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).

Newt Gingrich Top Contender for 2012? GOP - Don't Even Think About It

Newt Gingrich believes he is one of the top contenders for the Republican candidate in the 2012 presidential race. This tells me that Newt will now take a hiatus from writing and hawking books.

I was huge fan of Newt's brilliant brain until around April 2007 when I decided I would never vote for Newt, unless I was forced to do so, just as I so reluctantly voted for John McCain in 2008. Is Newt capable of standing up to Democrats and fearlessly point out the absurd? I don't think so.

I echo Senator Jim DeMint. "We need some new Republicans!"

“I need some new Republicans, people who believe in constitutional government, a balanced budget and liberty and so I’m out across the country recruiting new republicans who I think if they get here will not only challenge the institutions of government but be willing to even challenge the Republican Party and our leadership if they feel like we’re going in the wrong direction. I think just a handful of new Republicans in the senate could help change the direction.”

Newt is much of what DeMint lays out: Newt believes in constitutional government, balanced budgets and liberty, but Newt also loves to reach across the aisle and he values his friendships across the aisle, more than he values sound thought.

I have seen and heard Newt embrace Democrats as credible representatives for America far too many times. We need new Republicans who will not view Democrats as credible representatives, because the party no longer represents the Founding documents. It is that simple.

A few days after I wrote my first rant about Newt's character failures, Thomas Sowell states:

"Only where it counts -- in Washington -- are conservatives tongue-tied."

Newt is never tongue-tied when he appears on O'Reilly, Hannity or Greta, but when he is outside the FOX family, we cannot count on him to not extend his hand across the aisle to the worst of Congress. Whether it is John Kerry or Hillary Clinton, Newt is old politics. He cannot retrain his brilliant brain. He wants to scoop everyone up in his warm political embrace. That will not work when we face off against Democrats in 2012.

It takes a lot of energy, and causes a lot of pain to write about once-heroic Republicans, now turned to damaged goods. Doing so gives me a monumental headache. So I'm reposting the following thoughts about the Gingrich and Kerry, specifically about the debate on the environment, but in general, the overall problem with Newt. He spoke of his long relationship with the Senator and the extreme mental accuity of John Kerry. Really, did we need to hear that from one our leading Republicans, especially when the argument about the environment was, already back in 2007, obviously rife with fraud?

You see, Newt wants to have "interesting dialog;" he wants to discuss "market oriented science," and that's all well and good – it’s a discussion this country needs to have, but the Left intends to bring America to its knees on this issue, fueled by the elite's quest for even more wealth, by manipulating the everyday habits of industrious Americans.

The Left has no interest in entrepreneurial-endeavors that expose the folly of carbon offsets and such. Newt, we watch you on talk shows, read your books - listen to your every word. You tamp-down Democrat strategists with the ease of picking lint. You are tough and calmly aggressive until...until...you pair up with an elected politician.

Those leading, shaping and interpreting public policy should not shine a light on personal friendships. When you do, we angst over it, for recent history has not been kind to trusting Republicans who, daily, watch the unthinkable parade in front of us.

We are not asking you to abandon the fine art of gentlemanship, but we are asking you to be fearless in revealing the absurd...

We want our finest conservatives to take-on "taking" the Left. We want our conservative leaders to call them out, one-by-one, these rude, mean-spirited, and dishonest politicians. If you personally like the Left, fine - just don't tell us about your buddyship until today’s dire issues have the opportunity to be settled by conservative measures. Then you can tell us how fine Senator John Kerry and his cohorts may be.

On a personal level, I concede that you think John Kerry is a swell guy, but when you “speak” such validation – out-loud, it hurts the conservative movement because the fence-sitter moderates look for the easy way out, and the Democrat strategists quote you, just as they did when you personally validated Hillary Clinton a few years ago.

It only makes sense that we need every honest advantage, and praising the Left, when it’s not necessary, is to put your debate at risk. The problem is, conservative debate is just too proper and vulnerable when up against political friendships.

My message to all conservatives in the public arena today: Taking pride in the conservative nature of accord just gets us into trouble. It doesn't work anymore. Don't even think of telling us that you cannot bring yourself "down" to their level - that you will not stoop that low. Find a way to deal with these people. You're either the person for the job or you’re not.

If Gingrich does declare for the 2012 race, he will suck every dollar the GOP has from the race. The Grand Old Party is hungry for Newt. They think he is a sure thing. Wake up. Support someone outside the Beltway network, because that is our plan.

Take a look at other discussions about Newt and the 2012 elections, and let me know what you think.
Conservative Perspective
pamibe
Hot Air
RedState

Scott Brown Tea Party Movement? Media Distorts Scott Brown Comment

Media eports tried to gain legs that Republican candidate Scott Brown, the Republican running for the people's Senate seat in Massachusetts, said he was "unfamiliar" with the Tea Party Movement.

Those reports were not true. TPM printed a CORRECTION:

Correction: State Sen. Scott Brown did not use the word "unfamiliar," that was how the Boston Globe characterized his remarks. But after watching video of the press conference where Brown was asked about the tea party movement, it appears he actually was unclear about the premise of the reporter's question, not the tea party movement itself.

The original Boston Globe article said this:

"The allegation that I vote 96 percent of the time with Republicans is inaccurate, but I'm proud of the fact that I've stood up against out-of-control spending and taxation in Massachusetts," he said.

He also claimed that he was unfamiliar with the "Tea Party movement," when asked by a reporter. [wrong]

View interesting video about Scott Brown at Samuel Gonzalez' The Last Tradition, and Right Pundits has some analyzation of Brown's tightening race against Democrat Martha Coakley.

Newt Gingrich Sean Hannity on Scozzafava: Videos Newt Gingrich Marco Rubio

Sean Hannity gives Newt Gingrich an opportunity for redemption. After Sean explains that Newt was his first interview, ever, in Atlanta, establishing that the two go way, way back, the discussion of Scozzafava and the NY23rd began.

Newt Gingrich

Hannity began "I was surprised that you had endorsed her [Scozzafava]." Newt has a few weasel words, but did say he regretted that his endorsement. Don't we know he does. He pointed out that he endorsed Hoffman and worked hard for him (yes, Sunday, Monday and election day - far too little, way too late).

We will know that Newt's political heart has really changed when he endorses Marco Rubio for governor in Florida. Thanks to Saint Petersblog for the following transcript of an interview with Newt about Crist and Rubio:

Reporter: Speaker, why don't you tell us who do you like for the Florida Senate race?

Newt: Well, I think they're both fine people.

I've worked with Governor Crist for many years, and I've worked with Speaker Marco Rubio. It's going to be an interesting choice. Marco Rubio's a very aggressive, very articulate conservative. Governor Crist is a very solid political figure.

I think that Florida's very fortunate to have that kind of a primary. Those are both very good people.

We know what a "very solid political figure" means. It means Crist has a lot of name recognition and is a polished politician. Crist is not conservative. Marco Rubio is conservative. We'll see what happens as the primary nears, but the GOP has already endorsed Charlie Crist. A pox on them!

The first video below is the Newt and Hannity discussion about Scozzafava. The second video is Newt in Florida at a book signing and an interview with a local reporter, when he is asked about Marco Rubio and sitting governor, Charlie Crist.






Newt Gingrich - Sean Hannity on DeDe Scozzafava

Newt Gingrich - Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist

Carly Fiorina Barbara Boxer: Carly Fiorina Chuck DeVore: How conservative is Carly Fiorina?

Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, announced today she will run in the California primary against Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, to face Senator Barbara Boxer in the 2010 senatorial race. The question is: how conservative is Carly Fiorina? See two videos below.

Carly Fiorina

If Fiorina (R-CA) wins the primary against conservative Assemblyman Chuck DeVore in June, she will make history if she unseats Boxer.

Barbara Boxer

Both women are controversial. An online news source, Mercury News, describes them:

...Boxer has stood out with a scrappy — some say abrasive — political style. Although her defenders say the senator has a warm, grandmotherly side that's often overlooked, the reality is that her poll numbers rarely have topped 50 percent since she joined the Senate 17 years ago.

Fiorina's outsized persona and aggressive management moves at HP likewise have drawn admirers and critics. She carries a commanding stage presence, holding forth in public appearances and media interviews in a manner that suggests a keen analytical mind. 

"Clearly Barbara Boxer is a very energetic and aggressive campaigner, but she hasn't had to face anyone who matches her intensity on the stump," said Republican strategist Adam Mendelsohn. "Having someone who matches her in that arena could prove to be a lot more challenging."

Both women are wealthy. Boxer (69) is estimated to have a net worth of between $1.2 and $5.3 million in 2008. Carly Fiorina's (55) net worth is alluding me somewhere on the web, but  in 2005 she received a $21 million severance from Hewlett Packard, plus "at least $200,000 a year compensation" not included in the severance package. In the 2008 presidential election, Carly Fiorina was an economic advisor to John McCain. Her career has spanned from secretarial and receptionist jobs, including a temporary employee at Hewlett-Packard, to Boards of Directors and CEO positions. Fiorina was the first woman to lead a Fortune 20 company, and the first woman to head a Dow 30 company. Assemblyman Chuck Devore made headlines as a principled conservative in February. He resigned his position as Chief Republican Whip in opposition to "a massive tax increase deal brokered by Republican legislative leaders."

The St. Valentine's Day deal to raise taxes on hardworking Californians will neither close the budget deficit nor control spending. I believe leadership thinks they are doing the right thing - but I cannot be a party to this agreement as I believe it will harm California."

Read the letter Assemblyman DeVore wrote to the Republican Assembly leader, Mike Villines here. In the first video below, George Stephanopoulous interviews Carly Fiorina about eliminating tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. In the second, Senator Barbara Boxer, the arrogant elitist instructs Brigadier General Michael Walsh to call her "Senator." It appears California conservatives may actually have two committed conservatives to chose from, Chuck DeVore and Carly Fiorina. How conservative is Carly Fiorina? We should be hearing a lot about that now.  Carly Fiorina and George Stephanopoulous on Tax Breaks  

Bored Barbara Boxer admonishes a Brigadier General