhelmingly voted to close the GOP primary election.
(Excerpt) Read more at idahostatesman.com ...
Idaho BTT.
Who is Semanko? Is he conservative? From Boise???
Ha ha! And I was just about to ping you, too...oh well, I guess I’ll have to ping the way I intended to anyway :)
Wow, the Idaho GOP voted to add to the state platform language supporting abolishing the Federal Reserve? Nice. More state republican parties should support that.
I attempted a search to find anything relevant on Norm that might be of help to non-Idaho FReepers, and sure enough, another FR thread came up!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1615894/posts
He was in the logjam GOP Primary for the 1st district house seat (the seat eventually won by Bill Sali) but it was pretty clear after a certain point that Sali was the guy.
LOL. That looks like a conservative from about 1958. Best of luck with the guy, and with Idaho!!
Heh, and I was the only one replying to that thread 2 years ago. So, do you guys consider this a positive or negative ? Were you supporting Semanko ?
Yep, and that’s why it’s fun to live here in Idaho...unless you’re from California at all to which I say...um...well I hear Washington is nice this time of year. ;)
Well, EV will probably have a much more succinct analysis, but Kirk Sullivan was a big dope and while I don’t think Semanko is anywhere near perfect, he has to be better than Sullivan was.
There’s still that problem of closing the primaries though...
We have lots of folks that look like conservatives ca. 1958, they just aren't in powerful positions like Norm now is. :)
Yeah, that open primary is a recipe for mischief.
He needs the horn-rimmed glasses and he'll absolutely nail the 1958 look. ;-D
LOL, I think my grandpa still has a pair of those he uses for reading.
We need State by State fights between the Conservative Republican Anti-McCain Caucus versus the Liberal Republican Pro-McCain Caucus.
Then we have to win. I don’t care if our States distance themselves from the Presidential Candidate. Conservatives have to take over their parties again!
I have the ones on the right as shades.
Risky Business
Jack Nicholson
Roy Orbison
Barry Goldwater
I’m all over it.
Tom Cruise, huh ? ;-)
Da Blues Bros.
I think this is a good thing, and that Norm Semanko is the real deal.
After his congressional primary loss to fellow conservative Bill Sali, one of the finest Christians I’ve ever met in politics, Norm’s actions were above reproach.
Can’t say the same for a couple of the other candidates in that particular race.
Congratulations to the FReepers who worked so long and hard to make this happen and get Sullivan out the door.
One FReeper in particular...
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