Copyright Lewiston Morning Tribune
Can an aspiring trust buster and economic populist running as an independent unseat a three-term Idaho Republican and win a seat in the U.S. Senate? Long as the odds may be, Todd Achilles of Boise thinks dissatisfaction with what he calls a rigged economy and rigged two-party system can propel him to victory. “The core issue that I hear again and again from folks on the right, the left or in the middle, is it’s the rigged economy, and it’s just not working,” he said during a visit to the Lewiston Tribune Wednesday. “Idahoans can’t afford to live in Idaho. We need to not only break up the monopolies, but we need to restore livable wages. By my estimate, about 60% of Idahoans don’t earn a livable wage.” What’s more, Achilles thinks if he and other unaffiliated Senate hopefuls win, they can take control of the chamber and use their tie-breaking power to set its agenda. Here’s his math. If Democrats pick up two Senate seats and two of the four independents that are challenging Republicans win, there would be 49 Republicans, 47 Democrats and four independents — two newly elected senators plus incumbents Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine. “So what we do is we deny the majority to either party. We’d be the tie breakers and given how the Senate functions, we’d effectively set the agenda for the Senate, because nothing would happen in the Senate without the independents,” he said. “I think this is what has got folks excited around the country and why you hear more about this purple revolution.” Achilles is challenging 82-year-old Jim Risch, who is running for his fourth term in next year’s midterm elections. Achilles has been touring the state to introduce himself to voters and sell them on his vision. The 58-year old grew up in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, served three years in the Army as a tank commander and platoon leader, then spent 20 years working in the tech industry. He served two years in the Idaho Senate and now teaches public policy at Boise State University, the College of Idaho and University of California – Berkeley. Despite his tech background, Achilles believes some of its biggest players have grown too powerful and are conspiring to fix prices, stymie competition and stick it to average joes. For example, he said tech firms help national property management companies that have purchased apartment buildings and houses throughout the state share data so they can set prices that keep consumers living on the edge. “That’s why rents in the Treasure Valley and Coeur d’Alene have increased three times faster than inflation, right? That doesn’t happen in a competitive market. That happens in a rigged market,” he said. “These property managers as a result of this bad behavior, I mean, they’re, they’re hoovering up hundreds of millions of dollars out of the economy every month as a result of this. Apartments used to be where people would go first to save money so they could buy a house. And now they’re getting raked over the coals.” The same thing is happening with health care and wages in Achilles’ view. He said some large companies keep their workers hovering just below the threshold of full-time employment so they don’t have to provide them with health insurance. The employees are forced onto Medicare, or the Affordable Care Act’s subsidized health insurance exchanges. Others get by with food stamps. “It’s a function of ‘how do you exploit the community,’ rather than ‘how do you contribute to the community,’ ” he said. “I think that’s the kind of stuff that we’ve really got to crack down on because, that’s what is undermining our economy.” Achilles opposes a single payer or Medicare for all system and prefers something like a complete overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. He applauded Rep. Mike Simpson’s courage in proposing a sweeping $33.5 billion initiative to save Snake River salmon by breaching lower Snake River dams and mitigating affected communities and industries. But he said Simpson’s proposal looked to protect the status quo rather than building a new system that benefits all involved. While he hasn’t staked out a position breaching, Achilles said the fish need more help than they are getting. “I don’t have the plan for how to fix this thing, but I know we need to address it,” he said, “because we can’t lose the salmon runs and they’re getting perilously close.” On the recently announced plans for Mountain Home Air Force Base in southern Idaho to host and train Qatari jet fighters, Achilles said the program was dropped on the state without sufficient notification and explanation. He noted Risch, in his role as chairperson of the Foreign Relations Committee, should have been aware of the plan and in a position to either sell it to constituents or stop it. “If this was good for American security, and if it’s therefore good for Idaho, they get out in the communities and explain it. Like at least have a town hall at Mountain Home and say … here’s why we’re going to bring the Qatari Air Force in to train.” Despite the penchant for Idaho votes to choose anybody with an “R” next to their name when casting ballots, Achilles thinks Sen. Jim Risch is vulnerable and out of touch with voters. “I think he really likes being in the Senate and everything that is part of being in the Senate, and spending more time at the Munich Security Conference than holding town halls in Idaho,” he said. “I think roughly a quarter of Idaho voters don’t even know who he is and those that do don’t really like him.” Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com.
