Tom Cole is the epitome of all that is wrong in politics and government today. His entire career has been spent in academia and politics. That explains much about Cole’s troubling connections, funding sources, and voting recording. In addition to voting to fund Planned Parenthood, for the TARP bill, and participating in the record spending Congress (up to that point) while Bush was still in office, Cole wrote a direct appeal to the Obama Administration’s Secretary of Transportation in support of the NASCO highway. Such an appeal is a direct endorsement of the Stimulus Bill and open borders. Cole appears to get a lot of funding from outside of Oklahoma and is heavily tied to the Progressive and globalist Aspen Institute. Inside Oklahoma, he has the very helpful support of establishment party officials, particularly in his home county of Cleveland. Finally, his Wikipedia page, updated July 22, 2010, includes a report that his wife recently filed for divorce due to infidelity.

In contrast, RJ Harris is a long time member of the National Guard with two (very soon to be three) active tours of duty, is a devoted husband of eighteen years and father of five. Having personally experienced the effects of an economic downturn and market changes on a business, RJ put his skills as an air traffic controller to work for the FAA and ultimately decided to pursue a career as an attorney. He returned to his home state and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and is working towards the completion of a law degree while still serving in the National Guard as an air traffic control Chief.

I first spoke with RJ in March 2009, when he agree to appear on my radio show. I was immediately impressed with his ability to articulate core principles and provoke thought in a discussion of them. I was also struck by his firm conviction. I was glad to have RJ as a guest on the show on several occasions during that spring and summer.

When contemplating potential interview subjects for the documentary, A New America, RJ was at the top my list. I knew he would provide an articulate answer to any question on core principles I posed. I wasn’t wrong – we ran out of tape interviewing him and while editing, if we wanted a point to be made clearly in Ronald Reagan fashion, we’d go to RJ’s footage.

I have come to know RJ better since that time and even walked through a couple of high stress situations with him. In one instance there are few people who could have kept their cool (I barely did myself), but RJ remained focused, level-headed, and solution oriented. Although he was in the midst of the stress and I was a distance away, in the middle of all, he called to make sure I knew the situation was under control to alleviate my concerns.

Besides going out of his way in his concern for others, I have noticed that RJ always does the right thing. There are few people who have such character and honor in today’s world. In a republic, character is paramount in the people we elect to represent us. Under stress, they must keep their heads and do what is right, even when it is difficult.

Too many people dismiss the importance of Congress members’ votes on the TARP bill or too easily forgotten. It is precisely the kind of high stress situation during which only level-headed, clear thinking men of honor and principle will do the right thing. Members of Congress were called to the White House and told by the Secretary of the Treasury and others that America hung on the edge of total financial collapse, that failure to take drastic measures would likely result in chaos and could ultimately lead to the implementation of martial law.

Who among the Congress withstood that pressure? Who among them stepped out in front of the news cameras stationed outside and reported the high pressure tactics and raised their objections to the barely-veiled threats? Who among them recognized that the system they were being told was on the verge of collapse was the one constructed by government in the first place so even more government tinkering was idiotic?

I believe that RJ has the kind of character, ability to reason under pressure, and courage of conviction that put him on the short list – alone if necessary – in doing what is right. Until we elect more men like him to Congress, we will only continue down the road we’re now moving at warp speed.

Visit RJ Harris website: http://www.rjharris2010.com

But it is quiet – nearly silent. And it’s among us. The enemy within. People who say they are “on our side”.

If we really want to do something about reversing our rapidly increasing speed in the wrong direction then we literally have to take notice of that elephant in the room. Pun most definitely intended.

The elephant in the room is comprised of the following:

1. Republican incumbents who are….

• Progressive (a-ok with big government as long as it’s the “R”s who are in charge, believe they know best, like redistributing wealth, are cool with global governance, are for carbon tax, think government should provide health care, believes government creates jobs, etc.)
• Morally repulsive – YES, CHARACTER COUNTS
• Only concerned about keeping their jobs

2. Party powerful and their establishment friends…

• GOP members at whatever level whose primary concern is to keep “R”s in office, regardless of their voting record or character
• Little minions of the party who do the bidding of party officials in hopes of “earning their dues” for their own future aspirations
• Supporting astroturf organizations

3. Active supporters of the above, whatever their ridiculous reasoning or motivation…

To clarify what I mean on #3, I can only cite a couple of personal examples. I had a member of Grassroots in Nebraska leave the group and start up her own because she wanted me to quit saying negative things about the Republican party. She went on to very actively assist an astroturf organization and the county GOP here into literally strong arming GiN into doing a joint tea party on Tax Day this year with the GOP. A very related yet separate example is another member of the group showing up to a meeting about how to deal with the hijacking of the event for the express purpose of reading me the riot act and issuing me an ultimatum. The GOP could have its tea party right on the same spot if they wanted and I should be quiet. If I didn’t pipe down about what the GOP was doing AND give way to them holding their event in GiN’s place, he couldn’t be involved any further in GiN.

Is there any question about whose side those two people were on?

Embedded in my examples of active supporters of the party powerful and protectors of the Progressive, establishment elected officials who need to be ousted are also examples of the thuggery and reprehensible conduct of all.

The sad part is, I am no longer surprised by this anymore. By the time the calendar rolled around to March 2010, I was not even surprised the county party, the astroturf, or the female former member were engaging in their thuggish behavior.  (I was a bit surprised at the fellow who showed up at the meeting – but I should not have been.)

This conduct is old hat. I could cite you dozens of recent examples from right here within Nebraska, several from my past involvement with the party in South Dakota, and many as reported to me by people in several other states.

For now, though, I will only reference one.

And it’s far more important than a Tea Party.

In Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District, a County GOP chair and Vice-Chair, with the help of at least one other individual, are determined to protect incumbents and to obstruct challengers directly from their positions as party officials. Behind the scenes, from positions of attempted anonymity, they pervert information and sell it as truth.

For a sampling of out in the open activities of the Vice-Chair in particular read these posts by Axxiom:

Cleveland County GOP Vice-Chair Tells RJ Harris He is Banned

Why Is Tessa Breder Cleveland County GOP Vice-Chair So Slot Slinging Happy

Vice-Chair Breder and Chairman Bobby Cleveland are not satisfied with using their positions directly, including control of party resources and information to protect incumbents like Congressman Tom Cole. It is well known by many in the county area that Cleveland and Breder are the master minds behind the anonymously authored blog Okie Pundit.

I will not link to their site – they will NOT get help driving traffic directly from me.

To summarize briefly, “Okie Pundit”’s full time job is to smear challenger candidates and cheerlead 24/7 for incumbent Republican politicians.

Smears include clever hit jobs like this:

And perversions of facts such as characterizing of candidate RJ Harris’ name change from Barnes back to his birth name Harris when he discovered it had been changed as a small child. Cleveland, Breder, et al have tried to connect RJ’s difficult family circumstance with which the name change was associated with the closure and failure of his businesses several years ago. The hit squad that is the Cleveland County GOP do more than imply Harris changed his name to evade paying taxes.

To avoid linking, I have embedded an image of the about page for the site here – the most interesting statement is:

Okiepundit.com is a conservative blog written by several long-time Oklahomans.  If you don’t like our anonymity, then you don’t need to read us.  (The last sentence applies primarily to the politicians who throw fits when we’re critical of them).

I know I have no need to read Okie Pundit. I know when I go there, I’m going to get all pro-incumbent politician drivel and hit pieces on all the challengers, straight down the line. The only purpose for even giving the light of day to the name of their lie-filled website is to point out who is behind it.

And more importantly, display the thuggery of party officials who will stop at literally nothing to protect incumbents who are no longer fit to hold office. Tom Cole, for instance, has voted to fund Planned Parenthood, for the TARP (bailout), voted to increase spending at record rates when Bush was still in office, appealed for support to the Obama Administration on the NASCO project that is an open-borders neon sign, and has many questionable connections and funding sources. Among them is the very creepy Aspen Institute, a very progressive, globalist think tank based in Colorado. Further, Cole’s Wikipedia page, updated July 22, 2o1o, notes his wife recently filed for divorce due to infidelity.

Is Tom Cole worth protecting? If you lived in Oklahoma, who would get your vote? The establishment, Progressive Republican, or the long-term member of the military with two tours of active duty (on the cusp of being three) who can clearly articulate all of the principles of the Constitution, has been faithfully married to his wife of 20 years, and is pursuing a law degree?

All of these examples of thuggery should bother far more people than they do. They should inspire more questions than they do.

Should anyone take an anonymous website with an obvious axe to grind remotely seriously?

When ARE we all going to turn our backs on all of these people and express the proper scorn when others have no problem with this conduct?

Will it be when hell freezes over?

Dear Lord above, I pray it will be much sooner than that.

]]> http://stubbornfacts1776.com/?feed=rss2&p=2501 0 http://stubbornfacts1776.com/?p=2486 http://stubbornfacts1776.com/?p=2486#comments Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:43:06 +0000 admin http://stubbornfacts1776.com/?p=2486

Visit Nathan's website: click here

I met Nathan Dahm a year ago at the Freedom 21 Conference in Oklahoma City while conducting interviews for A New America. My friend, Sandra Crosnoe, spoke very highly of him. She was hoping at that time that he would run for the U.S. Congressional seat in District 1. Upon meeting Nathan, I found him to be a polite, well-spoken fellow. But – shame on me – I missed out that round on being appropriately impressed.

I say “shame on me” because I’ve thought for quite some time now that it would do our politics a world of good if candidates and politicians were different. The dog and pony show, smooth-talking, and slick willy speech-givers are quite clearly not serving us well. Early in our history, candidates didn’t campaign on their own behalf. It was considered unseemly. Because we are a republic, people were elected more on reputation they had, on their character, and by way of the recommendations others gave on their behalf. We’re of course, a far cry from that environment today. George Washington or Thomas Jefferson were to run for office today, for instance, they’d lose. And lose big.

One of Nathan’s most admirable qualities is humility. Although Nathan possesses the quiet humility that I have imagined is like that of Washington or Jefferson, he is also an excellent public speaker. His depth of knowledge of history is quite evident through his thorough recall when making a point. Core principles are clearly part of his thinking process – I’ve witnessed his ability to cite writings of Founders in explaining a position with ease – absent notes.

I’ve watched Nathan over the course of a year and had the opportunity to work with him periodically, along with others, to discuss courses of action regarding campaigns and grassroots efforts. I’ve observed how he has conducted his campaign, how he treats other people, and how we works with others. Nathan is a gentleman.

It is ironic to me that I only recently found out Nathan is a homeschool graduate. That explains much about Nathan to this homeschool mother of three. Depth of knowledge, quiet strength, articulate thought, written word, and speech. Quite recently, there was an absurd attack on Nathan’s homeschool education by avid supporters of the incumbent John Sullivan, whom Nathan is challenging.

Tragically, these establishment types have bought into the Progressive model for our society and bizarrely prefer politicians who are a product of the education system that is either directly controlled or strong-armed by the State. It should not be surprising. These same people prefer their representative in Congress be one that voted for TARP (aka Bailout) and the largest increase in government’s size in our history  - until vastly expanded upon by the present ruling party. The same OK GOP party establishment enforcers who prefer indoctrination over education don’t seem to mind that John Sullivan suddenly “got religion” after Bush left office.

Despite the efforts of the status quo crowd, Nathan’s support has consistently grown over time. He has picked up endorsements by a wide array of well-respected organizations such as Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee, Tulsa Area Republican Assembly, Republican Liberty Caucus of Oklahoma, American Council on Health Care Reform, grassroots activist groups such as R3publicans and OKforTEA, and newspapers such as the Tulsa Beacon.

Nathan is ready to serve the people of OK CD01. All that remains to be seen is how many voters are awake, aware, and have realized what kind of men they should send to Congress.

Visit Nathan Dahm’s http://www.nathandahm.com

Wondering why a Nebraskan is talking about the OK Primary? Read this.

Visit Howard's website - click on the pic!

As I noted in my most recent post, I believe Oklahoma’s July 27 primary election is worthy of attention and active support from those of us who wish to see our country return to core Constitutional principles.

Howard Houchen is running for OK’s U.S. Congressional District 2 seat. Over the last year, I have come to know Howard and I believe he would make an excellent representative in the House. From my first conversation with him, I found him to be articulate, very bright, extremely hard working and a true gentleman. Howard and I worked together over a period of several months to investigate the concept of a state exercising it’s Tenth Amendment Sovereignty through nullification. I was very impressed with Howard’s research capabilities, his work ethic, and his very well-reasoned analysis.

Howard digested the history of nullification, read many proposed health care nullification measures, and provided a thorough analysis as a result. All of this was achieved while running a successful business, taking care of his family, and running for Congress in a very widespread district.

I believe Howard’s boundless energy is motivated by deep conviction in core principles. He loves this country, believes in its unique blessings, and is committed to its restoration and preservation. I only say this as a result of observation, because Howard does not recite his resume of beliefs, one simply knows he has them through his actions.

In addition to all, I have found Howard to be one one of the most conscientious, courteous, people I have come across. He is a true gentleman in just the right sense -NOT by the standards of today’s feminism. Howard reminds a lady that it is entirely possible for a man  to remain strong, firm, and self-assured, and treat women with respect. I have been the personal witness for many months to his attentiveness, appreciation for, and ability to work with others.

Recently, I was the personal beneficiary of his kind nature. Despite what is clearly an extremely demanding schedule for him, Howard drove over two hours to attend a showing of my documentary at Tulsa University – because that is just the kind of guy he is.

We need more people in Congress with Howard Houchen’s character, people skills, work ethic, depth of understanding, and commitment to the Constitution. In a Republic we are supposed to chose men of character, strength, and understanding. Howard Houchen is truly one of those men.

Visit Howard Houchen’s website by clicking HERE.

I’m in Nebraska.

Why do I care what happens in the Oklahoma primary election on July 27?

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.

Senator Randy Brogdon

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.

Representative Charles Key

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.

It is no too late to provide support to some of these candidates. I’ve met each of these candidates personally, and worked with three of them on a regular basis.

Over the next couple of days, I will be writing about each one in more detail. In the meantime, I will list them here. Consider giving at least one of them your support.

Congressional Candidates:

RJ Harris is running in OK’s 4th District. RJ is one of the most impressive individuals I have come to know; his thorough knowledge of the Constitution and ability to articulate core principles clearly and succinctly is unmatched in my experience. His personal character, commitment to his family, and to the country are evident in his balancing of work and family life, and through his long military service. RJ’s race next Tuesday is of key importance; there is no Democrat on the ballot.

The winner of the GOP primary will determine with finality one Congressional seat.

RJ Harris website: http://rjharris2010.com

_________________________

In OK CD02, Howard Houchen has displayed ceaseless energy in traveling his very large district to hear from voters and talk about the proper the role of government. I have personally found Howard to be not only hard working, but well read, a thorough researcher, and impressive in his reasoning. These qualities were quickly displayed while working with Howard directly on legislation development supportive of state sovereignty. Added to his many other qualities, Howard is one of the most affable, courteous personalities in politics today.

Howard Houchen’s website: http://www.houchenforcongress.com/

___________________________

1st District Candidate Nathan Dahm is wise beyond his years, some having called him “an old soul”. His on the spot recall of historical context makes clear the depth of his knowledge. He is a man who lives his faith proven by his missionary service and ongoing charitable work. To be sure, he became a favorite with me before I met him – he is a homeschool graduate. But what impressed me most was his character and humility.

Nathan Dahm’s website: http://www.nathandahm.com/

____________________________

Governor’s Race:

State Senator Randy Brogdon has already been mentioned here. Senator Brogdon sponsored the Sovereignty Resolution in the OK Senate, worked to increase transparency in taxation, and fought against the implementation of the privacy invasion that is Real ID.

Randy Brogdon’s website: http://www.randybrogdon.com/

________________________________________________________

The troupe at LatmaTV, apparently Israel’s version of Saturday Night Live, produced this brilliant video, which is at nearly 1.6 million views as of this posting.

Some Israelis clearly realize in today’s YouTube culture how to get the truth out there. Of course that relies on such a video going “viral”. Are you “infected” yet? If so, share it.

Am I surprised? No. Disappointed? Of course.

Despite national polling numbers that indicate an anti-incumbent sentiment, history tells us that sentiment doesn’t often extend to one’s own incumbents. And that appears true this round in Nebraska.

An examination of the election results from the Nebraska Secretary of State’s website shows that almost without fail, incumbents won in the May 11 primary by a wide margin.

Also, I knew before primary election night that a disgust with uncontrollable spending professed on Tea Party signs and again, via polling, tends not to affect voters’ thinking on local issues. In viewing the configuration of yard signs around Lincoln, NE, in the few weeks prior to the election around I was shaking my head as I drove by yards that featured a whole slate of Republican candidates but also included a “Yes to Arena” sign.

The arena issue is mentioned here not because people from outside Nebraska have any interest in it, of course, it’s included to illustrate a disconnect in thinking about everything from unsustainable overspending to the proper role of government. By voting “Yes” to the arena bond issue, Lincolnites signal they are content with overspending by their city government while city streets fall apart.

And this dovetails with the majority opinion of Nebraskans who apparently believe the incumbents in their Congressional delegation have had no hand in the explosion of government and dangerous debt.

The message is: the problem is in D.C., our elected officials are doing a good job. This is not a surprise – Nebraska has not had huge turnouts at Tea Parties as seen in some places in the country – the largest number of which I’m aware, either in Omaha (total metro population of about one million) or Lincoln is 1500 – 1800. Lansing, Michigan, with a comparable population to that of Lincoln’s, had an April 15, 2009, turnout of 5,000+.

Michiganders, of course, have been hurting for a long time. They are feeling the pinch. Nebraskans, apparently are not.  They are unable to see the pincers coming their way or who has been wielding them.

It’s an unfortunate thing, the phenomenon that is part human nature, part result of our welfare-state culture, and part of the ignorance bred by our education system. People don’t care much about much until they are personally and directly hurt. Although we all are, in so many ways, already being directly detrimentally affected, we don’t see it because it’s embedded in the system. It is the now often heard analogy of being boiled like frogs.

Phew…I know I’m gettin’ real hot over here…how ’bout you?

Apparently you have to be NOT from Nebraska to realize that this state has the highest overall taxation rates within a nine state area. Also, apparently, you have to have lived recently somewhere besides Lincoln to realize that the city has a higher cost of living than it’s next door neighbor, Omaha, which has a much larger population.

A fellow former South Dakotan recently noted that a particular type of  building permit in Lincoln that costs $2200 costs just $45 in Omaha. To that example, I added my own. South Dakota has no income tax, so most of its revenues comes from sales tax and it is even collected on grocery items.  But I could shop much less expensively for a cart full of food in my small town (population 1700) grocery store WITH sales tax than I can in Lincoln without it. That small town store had no competitors and higher pricing compared to the stores in the nearest metro area.

The reason for higher cost of living is simple – there’s simply more government in Nebraska than those other eight states, and much more government in Lincoln than in Omaha, so there are higher taxes.

Based on the primary election results, a majority of registered Nebraska voters like a lot of government and a lot of taxes. Lincolnites in particular must just LOVE them…cause they’d better buckle up after passing that bond issue for the new arena.  Our city streets are in such disrepair, you feel in some places like you’re driving on an unmaintained gravel road after spring rains. But 56% of voters think we can afford a new arena. Using the search term “city budget” on the Lincoln Journal Star website yields stories year in and year out about city budget shortfalls. The majority of Lincolnites, like the majority of Americans in 2008, apparently believe we can spend our way out of this.

Yeah, that’ll work.

But, as I said, I’m not surprised. Not even at the supposedly conflicting yard signs. They aren’t actually conflicting. A former Nebraska Republican Congressman appeared what seemed like every ten minutes on local Lincoln TV advocating for the arena bond issue. He also just happens to be the Athletic Director of the University of Nebraska and the one man in the state that has the highest likelihood of being canonized the moment he passes on because he was the long-time coach of the Nebraska Cornhusker football team. (Did I mention that the University wants a new arena for basketball? And they’ll get to use it virtually for free?)

The State Attorney General was a featured speaker at a pro-Arena event. He is a Republican.

I’m just scratching the surface here – there are plenty more examples of Nebraska Republicans that don’t seem very limited government to me…and I’m not even going to get into the things that have gone on in the state legislature of which I’m aware.

Where the support of incumbents in Nebraska makes the least sense is in the cases of two out of three Congressmen. Both Jeff Fortenberry and Lee Terry voted to spend like drunken sailors along with their fellow Republicans while their Party’s guy was in power, and while they were the majority party.  Sure, they’re saying “no, no, no” now – but – they said “yes, yes, yes” consistently for years before.

I’ve heard a lot of people complain about the Republican party not abiding by its platform. Apparently, if their own Congressman abides by the platform in the last year or so, or appears to adhere to Constitutional principles for the past five minutes, that’s all it takes.

Nebraska Republicans seem to have gotten back together with the incumbents and the party establishment.

Ah, well. At least there’s a really nice song to commemorate the occasion that comes to mind…

I recognize I’m clearly in a minority on this…but I think

THIS IS THE SONG ALL REPUBLICANS

(HECK – ALL AMERICANS) SHOULD BE SINGING…

But I am beginning to think  those of us who are in that minority may find the following is all we have left…

And perhaps…that’s the message being given to us from a source far more important than polls.

The FIRE Coalition, working with partners at the Patriot Coalition and NovemberPatriots, will hold the first National Security Conference of 2010 in the old Kansas Supreme Court Chambers in the Kansas State Capitol Building.  Whether it is amnesty for illegal aliens, the nearly 10% unemployment rate, or the rising instances of drug cartel and gang crime along the southern border, elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels need to work together for the American People.  A little later in the month, on Saturday, June 19th, FIRE will hold the second national security conference of 2010 in Hamilton, Ohio.

While out walking blocks yesterday in two Oklahoma neighborhoods, several folks either indicated they were no longer Republicans or would not be voting. In one instance, a gentleman who is known to be more liberty-oriented by his neighbors flatly refused to change his registration back to Republican even to vote for liberty-minded candidates. Perhaps that particular fellow is a rarity, its one thing to answer “Independent” to a pollster, it’s another matter to go to the trouble of actually changing one’s voter registration.

Maybe it’s just the particular neighborhoods walked, maybe it’s just Oklahomans as compared to Nebraskans, but when out walking a good chunk of a legislative district in Nebraska in April and May, the people who engaged in conversation didn’t indicate dissatisfaction with the Republican party. In fact, it was largely the opposite. Most simply wanted to know that the candidate was a Republican. It becomes more interesting when another fact is taken into account – because it was a legislative race and Nebraska’s legislature is a Unicameral (purportedly non-partisan), we knocked on EVERY door in neighborhoods. (Of course because we weren’t targeting just registered Republicans, we did get a few negative reactions, but a very few.)

In addition to some OK Republican voters saying that they are no longer Republican, I also encountered another interesting contrast; the number of people who went beyond simply politely accepting the material I was giving them was higher – people wanted to know more. When the candidates’ websites were highlighted on the handouts, there was general interest in visiting those sites.

From my perspective then, the OK voters listed as registered Republicans are either fed up with the party or are at least interested in putting some effort into investigating candidates. Many weren’t aware of the primary election on July 27 but were interested once told.

Of course I can’t be sure what all of this may mean for the July 27 election in Oklahoma, but it seems it might mean one of two things; enough Republicans are so disgruntled they now consider themselves Independents, they may just stay home, or challengers may stand a better chance of pulling off wins in OK than they did in NE. Apparently that seems to hinge upon voters knowing there is a primary and whether the challengers get their names and good information about themselves to those voters.

Voter turnout was low in Nebraska’s May 11 primary. There was clearly a trend by voters there to accept a person with an “R” behind their name. A general lack of inquisitiveness would readily lend itself to a trend that people would vote for the most recognizable name on a ballot and that would be an incumbent. And that’s exactly what happened. Incumbent Republicans won all of the major seats in Nebraska.

Oklahoma state law has set a 60 day deadline in advance of an election for voter registration and that happens to be this Friday.  IF many Republicans actually went to the trouble of changing their party affiliation, it would seem a priority to ensure they change it back to vote for Constitutional, limited government candidates.

Beyond that, anyone who knows of solid candidates, particularly challengers, needs to make an effort to help them get their names and information out to voters, particularly the disgruntled bunch, and motivate them to get to the polls on July 27.

Oklahomans tired of insanely out of control spending and extra-Constitutional governance seem to have some opportunities. The question is…will they take them?

It would be silly of me not to take the opportunity to pitch for the candidates that motivated me to get out and walk. They are Nathan Dahm, who is running for OK’s First Congressional District, and State Senator Randy Brogdon, who is running for Governor. Two other candidates whom I know and heartily support in OK are CD04 Candidate RJ Harris and CD02 Candidate Howard Houchen.

Give Me Liberty TV Opening

A few months ago, I was invited to a taping of a grassroots tv show by Lincoln, Nebraska’s very own Give Me Liberty TV.

I say GML-TV is grassroots because it is a group of local folks who wanted to have an impact on people in some way that was being tried. They opted to put together a TV show on the local cable access channel. Since they started their efforts late last summer, they’ve gathered footage of many rallies, events, and landed a number of interviews, a couple of them real boons. In January, they managed to wrangle an interview with Judge Andrew Napalitano while he was in the state for the Sovereignty Symposium. In February, they sat down with Oklahoma State Representative Charles Key while he was in Lincoln to testify at the Nebraska Unicameral.

Follow up has included panels of local activists and the interview you see below. State Director of the Nebraska Campaign for Liberty Laura Ebke and I were invited on together because we’ve been working on a number of projects together over the past few months.

Likely, the reason why is evident from the interview – Laura and I enjoy discussing the philosophy regarding the Founding and searching for solutions we can put into action to move back towards that Constitutional, limited government. We particularly focused on State Sovereignty and how States have lost their role in the separation of powers and checks and balances intended for our system to work.

Our interview was split into two shows. This is the first of the two, which first aired last week.

Thanks to Patrick and the rest of the GML-TV crew for hosting the interview and for their efforts overall.