The Weekly Political Potato: Feb 3 – February 9, 2025

The Culture Wars Continue: Firing Squads, Bible Readings, and Extreme Abortion Bans

Political Hot Potatoes of the Week

This past week saw Idaho lawmakers pushing forward some of the session's most extreme and most controversial bills so far. Here’s what you need to know:

House Bill 37: The Firing Squad Bill Moves Forward

The Idaho House voted to make firing squads the primary method of execution, citing difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs. Yes, you read that right—Idaho is choosing to bring back a form of execution most states abandoned long ago. While supporters claim it’s a “humane alternative,” the reality is that this puts Idaho in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The bill is now heading to the Senate, facing additional debate.

One concern is that using firing squads will attract the wrong kind of candidates into IDOC—ones who fantasize about the idea of being able to kill someone legally.

House Bill 162: Mandated Bible Readings in Public Schools

Public schools exist to educate students, not indoctrinate them, but that hasn’t stopped some lawmakers from pushing House Bill 162, which would require teachers to read from the Bible in public schools. Not surprisingly, the Idaho Family Policy Center, a Christian nationalist group working to embed its religious beliefs into state law, supports this bill.

This bill is a direct violation of religious freedom, forcing government schools to promote one religion over all others. Even if you support Christian teachings, do you want the state government to decide which parts of the Bible get read and who teaches it? Why not require the Book of Mormon or the Torah if this were really about religious freedom?

Senate Bill 1059: Expanding Fetal Personhood in Lawsuits

This bill would give fetuses the same legal standing as living people in wrongful death cases, opening the door to more extreme anti-abortion policies. While Republican lawmakers love to talk about “limiting government,” they seem perfectly fine expanding state control over bodily autonomy and individual medical freedom. This is yet another reason why it’s always a bad idea to elect Christian Nationalist culture warriors who have no interest in listening to any debate or idea other than their own.

Senate Bill 1023: Anti-Vaccine Business Ban

Senator Dan Foreman, infamous for telling a Native American candidate to “go back where she came from,” is back at it with yet another conspiracy-driven bill. This time, he wants to ban businesses from requiring vaccinations or medical interventions for employees or customers, even in healthcare settings. The idea that private businesses can’t set their own workplace safety policies is just another example of how these so-called "small government conservatives" want to regulate everything except corporate donors and gun laws.

Rotten Potato: Sen. Brandon Shippy’s attempt to legislate his extreme religious beliefs

Senator Brandon Shippy introduced one of the most extreme abortion bills in the country, one that would criminalize all abortions—including cases of rape, incest, and life-threatening pregnancy complications. Under this bill, any woman who seeks an abortion could be charged with murder, even if her pregnancy was non-viable or a direct threat to her health. While most Idahoans agree with some form of abortion ban and consider themselves “pro-life,” this bill goes too far.

Thankfully, Senate leadership killed the bill before it could go anywhere, but the fact that it was introduced at all is a stark warning of what happens when extremists gain power. Shippy, backed by the IFF political machine, is a direct threat to the health and safety of Idahoans who do not subscribe to his brand of extreme Christian nationalism.

If this bill had passed, doctors would be forced to choose between saving a woman's life or risking legal action, leading to more horror stories like the ones we’ve already seen under Idaho’s draconian abortion bans. Our founding fathers wanted us to have freedom from religion to protect the religious beliefs of everyone and prevent theological tyrants from abusing the legislative process to enforce their religion over another. Make no mistake—Sen. Brandon Shippy should never be re-elected. Idaho does not need lawmakers who use their personal religious beliefs as a weapon to control others.

Sweet Potato: A Rare Win for Journalism and Transparency

While most of the legislature seemed focused on dragging Idaho backward, there was at least one bright spot: introducing a journalist shield law to protect reporters from being forced to reveal confidential sources.

As Idaho politics becomes increasingly dominated by misinformation, protecting real journalists from political retaliation is crucial. This law would ensure that legitimate reporters can hold those in power accountable without fear of being legally forced to reveal sources. In an era where groups like the Idaho Dispatch and Idaho Tribune (a website that supports Dorothy Moon, run by Nazi propagandist Dave Reilly) try to blur the line between propaganda and journalism, this bill is a necessary defense for accurate investigative reporting.

What Were They Thinking? The War on Public Schools Continues

Just when you thought public education had suffered enough, far-right lawmakers have doubled down on school privatization efforts. House Bill 93, which passed the House this week, is being sold as a "school choice" bill. Still, it’s just a backdoor voucher scheme that would funnel public money to unaccountable private schools through tax credits, putting money back into the pockets of affluent parents who could already afford private schools for their children.

And here’s the kicker: even Speaker Mike Moyle and some moderates supported this weak compromise bill, yet the IFF’s gang of eight still voted against it because it didn’t completely gut public education. These lawmakers don’t want a real compromise—they want a full-scale privatization of Idaho schools.

This is just the beginning of the battle. Remember, hundreds of thousands of dollars in out-of-state spending went into defeating good Republican legislators who wanted to protect homeschool parent’s rights and public education to pass some form of school vouchers. Expect more aggressive school voucher legislation in the coming months, all aimed at starving public education while funding private religious schools with taxpayer money.

What’s Next? The Battles Ahead

• Medicaid Expansion Fight Continues: Despite saving counties millions and bringing $1 billion in federal healthcare funding to Idaho, far-right legislators are pushing to repeal Medicaid expansion—because apparently, helping low-income families access healthcare is just too much for them to handle.

• School Privatization War Escalates: The passage of HB 93 is just the beginning. Expect more aggressive school voucher bills designed to drain resources from public schools in favor of unregulated private institutions.

The Idaho legislature is moving fast, and if we don’t pay attention, the state will be transformed by a small but well-funded network of political extremists.

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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.