Two-Faced Fallin: calls for federal tax cuts while pushing state tax hikes

As she comes to her final year in office, Governor Mary Fallin is setting a "legacy" of pushing for the largest tax hikes in Oklahoma history. In an ironic twist, she is simultaneously supporting the largest federal tax cut in decades.

Back in February, Fallin proposed a massive expansion of the state sales tax, amounting to over $1,703,879,742.00 ($1.7 Billion). Additional taxes she proposed brought the total to nearly $2.6 Billion. I've posted extensively on the Fallin Tax Hikes, which have shifted and morphed over the past ten months. The state legislature went along with her on some of her ideas, while discarding many of the worst parts of her proposed tax hike packages.

While Governor Fallin was doing her best to increase taxes on Oklahomans, our seven Republican members of Congress were working to pass a package at the federal level that would dramatically cut taxes. Today, the U.S. House voted on final passage of the Tax Cuts And Jobs Act, with the U.S. Senate expected to pass it later tonight and send it to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature.

To help with that effort, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker organized a letter of support, sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, and signed by 21 Republican governors.

In further comments on the letter, posted on WhiteHouse.gov, Governor Fallin said, "Our nation’s tax code, on the other hand, is outdated and in desperate need of reform. Due to incomprehensible regulations and untold pages of forms and instructions, nearly 90% of taxpayers need external help to simply pay their taxes."

In the Governors' letter, Fallin put her stamp of approval on this statement, and others: "We need to simplify the tax code and reduce the burden on hard-working people all across the United States."

Which is it, Governor Fallin? Do you want to reduce the tax burden on hard-working Oklahomans or do you want to increase the tax burden on hard-working Oklahomans? You can't have it both ways.

To quote James 1:8, "A double minded man [or woman, in this case] is unstable in all his ways."

Bobby Jindal drops out of Presidential race

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has ended his presidential campaign. Jindal, arguably the most conservative governor in the country for the past eight years, never really got a chance to break through into the top tier, rarely polling nationally above 1-2%. His main "strength" was in Iowa, where he polled as high as 6% -- his campaign was based on pulling out an upset win in the 'Hawkeye Caucii'.

It's a sad state of affairs when the first three GOP candidates to exit the 2016 race are conservative, successful, multi-term governors (Perry, Walker, Jindal).

Here is his full statement:

I cannot tell you what an honor it has been to run for President of the United States of America. My parents came to this country 45 years ago searching for freedom and a chance.
When I was born, we lived in student housing at LSU, and never in their wildest dreams did they think their son would have the opportunity to serve as Governor of Louisiana or to run for President.

They raised me to believe Americans can do anything, and they were right, we can. But this is not my time, so I am suspending my campaign for President.

Going forward, I believe we have to be the party of growth and we can never stop being the party that believes in opportunity. We cannot settle for The Left’s view of envy and division. We have to be the party that says everyone in this country – no matter the circumstances of their birth or who their parents are – can succeed in America.

One of the things I will do is go back to work at the think tank I started a few years ago – where I will be outlining a blueprint for making this the American century.

We must show the way forward on growing our economy and winning the war against terror, and especially defeating radical Islam.

I realize that our country is off on the wrong track right now. Everyone knows that, but don’t forget, this is still the greatest country in the history of the world – and every single one of us should start every day by thanking God that we are fortunate enough to be US citizens.

Now is the time for all those Americans who still believe in freedom and American exceptionalism to stand up and defend it. The idea of America – the idea that my parents came here for almost a half a century ago – that idea is slipping away from us. Freedom is under assault from both outside our borders and from within. We must act now, we do not have a moment to spare.

Jindal was in my initial top three out of the field. Scott Walker was who I leaned toward at the beginning, but then he dropped out. For the last two months I've been in a toss-up between Cruz and Jindal.

Jindal has the stellar conservative record of reform that we need in Washington. Sadly, the electorate this time around is more enamored with the high-on-flash-low-on-substance Donald Trump than they are with real solutions. Regardless of who becomes the GOP nominee and defeats Hilary Clinton, Bobby Jindal needs to play a prominent role in the next administration.

With Walker and Jindal now out, count me on the Cruz Crew train.

Scott Walker drops out of Presidential race

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker officially suspended his presidential campaign this evening, ending a once-promising run for the White House that has fizzled out over the past few weeks.

Walker briefly led the GOP field in polling back in March, and was second to Jeb Bush until Donald Trump entered the race. Trump joining the race hurt Walker more than any other candidate.

Here's Walker's full statement:

As a kid, I was drawn to Ronald Reagan because he was a Republican and a conservative. But most of all, I admired him because of his eternal optimism in the American people.

That thought came into my head when we were all standing at the Reagan Library last Wednesday. President Reagan was good for America because he was an optimist.

Sadly, the debate taking place in the Republican party today is not focused on that optimistic view of America. Instead, it has drifted into personal attacks.

In the end, I believe that voters want to be for something and not against someone. Instead of talking about how bad things are, we want to hear about how we can make them better for everyone.

We need to get back to the basics of our party:

We are the party that believes that people create jobs – not the government – and the best way to grow the economy is to get the government out of the way and build it from the ground up.

We are the party that believes that the way to measure success in government is by how many people are no longer dependent on the government – because we ultimately believe in the dignity of work.

We are the party that believes that a strong military leads to peace through strength and that will protect our children and future generations – we believe that good will triumph over evil.

We are the party that believes in the American people – and not the federal government.

These ideas will help us win the election next fall and – more importantly – these ideas will help make our country great again.

To refocus the debate will require leadership. While I was sitting in church yesterday, the pastor’s words reminded me that the Bible is full of stories about people who were called to be leaders in unusual ways.

Today, I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the race so that a positive conservative message can rise to the top of the field. With that in mind, I will suspend my campaign immediately.

I encourage other Republican presidential candidates to consider doing the same so the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive conservative alternative to the current frontrunner. This is fundamentally important to the future of the party and – ultimately – to the future of our country.

This is a difficult decision as so many wonderful people stepped up to support our efforts. Tonette and I are so very thankful for the many outstanding volunteers and the excellent staff who helped us throughout the campaign. You have become like family to us.

And speaking of family, I want to personally thank my wife Tonette – who has been a rock – as well as our amazing sons Matt and Alex. I thank my parents, my brother David and his family – and all of our other family and friends for their love and support.

Most of all, I want to thank God for His abundant grace. Win or lose, it is more than enough for any of us.

Thank you.

I'm disappointed to see Walker go (I had been leaning his direction), but I definitely agree with his sentiment that the field needs to start clearing. There are too many candidates, and we need to start coalescing around someone that can beat both Jeb Bush and Donald Trump.

We now have 15 Republicans running for President (links go to the candidate's official website): Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, and Donald Trump.

My thoughts on the first GOP debate

Thursday night's debate was a record setter, drawing an estimated viewing audience of over 24 million people. That makes it "the highest-rated primary debate in television history as well as the highest-rated non-sports cable telecast of all time in total viewers."

I didn't get to watch the debate live, but did get to view it last night online. Overall, it was a good debate; I couldn't really pick out a clear winner. Here are my thoughts in order of poll ranking, along with the amount of speaking time each candidate got.

Donald Trump (10:31)
Trump was entertaining, as expected. Performance-wise, it was very mixed. He doesn't have a good response for much of his past liberal views and record, and has a tendency to disdain questions (and questioners). He hit the right notes at some points, but lacks depth on policy and a conservative philosophy. Do we really want a nominee who boasts that he buys politicians?

Jeb Bush (8:47)
Bush seemed a bit scattered. He stumbled over several of his answers, and came across unprepared (or perhaps rusty). So much for the "shock and awe" he was supposed to bring as front runner. He may have the money, but if he performs in future debates like he did in this one, money won't be enough to save his campaign.

Scott Walker (5:55)
Walker did well when he spoke, but it seemed to take a little bit for him to warm up. It was a good performance; not great, but he didn't hurt himself.

Mike Huckabee (6:50)
I felt that Huckabee's debate performance was strong. He's a natural on the stage, and is quicker on his feet and more articulate in his answers than just about any of the other candidates.

Ben Carson (6:36)
At some points in the debate, Carson looked like he felt out of place. At other points, he had some great moments. With his calm, soft-spoken manner, it's easy for him to get lost in the crowd, but I think he did well, overall.

Ted Cruz (6:43)
I was surprised by how slowly Cruz spoke during the debate (slowest words-per minute in the field), which kind of limited how much he could get in, and he had the largest silent spell of the candidates. Otherwise, he had a solid performance, particularly at the closing.

Marco Rubio (6:44)
Rubio probably had the best performance. He's smooth on his feet, articulate, likable, and never seemed to be searching for his answer. He also came across genuine and heartfelt. There really wasn't a bad point for him during the debate.

Rand Paul (5:00)
Paul tried a little too hard to be aggressive. He came across petulant and irritable, particularly in his exchange with Christie over NSA surveillance. It was eerily reminiscent of Rudy Giuliani's spats with Ron Paul in the 2008 debates, which is not a good thing. It's one thing to try to stand out in a crowded field, but Rand went about it the wrong way.

Chris Christie (6:11)
Christie's big moment was his tangle with Rand Paul. While he didn't come across as petty as Rand did, I don't think he necessarily emerged a clear winner out of it. He did have a bright spot in the exchange with Huckabee on entitlements; it's a major issue, but few want to even discuss it. I don't think he gets any bump out of the debate, but he didn't cause himself irreparable harm.

John Kasich (6:56)
This was Kasich's first big opportunity to introduce himself to voters, and I think he did so-so. His attempts to connect with average middle-class voters ("my dad was a mailman" comments) seemed forced and inauthentic. He didn't fall on his face, but I don't think he gained any ground, which he needed to do. In some respects, he was helped by the home-field advantage with the debate audience.


Helped

• Marco Rubio
• Mike Huckabee
• Ted Cruz
• Ben Carson

Neither helped nor hurt

• Scott Walker
• Chris Christie
• John Kasich

Hurt

• Jeb Bush
• Donald Trump
• Rand Paul

With ten candidates on the stage (not even counting the seven that didn't make it on), it was difficult for most of them to be able to speak enough to make a big impact.

I thought some of the questions were dumb, and a lot of them were intended to start some on-stage squabbling, but compared to debates in previous elections, I thought this was one of the best.

Comment with your thoughts. Did you miss the debate? Watch online here, or embedded below:

#16: John Kasich launches presidential campaign

This morning, Ohio Governor John Kasich launched his presidential campaign, becoming the 16th major Republican candidate to announce.

Here's his announcement speech:



An interesting point about Kasich is that he is angling for the centrist/moderate wing of the party, much like Jon Huntsman did in 2012 (Kasich hired most of Huntsman's former campaign team), and John McCain did in 2000. Another similar tie between those three is that like Huntsman and McCain, Kasich is making New Hampshire his "do-or-die" state.


Kasich joins 15 other Republicans running for President (links go to the candidate's official website): Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, Donald Trump, and Scott Walker .

Bridenstine endorses Ted Cruz for President

Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine endorsed Texas Senator Ted Cruz for President in a column on Breitbart this morning. The only other prominent Oklahoman to pick a presidential candidate so far has been Labor Commissioner Mark Costello, who endorsed Scott Walker back in May.

Here is Bridenstine's endorsement column:

Beating Hillary Clinton requires a Republican nominee who will energize all elements of the Republican Party: fiscal conservatives, national security conservatives, values voters, and constitutional conservatives.

Nominating a milquetoast Republican who fails to gain the support of the whole party will cripple Republican enthusiasm and shrink turnout just as it has in previous elections. Since the media is going to chastise Republicans for rejecting the liberal agenda, let’s nominate a solid conservative, energize the Republican Party, and win.

At a time when judicial activism and DC’s perverse incentives are concentrating power in Washington, we need a tested candidate who has confronted the giants from the inside, rejected them, and defeated them. Selecting such a nominee is critical, because nobody comes to Washington and becomes more principled.

I have seen Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) meet the test by standing up to the Washington Cartel. In 2013, when both political parties suggested we needed to change our approach to the Second Amendment, Sen. Ted Cruz ought back and came out the winner. In the same year, when both political parties were moving at breakneck speed to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that included amnesty, Sen. Ted Cruz once again fought back, stood against the Washington Cartel, and came out the winner.

Some say he stands alone, but I say he stands with the American people. I saw that most clearly when he fought with everything he had to defund Obamacare. He told Republicans that funding Obamacare subsidies would create a dependency that Congress would never repeal and the Supreme Court would never overturn. He quoted Ronald Reagan: “A government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.” After June’s Supreme Court ruling, we now know that Ted Cruz was correct.

Ted Cruz’s courage is grounded in his Christian faith and complimented by amazing intellect and legal training. Before shocking the establishment by overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to become a U.S. Senator, Ted Cruz was the Solicitor General for Texas. During that time, he argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court — including a Ten Commandments case. The Ten Commandments monument still stands on the Texas State Capitol grounds. He also clerked for conservative Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Even liberal Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz describes Ted Cruz as among the brightest students he has ever taught… not that Harvard professors are quality sources for political advice.

I have seen Ted with his beautiful family. I watched as his two little girls approached him at the dinner table, paused, yelled “Chase us!” and ran off. Surprisingly, Ted dropped his burger and ran after them as though members of Congress and staff were not even present. He loves his children and his wife. Ted is a man who wants his girls to grow up in the America we all remember and the America his Cuban father had the opportunity to escape to.

Ted Cruz is a proven fundraiser, and that will be necessary to defeat the Clinton machine. True grassroots candidates, like Ted Cruz, generally struggle after the first few primary states due to funding. Ted is different. He will go the distance. This alone should excite and motivate all of us who have been waiting for a full spectrum, grass-roots candidate to vie for the Republican nomination.

I am proud to be the sixth Member of Congress to endorse Ted Cruz for President. I believe he is the strongest candidate and that he will beat Hillary Clinton for the Presidency in 2016.

#15: Scott Walker makes it official

Earlier today, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker officially joined the race for President, as he was widely expected to do for some time.

Here's his announcement speech:



He gave his speech with no teleprompter or notes, and released a transcript before the event began. Reporters noted that he followed the prereleased text almost verbatim, which is pretty remarkable for a lengthy speech like this.

Walker joins 14 other Republicans running for President: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum and Donald Trump.

16 in '16: My thoughts on the GOP field so far

16 in '16 -- the GOP candidates

The presidential race is starting to heat up, and it's definitely going to be interesting to watch. Here are some thoughts on how I'm leaning at this stage of the race.

We've got 16 major candidates on the GOP side of things. I'll try to list them in order of my preference:


LEANING TOWARD

• Scott Walker
• Ted Cruz
• Bobby Jindal
• Rand Paul

OPEN TO

• Marco Rubio
• Rick Perry
• Mike Huckabee
• Ben Carson
• Rick Santorum

RULED OUT

• Carly Fiorina
• Donald Trump
• Chris Christie
• John Kasich
• George Pataki
• Lindsey Graham
• Jeb Bush

This is roughly the order of my current preference. It's not how I view the candidate rankings in order of their chance at the nomination (that list would look quite different).

The further down the list, the more reservations I have about the candidates. As you can see, I've already marked off about half of the field. Fiorina ran for Senate in California as a more moderate candidate than she currently is presenting herself as. Christie, Kasich and Pataki are on the more moderate end of the GOP spectrum, Trump has been all over the place politically speaking (past Democrat and Clinton donor, left-leaning policy positions, etc), Graham has been on the wrong side of far too many issues in the Senate, and Bush... too many problems there to go into, least of which is his last name.

That takes care of the "ruled out" category. Now moving to Tier 2, working from the bottom on up.

Although he wasn't my first choice, I voted for Santorum in 2012. Santorum became the "conservative champion" by default, even though his record in the Senate was not the most conservative. He simply was the last man standing who had a shot at beating Romney. The only way he gets my vote again is if by some miracle/catastrophe he becomes the last option other than, say, Jeb Bush.

Ben Carson has a fantastic personal story to tell, and I think he would play very well in a general election. However, I am concerned with his inexperience with governing, as well as some of his public positions on issues like the 2nd Amendment.

The first vote I ever cast was for Mike Huckabee in 2008. His was the first presidential campaign I really got involved in. I donated, I made phone calls to several different states, and I waved signs, among other things. I still have a soft spot for Mike, but he's made some missteps since 2008, and there are so many good options this year.

Rick Perry had, for the most part, a great record as governor of Texas. He has an advantage over Huckabee and some of the others on this list due to how recently he was in office (left in January of 2015, as opposed to 2007 or earlier). Most candidates would kill for a record like his, but there's a gap between Perry on paper and Perry on the campaign trail.

I appreciate Marco Rubio's dedication in running for president. Some candidates, both now and in the past, have run for president while simultaneously seeking the office they currently hold. Rubio doesn't think that's right, and neither do I. He has a generally good record in the Senate, and would be a great, forward-looking face for the GOP. More than anyone else, Rubio almost makes it in my top tier.

Now for the ones I'm most seriously considering.

Rand Paul appeals to me primarily on a fiscal front. I'm not as sold on some of his foreign and social policies, though much more comfortable with his than with his dad's. Nobody running for president would be as good on fiscal issues as Rand. However, there are a few others that are more well-rounded for my taste. That being said, I think Rand can appeal to some new audiences for the GOP, and I would generally be very happy with a Rand Paul presidency.

Bobby Jindal is an under-appreciated governor. I don't know how his campaign will play out, or if he will gain traction, but he definitely deserves a look. From a policy standpoint, he's extremely intelligent and reform-minded (he's the biggest policy wonk in the field). He's got a great record at that. He's just plagued with a state (Louisiana) that hasn't appreciated that.

Ted Cruz hits all the right buttons. He says the right things, votes the right way, rubs the DC establishment the wrong (or rather, right) way, is articulate and quick on his feet when faced with a hostile media (in other words, every interview he gets). However, I've not heard or read much about his authoring major legislation. Rand Paul has offered alternate budgets, Marco Rubio a tax plan, Coburn had "Back in Black", Bobby Jindal has a healthcare plan, but I don't recall Ted Cruz having offered something like that (other than repealing ObamaCare). Derailing bad legislation is needed, but we also need good alternatives.

Scott Walker is probably in the lead (narrowly) for me right now. He's got a good record as governor, in a very difficult state for a conservative Republican. He beat the Democratic/union machine three times in four years -- a remarkable feat, given that Wisconsin hasn't voted for a Republican presidential nominee since 1984. As Governor, he's led on tough reforms, and won. He has executive experience that a Senator simply doesn't have, and that would be helpful as President.


That's where I'm at right now. You have to admit, we have some fantastic choices this election. Out of 16 candidates, there are nine I'd be happy with, and four or five I'd be thrilled at. The debates begin on August 6th, and voting starts in less than seven months. Buckle up, the ride is about to start!

Carson, Walker, Cruz top SRLC straw poll

SoonerPoll conducted the straw poll held at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference this weekend, and here are the results:

1. Ben Carson - 25.4%
2. Scott Walker - 20.5%
3. Ted Cruz - 16.6%
4. Chris Christie - 5.3%
5. Rick Perry - 5.0%
6. Jeb Bush - 4.9%
7. Rand Paul - 4.1%
8. Marco Rubio - 4.1%
9. Bobby Jindal - 4.1%
10. Carly Fiorina - 2.7%
11. Mike Huckabee - 2.7%
12. Rick Santorum - 1.9%
13. Donald Trump - 1.2%
14. Mark Everson - 0.8%
15. Lindsey Graham - 0.5%
16. John Kasich - 0.2%
17. Jim Gilmore - 0.0%

958 attendees cast ballots, with the bulk (713) coming from Oklahoma, followed by Texas (78) and Arkansas (58). 

I found some crosstabs here (pdf), which contain a lot of interesting information. Here are two of the other questions from the straw poll:

For these three issues, here are the leaders:

National Security: Walker and Carson (20.7%), Cruz (18.3%)
Economic: Walker (25.3%), Carson (15.5%), Cruz (15.2%)
Social: Carson (25.2%), Cruz (24.4%), Walker (18.1%)

Here are the leaders for each group:

Tea Party: Cruz (34.2%), Walker (22.6%), Carson (15.8%)

Libertarian: Paul (23.7%), Cruz (22.7%), Walker (18.6%)

Right-to-Life: Cruz (23.2%), Walker (19.2%), Carson (17.5%)

NRA/GOA: Cruz (22.8%), Walker (21.3%), Carson (15.3%)

FRC/CC: Walker (23.5%), Cruz (21.1%), Carson (20.6%)

Eagle Forum/CWA: Cruz (24.5%), Walker (22.7%), Carson (13.6%)

US Chamber: Walker (29.4%), Bush (17.6%), Perry (9.4%)

ATR: Walker (24.3%), Cruz (20.5%), Carson (17.6%)

Among Oklahoma voters, here are the top five:

1. Walker - 23.3%
2. Carson - 21.6%
3. Cruz - 16.0%
4. Christie - 6.2%
5. Bush - 5.3%

Again, if you want to look through the crosstabs, here is the PDF link I found.

Costello endorses Walker for President, urges SRLC support

(front of mailer -- click to view larger)

Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello is out front early with his pick for president. Yesterday, in what I assume was a statewide mailing, Costello said "I stand with Scott Walker for President", and urged Oklahomans to attend the Southern Republican Leadership Conference this weekend and "cast your vote for Gov. Scott Walker for President in the largest regional presidential straw poll of 2015".

(back of mailer -- click to view larger)

In the mailer, Costello talked about his trip to campaign for Walker in the 2012 labor union-led recall election. There are two photos of Costello and Walker, one during the 2012 recall and another from Costello's 2014 re-election campaign. The back of the mailer details Walker's bio and accomplishments.

Walker will join the following announced or potential presidential candidates at the SRLC (which runs from Thursday through Saturday): former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson, Senator Ted Cruz, Mark Everson, Carly Fiorina, former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore, Senator Lindsey Graham, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, Senator Marco Rubio, and former Senator Rick Santorum.

Rand Paul wins CPAC 2013 Straw Poll

The 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), hosted by the American Conservative Union, started Thursday, and concludes today. Preliminary results from the CPAC Straw Poll were just released.

1. Rand Paul - 25%
2. Marco Rubio - 23%
3. Rick Santorum - 8%
4. Chris Christie - 7%
5. Paul Ryan - 6%
6. Scott Walker - 5%
7. Benjamin Carson - 4%
8. Ted Cruz - 4%
9. Bobby Jindal - 3%
10. Sarah Palin - 3%
11. Other - 14%
12. Undecided - 1%

More details will be released about the straw poll later.

You can vote in the MuskogeePolitico.com Primary Madness at this link (currently in the Elite 8).