Unmasking Larry Grant
By Adam Graham (11/02/06)
Halloween was on Tuesday, but Idaho Democrat Larry Grant is still trying to hang onto his costume for a few days longer. This year, he went dressed as a moderate.
Grant and the Idaho Mainstream press has done their darnedest to declare Grant a moderate. He’s adopted the now meaningless label as a “fiscal conservative” which these days is shorthand for someone who wishes to raise taxes to pay for continued wasteful spending.
Grant’s most astonishing position as a potential candidate to represent the district comes in regards to the pledge of allegiance. In 2002, the US Senate including Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Barbara Boxer, and Ted Kennedy voted 99-0 to affirm support for the words, “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, and by so doing lined up with 90% of the American people. Grant, however views “Under God” and the even more popular “In God We Trust” as violations of the first amendment, writing regarding the first Amendment:
“A true strict constructionist would read that and say it means exactly what it says, no laws promoting religion. But, of course, Congress has passed laws that do express a religious preference. We do have “In God We Trust” on our money and we do say “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.”
It requires the mind of Michael Newdow to buy such specious rationale, but the liberal media in Idaho wants to make this man our next Congressman. Why?
It’s not just because Grant is a Democrat, but because of who’s running against him. Bill Sali is an eight term Conservative legislator who has been a pro-life stalwart, who time and time again voted against tax increases. He’s stood against his own party when they’ve been wrong. He knows who he is and what he believes. In the primary, he was embraced by a large coalition of conservative groups from Club for Growth to National Right to Life. If elected, he’d be a key conservative player in the same mold as Rep. Mike Pence (R-In.)
He’s someone who will shake things up in Washington by fighting out of control government spending, standing for secure borders, and promoting traditional values. He’s surrounded by a community of close-knit and dedicated conservatives. When looking at people to support in the primary, I looked for someone who wouldn’t just go along to get along. Bill Sali definitely fit the bill.
Because of all this, he infuriates liberals, who have led a determined fight not to just to defeat him, but to personally destroy him. I’ve never witnessed the like in politics. Club for Growth, a national grassroots group that has supported efforts to crack down on pork in Washington has been tarred as some type of illuminati by media hacks who play on most Idahoans not understanding what the Club does.
Grant’s campaign has been desperate, recently touting Sali’s openness to the Fair Tax as proof he favored adding a 23% sales tax. They failed to mention the Fair Tax does away with the income, payroll, estate, and gift taxes. While one may disagree with the plan, leaving voters with the impression Sali favors creating an un-offset 23% sales tax was the height of dishonesty.
The Grant campaign also ran an ad suggesting several prominent Republican leaders were going to vote for Grant. Two of the leaders actually didn’t live in Sali’s district and the third was hopping mad that a statement she made during a tense legislative session was twisted to suggest she would ever consider voting for Mr. Grant. She made it clear she would support Mr. Sali and urged voters to do the same.
In one of the lowest moments of the campaign, an inexperienced liberal Independent candidate sent out a mailing and failed to hide the e-mail addresses from the recipients. The Grant campaign obtained the list and sent out an unsolicited mailing to the group. If spam does not concern you, as organizations pay quite handsomely for such mailing lists, this amounts to a theft. When confronted by the Independent candidate, Grant’ s blogger shot back:
“It appears this election will be won by a very small percentage. We believe - as most Idahoans and Americans do - that it is critical we stem the tide of conservative fundamentalist control of our country. Because there is so much at stake in this election, we took the opportunity to forward the Lewiston Tribune editorial since many people around the state have not seen it.”
Ah, so the ends justify the means. Just type of logic we need more of in Washington. As the Grant campaign rolls into its desperate final days, cheered on by the state’s liberal editorial boards, Bill Sali stands firm. He’s been attacked every way possible, and seen every phony issue in the book thrown at him, but he presses on with courage and dedication. He’s faced the gauntlet and he’s survived with his integrity intact. At the end of the day, he knows who he is and what he believes. I have faith in Idaho to see through this smokescreen and choose a public servant who will go to Washington to fight for their values, not those of Daily Kos.
For those who want change in America, Bill Sali is an example of the price that’s paid to fight for principle. This fall, God willing, he’ll be elected as Idaho’s next Congressman. It’ll be one down, around four hundred to go.
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