Today’s show was a mix of national chaos and local accountability. We started with US Senator **Jim Risch** laying the blame for the ongoing government shutdown at Democrats’ feet, calling it completely avoidable and emphasizing how unfair it is that people like TSA and Coast Guard are being forced to work without pay. He also walked through his view of the current conflict with Iran—arguing Iran’s military capabilities have been quickly neutralized, that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open, and that there’s no plan for US “boots on the ground” because modern warfare doesn’t require it. He also gave an upbeat update on Venezuela, calling it a successful operation and saying the country is moving toward elections and a more America-friendly posture. The hour closed with the SAVE Act push—Risch and the hosts framing proof-of-citizenship voter registration and photo ID as basic, common-sense election security, while acknowledging the 60-vote Senate hurdle and exploring whether reconciliation could be a path.
Then we pivoted back home to Idaho politics with the updated **Party Cohesion Index (PCI)**—a tool Neil built to show how often lawmakers vote with the majority of their stated party on the votes that actually split the parties. We spent time stressing what the PCI is *and isn’t*: it’s a starting point, not a motivation detector, and it’s on voters (and lawmakers) to explain and investigate the “why” behind a score. That led into a deeper discussion about the bathroom bill, fairness, enforcement excuses, and why the burden keeps getting placed on women and kids instead of on adults who want the rules changed. We also took a detour through late-night politics (Kimmel mocking Markwayne Mullin), media hypocrisy (Jen Psaki suddenly wanting daily press access), and a very Trump-style cabinet-meeting moment where he openly mocked the idea that reporters should expect operational war details—while the hosts argued the press often asks questions designed less to inform than to bait.
– Senator **Jim Risch** on the shutdown: avoidable, destructive, and unfair to unpaid federal workers like TSA and Coast Guard.
– Iran conversation: Risch says Iran’s air/naval capability has been crushed and there’s **no boots-on-the-ground plan**.
– Venezuela update: described as a fast, highly successful operation with negotiations shaping the transition and a path toward elections.
– The **Party Cohesion Index (PCI)**: why it focuses on party-splitting votes, and why a score demands follow-up—not knee-jerk conclusions.
– Bathroom bill debate: enforcement excuses challenged; emphasis placed on protecting kids and fairness over ideological demands.
Let’s talk advertising. When you want to advertise on the radio, you call the station, right? But what about Facebook, Instagram, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, and other streaming platforms?
You could try clicking around, reading books, or taking online courses to figure it out—or you can let us handle it. At Sandhill Media Group, we’re your local experts in both radio and digital marketing.
Visit SandhillMediaGroup.com today.
