Idaho congressional delegation revives dormant bipartisanship

For the first time since Republican Jim McClure left the Senate in 1991, Idaho has a congressional delegation determined to work together, regardless of party.

Bipartisanship was dormant during the 18 years GOP Sen. Larry Craig dominated Idaho's team in Washington. Craig put party ahead of Idaho's broader interest, sabotaging Democratic Reps. Richard Stallings and Larry LaRocco. After LaRocco lost in 1994, Democrats were too weak to elect anybody.

But Craig's retirement and November's election of Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick have revived the put-Idaho-first ethic that spanned the 34 years bridged by McClure, Republican Sen. Len Jordan and Democratic Sen. Frank Church.

GOP Sen. Mike Crapo, now Idaho's senior lawmaker, wrote a column lauding the benefits of bipartisanship. He cited saving mail delivery in the Church wilderness, boosting the Idaho National Lab and getting wolves off the endangered species list.

GOP Sen. Jim Risch, who succeeded Craig, cares more about results than partisan scalps. He aspires to "pull the wagon together" and even says nice things about President Obama.

In the House, veteran GOP Rep. Mike Simpson embraces Minnick as practitioner of the pragmatic politics that make Simpson a first-class appropriator but unpopular among the Tea Party wing of the GOP.

Their warm relationship highlighted last weekend's annual meeting of the Idaho Conservation League. The venue, Redfish Lake Lodge in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, couldn't have been more apt. The SNRA is a legacy of the partnerships among McClure, Church and Jordan, who also helped build INL and secure cheap power for Idaho.

On Sunday, I moderated a panel where Simpson and Minnick competed to heap praise on one another.

"The people of Idaho care less about whether we're a Republican or Democrat," Simpson said. "They care more about what we do for the state and the country."

Simpson is happy to have a pipeline to the majority and the White House. "Good policy makes good politics," he said. "If we do the right thing for Idaho, that's all you can hope for. And if people see that, they'll re-elect us."

Simpson joked that he swaps names on his bill to win wilderness protection for the Boulder-White Cloud mountains. "When I'm working with the Democrats, it's the Minnick-Simpson bill," he said.

Minnick, a former director at ICL, honored Simpson for his role as ranking member on the appropriations subcommittee that funds the public land agencies.

On the first day of the 111th Congress, Simpson came to Minnick's office to offer an original cosponsorship on Boulder-White Clouds and to lead him to the floor.

"I want to thank you, Mike, in this forum, for all the assistance you've given me," Minnick said.

Both seek to boost land-management funding that Simpson said suffered during the Bush years. They share views on climate change and the deficit.

Both are intellectually curious, independent and comfortable in their own skins. Their centrism may make them unpopular among activists on the fringes, but it also cements a bond.

"Mike and I share enough of these values and are pragmatic enough that we can hopefully do quite a bit ... and still retain enough of our identities that each of our two parties will continue to think that we're not quislings who have sold out," Minnick said.

Simpson even displayed a protective instinct for his new colleague, offering that Minnick's years on the boards of the ICL and The Wilderness Society are seen as a vulnerability.

"You have to realize that Republicans are sitting here waiting for Walt to screw up (on environmental policy)," Simpson said. "And they will jump all over him."

Simpson is offering cover, saying he's interested in collaborating on a possible wilderness bill for North Idaho's Scotchman Peaks.

"The fact that we might do that doesn't suggest that I'm any less a good Democrat or that he's any less a good Republican," Minnick said.

"It suggests that we're doing the smart things you need to do as a legislator to represent your state and get things done."