Republican Women, Again, to be Missing in Action

I just read in the Statesman that the final Republican – former Rep. Tom Dayley – has been chosen for the Idaho Citizen Commission for Reapportionment. Rep. Dayley is a friend and will do a good and honorable job, as will the others. But where are the Republican women? Missing in action. Again. Am I the only one with heartburn about this?

Certainly one of the three Republican men choosing Commissioners could have put forward a woman. The Republican Party’s woman-bench in Idaho is deep, believe it or not. It’s full of many well-qualified women who seldom get chosen by leadership to step up to the plate.

There are lots of Republican women who possess the political experience, the conviction, and the wisdom to do the job. Former Rep. Maxine Bell, former Senator Shawn Keough, and former Rep. Kelley Packer come immediately to mind. And there’s nothing to limit appointees to former Legislators either, further expanding the field of qualified Republican women.

It sure would be nice to see a representative number of us in action, gentlemen. Sure, we bring different qualities to the table, but some would say it’s past time for that. Way past time.

PS Republican women, if you agree you should stop keeping quiet for fear you’ll lose out. We’re losing out anyway.

At the very least, like and share this post. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. That’s how we got the vote, remember?