Sali's recipe for ineffectiveness

As we know, Rep. Bill Sali voted to sustain Pres Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, even though Rep Simpson voted to overturn it. Sali doesn't like the increased taxes on smoking, and he hates to help "illegal aliens."

But the bill also pays for itself by taxing smokers in a country where more poor people smoke than the rich, Hoffman said, and might allow more illegal aliens to participate by relying on Social Security numbers for identification. Sali just can't support it."We have to be convinced that the $4 billion that's being awarded ... is actually doing something," Hoffman said.

Simpson's view is

"Like all legislation, there are good parts and bad parts," Simpson spokeswoman Nikki Watts said. "Ultimately, he felt the positive outweighed the negative, but it wasn't without some critical consideration."

Note the difference. Simpson is willing to compromise, Sali isn't. Like it or not, compromise is how things get done in Congress. Also, lots of Republicans wanted, perhaps even needed, this bill. By voting to uphold an unpopular President to kill a very popular bill, Sali no doubt irritated the Republicans who wanted to bill passed. He frequently votes against the Republican position. Thus Sali not only marginalizes himself from the Democratic leadership in Congress, but also from his own party's leadership.


Congratulations Idahoans. You elected yet another uncompromising and ineffective ideologue. To Bill Sali, another Wing Nut Award.

Quotes above from Times-News article by Nate Poppino.