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From Examiner.com:
By Christopher Arps
It was called the Reagan Revolution: a realignment of the political system away from big government and corruption and toward conservative principles and an economic system steeped in free market ideas.
However, in many solid red states over the past decade, the Reagan Principles have been left behind as Republican majorities are ironically increasing in many of those states. And at the core of that paradox is an increasing capitulation by Republican leadership to big business, pimps for the tax credit crowd and more bows to the insurance industry than the President at an OPEC meeting. In other words, the new Oklahoma Sub-Standard.
The Oklahoma Sub-Standard began to really pick up steam with the sad regimes of former Senate Leader Glenn Coffee and Speaker Chris Benge. This blogger wrote numerous times of the leadership vacuum that engulfed the un-dynamic duo. Utterly lacking in any sort of skill set that would permit them to succeed in the free-market, these two now litter the public sector landscape with Coffee remote controlling the hapless new Senate Leader Brian Bingman from his perch as advisor to Gov. Fallin, something predicted by the Oklahoma Political News Service over a year ago.
But as to the present, observers in the region are pointing to the new Oklahoma Sub-Standard as the sure-fire way to scuttle permanent Republican majorities. Let’s examine one such issue: so-called ‘tort reform.’ Read more…
OKPNS: (July 29, 2007) “Anatomy of a Scandal”
1) Larry Witt and Steve Phipps conspired to funnel corporate contributions into the 2002 State Auditor campaign of Jeff McMahan. FBI affidavits and witnesses have testified that such money was paid to them for the purpose making said contributions. Estimated totals range from $75,000-$100,000. These funds made up a large portion of McMahan’s total contributions and had a significant impact on the election results….
5) Larry Witt (Ry-son Oil) is seeking to purchase shares in several abstract companies owned by Steve Phipps. The sale of Phipps’ shares can not take place without approval of Jeff McMahan, State Auditor.
6) Witt was named in the university housing bond scandal involving Senate president Pro-Temp Mike Morgan. Morgan is also said to responsible for funneling state funds to but Stipe and Phipps’ train that is sitting and rusting in Guthrie. Read more….
Is this a joke?
Related:
Examiner: The early contender for worst bill of the 2010 session
News 9 in Oklahoma City discusses the ‘right wing rift’ we saw coming a year and a half ago:
The more conservative Republicans want to focus on social issues that include abortion restrictions, immigration and fewer regulations on firearms. Steele has said the Legislature should concentrate on economic development and plugging holes in the state budget.
Steele says House Republicans are united — but Republican Rep. Mike Christian predicts there will be “fireworks” during the meetings and says some in the GOP have privately questioned whether Steele is too liberal to be House speaker. Some ultra-conservative groups also plan to travel to Bartlesville. Read more…
Oklahoma City Conservative Examiner: (8/5/09)
But conservative Republicans outside the house GOP caucus are wary of Steel’s liberal tendencies, and the liberal-leaning and indolent Oklahoma press has done nothing to expose those flaws.
“Republicans in Oklahoma aren’t going to know a damn thing about this race, and the ‘aw-shucks’ liberal ab out to become Speaker,” one political insider, an avowed Steele critic, says about the election. Read more…
Yesterday’s devastating tornado (our condolences to the victim’s families) outbreak began just before the Bricktown Rotary program, scheduled for 5:30. Obviously the wailing tornado sirens put an end to the much anticipated discussion about how legislative leaders should be chosen in the future.
Despite the cancellation, we discovered one important item: State Sen. Brian Bingman of Sapulpa, the member hand-picked by outgoing senate leader Glenn Coffee to be his successor, had earlier declined to attend, citing a scheduling conflict.
As we’ve reported before, Bingman shares Coffee’s penchant for high-profile screw-ups. Bingman and Coffee’s bumbling miscalculation on Day 1 of the legislative session stopped Bingman’s Pro Tempore opportunity in its tracks. Most insiders say without backroom dealing and arm-twisting, the hapless Bingman would have no chance to be senate leader. Privately, the man some are calling “Bungleman” has few leadership qualities, including losing bills in his own committee and even earlier this session on the floor of the Senate.
Thus we weren’t surprised to learn that Bingman had ducked out of a public discussion about why transparency should replace cronyism. Unfortunately, the system that produced a colossal disappointment like Glenn Coffee is grinding away to produce yet another embarrassment for state Republicans. We’re sorry the meeting was cancelled, but Sen. Bingman’s duck and cover routine speaks volumes about why those who believe in the party of Ronald Reagan need to do everything possible to stop it from continuing to be more like the party of Ronald McDonald.
Related:
Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Rotary Club is attempting to shed some light into the legislative process, especially the part that deals with picking legislative leadership.
We received this press release about their meeting tonight to discuss whether or not legislative leadership should continue to be selected behind closed doors. You will recall that the current senate leader, Glen Coffee, has stumbled through his term, bouncing from one controversy to the next. In February, Coffee failed to get his handpicked choice for his successor, State Sen. Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, elected as the next senate boss, in part due to Bingman’s own contrivance. One wonders if the process were more visible if the quality of leader might just be kicked up a notch or two.
All the major candidates to succeed Coffee have been invited. It will be interesting to see who comes to face the music. The Bricktown Rotary Club meets tonight at 5:30 at the Bricktown Brewery in downtown Oklahoma City. The public and press (fat chance) are invited.
Developing………
Over the weekend, “blogger” Mike McCarville continued his unhealthy man crush on our editor and OKPNS. What else can you say? Three posts about our editor in one week recently, with one even coming at 11:44 pm!
In a rare original article – not his usual cut and paste job – McCarville compares his “blog’s” daily visitors with OKPNS’ companion site the Oklahoma Political News Service’s Legislator’s blog. Congratulations Mike! Yes, you have more visitor’s than our secondary blog that is updated whenever a legislator decides to post a piece.
Related:
Video: OKPNS & McCarville: “Both Good @ Covering What’s Going On @ The State Capitol”
Examiner.com:
Just days after President Obama called for bi-partisanship at his state of the union address and at the House Republican retreat, the Democratic Governor’s Association sent out today this highly partisan and offensive fundraising email to its supporters:
Open letter to Speaker Benge/President Pro-Tempore Coffee:
I write to express my deep concern and disappointment in the Legislature’s action last session to direct $16 million dollars to OMRF and $1 Million to the Jim Thorpe Association.
As an active Republican (I currently am Chairman of the Cleveland County Republican Party), I am particularly disappointed that this multi-million dollar pass through was orchestrated by a Republican controlled Legislature.
Once upon a time, Republicans used to oppose such inappropriate and underhanded expenditures of taxpayers’ money. In fact, it wasn’t too long ago when you were in the minority that Republicans would vehemently oppose these pass through deals made by the Democrats. Like most Oklahomans, and certainly the majority of Republicans, I remember the dog food plant that the Democrat-controlled Legislature appropriated tax dollars for. Read more…
An effort by supporters of embattled Senate leader Glenn Coffee to install his choice as the next Senate leader has failed.
Developing…
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