More Election Rumors - 2nd District and District Attorney

Mad dash.  That's the best way to describe the inside view of the many candidates with their eyes on the prize for both Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District (being vacated by Dan Boren) as well as the Oklahoma County District Attorney spot in three years.  Republicans are excited at the opportunity to take a clean sweep of the Congressional District and with the Ersland case hanging over the D.A.'s office, as well as the targeting of Representative Randy Terrill, Representative Mike Christian and former Senator Debbe Leftwich, Prater now has Republicans frothing at the mouth to win back the District Attorney's position.

GOP revolution will continue as before.

And the Republican tsunami looks to continue.

On the 2nd District side of things, McCarville has a pretty adept analysis of the situation and Faught's son even has a story he posted about his father, George Faught, forming an "exploratory committee" (translated:  Fundraising apparatus) for the 2nd District.  McCarville is correct - this will be a national race, meaning that there will be national attention drawn to it and whomever the Democratic candidate ends up being, that person will have a ton of money thrown his/her direction.  Right now, Kenneth Corn seems to be the odds-on favorite to win that nomination but on the Republican side, it is tough to tell.  Faught is the first to aggressively discuss the issue, but you can rest assured that Republican consultants are even now out recruiting candidates with deep pockets.

On the more local level, rumors are still flying that former State Representative and Iraq war veteran, Kevin Calvey, is considering a run for Oklahoma County District Attorney.  While Calvey authored the "Stand Your Ground" law, he was on Fox 25 providing analysis that what Jerome Ersland did was wrong, which, on the surface, makes it appear as though he is in agreement with Prater on the prosecution of Ersland. However, the anti-Prater movement is picking up steam and petition drives have started to free Ersland and encourage the Governor to commute his sentence (whatever it may be) or to pardon him completely.  This translates into increased drive and revenue for whomever the Republican candidate will be - and lest we forget, the Republican tidal wave is still in effect.  Prater's discussions about the armed robber in the Ersland case wherein he described him as a "young boy," rather than an "armed robber" will come back to haunt him in the next election cycle, as well as some other issues that have taken place under his watch.  There is also some talk that someone within the District Attorney's office, a registered Republican, is considering the possibility of a run against him as well. 

In this next election cycle, no one is safe if there is a "D" after his/her name.  Every Democrat in Oklahoma will have to answer as to whether or not they support the present administration and why they have not been outspoken against the policies therein.  It will be a virtual bloodbath.  Bring your lawn chairs, a cool beverage and watch the fireworks.

Boren Bonus? Stand By...

Congressman Dan Boren is going to be leaving the halls of Congress, more than likely to pursue a job with the Grand River Dam Authority (according to McCarville), and that would most assuredly mean a pay raise and much better scenery than what he is used to.  It would be a major bonus for the Congressman, as the politics of Washington's lone Democrat from the Oklahoma delegation must be wearing on him.

Possible Democratic candidate, Kenneth Corn

What does this mean for Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District?  Well, it means that the Republicans will be lining up for the job like kids at a doughnut give-away.  George Faught is but one of the names being mentioned right now, and there will no doubt be plenty more who will feel as though the time is right for a Republican takeover of the 2nd District.  You can rest assured that Republican consultants are already on the hunt for a candidate with deep pockets and Matt Pinnell, Oklahoma's GOP Chair, will work his tail off to ensure the Republican candidates get all they need.

But not so fast - there will be a few hardened Democrats running for the seat as well.   Movement is already underway to recruit former State Senator Kenneth Corn for the job.  Corn is a Blue Dog who is a gun owner and has worked well with House Representatives like Richardson to pass legislation regarding hunting and fishing in Oklahoma.  Corn is also a friend of many veterans groups in the state of Oklahoma and is regarded as an honest, hard-working man of his word.  Truth is that I have hunted with Kenneth Corn in Southeast Oklahoma and he is very well-regarded in those parts.  And he is a hoot to hunt with.

Other Democrats such as Brad Carson have been mentioned, but Carson has been out of the loop for a long time.  Another is Mike Brown, but again, doesn't have the stroke of a Corn.

In any event, this should be the political race of the century and whomever the Republican candidate will be for the district, he/she will receive support from virtually every statewide elected official because, well, they are all Republicans.

Words, Labels Have Meaning

I've been on this planet for almost 47 years now (good Lord, I'm getting old) and I have seen a massive shift in how we see things in this country.  When I joined the Navy in 1982, military service had a sense of honor and privilege.  Virtually every male in my family had served including my father and all of my uncles.  Service mattered and it was something to be looked upon with a sense of pride and duty. 

I remember standing in a crowd of people at the recruiting center, all of us raising our hand and swearing an oath to defend the Constitution against enemies both foreign and domestic.  After the oath, there was a brief moment of silence, the air in the building stood still for just a moment as the magnitude of that oath permeated the fabric of our beings.  It was a seminal point in my life, a moment that I will never forget and it is something I hope my children can understand.

As we look around us today, we see a different mindset.  We see issues of Constitutional relevance being relegated to the colloquial trash heap by the mainstream media, labeled as "social policy."  The Constitution is not "social policy," as though written by a homeowner's association about how tall your grass can be or whether or not you can paint your fence pink.  It's about issues like the 2nd Amendment - the right to keep and bear arms.  It's about the right of the citizenry to have access to the courts for the redress of wrongs.  It's about the right to practice our religious affections with no government intervention. It is about ensuring our borders are protected, our citizens kept safe from intrusion.

How are those issues merely "social" in nature?  I don't get it.

These words, these labels make a difference and it is the slow, steady erosion of a worldview wherein the Constitutional issues men and women have died for become little more than a catch-phrase or platitude.  I am not saying that the Constitution is to be held up to the same standard as the canon of Scripture, mind you, but it was important enough for our founding fathers to have a document that meant something to forge this great nation from the bedrock of freedom from tyranny.  If it's good enough for them, why isn't it good enough for us?

We're fixated on ridiculous scandals in politics and meanwhile, the issues that really matter, the points of freedom that should get our attention do not.  Corruption, cronyism, political prosecution and hypocrisy of the highest order are commonplace in government and we seem to accept it because the issues that matter most are merely "social" in nature.  We've allowed the mainstream media to create this bizarre little oligarchy wherein their precious few squander the rights and freedoms of the many for the express purpose of lining their pockets and ensuring a new form of intellectual tyranny. 

It puzzles me.  Words and these labels have meaning and they are not created by happenstance.  They are intentional, devious and cunning, and the authors are counting on our ignorance, our willingness to choose the path of least resistance and let them "lead the way." 

Every two years, we have the opportunity to shun the mainstream media, to go to the polls and do the right thing.  We have horribly short memories and sometimes it's difficult to remember what was promised when contrasted with what was delivered.  Together, however, we can remind one another of that which is important.  And the next time you read or hear someone calling issues of Constitutional import "social issues," get in their collective faces and remind them of those who have laid down their lives and paid the ultimate price to preserve our freedoms from tyranny.