The Lunacy of Confrontational Politics
Chairwoman Moon is mad that her political playbook is turned against "conservatives"
For years, Idaho’s far-right activists have wielded confrontational politics like a battering ram against anyone they deemed insufficiently pure. Now, Idaho GOP Chairwoman Dorothy Moon—one of its biggest practitioners—is crying foul when the same tactics are used against her “conservative” allies.
Her recent email, dripping with self-righteous indignation, decries “confrontational politics” as disgraceful and divisive and laments that Republican legislators are being smeared as traitors. She fails to mention that her own political allies, including the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) and groups like Young Americans for Liberty (YAL), have spent years perfecting these tactics, often to her benefit.
Recently, a flood of Facebook ads and text messages have attacked the new Idaho Freedom Caucus members as “traitors” for not backing IFF and YAL’s demand that legislators reject the tiny pay raise. The ads direct users to a “petition” form to collect names, phones, and emails for campaigning in the next election cycle.
The Confrontational Politics Playbook
Moon’s newfound distaste for political bloodsport is especially rich given that confrontational politics has long been the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s favorite strategy. Their handbook is Confrontational Politics by H.L. “Bill” Richardson, a book the IFF and its network have handed out and encouraged for years. This playbook explicitly teaches far-right operatives to be nasty, offensive, and relentless, with the express purpose of pushing moderate Republicans out of the party.
It also encourages a shameless disregard for the truth, arguing that political lies and disinformation are effective tools because scandals rarely stick when caught. If exposed, the advice is to double down or move on to an even more outrageous stunt, creating a “memory hole” effect. Far-right operatives in Idaho have employed this strategy because it works with most Republicans who have been raised to avoid contention and confrontation.
The IFF’s Love Affair With Confrontational Politics
The Idaho Freedom Foundation and its propaganda arm, Idaho Dispatch, run by Greg Pruett, have long weaponized confrontational politics to bully Republican legislators into submission. The strategy has been simple but effective:
Brand establishment Republicans as “traitors” to conservative values.
Flood social media with attack ads, text messages, and mailers to create the illusion of widespread grassroots outrage, which is often manufactured.
Deploy social media mobs to intimidate, threaten, and harass anyone who doesn’t toe the line.
They manipulate legislative votes using the IFF’s bogus “Freedom Index,” ensuring their endorsed candidates always score higher while smearing those who dare think independently.
The results? An increasingly fractured Republican Party driven by ideological purity tests and out-of-state money funneled through groups like Make Liberty Win, American Action Fund, and Young Americans for Liberty—all of which have been deeply entangled with the IFF’s efforts to control Idaho politics.
Dorothy Moon’s Selective Amnesia
Dorothy Moon, a longtime beneficiary of confrontational politics, is now pretending to be a victim. The reality? She’s mad that the monster that helped her win elections is now turning on her allies.
It’s laughable that Moon, who owes much of her political success to these tactics, now wants voters to forget that the pro-drug legalization group Young Americans for Liberty/Make Liberty Win spent a small fortune on mailers, phone calls, and text messages to help her defeat Laverne Sessions in her 2020 re-election campaign. She had no problem with outside pro-marijuana money and scorched-earth political warfare when it benefited her. Now that it’s being used against her allies, she suddenly wants “unity” and “respectful dialogue.”
Moon’s push for ideological purity is part of a larger effort to align the Idaho GOP with Christian Nationalism and use state party funds to promote herself for whatever office she plans to run for next. Her recent spending spree—racking up 19,000 miles of reimbursed travel expenses on the backs of Idaho GOP donors—is just another indication that her leadership is more about self-promotion than party unity.
The Far-Right’s Trust Problem
Moon’s latest drama exposes the far-right’s fundamental dishonesty. They demand loyalty but offer none. They’ll brand anyone a “RINO” the moment they step out of line. They’ll accuse others of using dark money while benefiting from it themselves. They’ll cry about “confrontational politics” while wielding it like a weapon.
Dorothy Moon’s hypocrisy is a perfect encapsulation of the far-right’s political ethos: rules for thee, but not for me. This is why you should never trust Dorothy Moon, The IFF, or anyone who is part of their far-right political machine.
About the Author
Gregory Graf is the creator of Political Potatoes and a lifelong conservative Republican. His articles often criticize the hypocrisy committed by far-right grifters who’ve taken control of the GOP. Graf is the CEO of Snake River Strategies, a communications and political consulting firm based in Eagle, Idaho. He and his family moved to Idaho Falls from Utah in 2013 and reside in Star.
Disclaimer
The following is intended to convey an opinion on newsworthy events of public concern regarding public figures and/or public officials in exercising their official duties. No implications or inferences—beyond those explicitly stated in the preceding— are intended to be conveyed or endorsed by the Author. Wherever available, hyperlinks have been provided to allow readers to directly access any underlying assertions of fact upon which this opinion is based.
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Idaho Extremist GOP politics is like watching mormon crickets crossing the road. All's good until one get's run over. The the others behind catch up and start feasting on the dead one. More cars, more schmearing, more feasting. Rinse and repeat until the whole road is one big schmear, and nothing can get passed.
So far right they're now left. And so it goes............The future of the iGOP is not a bright one