Terrible Hate in a Beautiful Town

Idaho...

A few months back, I had an email from an activist and Democratic organizer in Idaho. He asked if I’d be interested in speaking to their members at a fundraiser for local Dem candidates. I looked up the city and saw that it was a beautiful spot not far south of Spokane. It is beautiful—I agreed to come. And then, I started the research.

I was going to Coeur d’Alene. I couldn’t even pronounce the name so I had to start digging, and friends, there was a lot to learn. If you aren’t familiar with the area, they have a Nazi problem. I’m not being alarmist or extreme in my choice of descriptor…the town and the county it resides in, Kootenai County, have a literal Nazi problem.

Northern Idaho is known for the the home of the Aryan Nations. My first article was a Wikipedia entry saying, “Aryan Nations is a North American antisemitic, neo-Nazi and white supremacist hate group that was originally based in Kootenai County, Idaho.” The Rand Corporation listed the Aryan Nations as the "first truly nationwide terrorist network.”

Holy hell.

I then immediately realized that story from a little over a year ago about the Nazis in the back of a U-Haul that were headed to likely do some sort of violence at a local Pride parade were headed to Coeur d'Alene! It was the same town. Lord have mercy…what is going on?

There are several articles written on the issues the region and town have suffered for decades, but it goes back to the same problem: the extreme right, Christian nationalists, and neo-Nazis have descended into this area to created a “white homeland” and have no thoughts of letting go.

And this is where the helpers come in—the patriots—the good guys. Not the fake patriots who wrap themselves in a flag and hate, but the folks willing to stand up for those being harassed and intimidated in their own community.

Two local Dems picked me up from the airport and filled me in on the issues in the community over Greek food. They told me about the school board and local races and problems with the extremists interfering in the local college Board of Trustees. The far-right Aryan Nations had been run out of town decades ago, but it seems another version had come back with a vengeance. They told me of hyper-Christian nationalism mixed with gun culture and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment. That’s a lethal combination.

The biggest thing I took away from this conversation is that Idaho is a whole lot like Missouri and every other state where the extremists win elections. Missouri has even fewer restrictions on guns, but our Nazis aren’t as nearly out about their identity. Missouri legislators have written more anti-LGBTQ+ than Idaho’s, but both states have a total abortion ban. After speaking for over an hour, I learned that Idaho and Missouri both suffer from much of the same issues—while folks may point to Idaho as a bastion of extremism, I would say that the same extremism radiates across the nation and it is dangerous to act like Idaho is an outlier. There is too much commonality to say otherwise.

So, what did I talk about at the event? What did I say to folks who have lived in this community for decades and have been through this mess more than once. What can I say to young folks who are living this nightmare while trying to navigate every day life? I reminded them of what they already know: most Idahoans do not condone the far-right hate and rhetoric. And, there’s this: Idaho isn’t red. Idaho is uncontested.

Almost 50% of Idaho’s legislative races went uncontested, and when Idaho Republicans are talking about jailing teachers and librarians, letting hospital maternity wards close and denying women life-saving treatment, and trying to pass through a school voucher scheme, it’s time to draw a line in the sand; no more uncontested races on any ballot in any race across the state. It’s undemocratic to not compete in every district.

I spoke for about 15-20 minutes and I fed off the crowd. I love speaking to large and small groups about democracy and I use my experience as a teacher, but I also really lean on my experience as a cheer coach—no, really.

Tell stories, give examples of campaigning and strategizing, and then fire them up. Give the folks the problem AND the solution. Leave them breathless and excited and ready to take over the world after a good night’s sleep. That was the vibe in Kootenai County. They are ready to work. I mean, they’ve already been doing it but there was a sense that they are ready to take on the state.

It was a fun night and a great trip. Northern Idaho is beautiful, but more than that, the good people of Idaho are not going to just give in to hate. Just like the folks in Missouri—we won’t give up. We just need occasional reminders of what we should be doing (finding candidates and funding them) and why we are doing it (for democracy.) We all need the occasional cheerleader. Fire in your belly is a good thing.

Idaho has very capable Democratic leadership and I’m proud of the folks I met and the patriots doing the real work. They can do this, friends, and so can we.

Stand up. Talk back.

~Jess