Scott's fireworks might be worthwhile

Arguing the difference between white nationalists and white supremacists may be useless.

At this point in American politics, the answer is not in a dictionary — but in the eye of the beholder.

Furthermore, if an Idaho legislator posted someone else’s view of this semantics debate on Facebook, people either would ignore it or simply yawn.

Unless, of course, the politician were Heather Scott.

There simply is no hiding for Scott, R-Blanchard, who has made friends, enemies and plenty of curious spectators during her two terms in the Idaho Legislature.

So when Scott did, in fact, open up discussion to distinguish between white nationalists and white supremacists on her Facebook page — quoting a statement from David Hodges on “The Common Sense Show.com” — she once again made herself an ideal target for a Boise political reporter.

Scott has fiercely rebutted several of the points made in the resulting story.

“For whatever reason, (the author) has just set out to paint me as a racist,” Scott said in her angriest effort to return fire. “And very simply, I’m not.

“There are plenty of other white Christian conservatives who hold the same views as I do, and are any of them targeted by the media the way I am?”

Scott knows the answer, and so does anyone who follows Idaho politics.

The fiery representative from District 1 (most of Boundary and Bonner counties) is the Legislature’s most obvious lightning rod, and she admits she’s earned that reputation.

It’s not particularly useful to recount Scott’s strident and outrageous statements and actions, the events that have made her a hero to some, an annoyance to others — and most definitely fodder for sections of the media.

Anyone who cares knows most of the list already.

“You know, I’m not trying to cause all this,” Scott said this week. “I’m trying to lay low.”

Perhaps this actually is Scott “laying low” at the moment — considering that at a conservative rally several months ago, she admitted that some of her early legislative antics were partially intended to grab attention for her views.

There is an unshakeable belief behind scott’s fireworks.

She has said over and over that there are two parties in Boise — and they have nothing to do with Democrats and Republicans.

“No, there are legislators who are there to do the will of the people, and there are the ones who are there to stay on the gravy train,” she said.

To underscore her point, Scott said she has great respect for representatives like Democrat Jack McCrostie of District 16, even though they disagree on almost every policy issue.

“It’s because he’s not a ‘gravy train’ guy. He’s doing his best for his constituents,” she said. “My district is obviously different, so we may vote opposite ways — but the point is we’re both there to speak for the people we serve.”

Scott insists that, occasional unusual behavior or not, she has never wavered in her core goal.

“I want all power to be in the hands of the people,” she said. “I hope to educate and empower the people (she claims the Facebook post was to create discussion and education), so they can control the government — and decide if it becomes too big or intrudes on too many lives.

“It’s obvious that politicians who intend to keep that power for themselves would want to demonize me, isn’t it?”

The ongoing question in the Legislature likely goes something like this: “Do Scott’s antics prove she’s simply wacky, or is she sucker-punching us all?”

For everyone outside the capitol, there is a different question: Is it beneficial to have a representative — or a few of them — waking up lawmakers with the occasional hand grenade?

Personally, I’m all for having a loose cannon or two to prevent any legislative body from slipping into the mode of “business as usual.”

So yeah, I’ll go with a grenade-thrower.

From any party.

Steve Cameron is a special assignment columnist and reporter for The Press. Reach Steve at scameron@cdapress.com.