The University of Idaho Argonaut

Barrett Schroeder, chairman for the Latah County Republicans, doesn’t consider himself overly confident, just realistic.
“We know our party is going to win in the national election,” he said. “No matter who you vote for or how many signs you put up, it doesn’t matter. In the electoral college Idaho votes Republican.”
This certainty has its drawbacks. According to Schroeder, the national Republican Party doesn’t provide the same level of merchandise the Democrats receive because they know they have the states support.

“That’s why you may see so many Obama signs and not as many McCain,” he said. “We’re pretty much doing it on our own.”
Donations from individuals and local businesses support the national campaign for Latah County, Schroeder said. Schroeder said he printed many of the “Country First” and “McCain/Palin” signs.
“We’ve seen a lot more excitement this year for McCain than we saw for Bush,” he said. “Our volunteer numbers have been incredible, especially among University students … It’s developed a lot more interest. McCain is a moderate, and I think that appeals to this kind of district.”

Latah County is unique compared to the rest of Idaho, Schroeder said. Its people are more moderate in their political beliefs, he said it is reflected in its elected officials.
The reality is very conservative districts are still going to vote for very conservative people, and they outnumber the liberals and moderates of Latah County, Schroeder said.
“The majority decides where that money goes,” he said. “When you’re facing the legislature, you want to be on the inside, not on the outside. So, a lot depends on who you’re going to send to get the work done.”

Schroeder grew up in Moscow and graduated from the University of Idaho. He said Latah County Republicans are unique in Idaho because of the area’s more moderate cultural climate. However, he said this produced more moderate republican politicians capable of communicating with people outside of their own party.
“In this county, I don’t think even our most conservative candidates have been pro-life,” he said. “We well represent the desires of our constituents, and I think that’s why we do well in office.”

Among the efforts of the Republican Party highlighted by Schroeder is the minimum wage for all farm workers, protecting the timber industry and road construction.
“Democrats base highways on population while Republicans allocate funds based in miles of road,” he said. “Idaho isn’t a high population state. We’re made up of rural communities, so which plan do you think better serves the people?”
Tom Trail, who is running for re-election in the Idaho House of Representatives, has been involved in politics for 12 years. A moderate Republican, Trail said he has considered himself a party member all his life.

“The principal’s of the Republican party are very close to my own beliefs,” Trail said. “I feel that’s been very beneficial to this state.”
There is a difference between the way Republicans work in national and local government, he said, a distinction that means a lot when people are examining the effectiveness of the party.

“We probably, at the local level, do a better job articulating citizens’ needs than they could ever do in the national realm,” he said. “At grassroots, you’re held more accountable, there’s more policing.”
Nelson Rockefeller and Teddy Roosevelt, according to Trail, are two of his greatest influences.
“Except of course Abraham Lincoln,” he said.

These men exemplify the Republican ideals Trail reaches for in his own career, he said.
“Rockefeller was pro-life,” Trail said. “He also provided incentives for small business. We need to underline the importance of localized economic development.”
The proposed law school expansion was an issue Trail said he felt quite strongly about and reflects to him the damaged relationship between UI’s administration and the desires of past alumni.

“It’s no secret that we’ve gone through a lot of presidents,” Trail said. “There’s a lot of distrust among the alumni toward the administration, and I think by being in office, I’m in a key position to select a new president and regain the trust and confidence with UI.”
Schroeder said the relationship with the university has been an important factor for the Latah County Republicans and said the law school is an important issue across the board.

“Keeping jobs in Latah County is key, we need to keep the students here … it’s part of keeping the UI experience,” he said. “We need more teachers, more nurses … not more lawyers.”
Relations between UI students and the county Republicans are kept active, Schroeder said. He said he stays in contact with the College Republicans but “doesn’t like to become overly involved,” because he feels it’s more effective as a purely student group.

Casey Adebary is a political science major and president of the College Republicans. He said he hasn’t been involved with the group long but appreciates its purpose on campus.
“Really, we’re just trying to promote Republican causes and trying to increase awareness,” Adebary said.
The group has about 50 active members and 100 students on their e-mail list. As part of their programming, they brought Republican Sen. Bill Sali to the campus to speak with students, an event Adebary said, “was really great for everyone who came out.”
“I hear a lot about the redneck Republican stereotype,” he said. “I don’t let it bother me because I know I’m not a redneck … It’s irritating, but I know they aren’t talking about me.”

It was the economic policy that Adebary said attracted him to the party. Although he said he is not a registered Republican, the nature of their economic outlook has always resulted in his voting for the GOP.
“I like the idea of small government that’s less dependant on a big business,” he said.
Carl Hulquist, the Republican nominee for County Commissioner, said small business is important in counties like Latah because it’s without larger economic entities.

“The county’s largest employer is the university,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of big corporations around here so we have to support our small business owners however we can.”
A social activist, Hulquist is a retired builder who quit his job as a mechanical engineer because “it wasn’t challenging enough.” After he stopped working, he said he decided to spend the rest of his time making things better in the community.
Hulquist said he becomes frustrated when partisanship is introduced on the local level because it “shouldn’t affect everything, especially not the position of county commissioner.”

“I think when people refer to being a Democrat or being a Republican, what they’re really talking about is a difference in viewpoint,” he said. “We don’t need the world so polarized one way or the other.”
Hulquist said he is uncomfortable with the Democrats’ nominee for president, but he said he looks forward to a day when differences in opinion don’t have to translate into a divided America.
“With all the troubles we have in this country, there’s no place for being a Democrat or a Republican,” he said. “If they could all just get off their high horses and get down to the work at hand, it would all be wonderful.”