Mike Simpson has done a lot for Idaho, but Statesman recommends a change

Aaron Swisher may be an unlikely Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. An economist by trade and a self-described capitalist, he speaks in detail about solving the federal budget deficit and improving the economy through tax policy. But he also has blue-collar bona fides: He’s the son of a postal carrier and a bank teller who grew up in rural West Virginia.

Swisher, 48, is challenging longtime incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, 70, who has done a lot for Idaho and the 2nd Congressional District, particularly when it comes to public lands and agriculture.

Simpson helped create the Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness Area, which he considers his greatest achievement in his 20 years as a legislator, and helped pass the Great American Outdoors Act, which ensures permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

But it is time for a change so that Idaho has a representative who will seriously address the budget deficit, create a fairer economy with practical solutions and take seriously the legislative role of being a check on the executive branch.

The Idaho Statesman editorial board endorses Aaron Swisher for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2nd Congressional District.

In the time Simpson has been in office, our federal budget has gone from a $126 billion surplus in 1999 to regular, trillion-dollar deficits, ballooning now to $26 trillion in national debt, with no fix in sight. During that time, Republicans controlled the House 16 of those years and controlled the House and the Senate 12 of those years, including eight years with a Republican president. Simpson is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and bears some responsibility.

Simpson, a dentist by trade, spent seven terms in the Idaho House of Representatives, including as speaker of the House, before being elected to Congress.

We are troubled by Simpson’s nonchalant attitude about abuses of power by President Donald Trump, chuckling about his tweets, as if that’s all that’s at stake. Like many congressional Republicans, Simpson does not seem to take seriously Congress’ important role of providing checks and balances on the executive branch.

Swisher holds degrees in economics and finance from Boise State University and went to work at Micron Technology’s treasury department, managing the multibillion-dollar corporation’s cash. Swisher, who now works for a brand-protection and anti-fraud services firm, has written a book, “The Wealth and Poverty of Capitalist Nations,” that puts forward a new school of economic thought aimed at fixing the problems caused by Republican and Democratic economic theories.

Budget deficit

After this election, the U.S. House of Representatives likely still will be controlled by the Democratic Party, and Idaho would benefit from having a representative in the majority party, especially a legislator who wants to do something about the federal budget deficit.

“When our debtors finally decide to cut off the credit line, it is going to have a huge impact on our economy and our way of life,” Swisher told the editorial board.

Swisher is realistic about the massive task at hand, laying out a combination of raising taxes, changing Social Security and Medicare and cutting defense spending.

Swisher proposes modifying the personal income tax system by increasing taxes on income of more than $1 million a year and using most of that revenue to simplify and reduce taxes on people making less than $500,000 per year.

In an interview with the editorial board, Simpson continued to defend the 2017 GOP Tax Cut and Jobs Act, even though it has done little to help the economy, as had been promised, and it has reduced revenue, making the budget deficit even worse.

Swisher believes our system favors corporations over ordinary Americans, which exacerbates our current social strife.

“If you look at a lot of the problems we have in our society today, including the division that you’re seeing in the streets in American cities, a lot of that is due to the fact that common everyday people can’t go out and earn a decent paycheck working 40 hours a week,” Swisher said. He favors gradually raising the minimum wage to a livable wage.

Salmon and breaching dams

Swisher said he supports breaching the four lower Snake River dams to save salmon, along with solutions to problems that come with breaching.

Simpson, disappointingly, continues to decline to publicly endorse breaching the dams, choosing instead to talk around the issue by bringing up ocean temperatures, harvests and predators.

Swisher and Simpson also diverge when it comes to health care.

Swisher supports a gradual but ultimate goal of a national single-payer system, starting with a smaller, less-aggressive public option.

Simpson supports more free-market solutions that reduce regulations in the industry and increase competition.

Despite early resistance to the corrosive nature of President Trump, Simpson has since gotten on the Trump train, cheering the president, suggesting that rather than push back against Trump’s actions and policies, Simpson is more interested in capitalizing on the president’s popularity with his base — at whatever cost.

Simpson told the editorial board that he’s concerned about the president’s unauthorized and unconstitutional diverting of funds to build portions of a wall on the southern border, but he is apparently not concerned enough to do anything about it.

Swisher finds this problematic, as do we.

“There are a lot of Republicans, there are a lot of independent conservatives that are rightfully disturbed by Donald Trump, and they’re worried about our nation,” Swisher said. “Mike Simpson has already said that he is absolutely voting for Donald Trump, and he supports his policies. The nation is at a point where we all need to stand up, set our positions, partisanship aside or political affiliations aside, and essentially save the nation and show the president that his policies and his actions and the way he does things are not acceptable. And also show those who are enabling him and supporting him that they will not receive our support, either.”

Swisher is the better candidate to represent Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District and tackle our country’s most pressing problems.

This story was originally published October 18, 2020 at 4:00 AM.