National Politics

"We are going to get George W. Bush re-elected as president of the United States! We are going to carry New York City and New York State. Everybody thinks I'm crazy, but I think we can do it.”—New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent

“You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that's consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that's been all about division and instead make it about addition - to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. Because that's how we'll win in November, and that's how we'll finally meet the challenges that we face as a nation.”—U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, a Democrat

Was The Summit A Bust?

The big “bipartisan summit” in Norman started out with a media bang but ended with a whimper.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, once a Democrat, then a Republican and now supposedly an independent, apparently told everyone there he was not going to run for president. Meanwhile, the summit’s participants, Democrats and Republicans, issued a statement that broke no new ground really and actually just echoed what presidential contender Barack Obama and some others have been arguing on the campaign trail now for months.

According to a news report, the summit, organized by University of Oklahoma President David Boren, came to this bland conclusion: Presidential candidates should spell out “specific strategies for reducing polarization and reaching bipartisan consensus.” So this is all we get after all the demands and media hoopla?

(Here is The New York Times take on the summit. Here is some online material produced by those involved with it.)

Boren, a former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, and Sam Nunn, a former Georgia U.S. Senator, were co-sponsors of the event. Both were considered conservative Democrats during their political careers. A bevy of retired politicians, most of whom served their country in the days before the right-wing noise machine started to define America politics with bogus wedge issues, personal attacks and lies, attended the summit as well.

Some might grant the summit’s organizers were well intentioned and not just providing political cover for Imperial President George Bush supporter Bloomberg to attempt to buy the American presidency. But the summit only raised more issues about its intention. Here are three:

(1) Why did Boren, Nunn and the others wait until now to raise this issue of bipartisanship? Obviously, the tyrannical reign of Imperial Bush has been the number the reason the country is so divided these days. Why wait until the election year? Why didn’t Boren and crew do this after the 2006 elections or before and call on Bush to make changes in his reckless foreign policy agenda and political appointments? Consequently the summit seemed targeted at Democrats. Current polls show Democrats will do much better in the 2008 elections than Republicans. (Obviously, there is a long way to go before the votes are counted, and this might not hold true.) Are Boren and Nunn actually afraid the country might elect a Democrat (maybe even an African American Democrat at that) who will bring about real change? What do they possibly see in a pseudo-Republican/Independent, such as billionaire Bloomberg, who would only protect the interests of corporations and continue the country’s long, gruesome occupation in Iraq. Bloomberg has been a staunch supporter of the Iraq occupation and Bush. Doesn’t that make him as divisive and conservative as, say, presidential contender Rudy Giuliani?

(2) I call on the summit’s participants to personally answer this question: Why do you want to continue to marginalize those people who were 100 percent right about the Iraq invasion and ensuing occupation and spoke out about it with great risk to ourselves and our families? Many of us suffered through retaliation by the right-wing and still do in places such as Oklahoma, where conservatives, even if they call themselves Democrats, hold sway. Meanwhile, those who were wrong about the occupation remain ensconced in power here and elsewhere. (I think of how The New York Times just hired William Kristol, an ultra-conservative who was completely wrong about Iraq, as a columnist.) Are you saying, bigwig summit participants, that those who spoke the truth should now shut up and let those who were wrong continue to operate the government and hold powerful media positions, all in the spirit of bipartisanship? Are you saying we should not protest the occupation as did a small group at the summit Monday. If so, then I question your intentions. Do you want a government and culture in which those who are right and truthful about important national issues can participate fully or do you want the same status quo you seem to be criticizing?

(3) Again, Michael Bloomberg is not a centrist or independent. True, Bloomberg is a moderate on social issues, such as reproductive rights for women, but he has pretty much been a staunch supporter of Imperial Bush, who is the most destructive president in American history. This disqualifies him as a true independent candidate. In addition, the idea that Bloomberg could simply buy the presidency with his billions should be repugnant to all Americans. I argue this act alone—one person buying the presidency simply because he has the money and hubris and gall—would destroy any remaining vestiges of democracy this county might still possess after the Imperial Bush disaster.

This country needs change. Big change. If those Republicans who supported the Imperial Bush administration in the past can find the courage to publicly repudiate its lies and illegal acts, then by all means let’s work together with bipartisan spirit. But the repudiation must come first. Without it, this country will never come together, no matter how many summits, no matter how much hollow political rhetoric. Truth comes first, then politics.

Where’s The Snark?

Usually, when the weather turns unexpectedly cold, The Daily Oklahoman runs a snarky, unsigned editorial arguing or mentioning how global warming does not exist. This is the newspaper’s disingenuous way to support its favorite politician, one of the most despised persons in the world, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, who has devoted his recent career to making Oklahoma the laughingstock of the world. Inhofe calls global warming a “hoax.”

Okay, so a record high temperature of 75 was set in Oklahoma on Sunday. It is winter. It is 75. So where is The Oklahoman snark about how Inhofe is all wrong about global warming since it got hot one day during the winter?

The obvious point here is you cannot gauge climate change based on the temperature for any given day, but try to tell this to Inhofe or the simpleton, warmongering editorial writers over on the Broadway Extension.

Here are the top ten reasons to get drunk in Oklahoma this summer:

(10) The stifling heat. It’s so hot in Oklahoma this summer fire hydrants fight over dogs. The grass is yellow and the shimmering, prairie heat rises above the cracked asphalt. Notice how people get cranky when it’s this hot? No? Well, shut up.

(9) People who pray in restaurants. These are folks who hold hands around a table in the bar area of Chili’s and pray over baby backs and Boulevard Wheat beers. Hey, some of us are trying to get drunk here, people. Get a church.

(8) George Bush supporters. His national approval rating is somewhere between 31 and 42 percent depending on what poll you believe, but a majority of Oklahomans still support the macho swagger and redneck, bring-it-on rhetoric. None of these people can give a coherent reason why they support him. “I mean, come on, he’s the president,” seems to be the most widely used reason.

(7) Judges who use penis pumps during trials. So former Creek County District Judge Donald Thompson receives four years in the slammer for, get this, using a penis pump on himself as he presided over a trial. The case got national news coverage. It’s yet one more spectacle in the reality freak show called Oklahoma. What’s next? Get drunk and stay tuned.

(6) Politically conservative/lifestyle liberal Republicans. These are Okies holding a bottle of tequila in one hand and a cigarette in the other, lecturing you about the wonderful Republican Party, aka, the Christian Right Party. These people live to get loaded and then vote for people against people getting loaded. It makes you want to get loaded.

(5) Pit bulls. There’s no better entertainment over cocktails than watching a stray pit bull meander down the street. It adds to the neighborhood ambience in Oklahoma City, especially when the dog attacks a child walking home from school. Listen, the breed should be banned. These dogs kill people all the time. What part of that last sentence is difficult to understand?

(4) The love it or leave it folks. But, see, many people actually want to leave Oklahoma and the United States. It’s just that people get stuck here for a variety reasons, and, well, it’s difficult to get a good job in France these days. Everyone wants to go there.

(3) The Daily Oklahoman. It’s not even good as a charcoal starter anymore because it’s so small and narrow-minded. There’s probably a burn ban anyway.

(2) Okie bedlam. OSU’s Eddie Sutton gets busted for drunken driving and finally retires. OU’s Rhett Bomar gets busted for underage drinking before the posse runs him out of Norman for claiming he worked when he didn’t. Who loses this year? Drinkers, and especially drinkers who attached themselves emotionally to other drinkers.

(1) No six-point beer in grocery stores. Oklahoma needs cold, six-point beer and wine in grocery stores to relieve the pain of living here. Come on, it’s 108 outside, stray pit bulls roam Oklahoma City with impunity, a judge uses a penis pump in full view at your divorce trial, and everyone, though staggering drunk, is praying for George Bush and their favorite college sports team. You can read about it in The Daily Oklahoman. Shut up.

(It is time we raise the minimum wage in this state to help out students and those with low wages. Read DocHoc's commentary, "Creating opportunities for everyone" in this week's Oklahoma Gazette.)

Legislature Could Make Real Difference

The Oklahoma Legislature has an historic opportunity to boost funding for education this year, but a proposed tax cut may mean the state will continue to lag behind the nation in maintaining its educational systems.

With nearly $1 billion in surplus revenue, legislators, for once, can make a real difference in the lives of ordinary Oklahomans.

The Alliance for Oklahoma’s Future is calling on citizens to contact their legislators on Tuesday, May 16 to fight against a proposed, massive tax cut that primarily benefits the wealthy and leaves schools and universities underfunded.

In a recent letter to the legislature, the alliance urged lawmakers to put Oklahoma first: “It means taking care of our crumbling roads and bridges and paying our teachers a competitive salary. It means taking care of our higher education system so that Oklahoma students are able to afford college tuition and we can produce graduates trained to compete in the global economy. It means making strategic investments in research to secure our state’s economic future. It means taking care of our health care system by providing access to affordable care and offering adequate reimbursement to providers. Investing in education, research, health care and public infrastructure is the surest path to sustainable economic growth and prosperity for Oklahoma.”

The alliance points out the state currently ranks 49th in the nation in teacher salaries. Meanwhile, our college students have seen an 82% increase in college tuition over the last six years. Per pupil spending remains low compared to national averages. Our state retirement systems, including the Teacher's Retirement System of Oklahoma, remain chronically underfunded.

A senate bill proposes to reduce the income tax rate from 6.25% to 4.9%. The alliance shows how middle-class taxpayers will receive token tax cuts while the richest one percent in the state will get a massive tax break if the bill is passed.

Money pooled together and used appropriately and efficiently saves ordinary Oklahomans much more in the long run. The proposed tax cut would erode our funding base and leave us vulnerable in economic downturns while rich corporate executives and owners laugh all the way to the bank.

Oklahoma Legalizes Tats

The unsung heroes over the battle to get tattoos legalized here are those individual artists who stood up against an archaic law that made the state seem provincial and weird. They should be commended for their grassroots efforts and their courage.

Governor Brad Henry signed the bill into law last week that finally legalized tattoos here. Oklahoma was the last state in the nation to do so. The state even received national coverage from CNN when it finally passed the law. The tattoo bill was a rational and logical measure passed in a legislature session often focused and polarized on religious intrusion issues, such as intelligent design.

Tattoo studios will add greatly to our creative culture here.

Conservative Talking Points

With President George Bush’s approval rating slipping below 30 percent, you would think conservatives might start listening to the concerns of the country's citizens, but, no, you see, it is all the fault of the mythical Angry Left.

Republicans were on the airwaves last week with their latest talking points. Here it is: Demonize Democrats and progressive for standing up for what is right. Call them the Angry Left, and then dismiss their concerns because, well, because they are angry. And angry is bad, right? Angry is terrible. Angry is a no no.

Of course, the conservatives fail to mention how right-wing hate radio has polarized this country over the last ten years or so or how vicious pundits like Ann Coulter continue to spew on Fox News. But then angry is good when it comes from the right.

The left has every right to be angry. The country has a right-wing president who lied us into a botched and immoral war, sanctioned the torture of prisoners in American custody, and ordered illegal wiretapping of American citizens. Meanwhile new information emerges almost daily on how the federal government has gone through our individual telephone records. Gasoline prices are skyrocketing because the federal government lacks a coherent energy policy under the imperial Bush whose policies favor big oil companies. It goes on and on.