Republican Runoff Results - Insurance Commission

Republican Runoff Results - CD2

The Conservative View: Word Games and Your Money

This week's Conservative View, by Adair County Commissioner and conservative activist Russell Turner (R-Stilwell).

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

Word Games and Your Money

I have heard it said that nothing will get your attention faster than someone getting into your pocketbook. In the case of our state legislature, any time that they start funding more programs it is of special interest to me. Our citizens who are on the receiving end of those programs fail to understand that the money our legislators are spending can only come from one source, that source is the taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma. Several years ago the voters of Oklahoma voted yes on State Question 640, it was meant to slow down the ever increasing taxes that could be imposed upon the citizens of Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Constitution states that revenue-raising measures cannot be passed in the final five days of the legislative session and that tax increases must receive three-fourths support in both the House and Senate or be sent to a vote of the people. Since the passage of SQ 640, the State Legislature has routinely passed user fees instead of taxes upon the citizens to supposedly get around SQ 640. In the final days of the last legislative session, HB 2347 was passed which would have levied a 1-percent tax on insurance payments, increasing the cost of health care for working families by $78 million per year. Fortunately the bill was challenged in court saying it was enacted unconstitutionally. House Bill 2437 was approved in the final week of session and did not receive the support of a supermajority in either chamber of the Legislature. The Supreme Court’s decision ruled that the provider fee is in fact a tax and issued an order blocking enforcement of the health care tax. State Rep. Mike Ritze, one of only two doctors serving in the Oklahoma Legislature, was quoted as saying, “House Bill 2437 would have added to the already heavy tax burden facing Oklahoma citizens, we need to reduce taxes on Oklahomans, not increase them, and calling a tax a ‘fee’ does not make it easier for the taxpayers.”

Anyone who tells you that getting involved in politics does no good needs to take a good look at the effects that SQ 640 had on our state. I, and people from all parts of the state, took of our time and carried petitions to get SQ 640 on the ballot in the first place; one percent doesn’t seem like much, but without SQ 640 Oklahomans would have had 78 million dollars less every year and that is one word game we all can understand. 

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, email him at rdrepublican@windstream.net. 

Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Rally - Live Feed

Here is a live feed for Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Rally at the Lincoln Memorial today.

Live Tweets from Coburn's Muskogee Town Hall

I'll be attending Senator Tom Coburn's town hall here in Muskogee (at the Civic Center), and will be tweeting from the event. Follow below.






** Well, at least I'm trying to get it to where you can watch here in this post. Otherwise, follow on my Twitter account.

Mitt Romney Endorses Oklahoma Republican Candidates

Former Massachusetts Governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced his Oklahoma endorsements today:

RELEASE: Mitt Romney Announces Oklahoma Endorsements

    Today, Mitt Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC announced the endorsement of the following six Oklahoma candidates and said it is committing a total of $10,500 in support to their campaigns:

    Congresswoman Mary Fallin: Congresswoman Mary Fallin currently represents Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District and is now running to become Oklahoma’s next Governor. For more information about her and her campaign, visit www.maryfallin.org.

    State Senator Todd Lamb: Todd Lamb currently serves as an Oklahoma state senator and is now running to become Oklahoma’s next Lieutenant Governor. For more information about him and his campaign, visit www.votetoddlamb.com.

    Congressman Tom Cole: Congressman Tom Cole currently represents the 4th Congressional District of Oklahoma and is running for reelection. For more information about him and his campaign, visit www.tomcoleforcongress.com.

    Congressman Frank Lucas: Congressman Frank Lucas currently represents the 3rd Congressional District of Oklahoma and is running for reelection. For more information about him and his campaign, visit www.frankdlucas.com.

    Congressman John Sullivan: Congressman John Sullivan currently represents the 1st Congressional District of Oklahoma and is running for reelection. For more information about him and his campaign, visit www.johnsullivanforcongress.com.

    James Lankford: James Lankford served as the director of a Christian youth camp for over a decade, and is now running to represent the 5th Congressional District of Oklahoma. For more information about him and his campaign, visit www.jameslankford.com.

    The PAC also announced that it is sending the Congressional campaigns of Cole, Lucas, Sullivan, and Lankford each a $2,500 contribution, and that it has already sent Fallin and Lamb each a $250 contribution toward their respective campaigns

     “Oklahoma – and our nation – deserves leaders who will focus on enacting pro-growth policies that will put people back to work. Too many of our elected officials are instead more interested in growing the size of government, and that is why it is more critical than ever that we elect leaders who will make the tough decisions necessary to turn our struggling economy around,” said Romney

    These endorsements are another in a series of state rollouts of the PAC’s 2010 endorsements, which are aimed at electing conservative candidates who will work to lower taxes and spending, restore commonsense principles to healthcare and get our economy moving again. As part of this program, Romney’s PAC also has announced endorsements in Ohio, Missouri, California, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Nevada, Illinois, Georgia, Texas, Indiana, Idaho, New Mexico, Virginia, Florida, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Maine, South Dakota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Wyoming, Colorado, and Michigan.

Fashionably late, I might add, as the last primaries were decided in Tuesday's runoff... and I guess they did not realize that Congressman Tom Cole has no November opponent.

And they wonder why the RNC is seen as out-of-touch?

Ken Mehlman, the campaign manager for George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee chairman from 2005-2007, publicly said yesterday that he is a homosexual.

Current RNC chairman Michael Steele had this to say: "I am happy for Ken. His announcement, often a very difficult decision which is only compounded when done on the public stage, reaffirms for me why we are friends and why I respect him personally and professionally."

And they wonder why the RNC is generally perceived as out of touch with mainstream Americans and Republicans by the grassroots conservatives that make up the GOP...


For reference, here is what the 2008 RNC Platform has to say about marriage:

Preserving Traditional Marriage

Because our children’s future is best preserved within the traditional understanding of marriage, we call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it. In the absence of a national amendment, we support the right of the people of the various states to affirm traditional marriage through state initiatives.

Republicans recognize the importance of having in the home a father and a mother who are married. The two-parent family still provides the best environment of stability, discipline, responsibility, and character. Children in homes without fathers are more likely to commit a crime, drop out of school, become violent, become teen parents, use illegal drugs, become mired in poverty, or have emotional or behavioral problems. We support the courageous efforts of single-parent families to provide a stable home for their children. Children are our nation’s most precious resource. We also salute and support the efforts of foster and adoptive families.

Republicans have been at the forefront of protecting traditional marriage laws, both in the states and in Congress. A Republican Congress enacted the Defense of Marriage Act, affirming the right of states not to recognize same-sex “marriages” licensed in other states. Unbelievably, the Democratic Party has now pledged to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which would subject every state to the redefinition of marriage by a judge without ever allowing the people to vote on the matter. We also urge Congress to use its Article III, Section 2 power to prevent activist federal judges from imposing upon the rest of the nation the judicial activism in Massachusetts and California. We also encourage states to review their marriage and divorce laws in order to strengthen marriage.

As the family is our basic unit of society, we oppose initiatives to erode parental rights. 

Fired: State Rep. John Auffet (D-Stillwell)

Democrat Runoff, State House District 86

State Rep. John Auffet - 1,998 (47.44%)

William T. Will Fourkiller - 2,214 (52.56%)

Auffet becomes the first sitting legislator to lose a re-election bid this cycle - and the only one who will have lost to a fellow party member.

Runoff Primary Election Results

The polls have officially closed - results are coming. I'll post the results for the major runoffs.


Insurance Commissioner - 2219 (100%) of 2219 precincts

• John Crawford:  35294 (29.45%)
• John Doak: 84570 (70.55%) - winner

2nd Congressional District - 570 (100%) of 570 precincts

• Daniel Edmonds: 3644 (32.73%)
• Charles Thompson: 7489 (67.27%) - winner

5th Congressional District - 324 (100%) of 324 precincts

• Kevin Calvey: 15899 (34.78%)
• James Lankford: 29814 (67.27%) - winner
  

The State Election Board is posting results here for these and other runoffs.

Inhofe: McCain's a Liberal, Gets Elected Because of Earmark Opposition

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) spoke at a Tulsa Metro Chamber breakfast this morning, and labeled U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) as a closet liberal who gets elected merely because he opposes earmarks. No word if he said the same thing about U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), who is even more rabidly anti-earmark/pork-spending than McCain.

Ironically, both Inhofe and and McCain's opponent - former Congressman J.D. Hayworth - are both well known for being earmark defenders.

Don't come between a Senator or Congressman and his earmarks...

Vote: Runoff Primary Election

Don't forget to vote! The runoff election is today! While the ballot won't be as full as it was on July 27th, it is still very important that you go vote.

Here are the major races that will be decided today, in addition to numerous lower offices:

The 2nd Congressional District GOP race has come down to two men - Charles Thompson and Daniel Edmonds. The winner will go up against incumbent Democrat Congressman Dan Boren. If you're still undecided in this race, read this post. I endorsed, and recommend voting for, Daniel Edmonds.

The 5th Congressional District GOP race is between James Lankford and Kevin Calvey. The winner here will run against a Democrat and two Independents, although the GOP nominee is heavily favored to win in this district. If you're still undecided, read this post. I endorsed, and recommend voting for, James Lankford.

The race on the GOP side for Insurance Commissioner is now between John Crawford and John Doak. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Commissioner Kim Holland. This is a state-wide office, so all Republicans are eligible to vote in this race, at the very least. I endorsed, and recommend voting for, John Doak.

Don't forget to vote!

The Conservative View: Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

This week's Conservative View, by Adair County Commissioner and conservative activist Russell Turner (R-Stilwell).

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

All of us, at one time or another, has heard the nursery rhyme about the woman who looked into the magic mirror and asked who was the fairest of them all. We Americans have gotten into a bad habit of patting ourselves on the back and have cultured the belief that we can forget our founding principles and still expect to be the most prosperous nation that the world has ever seen. We Americans love to gripe and moan about how corrupt our government has become, but we fail to link our behavior to those of our elected officials.

How blind we are to the fact that our elected officials and our government are merely a reflection of how we the citizens conduct ourselves. Our forefathers were people who had pride in their ability to be self reliant and self sufficient. Today we have a host of politicians who promise anything and everything to bribe the voters to elect them into office. I can remember a time when it was an insult to someone if there was a suggestion that they should ask for a government handout. Today too many people are only concerned that they get their share. We Americans have been infected by a disease called entitlement. Even those who contribute nothing to our society have been conditioned to believe that they should get their “fair share” and they don’t care that someone else has done the work necessary to earn the things they want a part of.

We have allowed ourselves to be manipulated into believing that someone is greedy who wants to keep what they have earned. We have allowed ourselves to believe in class envy and to covet the possessions of the ones who worked for them. Whether we want to admit it or not, we have been trained like a dog performing for its supper. Far too many Americans look at the political candidates and ask what they can do for them today. We sit back like a puppy waiting for the next doggy treat. It is a fact that we all have to survive, but we Americans have degraded ourselves into a people that lack the vision to remain a great nation.

Before we label someone as greedy, remember that the true greedy person is the one who does not contribute but wants a share of someone else’s labor. During this election season we need to reflect upon what we have become, the next time we look into the mirror we may not like what we see.  

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, email him at rdrepublican@windstream.net.