A Nebraskan's View of Oklahoma Politics

As I was doing research for Oklahoma's July 27th primary, I found a very interesting article. I am a native Oklahoman although I have lived numerous other places. My state is one Liberals like to have a lot of fun with. I figure they are jealous of our football, our fabulous young golfers and our amazing standard of living.

So today I found a piece at OK Grassroots written by a Nebraskan, Shelli Dawdy. She is talking about Oklahoma politics, a subject near and dear to my heart. We are an extremely conservative state, the reddest state, and quite frankly, Oklahomans cannot be blamed for any of the problems happening in Washington, D.C. today.

Here is a portion of Ms. Dawdy's article, and while she speaks about a few of our primary candidates, I wanted you to hear what she has to say about the voters in the Great State of Oklahoma.

I'm in Nebraska. Why do I care what happens in the Oklahoma primary election on July 27? by Shelli Dawdy @ Facts are Stubborn Things

While I do have a number of friends and contacts there, that is not what drives my concern. I have come to believe that Oklahoma is at the tip of a spear that for so many reasons, is pointing in the right direction. Oklahoma has a very strong, organic movement comprised of resolute people committed to the Constitution. It is considered by many the home of State Sovereignty and it requires less digging to find some strong legislators at their Capitol than in my own and other states.

State Representative Charles Key and State Senator Randy Brogdon, are at the top of that list; they have taken on issues like State Sovereignty and REAL ID, just to name two.

Oklahoma has a number of excellent Constitutional, liberty-minded candidates challenging incumbents. More, it seems than in many other states, and more that are rock-solid on core principles.

Further, as noted in a piece I wrote at the end of May, the mindset of registered Republican voters in Oklahoma, at least in the one place where I walked blocks, was palpably different from what I’d experienced in Nebraska. Few NE voters asked questions when presented with literature, and then only about party affiliation. If the candidate was Republican, with few exceptions, that was good enough for them. Oklahomans consistently asked questions, voiced dissatisfaction with the GOP, and were clearly intending upon investigating challengers in a race.

Having said all that, life at the tip of the spear is a tenuous business. My understanding of infantry is they take the brunt of the battle. Rep. Key and Sen. Brogdon have had successes, but they’ve also had disappointments. Challenging candidates and their supporters have been shut out from equal access by the GOP establishment. Supporters of State Sovereignty, individual liberty, and limited government have been called radicals, liars, and even insane. Entrenched power doesn’t go down easily. It gets really ugly, as a matter of fact, the more threatened it feels.

The people at the tip of the spear can’t hold their ground forever. Others need to join them. Infantry troops need backup. I’m in a state where the incumbents were re-elected across the board, with the most successful challenger garnering 37% of the vote. I want to see the movement back to core Constitutional principles, toward limited government, and a restoration of our Republic continue. Oklahoma is key in that fight. And when you see a success in the legislature or a candidate, it’s not really the one man you see leading the charge; he has a battalion of supporters working hard behind the scenes. They deserve and need reinforcement and support.

What will happen in Oklahoma next Tuesday? Will the discontent with entrenched power translate into the ousting of some incumbents? Perhaps. If some of the challengers had just a fraction of the support thrown at Scott Brown in Massachusetts, sending establishment, bail-out voting, Progressive Republicans packing would be much more certain. Read more.

 I will be posting about Oklahoma candidates tomorrow (Sunday).