COMANCHE COUNTY DEMOCRAT

ECONOMIC POLICY WEEKLY

TIME FOR ANOTHER CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION?

Number 2006-46

November 27, 2006

This month Oklahoma begins its 100^th year, a year for us to celebrate our past and consider our future. As Oklahoma begins its centennial year, perhaps it is time for us to consider a state Constitutional Convention.Every constitution is the product of its framers— their experiences, ideas and prejudices. Oklahoma’s Constitution is no different. But our world has changed significantly over the last 100 years. Provisions that would have been necessary in 1907 (or even 1957) may not be so important in 2007. I wonder, if we could do it all over again, what would we do differently?

Would we still have eleven elected statewide offices? Currently, Oklahoma voters elect the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, State Treasurer, State Auditor and Inspector, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Labor Commissioner, Insurance Commissioner, and three Corporation Commissioners. This system creates in Oklahomaa relatively weak Governor who has little control over many important duties of state government. For example, the State Superintendent for Public Instruction, who could have very different ideas than the Governor, leads the State Department of Education.

SENATE REVIEW by Senator Randy Bass

                                First, I want to wish everyone in our district a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope that you were able to spend time with friends and loved ones, that the past year held blessings for you, and that the coming year wiH be even better.

      I am profoundly grateful for my beautiful family, my wonderful friends, and that I have the opportunity to do work on your behalf - it is a blessing to be able to give back to the place and people I've known all my life.

      All the members of the Senate who had just been newly elected or reelected for another four years gathered in the chamber last week to take the Oath of Office. One of the things that makes the day so special is that members bring their young children and grandchildren on the floor with them. I had my daughter, Remi, with me along with several young friends. One new Senator, Brian Bingman of Sapulpa, held a sleeping grandbaby in his arms while he introduced his family in the gallery. There were babies and children everywhere you looked.

      Another returning member, Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, of Durant, held his 11-month-old son, Jacob, in his arms. He told everyone that when he first was elected to the Senate in 2002, he thought that was the best thing that had ever happened in his life, but he said he was wrong about that, because the birth of his son was the best thing that had ever happened to him. I think any one who is a parent knows exactly how he felt achievement in life and challenging work are all important, but none of us, whatever we do for a living, must never lose sight of how important our families are to real happiness.

      We also welcomed back another member who had not been to the Capitol for several weeks. In October, Senator Judy Eason Mclntyre of Tulsa learned she had breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. She came through the surgery well and is now cancer-free and has been making speeches, writing news articles and talking to people whenever she can about how mammograms can save lives. Her positive attitude is an inspiration to all of us, and we were all very happy to see her back at the Capitol.

     Although the 48 members of the Senate come from different parts of' the state and have different backgrounds and ideas, I believe each of us shares the common desire to help make our entire state the best it can be. And even though there are some issues that can be extremely divisive and cause heated debate, the one thing I would want you to know is how much respect there is among our members for each other and how much genuine concern there is for each other's well-being and that of their families.

      I am thankful for that camaraderie and for the lifelong friendships I have made while serving in the Senate. I believe that respect and friendship is what allows us to move past our individual differences and find the common ground that will help us work together to do what's right for Oklahoma.

      As always if you have a question about a legislative matter, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (405) 521-5567 or by email at bass@oksenate.gov.

BAYH SURVEY

Editor: Be glad to run polls and registrations for other candidates on a case by case basis.

Dear Friend,

Now that the Democrats are back in control of Congress, we have a responsibility to lead and tackle the tough problems facing our nation. Democrats are developing an agenda for a stronger America, and we want your input.

Our short survey is an opportunity for you to weigh in on the issues you care most about. All it takes is five minutes!

Use the link below to take our survey.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=938272954679

By telling us what you think, you'll help define the priorities of the 110th Congress.

We're building strategies right now to tackle our country's most pressing issues:

    * Energy Independence: crucial for a more secure America
    * Iraq War: where do we go from here?
    * Health Care: every American deserves access to affordable care, but how do we provide it?
    * Education: our children must be given the opportunity to thrive - in school, and beyond
    * Fair Trade: American workers deserve policies that won't sell them out

These are just a few of the challenges we face.

What future do YOU envision for America?

Your voice matters. Use the link below now to take our quick survey.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=938272954679

We couldn't have gotten here without you. Now help us plan the next step, starting now.

Thank you for your time, and for your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Marc Farinella
Executive Director, All America PAC

www.allamericapac.com
900 2nd St., N.E. | Suite 306 | Washington, DC 20002
P: (202) 326-0450 | F: (202) 326-0455 | info@allamericapac.com|Privacy

Paid for by the All America PAC.
www.allamericapac.com
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

OKLAHOMA SENATE SEAT ANALYSIS

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME POLITIKING

Link: Daily Kos: Second Tier Senate Pickups in 2008: Oklahoma.

SENATOR CLAGHORN DOES OKLAHOMA PROUD

Editor: From Huffington Post

On today's "Meet The Press," California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dismissed the anti-global warming rhetoric of Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, who said global warming was based on "phony science" and called it "the greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people." Schwarzenegger dismissed Inhofe's comments as as "backward-thinking" and from "the Stone Age," asserting that global warming was scientifically-proven fact and saying that "we can slow it down or we can stop it, but only if everyone is working together." Watch it here:

It should be noted, however, that Schwarzenegger's remarks were in response to Tim Russert's question about whether anti-environmentalist people like Inhofe were detrimental to the Republican party (well, actually he said "what will those kinds of statements do to the Republican party?" but we'll read between those careful lines here). Schwarzenegger downplayed the responsibility of the GOP, saying "I don't think it does much to the Republican party...the key thing for us is to not to pay any attention to those things." But Schwarzenegger failed to note that the GOP has been doing nothing BUT "paying attention to those things" with the continued tenure of Inhofe, who made the "hoax" comment in 2003, and who was kept in his post by the Bush administration for the past three years, to be replaced by replaced by Dem Senator Barbara Boxer (Ca.) only following the Democratic sweep in the midterm elections. Without naming names, Schwarzenegger rejected the Bush administration's inaction on the environment, noting that "the states in the United States are not waiting anymore for the federal government to provide leadership...we're going off on our own." Yet neither Russert nor Schwarzenegger held the President Bush or his administration accountable for their anti-environmental, selectively-scientific, head-in-the-sand position on global warming.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

CHANNEL FLIPPER - Meet the Press

MEET THE PRESS WITH TIM RUSSERT
WEEKEND LISTINGS 11/26/06

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R-CA)

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R-CA)
Chairman and Incoming Ranking Member, Armed Services Committee

REP. IKE SKELTON (D-MO)
Ranking Member and Incoming Chairman, Armed Services Committee

GEN. WAYNE DOWNING (RET.)
Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Special Operations Command

GEN. BARRY MCCAFFREY (RET.)
Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Southern Command

Will probably have some information on which way the Armed Services will be heading in the next several years including Fort Sill.

MY SOAP BOX by Mary Francis

Con-men, Control Freaks and Time to Get Started
by Mary Francis

I hope Hal Spake is serious about running again. He has a serious group of folks who are ready to get started with the new campaign, provided he is truly ready to go to work. That means, Hal must getready to walk A LOT, visit every group of 5 or more across CD 4 and speak at every opportunity.Moreover, Halmust have a professional manager and team.

if he wants to be competitive. We were such a rag-tag group as to be almost laughable. Almost, I say, except that we generated a hell-of-a lot of interest at 33cents a vote compared to Cole's $7.00 per vote.  Word is that this result has caused a prominent Dem with big-time connections to money to decide to challange Hal in the primaries next time around.To be viable Hal must start now and call at every occasion for specific changes such as:
   -demanding Public Finance of elections,
   -stopping illegal surveillance of our mail and phones,
   -restoring the Bill of Rights and our American values,
   -defunding NAIS,
   -requiring an Independent Ethics Commission,
   -demanding INVESTIGATIONS,
       http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/investigations
   -replacing our troops with Arabic speakers
       from UN member states such as Egypt,
       Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bosnia, Bahrain,
       Pakistan, Lebanon, Libya, Yeman, etc.,
   -end unverifiable, unauditable electronic voting and
       demand paper ballots,
   -supporting light rail and mass trans,
   -doubling the CAFE standards,
   -enforcing the Immigration laws concerning
       employers,
   -repeal of tax breaks for billionaires,
   -remove the "doughnut hole" and insist upon universal
       national health care,
   -eliminate StarWars (now at $10 Billion a year),
   -demand the release of the CIA assessment
       of the Iraq War and the complete NIE report,
   -repeal the Patriot Act and the recent Military
       Commissions Act which allows torture ....

My God- how the list of Neo-Con sins committed these last 6 years goes on!

These Control Freak Con-men have given themselves the power of dictators. They can now read your email (this one included), listen to your phone conversations, examine your internet searches, overrule your family's medical decisions, send your children to war based on lies, prevent you from flying (effective Jan. 14,2007*) and throw out your vote.  Is there any solution other than the process of investigations which lead to impeachment**?

And those naive Dems in Washington appear to be preparing for their next election rather than realizing that they have only 2 short years to get this ugly mess of the last 6 years straightened out! WE MUST HOLD THEIR FEET TO THE FIRE! We no longer have the luxury of "playing nice"... damn it. The investigations must start now. We have a HUGE job in returning this country to the democracy it once was.

Who will stand with me?

Mary Francis
mfrancis1@earthlink.net

* See `Total Information` lives again
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20061025-064205-6948r   by Shaun Waterman - Oct 26, 2006

** See  http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/88

Note:  Mary Francis is a former NPR Commentator and public school teacher who volunteered for Hal Spake in his bid for the CD 4 seat in Congress.  She is lives and writes in Norman, OK.

ECONOMIC POLICY WEEKLY

Friends,

Here is my latest column. As always, feel free to share your thoughts with me. Don't forget to forward this to anyone you think might be interested.

I hope all is well.

Mickey A. Hepner, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Director of UCO Policy Institute

University of Central Oklahoma

Department of Economics

100 N. University Dr.

Thatcher Hall, Room 222

Edmond, OK 73034-5209

Phone: 405.974.2829

Fax: 405.974.3853

www.busn.ucok.edu/mhepner

Economic Policy Weekly
Number 2006-45

Selling Higher Education
November 20, 2006

"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand."--President Woodrow Wilson

Should we be encouraging so many of today’s high school students to prepare for college? Surprisingly, some say no. I hope policymakers do not heed their advice.

Recently, the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy—a conservative organization that urges governments to reduce higher education funding—released a report that claims too many students attend America’s colleges and universities. To support this claim, the report makes three broad assertions: 1) governmental subsidies encourage more students to seek higher education, 2) students mistakenly believe that a college degree leads to higher earnings, and 3) many students are more interested in acquiring a degree than they are in learning. These assertions lead the report’s authors to the controversial conclusion that society would be better off if fewer students attended America’s colleges and universities.

As a college professor, it should come as no surprise that I disagree with this conclusion. But the argument is not completely without merit.

There is little doubt that governmental support for higher education (at the local, state and federal levels) has led to increased enrollment in higher education institutions. This support takes the form of grants, low-cost loans, and even direct support to higher education institutions. The cumulative effect is to dramatically reduce the price students are forced to pay for higher education, leading to more consumption of the service.

It is also true that a college degree alone is not sufficient to ensure a lifetime of financial security.  Just because someone completes a college degree program does not mean they should spend their graduation day begin picking out furniture for their new McMansion. However, a college degree undoubtedly enhances one’s employability. This is true for two reasons.

First, completing a college degree program requires several years of study—studies which give students the knowledge and skills (what economists refer to as human capital) that students need to compete for higher-paying jobs. Of course, some degree programs provide more marketable skills than others. Some degree programs lead to higher-paying jobs than others. But this means only that the skills gained in the less-marketable degrees are worth less…not worthless.

Second, a college degree can serve as a signaling tool to future employers about a prospective worker’s skills. When an employer is hiring a worker, the employer generally knows relatively little about the prospective employee's effectiveness. However, the fact that the job applicant completed a college degree program provides some information to the prospective employer about that worker's skills and motivation.

Note that in both cases it is not the degree itself that is most important, but rather it is the knowledge, skills, and motivation—the human capital one acquires while earning the degree that matters. College graduates earn more than non-graduates because they have higher levels of human capital than non-graduates.

But it is on this point that the higher education industry has failed. We have not successfully informed our students that the education is more important than the degree. We tell our students that with a college degree they will earn more. Instead, we should be telling them that when they learn more, they will earn more.

As a result, our students focus too much on degree requirements, and not enough on learning. They focus on assignments, deadlines, and tasks instead of engaging in intellectual explorations. They focus too little on acquiring human capital. And by doing so, they only impoverish themselves.

OPEN DOOR POLICY by Rep. Joe Dorman

  Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you have the chance to celebrate with friends and family and lots of good food.  I've been blessed this year to have all my siblings get together on Thursday with our parents.  It's especially important to us this year since it will be my father's birthday on Friday.  My dad, Bill Dorman, will turn 80 this week and we are getting the entire family together for the first time in quite a while.  If you see him out, be sure to wish him a Happy Birthday!
     On another note because of the holiday, we should be celebrating things we are thankful for this year.  The friends I've made through this job have meant a great deal to me.  I've lost several of them this past year, but I'm a much better person for knowing them.  Men like Curtis Jeffreys, Don Heavin and Buck Clements helped me in my elections and after that, did much more by educating me on issues important to the area and by being good friends.  Each of these men and many others out there have helped me try to represent you better and I'm thankful for all those who have worked with me.
     This last week, I had the pleasure of hosting a group of fourth grade students at the State Capitol and the new Oklahoma History Center.  The students from Sheridan Road Elementary went on a tour of the Capitol Building, where they met Secretary of State Susan Savage and State Auditor & Inspector Jeff McMahan.  They also learned about code talkers from WWII and saw an exhibit on household items from statehood to the 50's.  This was especially fun for me since my own third grade teacher is one of their teachers. Editor: Left Click on Photo
     Our swearing in ceremony was conducted on Statehood Day last Thursday, Nov. 16th.  That day also kicked off the state celebration in preparation for our Centennial.  The new leadership teams will be announced this week in the news and committee assignments should be out very soon.  I've requested to serve on several committees relevant to our area, so I hope to have those announced next week, along with where my new office will be located at the Capitol.
     It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. I can be reached locally at (580) 476-2626, my e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work.

CONSTITUTION EDITORIAL BOARD IS 18 MONTHS LATE

I read this Sunday’s Constitution Editorial page with some amusement and disappointment. Their timing is way off for planning and funding Lawton’s Centennial Project.

Like a lot of Lawton community projects, it should have been done last year. I doubt if the Commission is still active since the centennial year was to begin in 2006.

Getting money from the legislature is not limited to prodding your legislator to file a “gimme some money “bill and going down to the second floor of the State Capitol a picking up a check.

The authorization and appropriation bills for 2006 – 2007 prepared in February or later this year were the proper places to get the money inserted in the budget. Inclusion in a list by the Centennial Commission to the legislature probably should have happened in 2005.

The editorial board should have known that budget authorization and appropriation bills originate in the State House of Representatives. Little regard would have been made of the special budget items in the 2006 Session by Rep. Abe Deutchendorf  because he was a member of the minority party. That would leave it to our Representative Ann Coody to have sponsored and carried the budget item.

Prospects for any reconsideration for Lawton don’t look too good for the 2007 legislative session.  Ms. Coody spent most of the last session sponsoring and passing a bill to teach high school students about how to use credit cards and will find some other important education legislation to sponsor. Our new Representative T.W. Shannon will be busy with casino matters and Boone Pickens OSU projects.

The two candidates for the House of Representives that expressed a real interest in Lawton community projects were defeated by the voters. When you get your $49.00 “taxz cutz” check next year, be proud. Building community pride appears not to be a conservative value.

DEMOS READY TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT ROBOCALLS

Link: CQPolitics.com - Democrats Say They Will Push to Require Cleaner Campaigns#more.

CLARK WELL RECEIVED IN AMARILLO

Link: Gen. Wesley Clark shares views on politics - Front Page.

SENATE REVIEW by Senator Randy Bass

When I was a professional baseball player, I had the opportunity to live in many great cities throughout this country and to travel the world. Those were exciting times—but when it came time to retire from sports, there was never any question in my mind that I wanted to come back to where I was raised. This is my home, and there simply is no place I'd rather be than among the friends and family I 've known my whole life.

When I first decided to run for the State Senate a couple of years ago, I saw this as an opportunity for me to give back to all those friends and neighbors, by serving them in the Legislature. It was a hard fought race, but in the end, I was entrusted to represent District 32 at the State Senate. Now, two years later, you have placed your faith in me again.

I cannot even begin to describe how grateful and proud I am—and also how humble it makes me feel that so many of you came out to support me. This represents a wonderful opportunity for all of us to work together for the benefit of our local communities and the entire state and to build on, the successes we've already had and to continue to work together to meet the challenges still ahead.

We must continue to help our educational system become the very best in the nation, and create more opportunities for Oklahomans to fulfill their dream of a college education. We've worked hard to create new benefits for our Veterans—and I hope we can do even more for them. Oklahoma is now undergoing the largest road and bridge project in its history, which will help keep our roads safe and encourage commerce. We've also approved the largest tax cut since statehood, which included tax breaks for our working Oklahomans and families who need it most.

Although Oklahoma is entering its centennial year, we are still a relatively young state, with a bright and vast future still ahead. As we chart the course for the next 100 years, I thank you again for the opportunity to be a part of that. Together, I know we can accomplish great things.

As always if you have a question about a legislative matter, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (405) 521-5567 or by email at bass@oksenate.gov.

ECONOMIC POLICY WEEKLY by Mickey Hepner

The Dangers of Hubris

November 13, 2006

Across the nation Democrats are celebrating, Republicans are mourning, and thankfully the elections are over. Yet, Congressional Democrats should remember that they are not responsible for their recent success.

Election waves like the one we witnessed Tuesday are caused by voter dissatisfaction with the ruling party. In this case Democrats won because on issues ranging from Iraq, the economy, to Congressional pages, voters perceived that Republicans were more interested in furthering their own interests than the interests of middle-class America. In other words, voters were not voting for Democrats, they were voting against Republicans. Voters were not saying that Democrats could do better than Republicans, but that Democrats could not do any worse than the Republicans.

Republicans lost because of hubris.

But hubris does not only infect Republicans. In 1994 Republicans rode into power on charges that the Congressional Democratic leadership was corrupt and out of touch with ordinary Americans. Democrats had become too accustomed to power, stopped serving the people, and lost badly. In that 1994 election, the hubris-infected Democrats lost both Houses of Congress to the Republicans. Hubris, whether possessed by Republicans or Democrats, inevitably leads to election losses.

Since there are so many examples of this, one might wonder why so many politicians fall victim to this malady. University of Chicagoeconomist (and Nobel Laureate) Gary Becker provides the answer. He reasoned that criminal or unethical behavior is not all that different in its genesis than regular behavior. After all people do the things that they believe will make them better off. People choose to buy a car when after comparing the benefits and costs of buying, they believe that buying the car will make them better off. Likewise, criminals choose to steal a car when they believe that doing so will make them better off. In other words if politicians act unethically, they do so because they believe they their unethical actions will make them better off.

From this simple idea, Becker reasoned that the likelihood that a criminal would be punished for their crimes influences their decisions. For example, many speeders suddenly slow down when they see a police car sitting nearby. They do so because they know that with the police nearby, they are more likely to be caught speeding, and more likely to be punished. But if our governments suddenly announced that they would no longer ticket anyone for speeding, regardless of their speed, more speeders would suddenly emerge.

Politicians tend to act the same way. When voters pay close attention to the activities of their representatives the politicians are more responsive to those voters. However, when politicians believe that few people notice their activities, corrupt officials quickly emerge. Inevitably, though, this corruption becomes public. And when it does, the voters will notice. Politicians may believe that they are invincible...but in our system they never are.

Democrats would do well to heed this lesson. In the coming years, Democrats will have a chance to lead...and lead they must. We have thousands of troops in harm's way. We have 46 million Americans without health insurance. We have a $5 trillion debt we are passing on to our children.

America needs strong leadership now.

If Democrats place the people's interest over special interests, if Democrats choose to fight for our families instead of simply fighting, if Democrats work to leave our children with a better world and a brighter future...then the new Democratic majority may last a long time. You see, the biggest threat to the new Democratic majority does not come from the Republican Party...but from Democrats themselves. It is the Democrats who will now be exposed to the dangers of hubris. Only time will tell whether that exposure is fatal.

Mickey A. Hepner, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Director of UCO Policy Institute

University of Central Oklahoma

Department of Economics

100 N. University Dr.

Thatcher Hall, Room 222

Edmond, OK 73034-5209

Phone: 405.974.2829

Fax: 405.974.3853

www.busn.ucok.edu/mhepner

MY SOAP BOX by Mary Francis

Who is naive enough to "play nice" with the vicious likes of Mitch McConnell and Trent Lott?  Apparently, politicos who are already thinking about their next election! 

We must 'Get on the Horn' (emails, letters, phone calls) and tell Nancy, Harry and the rest of the "middle-of-the-roaders in Washington "NO HONEYMOON!" 

We have a short 2 years to fix the last 6 years of corruption and it won't happen by being NICE!!!

"Nice" didn't win this election.  Progressive anger won this election.  We must insist on swift and agressive action on our issues NOW.  Cancel the tax cuts for billionaires, close the torture camps, restore habeas corpus, get the NSA out of our email and off our phones, and replace our troops with Arabic speaking Muslim Peacekeepers.

Afghanistan and Iraq have had elections (remember the proud purple fingers?)  It's time to bring our troops home.

"When is a win not a win? When it's Democratic. When a majority of Americans cast votes for the Dems, the results are invariably interpreted by the media as a public desire for moderation and bipartisanship rather than some "radical left-wing agenda." Democrats are told to abandon their campaign promises and ignore their liberal base. The pain and divisiveness of the (Republican-ruled) past must be healed by big-hearted (and soft-headed) Democrats."

I say "TAKE NO PRISONERS!"  We grassroots folks won this election - now we must push the agenda we campaigned for ... a reversal of 6 years of corruption and destruction of the Bill of Rights ... and we have only 2 short years to do it.     Mary Francis

**************************************
WHEN IS A WIN NOT A WIN?

Tue Nov 14 by Ted Rall

...When It's Democratic.

NEW YORK--Live every day as if it were your last. It's good advice. Modified for politicians: Treat every term in office as if it were your last.

Republicans get political existentialism. When they campaign for office, they promise to be uniters, not dividers. Once they win an election, however, talk of bipartisanship promptly sails out the window. They freeze out the Democrats, elected representatives and constituents alike. Rather than compromise to accommodate the millions who voted against them, Republicans play to their right-wing base: racists and Christianists. The GOP belligerently promotes the most extremist items on its legislative wish list by declaring their victory to be a broad manifesto for radical change and wholesale rejection of the other side. They nominate judges whose conservatism is far to the right of the average Republican. Sure, they want to unite the country--by forcing everyone to go along with what they want.

"Back in December 2000," recalls Lincoln Chafee, a Republican senator from Rhode Island, "after one of the closest elections in our nation's history, Vice President-elect Dick Cheney was the guest at a weekly lunch meeting of a small group of centrist Republicans." Many people expected Bush, who'd received 48 percent of the vote and had been anointed after a controversial Supreme Court decision to halt the recount, to make good on his campaign promises to reach out to Democrats in a spirit of bipartisanship. But Cheney had something else in mind.

"I was startled to hear the vice president dismiss suggestions of compromise and instead emphasize an aggressively partisan agenda that included significant tax cuts, the abandonment of international agreements and a muscular, unilateral policy."

Cheney and Bush understood that they might only have one four-year term to accomplish their goals. Knowing that they might never get another chance, they insulated themselves with a staff of likeminded ideologues and got to work at remaking America in their image. Drawing on bluster and hubris, they bullied Democrats into going along with the transfer of the federal tax burden from the rich to the middle class. Next they skillfully exploited Americans' fear and anger following the September 11th attacks to attack Afghanistan and Iraq. By 2004 they had eliminated civil liberties that citizens of Western countries had enjoyed for hundreds of years, emasculating Congress and the Courts to create a "unified executive" form of government.

Most of the changes carried out by Bush's neoconservatives during his first term--new tax rates, USA-Patriot Act, two wars, pulling out of the Geneva Conventions, torture, domestic eavesdropping--will probably remain in force for decades. Their strategy of running roughshod over the Democrats worked.

It helps to enjoy the complicity of the media. Whenever Republicans win an election, mainstream pundits cite the results as prima facie proof that the American people have handed them a mandate to do whatever they want.

When Reagan won in 1980, Newsweek hailed his triumph as "an idea whose time had come," "a rousing vote of confidence in him and his politics," and posited that the results spelled "nearly certain death for liberal causes." When Republicans picked up seats in the 1994 midterm elections, House Speaker Newt Gingrich drew upon media support to stampede Clinton into a year-long "copresidency," resulting in welfare reform and free-trade pacts.

When is a win not a win? When it's Democratic. When a majority of Americans cast votes for the Dems, the results are invariably interpreted by the media as a public desire for moderation and bipartisanship rather than some "radical left-wing agenda." Democrats are told to abandon their campaign promises and ignore their liberal base. The pain and divisiveness of the (Republican-ruled) past must be healed by big-hearted (and soft-headed) Democrats. Democrats don't get mandates.

The double standard isn't new. "For all the records it broke," Time editorialized in 1996, "[Bill Clinton's 49-to-41 percent win] was a victory for studied modesty; for a willingness to swallow his pride to preserve his power, embrace his enemies to steal their ideas and march into history as the first two-term Democrat since F.D.R., not with great leaps forward but one baby step at a time. It couldn't be clearer if they had spelled it out letter for letter: voters elected a moderate Democratic President to carry out a moderate Republican agenda."

Clearly.

For the first time since 1994, Democrats find themselves in control of both houses of Congress. They picked up 28 seats in the House and six in the Senate--a stunning sweep considering that congressional redistricting has made it more difficult to unseat incumbents. But the facts that a lot more Americans voted Democratic than Republican and that Bush's approval rating has hit a record low (31 percent) don't mean much to the official media--or, it seems, to the winning Democratic candidates.

Time's post-election cover story was called "Why the Center is the Place to Be." The incoming freshmen representatives, reported The New York Times (house organ of the Clinton-style centrist Democrats) in its lead story on November 12, "say they were given a rare opportunity by voters, many of them independents and Republicans, who were tired of the partisanship and gridlock in Washington."

"Now, they say, they have to produce...to find a bipartisan consensus...to avoid the ideological wars that have so dominated Congress in recent years, to be pragmatists, and to change the tone in Washington after a sharply partisan campaign."

"They've set a bad example in not working with us," incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said of the Republicans. "We're not following that example."

Blech. The fools are already running for reelection.

The New New Democrats need to study the calendar. Two years from now, they may well end up back in the minority, reading passionate speeches no one will ever hear to an empty chamber for the benefit of C-SPAN. Rather than triangulate or moderate their views, Democrats should take that two-year time limit seriously and go gangbusters, emulating Cheney and Bush's balls-to-the-wall style to pass as much legislation as they can before 2008. That means unraveling as many GOP accomplishments as possible. Cancel the tax cuts, close the torture camps, restore habeas corpus, get the NSA out of our email, yank our troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq.

It's high time for vengeance. Impeachment is essential, to cleanse our national soul, as a downpayment of good will toward the rest of the world, and because they did it to Clinton for far, far less. And we need investigations--lots of them. Special prosecutors ought to track down everyone, up to and including Bush, who lied about WMDs in Iraq, chose not to pursue Osama in Pakistan after 9/11, deliberately withheld help that could have saved lives during the Hurricane Katrina, and signed off on warrantless wiretapping of American citizens. Law and order starts at the top.

At the same time, Dems ought to ram through such long overdue (and popular) liberal agenda items as national health insurance, pulling out of the failed NAFTA accord and a big hike in the minimum wage. If any Republicans object, do what they'd do: call them terrorists or traitors or some other smear that forces them to sit down, shut up, and vote yes.

Of course, there's an alternative. Bill Clinton wasted his entire political career placing short-term victory at the polls over achieving his political goals. Sucking up to moderates and Republicans got him eight years in the White House, but for what? He never signed a major bill that could be described as liberal.

If they govern like there's no tomorrow, Democratic lawmakers will be able to say that they represented their constituents, who will have gotten what they voted for. That's how democracy is supposed to work. Remember?

(Ted Rall is the author of the new book "Silk Road to Ruin: Is Central Asia the New Middle East?," an in-depth prose and graphic novel analysis of America's next big foreign policy challenge.)

Mary Francis
cell: 405 474-0695
Hal Spake 4 Congress
Off: 405 217-4100
www.HalSpake.com

OPEN DOOR POLICY - Rep. Joe Dorman

   The Swearing-in Ceremony for the newly-elected members of the Legislature will occur Thursday, November 16 at the State Capitol.  The 101 House members and the 24 Senators that went through the elections will each receive their oath of office and commence business for a two-year term of office.  The new members will begin work on their legislative agendas and meet with the staff members to write the new bills.  The legislative deadline for filing bills will occur towards the end of the year, so there much research and study will go into these efforts before the January 2 organizational day to begin work.  Both political party caucuses will meet this week to determine the individual party leaders, then the bodies will meet in January to affirm the positions to run the entire chamber.

     I want to thank each of you again for allowing me the privilege to serve you as your State Representative for District 65.  It will be an exciting time over the next two years as Oklahoma will celebrate the Centennial Anniversary.  Much work still remains on funding various projects in each community and the preparation for the celebration.  If you are interested in what project your community will be preparing, please contact your local city hall and see if there is any way you can assist.

          Basketball season is quickly approaching and I have passed out the new schedules at the schools and local stores.  Be sure to pick one up so you can keep track of local games and those in the surrounding area.  I have also included the schedules for the NO/OKC Hornets and the men's teams for OU and OSU.  Be sure to verify the schedule with the local paper, especially since there will be some changes  due to football playoffs.  Both Rush Springs and Apache have games coming up this weekend, so if you get the chance, go root them on to victory.      

     It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. I can be reached locally at (580) 476-2626, my e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work.

MARY FRANCIS EMAIL ON HONEST ELECTIONS

Editor: Received this email from Mary Francis in Norman. Its a little long; but there is a lot of interest in this subject so I think it needs to be published.

Hi Folks,  The battle for honest elections continues.

I don't know if you've heard about this - the media doesn't seem to report threats to our voting rights (and other issues appear to be underreported, as well.) 

18,382 votes have been LOST by paperless voting machines in Sarasota in one Florida House race.

That's one in seven of the votes cast there - JUST GONE
- Disappeared!!!  They call it an "undervote" because electronic voting machines left no paper record!  The winning candidate (guess which party) only won by 368 votes.  If the unrecorded votes had broken percentage-wise the way other counties voted, the Democrat would have won by over 600 votes!  See one of several articles at:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articleAID=/20061109/NEWS/611090312

DEAD ELEPHANT

BE SURE TO GET YOUR DEAD ELEPHANT BUMPER STICKER AT: DeadElephant.org

DON'T CHECK ON DEAD SKUNK

Excellent Analysis By A Republican

End of the Revolution
Advice to Republicans: Don't go back and check on a dead skunk.

BY DICK ARMEY

Click on this link:  OpinionJournal - Extra.

CHANNEL FLIPPER BONANZA

George Stepanopolous: First on the agenda will be the passage of the minimum wage bill.

George Bush: It was a thumping.

Howard Dean: The election in 2008 will be won in 2007.

Howard Dean: The presidential nominination will be won or lost in Ohio in the Ohio primary.

Howard Dean was on ESPN Wednesday afternoon and evening. I thought he did an outstanding job representing the Democratic Party.

WHERE WE ARE GOING

Last paragraph of John Edwards message this morning:

But tomorrow we must begin anew. Yesterday's results are not the end, but the beginning of a historic transformation that our country must undertake in the coming years. We have to change direction -- not just put on the brakes. And in the coming months I look forward to working with you and building upon the incredible success of last night -- and building the One America that works for all of us.

GUV ENDORSES DREWRY

EDITOR: COVERAGE OF THIS EVENT BY LOCAL MEDIA WILL PROBABLY BE VERY LIGHT. PLEASE EMAIL OR FORWARD IN SOME MANNER THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO AS MANY OF YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AS POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IN HOUSE DISTRICT 62.

Oklahoma City - Governor Brad Henry has formally endorsed Janice Drewry as his choice for StateRepresentative for House District 62.

According to Gov. Henry “Janice Drewry has spent her life and raised her family in the Lawton community.  I know Janice will always fight for the people of Lawton because that’s where she has made her home and built her business.”

The Governor continued, “Janice Drewry is not a career politician.  Her record of service to her community speaks for itself.  We need leaders like Janice Drewry in the House of Representatives."

“I’m very flattered that Gov. Henry would take time from his campaign schedule for this endorsement,” says Janice Drewry. “I think it’s important that all Oklahomans, Republicans and Democrats, get behind our governor and support his plan to improve our quality of life from education and tax reform, to infrastructure and economic development.”

Drewry, who is a native Lawtonian, is a member of the Lawton City Council where she has served as Chairman of the Strategic Planning Task Force and on the Mayor’s BRAC Commission. She is actively involved with the Salvation Army, the Lawton Philharmonic, and the Lawton Boys & Girls Club.

SOLD FOR $ 186,000

Just saw some figures that show T.W. Shannon has gotten more than

$186,000

from sources outside of Comanche County for his campaign. Now folks, that is some impressive kind of figure for a State Legislature Seat. Mr. Shannon should know that those people are not interested in the welfare and well being of residents of District 62 and Lawton and it sure means that he will have to spend a lot of his time pleasing those interests to the detriment of District 62 voters.

If he wins, you can count on one less person in the State Capitol representing Lawton. The seat is being sold to outside interests.

FOR YOUR SAKE VOTE FOR JANICE DREWRY

SIGN BLITZ DECLARED

THE SIGN BLITZ   THE SIGN BLITZ   THE SIGN BLITZ THE SIGN BLITZ   THE SIGN  BLITZ 

Saturday has been declared to be SIGN BLITZ DAY!

The plan is for blitzers to gather at the campaign headquarters at 816 Gore Blvd. at 10:00 am Saturday, November 4th and put up candidate signs.

We have received new shipments of signs from a lot of canndidates in all sizes. We especially need locations and help putting up the extra large ones.

If you have a sledge hammer and/or a metal post driver we sure could use them. Plastic ties are also needed.

The recent windstorm blew away a lot of signs. If you know of a location that needs a sign replaced call the hq at the phone above or, better yet, come by and pick up a supply.

Come by and help out. This event only happens once every two years. You will be left out if you don't participate in

THE SIGN BLITZ   THE SIGN BLITZ   THE SIGN BLITZ THE SIGN BLITZ   THE SIGN  BLITZ 

OPEN DOOR POLICY - Rep. Joe Dorman

      With the elections right around the corner, this will be my last opportunity to remind you to vote next Tuesday, or to vote at the county election board on Friday, Saturday or Monday.  It's important to exercise this right and privilege.  Too often, people will not take the time to go to the polls and vote.  This prevents them from having a voice on who represents them and determines policy that will affect their day to day lives.  Please take the time to vote and check out the individuals and their issues, not the mud that is slung on the airwaves knocking down their opponents.

KERRY BENT ON WRECKING 2006 ALSO

Link: The McCarville Report Online.

Good read on Kerry Disaster. Suggest we call Linda and tell her what the episode will cost in support here in Southwest Oklahoma