Huckleberries Online - "HBO Talks To Jim Risch"

Interview

Huckleberries Online - "HBO Talks To Jim Risch"

1. Your decision to participate in four debates is welcome. But why haven't you agreed to the important League of Women Voters one?

Jim Risch: We're working on a fifth one. The debates we've agreed to -- first of all you can't do all the debates. You get lots of invitations. You pick the ones that get most coverage around the state. We look for the ones with the best format for getting out our message. And it has nothing to do with whether or not Betsy Russell is on the panel (laughter).

2. What do you make of that Daily Kos sponsored poll that shows you only 10 points ahead of Larry LaRocco, with 17 percent undecided?

JR: The word "only" is interesting, the way you use that. Most people in these races would be delighted with a double-digit lead. It falls within the margin of error on the polling we have. It's lower than we have. BTW, our polling has been consistent since we started.

3. As a U.S. senator, what would you do to make the country forget about the messy final 15 months of Larry Craig's political career?

JR: My time in the U.S. Senate will have nothing to do with Larry Craig's career.

4. Should Larry Craig have kept his promise and resigned from the Senate last fall?

JR: There's nothing I can say that would affect his decision, nor is there anything I can say that would change the situation. As a result of that, I'm looking forward, not backward.

5. Larry LaRocco has said that he'd have a bigger impact for Idaho as a Democrat in a Democratic Congress than you would as a Republican. Tell me why you disagree?

JR: I disagree because we have an absolute clear indication of what would happen if Mike Crapo and Larry LaRocco were U.S. senators. We'd have offsetting votes on all major issues to the point that Idaho wouldn't have representation in the U.S. Senate. Mike Crapo is the co-chairman of my campaign. He and I are close personal friends. Idaho will have 2 votes in the same direction for virtually every time the roll was called.

6. Independent Rex Rammell decided to run after you ordered a number of his straying farmed elk to be shot. Do you still stand by that decision?

JR: That decision was not made lightly. When I took the oath of office, I took the oath seriously. One of the things I swore to do was to protect Idaho as best I could. Had any of those elk communicated a disease to our wild elk herd or compromised the genetic purity of our wild elk herd, I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night. If the question is would I have done it again because of the political ramifications, the answer is -- that would have had no effect on my decision.

7. Do you support the current Idaho primary system?

JR: I prefer the current system.

8. Would you prefer to be governor than a U.S. senator?

JR: I enjoyed being the governor. By all accounts it was very successful. Having said that, I'm now running for the U.S. Senate. My prayer is that it can be just as successful as my time as governor.

9. Would you vote for a U.S. Supreme Court nominee who supported abortion on demand and other liberal social policies?

JR: No. I'm looking for a judge who's not a social activist. Today, the judicial system is clearly as the non-elected branch of government way too involved in policy and legislating when they should be deciding in controversy.

10. Have you ever felt like throwing Bill Sali out a window?

JR: No.

11. What do you know about the Idaho blogosphere today that you didn't know at the beginning of the campaign?

JR: My understanding is about the same then as now. It's clearly part of the discussion process and at least in some respects part of the journalistic process. And it's expanding. I do read blogs but I don't spend a lot of time reading. I read Betsy Russell's, Huckleberries and occasionally Kevin Richert's. I also read Stuart Rothenburg's (Congressional Quarterly) site. I use the Google search engine on toolbar of my computer, even though my main search engine is MSN. And I'll Google a subject, and I suppose, like everyone else quickly read search engine paragraph and choose from that something that I think is interesting. It may be a blog and it may not.

Bonus Question: What's on your computer "favorites" list?

JR: Virtually all of the major news sources, including print and electronic in Idaho. In addition to that, two of my favorites are National Geographic and Smithsonian. I'm fascinated by anthropology and specifically the DNA work that Dr. David Wells is doing on mapping the human migration out of Africa about 60,000 years ago.

12. Now that Bill Sali has started a blog, do you have any plans to so as well? If not and if you get elected, would you consider starting one then?

JR: That's a compound question. The answer to the first part of the question is yes. I'm thinking probably Labor Day, when people start paying attention to this stuff. Or thereabouts. I do intend to continue if I'm fortunate to be elected.

13. What do you think of Brandi Swindell's protest of China's human rights abuses in Tiananmen Square this week?

JR: I've been in North Idaho for days. I have not followed that story.

14. Yes Or No: Would you support: Craig-Wyden reauthorization? (Yes), Off-shore/ANWR drilling? (Yes) Gay marriage? (No) More governmental control of the Internet? (No) More wilderness set aside in Idaho? (Yes, I addressed that in my roadless plan that was written by Idahoans and is now in the process of final adoption. It sets aside 3.2 million acres in wildland recreation status, which is very similar to a wilderness status). 15. You're known for being extremely partisan in a state where your party has always been in the majority. Will you play well with others if/when you get to Washington or will you just be a flamethrower?

JR: During my 22 years in the state Senate, I served all but my freshman years on the leadership team. That required me to work during most of those years with Democrat governors. And during all of those years with a Democratic minority that could block almost anything we did because they had at least one-third of the Senate numbers. One of the closest friendships I developed in the state Senate was with the then Democrat minority leader Kermit Kiebert of Bonner County. We remain close friends today. I stay at his home when I'm in North Idaho. He has my bumpersticker on his car. He puts up signs for me. He's one of my most avid supporters. He is probably the best example of how I can work across the aisle. Also, as governor I appointed the first Democrat to the Idaho Fish & Game Commission in many, many years when I could have appointed an Independent (Bob Borowski, Democrat sheriff from Payette County.) Finally, for an example as governor, the roadless plan I wrote required the collaboration of Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals and environmentalists. And enjoys incredibly wide support in light of controversial nature and wide variety of lands that we dealt with.

15. How long should we remain in Iraq?

JR: I'm like every other American. I'm impatient and I want that matter resolved. We've been very generous to that country. And it's important that the Iraqi people step up and do what they must to take control of their own country. I do not support a date-certain withdrawal. Nor do I support a withdrawal that will endanger our military troops or people in Iraq who have supported our military troops. Within those parameters, I want us out as soon as possible.

16. You opposed the gaming compacts negotiated by then Gov. Dirk Kempthorne -- only to see a looser when approved by initiative. Are you satisfied by the way Indian gaming is handled in the state now?

JR: The controversy regarding that issue has dissipated considerably. Given that, until there is some major event through litigation, I think things are going to remain as they are. We have to move on. It is what it is today.

17. Larry LaRocco boasts of working dozens of day jobs in dozens of Idaho towns as part of his Working for the Senate. Do you think you're a better fit for the average Idahoan than he is?

JR: A lot of those jobs I actually did growing up. I went to work when I was 12 years old. I started peddling papers and I did a lot of manual labor jobs. A lot of the jobs he's doing I've done during my lifetime. I came from very humble beginnings. I won't ever forget the hard work that got me to where I'm at today. LaRocco has been a registered Washington D.C. lobbyist for the dozen years after he was defeated. He's worked in Washington D.C. during that period of time as a lobbyist. I don't think that simply working a day or a half day at a job, he's going to convince people that something he isn't.

18. Your opponents have tried to caricaturize your push as governor to take the school M&O off the property tax as a tax shift. Why do you disagree?

JR: The removal of the M&O reduced property taxes by about $260 million -- about 20% of the statewide property taxes collected. The addition of the penny certainly covered some of that cut. For instance, in the first year (2006), the penny raised $50 million, making the net tax cut $210 million. After 2006, the penny covered more of the property tax cut. But at the end of the day still results in a $30 million to $50 million tax cut every year. The criticism was levied on that tax policy which I had enacted are the same criticisms that were levied at the time it passed and through the fall election -- and 72.4% of Idahoans said this is what we want.

19. As a state official, do you support the effort by the city of Coeur d'Alene and the city's urban renewal district to create an Education Corridor next to North Idaho College and expand higher education offerings?

JR: Yes. I was involved on that as governor -- and that was the early stages of the project. I liked it then. I've been briefed as lieutenant governor, as the project has matured, and I still support the project.

20. On a conservative to liberal scale, how would you describe the political leanings of you and your two opponents?

JR: It's almost impossible to do because there's no scale that is objective. Out of the five of us running, I would have to say that clearly LaRocco is furthest to the Left by a long ways. The other four of us would be on the right. And depending on the issue some more so than others.

Final: What did you have for breakfast?

JR: I had 3 bites of a waffle at the IHOP, immediately following a speech I gave and shortly before I left the hall to give another speech. With maple syrup.

Question: How important is your wife's companionship and counsel to you? Obviously, she campaigns with your regularly.

JR: The answer to this question is the exact same answer at the last line in the MasterCard commercial -- priceless.

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