Liberal towns in Idaho (Boise, Pocatello: fit in, health insurance, neighborhoods)

[pw72]

Wow! I didn't realize this thread even existed until tonight.

The title, "liberal cities in Idaho", doesn't require a lot of space to respond. However, I will agree that Moscow, North panhandle, and Lewiston are probably the most left.

As for Eastern Idaho, that map looks a little deceiving...for example, while I have no source, my impression is Pocatello is more liberal and less LDS than Idaho Falls. (Pocatello, home to Idaho State) I also have the impression, (again without a source), that Idaho Falls is more liberal and less LDS than Rexburg. This isn't to say LDS doesn't have a large presence in these areas, but you have to differentiate between the areas.

The longer I live in this area, the more I realize that LDS members have many of the same issues that non-LDS members have. It's called being human, and religions, (that should be completely respected by all), do not make us much different from each other. Sorry for the ramble, but that is my feel right now.

Now, when will Obama or Hillary visit Idaho? Can't seem to find those dates on their itineraries.

[CafeDelSol]

Originally Posted by Syringaloid

I have often heard that Boise,especially the Northend and downtown areas are by far the most liberal in the state.
What about the Wood River Valley? Nobody ever mentions that area here. Nobody moving to Idaho has the money to live in Sun Valley just joking
Sun Valley would probably be the most liberal area of the state, but it probably gets ignored because there are a lot of part time residents that live there.

That was going to be my vote. Sun Valley is the usually only place in Idaho that Democratic presidential candidates ever visit. They totally ignore the rest of the state because they know it's a lost cause. There is a LOT of cash flowing from that area into the Democratic coffers due to the high percentage of celebrities and other filthy rich left wing liberal types who live there. I think most of the residents there probably think of Sun Valley as a separate state from Idaho. Which, for all practical purposes, it is.

[ssouina]

The map was very helpful and was what finally made me decide Idaho isn't for me...frightening!

[Yellowfin240]

I've lived in Kona Hawaii for 27 years and I'm planning to move to the Lewiston/Orofino area of western Idaho soon.Hawaii is arguably the most liberal state in the union and I was aprehensive at first about bringing my Asian wife and mixed race daughter to a place with a reputation for racism and intolerance.After spending quite a bit of time there I've realized that my fears were totally unfounded.The people are genuinely friendly and do have a live and let live attitude.There are conservatives and liberals in every community.A person can be a tolerant social liberal and still be strong on national defense and a proponent of the right to keep and bear arms.We Americans are a complicated people not easily pigeonholed.My reason for moving to ID is because the education system in Hawaii is not all that great and unless you like hanging at the beach there is not much else to do.I want to broaden my daughters horizons.

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

I think much of Idaho tends to be more Libertarian than left wing liberal. There is a strong sense of pretty much letting people do there own thing without a lot of government or social interferance. There is a strong pro-freedom and pro-gun culture in much of the state. There doesn't seem to be much of the nanny-state-big-gov-is-the-solution mentality, or entitlement mentality here. There might be some exception with the university in Moscow, and perhaps the artsy crowd in Sandpoint, I'm not really sure. At the same time, there is a good tolerance for outsiders (since so many of us are) and of different opinions.

Yellowfin brings up some good points with the complexity of the issue.

[SacTown11]

What's up with all the really really old threads being dug up? I've never thought of looking for specific types of locales. I want to move to Idaho because I truly believe that's the last place that Democrats and Republicans have yet to **** all over within the lower 48 states. In the end, we will all lose and Idaho will turn into a mini California. There is no place for the dying breed of freedom loving individualist Americans to live without having to endure the complexities of political correctness, taxes, partisian politics, government intrusion upon the family, ect ect.... It's saddening, but the Constitution has little meaning nowadays and not many average Joe's out there seem to care. My hope is that most of Idaho is more Libertarian leaning than Liberal or Conservative. Though I prefer the Conservative Libertarian Constitutionalist label myself. lol

[GhostInTheShell]

Originally Posted by SacTown11

What's up with all the really really old threads being dug up? I've never thought of looking for specific types of locales. I want to move to Idaho because I truly believe that's the last place that Democrats and Republicans have yet to **** all over within the lower 48 states. In the end, we will all lose and Idaho will turn into a mini California. There is no place for the dying breed of freedom loving individualist Americans to live without having to endure the complexities of political correctness, taxes, partisian politics, government intrusion upon the family, ect ect.... It's saddening, but the Constitution has little meaning nowadays and not many average Joe's out there seem to care. My hope is that most of Idaho is more Libertarian leaning than Liberal or Conservative. Though I prefer the Conservative Libertarian Constitutionalist label myself. lol

If you only knew how closely I identify with most of what you said....

I could be wrong, and I'm not trying to put words into anyone's mouth, but I think sometimes when people ask about liberal towns in what would otherwise be conservative states, what they're looking for is a place with a more open-minded, artsy feel to it (bookstores, cafes, boutiques, etc.). I don't understand why that has to be liberal (why not libertarian?), but I suspect that's what comes to mind when most people think of liberal towns. As much as I love hiking, privacy, shooting my rifle and being outdoors, I'll freely admit that I don't want to live like a complete recluse in the middle of nowhere and that I enjoy artsy kinds of places and sometimes being around the sorts of people who frequent them. In Idaho, based strictly on what I've read on this forum, I think some place within about a 15-20 minute drive to Sandpoint would be ideal. You could have all the outdoors and privacy you wanted, while still being able to drive into town for a cup of coffee, a nice meal or just to walk around and relax. That's the impression I get anyway. I'd appreciate it if someone would correct me if my impression of Sandpoint is completely off.

[Sandpointian]

Ghost,
I guess we have to start with what one means by the word "liberal." Across the pond, one who is "liberal" is apt to take the side of freedom and self-determination on most issues. "Liberal" is a word that has become meaningless. So is the case for those who like to consider themselves "fiscally conservative," yet spend lie crazy on programs that suit themselves and their oft-misguided ideologies. Finally, many who used labels are themselves the least informed of what those terms mean and have meant. Because of these things, I am numbed to labels since they have become shields for other beliefs that go on unarticulated.

I think in SP we are not label-focused. And when I think about it, that fact alone is perhaps among our greatest attributes. In fact, I am a big fan of my neighbors yet have no clue as to their political bent. I do know they pitch in on community activities, enjoy hunting, share their bounty of fruits, veggies and baked pies, care about the lakes of the area, drink our wine, go to Church or have well grounded spiritual beliefs, attend school fundraisers, socialise at the farmer's market, try to grow their businesses, and worry about balanced/smart growth. They are communitarian-socialist-christian-democrat-libertarian-atheist-republican-environmentalists. Quite frankly, I would not have it any other way. Labels are for mass media and their sound bytes.

I agree that the self-righteous have the idea that art should be associated with one political bent is patently ridiculous by almost any standard used by human history. Same goes for literature.

As to your impression of SP, I don';t have a clear sense of what that impression is and I think many of us share SacTown's idea that we should be responsible stewards of our gift and not eff things up. That said, we need to be clear that many things commonly ascribed to one party or the other are nothing of the sort.

We are a town of roughly 10K inhabitants. We have a few public elementary schools, a couple of public middle schools and a high school. We have a wastewater treatment plant. We have considerable traffic coming through 12 months a year, with a huge throng coming through during the summer. That summer crowd is quite frankly something I hope our economy can wean itself off of.

But we pay our taxes here in SP and I am quite proud to do so. Those taxes keep our communities running at its modest and folksy pace. Our little city is pretty darn efficient with those taxes and not our budget is not terribly bloated. I want my taxes to as low as it can without jeopardizing the integrity of the town. And since we have public schools, I want them to be good ones, because I am proud of SP. If that means I chip in a bit more, so be it. I know the return on investment has been good. I would like to think we run on about 70% of what would be ideal, with that 30% wedge meaning that we are little smaller, slower and less expansive that we might want to be if something else were paying the bills. And the latter is the key, isn't it?

But...we are at the size where all SP area residents need to frequently look in the mirror of ourselves, "what do we want ourselves to be?" Some tony lakeside town? Anti-growth bucolia a la Oregon in the 1970s? Strip mall Sacramento? Chintzy Lake Tahoe? Hedge Fund Rich, Locally ignorant Jackson Hole? Or a fiercely independent, holistic, and classically liberal Sandpoint, where politicos of all types can co-exist and know better than to turn the sanctity of home into an ideological battleground...and where people with varied careers and backgrounds can actually enjoy living with each other without serious tension? Well hell, I vote for the latter.

If you like towns where one is not always right and can accept differences of opinion, both being hallmarks of true tolerance, then SP is a good place. I tell you one thing, I am frequently humbled by the skills, character and spirit of my friends and neighbors. Within such a community, I have learned to listen and appreciate. I save my pontificating for when I am on-line

One annoying trend in this world is the drive for sameness, whether it is a community of strip malls and franchises or whether it is the "you must believe and think as I do or else." The former is usually find in low income and lowly educated locales where the economics of fast food predominate. The latter is a trend among better educated, folks that should no better. Not only is the "us versus them" mentality a bore, but it is distinctly un-American and non-Consititutionalist. No thanks. Rapid communists, atheists, monks, sculptors, minors, writers, legals scholars, priests, loggers, activists, and CEOs are all welcome in our house with the proviso that they leave hubris and self-righteousness out on the porch with their muddy boots.

[GhostInTheShell]

Sandpointian,

Thanks for your detailed and thoughtful reply. People like you are making Sandpoint sound like a better place each time you post!

You seem to have a pretty level-headed take on all this. And I agree that it's one thing to discuss politics or other sensitive topics on an Internet forum in an appropriate thread, but in "real life" I usually keep my mouth shut and prefer to keep it that way when it comes to such things, other than among close friends.

[Sandpointian]

"The river has taught me to listen, from it you will learn it as well. It knows
everything, the river, everything can be learned from it."

--Herman Hesse, taken from Siddhartha

Our rivers and lakes do that to us--make us listen...and learn...