Polishing the Brass On the Titanic

I didn't watch any of the debates, nor will I.  Sitting back and observing the shenanigans put on by supporters of this campaign or that campaign is entertainment enough.  Old school terms like "socialist" or "fascist" are being tossed about like bread crumbs at a duck pond.  The supporters eat each other alive while the candidates and their consultants ride along in their luxury bus, enjoying air conditioning and not being troubled to get their hands dirty.  Sadly, this isn't the first election cycle to see such mayhem.

There have been vitriolic campaigns in the past on a state, local, as well as federal level that have been nothing short of blood baths.  The John Kerry Swift Boat attacks, previous Congressional races where the big question of the day was, "Are you now or have you ever been a Democrat?" Of course, there was the now famous Willie Horton attack ad campaign, and now, negative robocalls have replaced door hangers largely.  

The truly sad thing about it all is that this fighting, bickering, attacking, and abuse are doing nothing but feeding the flames of the militants on either side of the aisle while the Average Joe is opting out of the "gotcha game."  If we don't get our shite together, we're headed for disaster.  In other words, we're polishing the brass on the Titanic as it's going down.

One would think that in this day and age, common sense could be included in the process, but unfortunately, it is as elusive as Bigfoot.  Here are some common sense answers to questions that I think could be easily adopted and solve a whole lot of problems.

1.  School Nutrition:  This should be a no-brainer, kids.  Children are going to school hungry and in this great country, that shite just doesn't need to happen.  Yes, it costs taxpayer dollars but since we're a "nation founded on Christian principles," makes sense that our charity would extend to feeding children.

2.  Environment:  What in the hell is wrong with us?  We have scientific evidence that humans are jacking up the planet - like the deal with the rubbish island floating around in the Pacific Ocean.  That's just ate up with stupid and we should be doing something about our end of the madness.  We are messing with entire ecosystems and that is wrong no matter how you slice it.  Unless you're Rush Limbaugh or Shawn Hannity and produce more methane than a 5,000 head cattle ranch.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

3.  Guns:  I believe that the Heller decision was the right decision and yes, I'm a beastly 2nd Amendment supporter.  There are some things that need to be fixed, however.  We need to make sure that parents who own firearms are held responsible if their children access those firearms and cause bodily injury or death.  Common sense, people.  Yes, concealed carry permits should be issued for college students who meet the already stringent requirements (you gun-grabbers forget that you have to be 21 to even own a handgun).  

4.  Welfare Reform:  Those receiving government welfare should be means-tested to ensure that it is warranted even though 90% of the time, it's not.  We have created a generation or two of dependency on the government teat to gain sustenance and it's wrong.  And that's just the oil and gas industry.  (See what I did there?)  You see, my friends, the oil and gas industry have these little associations that are created to lobby for bills that benefit the oil and gas industry.  Most of the time, it's to eliminate taxes as much as possible for them.  They hire these "legislative liaisons" who are little more than brothel employees, deciding which candidate gets the "VIP treatment" while fundraising for elections.  Meanwhile, the poorest among us are struggling and oil and gas CEO's are struggling to decide what Bentley they will drive any particular day.  It's common sense, people.  If a company posts profits, they don't need corporate welfare and an argument can be made that no company should be receiving government hand outs.

Those are just four ideas upon which maybe, just maybe we can agree upon.  Both sides of the aisle need to shut the vitriol down and start providing solutions.

Of course, it's just my opinion and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.  

Ron "Gorilla" Black

Kick That Dog!

"He was a quiet man, friendly of course, but not one who had mastered the art of conversation.  To look at him, one would think that he was just another middle-aged white guy with questionable fashion sense.  His mannerisms and body language was always downtrodden.  He avoided eye contact, he spoke in low, soft tones that were both soothing and unsettling.  He lived alone, though his attempts at marriage resulted in complete failure, and he had gotten comfortable with his routine.  He really only had one source of irritation and it was from a coworker.

There are bullies in the workplace and he hated them.  He had spent his childhood at the hands of these brute beasts - coming home from school with his clothes ripped or stolen, his face scratched or bruised, and sometimes missing homework.  When he would return home, he had to face his father who would in turn beat him severely for being picked on.  All of these events would lead to one tragic day.

The workers were on a break where they often went to enjoy some sunshine, the rooftop of the 5-story brick building in the industrial district of the city.  The bully was there and he was again in his top form.  Laughing, poking, and being commanding, controlling.  He was standing close to the edge of the barrier on the rooftop when the bully said something about bedding his mother.  He grabbed the bully and held him in his arms in a bear hug and walked backwards.

When the two of them hit the ground, the sound of bones crushing and breaking echoed off of the other buildings.  Their demise had drawn the attention of neighboring workers who came out to see what had happened.   He had reached a boiling point, the emotional point of no return where self-harm and destruction were merely a means to an end.

It's how many of us live our lives today."  ~ 'Killing Me Softly,' Ron "Gorilla" Black

My mother used to tell me in her marvelously country accent, "Butch, if you kick a dog often enough, eventually that dog is gonna bite ya."  It's a lesson that I've had to learn the hard way throughout my days on this big blue ball.  It's a reality of the human pathos that is virtually unavoidable, regardless of how faith-filled a person may be or even how gentle and sweet an individual may appear.  There comes a saturation point with each of us that pushes us over the edge and we're willing to go down with the ship just to ensure that the kicking stops.

Most recently, this saying was put into practice when the Oklahoma GOP decided to elect a ultra-conservative to chair the party.  People within the party had heard for many years how the grassroots efforts, the development of candidates, and affiliation with the various Chambers of Commerce were going swimmingly - and they were.  The problem is that the core of the GOP is not a fan of the Chamber's agenda at some points.  Apparently, these points are so sharp that it's worth breaking fellowship.

That is what happened when former State Senator Randy Brogdon was elected as chair.  In many ways, the "group think" was most likely punishment for the many years of centrist ideologies and the disdain of the party apparatus who treated the conservatives in the party as dirt on their $695 Salvatore Ferragamo dress shoes.  The Chamber crowd got bit and now, the party has suffered as a result.  There's no need to go over the multitude of mishaps with Brogdon at the helm, but in a way, the party sacrificed itself to get a point across.

How this all pans out is anyone's guess.  

This is just an opinion and I could be wrong.  But I'm not.

Ron "Gorilla" Black

First Friday In March Week In Review

This has been a remarkably bizarre week in the news.  Ranging from the turmoil in Libya and subsequent oil prices, to Charlie Sheen showing that for some people, it just doesn't matter how much money you have...you're still wacko.

Huckabee:  This week, former Governor, Fox News show host and candidate for president launched against Natalie Portman for her perceived glamorization of single parenthood.  Being the good Baptist Minister Bass Player that he is, Huckabee just had to "go there" and make an issue of it (read the coverage here).  Appealing to the most base elements of the conservative pathos, Huckabee pulls out an old trump card from the GOP talking points - to get headlines, take a dump on Hollywood or someone in Hollywood who is getting headlines.  Of course, The Huckster made no mention of Bristol Palin and her upcoming memoir wherein she will no doubt sing her own praises, tell us how tough she has had it being a spoiled little rich kid, bemoan the life of a single mother searching for appropriate nannies and make a mint doing it. 

Supremes:  In a move that surprised a lot of people, the Supreme Court actually took the side of Westboro Baptist Church that has made a name for itself protesting fallen soldiers' funerals.  The ruling will impact Oklahoma laws and laws made across the nation to keep families of fallen soldiers from their protestations.  Not really sure how I feel about this one. 

City Council Shock:  The Tea Party was sure that the excitement Oklahomans had regarding a conservative movement was at hand, but it proved only to be temporary and short-lived.  Much like the media cycle in Oklahoma, Republicans apparently have the attention span of a pack of swarming gnats who have completely forgotten from whence they came.  The campaign slogans that energized the conservative base have served to be little more than cheers given on the sidelines of a junior high school football game.  The only real conservative on the Oklahoma City Council, Brian Walters, was defeated by establishment candidates who will rubber stamp virtually any program or idea that Mick "Taco Bell" Cornett has to offer.  And what was the Tea Party response?  Silence.  Welcome to the regime of the paper tigers.  Oklahoma City is moving forward - the rich are getting richer, the middle class is silent and the poor, well, they are looking for room at the proverbial Inn.  Let's see how donations to City Rescue Mission end up this year.

GOP Meets Life Church:  The new "Emerge 46" campaign from the Oklahoma GOP is creative, innovative and anything but unique.  If you follow the movement and growth of Oklahoma's Mega-Church Life Church, you will see very real similarities in marketing/public relations strategies.  The Democrats have dominated where college-aged voters are concerned and Matt Pinnell knows this.  He and his young bucks are beginning to see how the evangelical movement has seen success and they are emulating that with this new program.  This week, a gathering took place with Senator David Holt, Matt Pinnell, Lt. Governor Todd Lamb and a few others who are excited about this new media approach to getting young conservatives to come out of the closet.  Hoping to ride the establishment Republican tidal wave that has seem to overtake the conservative movement last year, the new "hip and happening" GOP wherein anyone over the age of 40 is cast aside (unless you're a donor), this new program will be exceptionally successful.

Sally Kern Writing A Book?   According to the Democratic Chatboard, Demookie.com, State Representative Sally Kern is authoring a book not yet available, but listed on Amazon.com entitled, "The Stoning of Sally Kern."  Bloggers have picked up on the news and the left-leaning blog sites have been all a-twitter about it.   Sally Kern has done a masterful job of keeping herself in the media and with the insurgence of the Baptist movement in Oklahoma, Sally stands to profit immensely from this book - her husband being a Baptist pastor doesn't hurt either and lest we forget, it was the Baptist denomination that helped former camp counselor James Lankford sail to Congress.  Kern is very much like Randy Terrill in that she will have that State House seat for as long as she wants it.  Her supporters are rabid supporters and her detractors have been marginally successful at dealing with Sally's rise to fame, which puts Kern in a very good position to run for higher office in the future.  If her book deal is true, expect another makeover of Sally in the very near future.

So, there you have it, kids.  Some food for thought.

Oklahoma Democrats Wondering, "What Now?"

After landslide victories across the state of Oklahoma, the GOP and its leadership are relishing the fruit of their labor.  It's an exciting time for the GOP to be sure but not so much for the Democrats.

On the Democratic chat board, Demookie.com, Tim Reese asks the question, "Have we hit the bottom?  Where do we go from here?"  The responses are fascinating to read.

One person writes:

Not even incumbents like Holland or Fields were competitive. State House disaster, Senate with Gumm going down, the great sharia law menace to our state averted...YES...we are OFFICIALLY on the bottom. The projected state deficit within range of a billion dollars will exert ENORMOUS pressure on any and all welfare, social service, and health care programs, the prison system, the educational system, etc., and the bad news? The state of oklahoma voted for that outcome by a 60+% majority!!! The upside? Absolutely no evil state Democrats left to blame for the state's future problems because they don't hold a single office now, and we can be the crazy bomb throwers. BUT, they will now double and triple down on the greatest satan of all, one Barack Obama, to blame for all that goes wrong, and with their money and media power, they'll likely do well with that ongoing strategy. Nationally, utter gridlock, likely government shutdown over some confrontation, a serious effort to impeach President Obama, all lie ahead, but the worst thing of all is the coming economic depression because there WILL be a financial crisis ahead. It will be another "double dip down" or worse in the stock market, a major sell-off in the US Debt security markets, a collapsing dollar, or even some international event, any of which will lead us to the "Brink of the Abyss" just like where we were in 2008, but we won't have a Congress that will have the sense to do what's necessary to attempt to avert that outcome. The crazy right-wing and tea party crowds WON'T let anything resembling bailouts or stimulus spending to happen, so we will be in deep you-know-what when that inevitably occurs.

This person has a point.  If things continue to head south, there will be no Democrats to blame, but rather the Oklahoma voters will be frothing at the mouth to blame Mary Fallin.

Another writes:

Now is the time for the democratic party leadership to begin the blame game publically of which the repugs have done so effectively over the last 8 or so years. If the democratic leadership will start using TV, radio and BUY newspaper advertisement to enlighten the public of the reality of all of this...We have no one to blame but ourselves for this overwelming defeat..we are going to see a significant turn down of Oklahoma economy in the next 6 to 8 months. When this happens an advertisement campaign should come out telling people this is brought to you by the republican party...."are you better off today than you were 3 years ago?".... hold on it is going to be a helluva ride for the next two years.

Analysis By Ron Black, the 400lb Gorilla

More of the same sentiment as expressed earlier, but here is my analysis:
If you recall, the Oklahoma Democratic Party's demise began right about the time Howard Dean let loose with his horrific scream on national television.  The Democratic Party Chair at the time started a shift to the left, away from the vast majority of the base - which happens to be quite conservative.  The Democratic Party in Oklahoma is not the socialist, Marxist breed that we find in Washington.  And the shift to the left destroyed the Party's ability to raise money, to communicate a coherent message that distances itself from the national platform.

Is there hope for Oklahoma Democrats?  Other than switching parties and becoming Republicans, there may be, but it's going to require wholesale change at the top.  Guys like Ben Odom need to step up to the plate, reasoned Democrats like Tim Reese and even Brad Henry need to reach out to their base and explain to them that they screwed up.  And yes, they have got to communicate a stronger message that truly represents who they are...unless they truly ARE socialists.

The problem is that in many cases, perception is reality and this is what one member of the chat board said, and it's the kind of thing that scares the hell out of people:

*sigh* How did we go from being a state that had a strong agrarian Socialist Party to a state that is almost overwhelmingly Republican?

State Auditor Race

Yes, we're at the cusp of election day and  most of us have already realized that the Republicans are going to have a clean sweep.  There are a couple races that the state GOP needs to get more involved in - such at the State Auditor race and the Labor Commissioner race as well, but I have spoken to Matt Pinnell personally, and he has assured me that the GOP will be doing something to ensure we don't have another four years of a Henry-appointed Auditor.

Think about it:  If Gary Jones does not receive the help necessary from the GOP and loses to a Henry-appointed Democrat, and the Republicans sweep other races, Gary's opponent will have something to prove and he will expend untold energy toying with the other statewide office holders.  It is critical that Matt Pinnell and the new leadership team at the GOP focus time and energy on this race otherwise, Burrage will be a proverbial bee in the bonnet of every statewide Republican-controlled office.

Conventional wisdom dictates that the GOP will be laser focused on the Governor's race, but in this climate, the Governor's race probably requires the least amount of attention.  Mary Fallin has a pretty damned good team around her and she has incredible financial resources at her fingertips.  Not only that, but the RGA (Republican Governor's Association) has spent a bunch of money in this market as well.  So, you see, Fallin doesn't need Pinnell nor the Victory Fund to waste untold dollars on her race - Jones, Doak and Costello need the help.

I consider Gary Jones to be a friend and though we have not agreed on every finer point of political dogma, Gary is probably the best suited candidate for State Auditor we Republicans have seen in many years.  Gary has uncovered more corruption and fiscal shenanigans in state government than the last three auditors combined - and he's not even our State Auditor yet.

I highly recommend you vote for Gary, November 2nd.  We need a State Auditor who will work hard for the people of Oklahoma and not spend $350,000 of our hard-earned dollars to redecorate their office.

Gary's website.

That Was Wild...

Like you, I spent the majority of the evening watching the primary election returns with great anticipation and yes, there were a few big surprises.  While it wasn't a huge surprise to see Congresswoman Mary Fallin defeat State Senator Randy Brogdon, it was a little surprising to see just how many turned out to vote for the Senator.  As the smoke cleared, Fallin got the decisive victory and even extended an olive branch to the Brogdon supporters - and they deserved it.  People like Cheryl Williams and Tiffany Titsworth, to name just two, were ardent supporters of Randy and they busted their backs to support him.  Brogdon's grassroots campaign was truly phenomenal and was almost textbook.  The problem for them was really the Mary Fallin juggernaut.

And Matt Pinnell at the watch party gave a rousing GOP rally cry as well.

Another wild ride was the gubernatorial race between Drew Edmondson and Lt. Governor Jari Askins.  Jari pulled out a close victory and now, Oklahoma will have its first female governor.

The 5th Congressional District race was not a big surprise to anyone, really.  Conventional wisdom dictated that it would come down to Calvey and James Lankford, but I don't think anyone thought that Lankford would top Calvey in the primary.  The News 9 interviews with both Calvey and James Lankford were quite revealing.  Both looked very tired, but had their game faces on.  Now, the runoff commences and should be very enlightening for all of us.  I know that my friend, Dave White, is very excited about the possibilities.

Of course, Dana Murphy sailed to victory and will now have six years to implement some of her plans at the Corporation Commission.  Of all the candidates for statewide office, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who has worked as hard as her and met with as many GOP members as she.  She worked hard and earned her victory.

Gary Jones won his race as well and it really wasn't that surprising, but he faces a pretty darned tough incumbent who was appointed by Brad "Gone Fishin" Henry.  Fortunately for Gary, the anti-incumbent mood is cresting and he can ride that wave to victory in November.

So, what does it all mean?  The analysis to me shows that people voted for the individual, don't care much for negative campaigns (thus, the Pruitt victory) and are looking for some real leadership with some fresh voices (generally speaking, of course).  There are still some questions to be answered, however.

How much money does the GOP have to help Mary Fallin against Askins?

How much money does the Democratic Party have to help Askins against Fallin?

Will Club For Growth kick in some more cash to support Calvey against the Baptist's red-haired prodigy?

Where will the Brogdon supporters go and whom will they support?

In the meantime, there's always the Back to School Blues Jam and Wail...

Matt Pinnell, Guy For GOP Job

There will be a battle coming soon for the position of state party chair of the GOP and right now, there are two people who are named as potential front-runners:  Matt Pinnell and Steve Fair.  I consider both men to be good men, hard-working and committed to reshaping and focusing the GOP on issues of import to regular guys like me.

More and more people are hesitant to fly the GOP banner high because of accusations of corruption, candidates who are churned out by the same consultants with the same boilerplate message and no real experience.  Whether it be career politicians or potential candidates with the largest bank accounts, the GOP grassroots has been wondering just what the hell is going on?

I believe Matt Pinnell to be the guy to put the GOP ship back on course, and to return to the days when party leadership recruited candidates, not consultants.  He knows how the game is played and has assured me that he would speak out against some of the mess we have - such as people recruiting candidates against solid Republican statewide candidates like Dana Murphy.

Matt's history:

    •    Former campaign aide to Congressman Steve Largent, State Senator Scott Pruitt, and U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D.
    •      Worked under two State GOP Chairman: Tom Daxon and Gary Jones in the position of Director of Operations. In this role I helped the State Party raise unprecedented levels of contributions and worked with County Chairs across the state.
    •    Served as the "Oklahoma Victory" Director for the OKGOP for the McCain-Palin ticket, helping John McCain win 65.4% of the vote in OK, the highest percentage in the nation.
    •    Former Executive Director of American Majority-Oklahoma. Helped train literally thousands of activists and conducted dozens of candidate trainings across Oklahoma.

I think he would be a good man for the job, for what it's worth.