Truth is truth and no matter how we try to mask it, cover it up, dress it up and put lipstick on it, we can't avoid that reality. For me, there are some realities in politics that hold true and cannot ever be disputed. The following is a compilation of truths that for me, cannot be argued nor will I ever be moved away from them.
Evil exists in all parties. Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and Libertarians have both good and bad in their parties. When we try to label someone predicated on their political party affiliation, we make ourselves out to be idiots. I once had a zealot Republican tell me that no matter what, he would vote for a Republican over a Democrat. To me, that's just plain stupid. And you know what they say...you can't fix stupid.
Single-issue candidates will always cause more problems than they will solve. As a pro-life individual who has come full circle on the issue of the death penalty, I see candidates whose only talking point is that of abortion. Or guns. Or immigration. Or Obamacare. These are people from whom we must keep a safe distance because they are usually completely ignorant on the other issues that impact us on a daily basis. Like the tax code.
Political consultants are a big problem. I say this because I have consulted on a number of successful campaigns, yet I have seen some exceptionally dark personalities permeate the fabric of the Oklahoma political scene. It's all about cash flow for these bottom-feeding creatures who parade candidates out there, let them get shot at, meanwhile they hide behind the "I'm just a consultant" mantra. Beware of these men and women.
Real world experience matters. There was an independent candidate for Congress a few years back that represented everything I believe in for a political candidate. A Navy SEAL, an inventor, a patent holder, a small business owner and a fiscal conservative. He chose to run as an Independent because he saw the corruption in the GOP political apparatus and didn't want to be a part of it. Sadly, he was convinced to drop out of the race before the public really got to know him. He had real world experience that would have served Oklahoma well, but instead, well...you know the rest of the story.
The two party system in Oklahoma is ridiculous. We have heard the arguments about the cost of opening up the election process to more than the two parties we have now, blah blah blah. But every couple of years, we really don't get much of a choice and the arrogance of party leadership on either side of the aisle to exclude even Libertarians is appalling. It's time to fix that.
So, there you have it. A thumbnail sketch of my general thoughts on politics. We are in the middle of one great big mess in this country as well as in this state. We can fix it, we can solve these problems. We just have to sack up and tell the status quo to kiss our collective asses.
Ron "Gorilla" Black