Governor Brad Henry has refused to debate Ernest Istook in Tulsa after repeated attempts from the challenger. Many Tulsans feel as though the state government cares more about Oklahoma City and leaves Tulsa to fend for themselves. Perhaps Brad Henry's refusal to debate in Tulsa shows us a source of the current problem. Centenniel projects that were decided under Brad Henry have nearly left out the city of Tulsa. When will citizens in the Tulsa area stand up for themselves and elect leaders that will lead the entire state instead of just their own backyards?
So what's new? Every governor in the histor of the state of Oklahoma (Democratic AND REPUBLICAN) has ignored Tulsa. Personally, I blame CLINTON for this.
As far as the debate goes, Henry seems to be trouncing Istook. Every political candidate in the history of the world (Democratic AND REPUBLICAN) has refused to debate a candidate that they are already soundly beating. I'm not sure, but it's pretty likely that this is Clinton's fault too.
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Every governor in the histor of the state of Oklahoma (Democratic AND REPUBLICAN) has ignored Tulsa.
That's right --- but Istook is different --- that is my point.
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As far as the debate goes, Henry seems to be trouncing Istook. Every political candidate in the history of the world (Democratic AND REPUBLICAN) has refused to debate a candidate that they are already soundly beating.
This is flat out wrong. Just because a candidate is way ahead in the polls doesn't mean they don't debate. Just look - they debated in Lawton, Edmond, and Midwest City, why not somewhere in or around Tulsa??
When you say that "As far as the debate goes, Henry seems to be trouncing Istook." I don't know if you mean in the debates themselves or in the campaign as a whole. If you are referring to the debates, you are wrong. Henry is not a good debator, whereas Istook is very knowledgable and well spoken. If every Oklahoman would listen to the debates, Henry would lose the election. Istook holds the beliefs that the majority of Oklahomans hold.
I found a Tulsa Beacon article on this in case anyone thought I just made up the topic.
http://tulsabeacon.com/1.htm
Jerry Buchanan, Republican Party Chairman of Tulsa County said he was bewildered and disappointed in Oklahoma's Democrat Candidate Brad Henry's decision not to have public discourse in the second largest city in Oklahoma with his opponent, Republican Candidate Ernest Istook.
Buchanan said, "It is sad that Brad Henry seems so uneasy and unwilling to publicly converse with Ernest Istook in Tulsa or feels it is not important enough to have civil public discourse out of respect of the voters in Northeastern Oklahoma and Tulsa County. It might seem as though Mr. Henry believes Tulsans aren't interested enough to have a debate in Tulsa and are satisfied with second-hand information from debates in Lawton and Oklahoma City.
"Is this what Tulsans want? Do we really want a governor that will not take time for civil debate in Tulsa or Northeastern Oklahoma? I don't think so and it is going to show at the polls if he doesn't."
The Tulsa County Republican Party Chairman said, "First, Tulsa was told it was too early to debate, now we are told it is too late. No more excuses Mr. Henry. If Mr. Henry once again decides against debating Mr. Istook in Tulsa or Northeast Oklahoma, it should send a clear message of how little he understands or cares about nearly one-half of the population of the State of Oklahoma. Any excuses now would seem just that, just another excuse."
Last Monday, at a forum presented by the Downtown Kiwanis Club, the people of Tulsa County heard first-hand of how Istook has offered to have a civil debate with Henry at any time in Tulsa, but Henry has repeatedly refused to do so.
"If Mr. Henry will decide that it is important enough to find time in his schedule to have open discussion with Mr. Istook in Tulsa, I will ask the Democrat Party to help find a neutral location for the two gentlemen, the press and the people of Tulsa," Buchanan said.
"Brad Henry thinks the voters of Tulsa don't deserve to hear their governor explain why he's claiming false credit for the energy boom, has given taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal aliens, and has released huge numbers of dangerous criminals long before their sentences are completed," Istook said.
Istook volunteered to change his schedule to debate Henry.
"It's time Henry stops hiding from Tulsans and is confronted with an honest discussion of his record," said presidential adviser Karl Rove. "Voters in Tulsa deserve that instead of Henry's one-sided and distorted media campaign."
Rove praised Istook on a recent trip to Oklahoma City.
"He's a leader," Rove said. "He's been a leader in Congress for fiscal responsibility. He's been fighting for restraining spending, for lower taxes, for pro-growth economic policies."
If you would like to watch the debates they are available online. The last debate is the easiest to locate and watch. It is on the home page of Channel 2's website. www.kjrh.com
If you're whining about Istook's poll numbers, maybe you'd better help him get some damned signs posted near the roads.
The missus and I drove Route 66 from Tulsa County to Lincoln County and back, and we saw dozens of Brad Henry signs.
You know how many Ernest Istook signs we saw? Zero. And believe me, we looked.
It's hard to win a governor's race if you've got the highway visibility of E.Z. Million.
Gee, Cubs. I can see why you are upset. Your party throws up a candidate that has been part of the problem in Washington and doesn't resonate in Oklahoma.
This is going to be a bad week for republican partisan idealogues like you.
The democrats will probably win all the statewide races that matter in Oklahoma, The governor, the lt. governor, the treasurer, all will be democrats.
The congress will probably be all democrats as well. I predict that the democrats will win more than 30 U.S. Representatives seats back and have a clear majority. There is a decent chance for the dems to win back the Senate as well.
I predict 240 democrats to 195 republicans in the house and 51 to 49 democrats vs. republicans in the Senate.
Tuesday will be written in the history books as the date the democrats took back their government in America. Having a democratic run state will only make it better.
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Originally posted by Cubs
That's right --- but Istook is different --- that is my point.
Nope. Yer wrong. Istook is just another extreme right wing neo-con who wants to strip the rights from anyone who isn't also a fundamentalist right wing Christian whacko and turn the U.S. into another religious state a la Iran. He's a small minded extremist who represents the worst of America. Fortunately, there aren't enough people even in Oklahoma who are fascist enough to put vermin like that in office.
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Originally posted by recyclemichael
Gee, Cubs. I can see why you are upset. Your party throws up a candidate that has been part of the problem in Washington and doesn't resonate in Oklahoma.
This is going to be a bad week for republican partisan idealogues like you.
The democrats will probably win all the statewide races that matter in Oklahoma, The governor, the lt. governor, the treasurer, all will be democrats.
The congress will probably be all democrats as well. I predict that the democrats will win more than 30 U.S. Representatives seats back and have a clear majority. There is a decent chance for the dems to win back the Senate as well.
I predict 240 democrats to 195 republicans in the house and 51 to 49 democrats vs. republicans in the Senate.
Tuesday will be written in the history books as the date the democrats took back their government in America. Having a democratic run state will only make it better.
Because yeah....the Democrats have done sooooo much for the state all those years since statehood they were in charge.
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Originally posted by papaspot
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Originally posted by Cubs
That's right --- but Istook is different --- that is my point.
Nope. Yer wrong. Istook is just another extreme right wing neo-con who wants to strip the rights from anyone who isn't also a fundamentalist right wing Christian whacko and turn the U.S. into another religious state a la Iran. He's a small minded extremist who represents the worst of America. Fortunately, there aren't enough people even in Oklahoma who are fascist enough to put vermin like that in office.
Bravo.... IsaShnook for sure.
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Originally posted by wavoka
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Originally posted by recyclemichael
Gee, Cubs. I can see why you are upset. Your party throws up a candidate that has been part of the problem in Washington and doesn't resonate in Oklahoma.
This is going to be a bad week for republican partisan idealogues like you.
The democrats will probably win all the statewide races that matter in Oklahoma, The governor, the lt. governor, the treasurer, all will be democrats.
The congress will probably be all democrats as well. I predict that the democrats will win more than 30 U.S. Representatives seats back and have a clear majority. There is a decent chance for the dems to win back the Senate as well.
I predict 240 democrats to 195 republicans in the house and 51 to 49 democrats vs. republicans in the Senate.
Tuesday will be written in the history books as the date the democrats took back their government in America. Having a democratic run state will only make it better.
Because yeah....the Democrats have done sooooo much for the state all those years since statehood they were in charge.
Yes, actually they have. We want more from our state but are not the bottom of the list. We are one of the more progressive, prosperous southern states with well respected universities, and a balance of city vs. rural interests due to our progressive founders. The Democrats from the rural areas are mere cousins to the bigger city Democrats who you so abhor. They would be republicans in Tulsa or OKC. They represent their agrarian and fundamentalist constituents and are usually balanced off by the more progressive educated metro areas. But if you want to totally screw the state then by all means get Hiett and Istook to take the reins and neuter the metro areas.
quote:
Originally posted by recyclemichael
Gee, Cubs. I can see why you are upset. Your party throws up a candidate that has been part of the problem in Washington and doesn't resonate in Oklahoma.
This is going to be a bad week for republican partisan idealogues like you.
The democrats will probably win all the statewide races that matter in Oklahoma, The governor, the lt. governor, the treasurer, all will be democrats.
The congress will probably be all democrats as well. I predict that the democrats will win more than 30 U.S. Representatives seats back and have a clear majority. There is a decent chance for the dems to win back the Senate as well.
I predict 240 democrats to 195 republicans in the house and 51 to 49 democrats vs. republicans in the Senate.
Tuesday will be written in the history books as the date the democrats took back their government in America. Having a democratic run state will only make it better.
Have any predictions for the state house and Senate?
I hope Jeannie McDaniel retains her seat. We need a long time resident who has a history of being an active advocate for Tulsa's neighborhoods. Jeannie has a greater depth of knowledge about neighborhood issues and well established working relationships with neighborhoods in District 78. This experience means that Rep. McDaniel will be able to perform her duties without the time spent doing on the job training and building new relationships that will be required of her opponent.
Jeannie is the best choice. She has the perfect resume...director of the non-profit Citizen's Crime Commission, local government employee working both politics and neighborhoods, even service as a president of Habitat for Humanity.
My neighborhood association is mostly controlled by conservative republicans, but they are all voting for Jeannie because of her history of helping, both as a city employee and a state representative.
Jessie Guardiola has an army out working though. Jeannie can outwork almost any single person, but Jessie volunteers have knocked on my door every three weeks since January. My Hispanic friends tell me that this is the race they have targeted this year for an Hispanic to win.
Jeannie has also been repeatedly attacked by Michael Bates because she voted more pro-choice than pro-life in his book.
She only won by 24 votes last time and this guy is working hard.
I am worried for her.
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Originally posted by waterboy
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Originally posted by wavoka
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Originally posted by recyclemichael
Gee, Cubs. I can see why you are upset. Your party throws up a candidate that has been part of the problem in Washington and doesn't resonate in Oklahoma.
This is going to be a bad week for republican partisan idealogues like you.
The democrats will probably win all the statewide races that matter in Oklahoma, The governor, the lt. governor, the treasurer, all will be democrats.
The congress will probably be all democrats as well. I predict that the democrats will win more than 30 U.S. Representatives seats back and have a clear majority. There is a decent chance for the dems to win back the Senate as well.
I predict 240 democrats to 195 republicans in the house and 51 to 49 democrats vs. republicans in the Senate.
Tuesday will be written in the history books as the date the democrats took back their government in America. Having a democratic run state will only make it better.
Because yeah....the Democrats have done sooooo much for the state all those years since statehood they were in charge.
Yes, actually they have. We want more from our state but are not the bottom of the list. We are one of the more progressive, prosperous southern states with well respected universities, and a balance of city vs. rural interests due to our progressive founders. The Democrats from the rural areas are mere cousins to the bigger city Democrats who you so abhor. They would be republicans in Tulsa or OKC. They represent their agrarian and fundamentalist constituents and are usually balanced off by the more progressive educated metro areas. But if you want to totally screw the state then by all means get Hiett and Istook to take the reins and neuter the metro areas.
Pfft...I can't stand Hiett and I wouldn't vote for Istook if he were running against Satan.
My point is in the nearly 100 year history of this state the Dems have been in charge for most of it. The ills we suffer from are a result. No excuse for our roads and other infrastructure to be in as pathetic shape as they are. Disgusts me every time I go to Missouri or Arkansas and see how much better their roads are than ours.
I am very disappointed that I cannot vote for Jeannie this election--I moved out of her district last May. Nonetheless, I have continued to support her. She is a dedicated public servant, who is never too busy to meet with a neighborhood group, return a phone call, or simply walk the neighborhoods to hear concerns.
I have neighbors near my former house that initially wanted to support Jeannie's opponent, simply because he had spent so much time in the neighborhood campaigning. However, after hearing he and Jeannie debate, they changed their mind. The debate clearly showed that Guardiola lacks the experience and knowledge for a house position.
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Originally posted by pmcalk
I am very disappointed that I cannot vote for Jeannie this election--I moved out of her district last May. Nonetheless, I have continued to support her. She is a dedicated public servant, who is never too busy to meet with a neighborhood group, return a phone call, or simply walk the neighborhoods to hear concerns.
I have neighbors near my former house that initially wanted to support Jeannie's opponent, simply because he had spent so much time in the neighborhood campaigning. However, after hearing he and Jeannie debate, they changed their mind. The debate clearly showed that Guardiola lacks the experience and knowledge for a house position.
I'm really worried about this race. Judging by signs in the neighborhood, we're about 50/50...Jeannie has always impressed me, but her narrow victory last time has me worried for her since Guardiola has been ALL OVER the place.
I finally saw my first Ernest Istook road sign yesterday -- two of 'em near a corner on South Garnett in Bixby.
But one looked like it was about to collapse from the rain. And, of course, it was outnumbered about 8-to-1 on that road by Gov. Henry signs.
<RM wrote:
The congress will probably be all democrats as well. I predict that the democrats will win more than 30 U.S. Representatives seats back and have a clear majority. There is a decent chance for the dems to win back the Senate as well.
<end clip>
Too optimistic, RM. I predict the GOP will hold a slim advantage in the Senate, and that the Dems will take back the House, but only about 15 seats or so.
If the Dems take one house of Congress, I'll be satisfied. When one party owns the House, Senate and presidency, there's gonna be too much abuse.
I preferred the '90s, when "gridlock" of a split Congress and presidency kept too many stupid laws from getting passed. Compromise is a good stupidity buffer.
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Originally posted by tulsa1603
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Originally posted by pmcalk
I am very disappointed that I cannot vote for Jeannie this election--I moved out of her district last May. Nonetheless, I have continued to support her. She is a dedicated public servant, who is never too busy to meet with a neighborhood group, return a phone call, or simply walk the neighborhoods to hear concerns.
I have neighbors near my former house that initially wanted to support Jeannie's opponent, simply because he had spent so much time in the neighborhood campaigning. However, after hearing he and Jeannie debate, they changed their mind. The debate clearly showed that Guardiola lacks the experience and knowledge for a house position.
I'm really worried about this race. Judging by signs in the neighborhood, we're about 50/50...Jeannie has always impressed me, but her narrow victory last time has me worried for her since Guardiola has been ALL OVER the place.
I'm voting for Jeannie. Not a hard decision at all. She's been great.
QuoteOriginally posted by rwarn17588
[br
I predict the GOP will hold a slim advantage in the Senate, and that the Dems will take back the House, but only about 15 seats or so./quote]
I have the Senate right now as 48 republicans, 48 democrats with four undecided. That means no worse for the democrats than to pick up at least three seats.
The four states are Missouri, Montana, Virginia and New Jersey. The democrats have to win three of the four to take power of the Senate.
The downside (in my view) of the Democrats taking both houses is that, if the Republicans continue on their present course, the next president will probably be a Democrat. As happy as I'd be to see the back side of the Republicans as they move down the road, I'm not real wild about the Democrats controlling both houses of Congress and the White House either. I don't really see how they could muck things up any worse than the Republicans have but, just the same, I like to see them have to meet somewhere a little closer to the middle.
If the Democrats take the house but not the senate it will be the first time in history that a majority swing occurred in one but not the other.
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Originally posted by carltonplace
If the Democrats take the house but not the senate it will be the first time in history that a majority swing occurred in one but not the other.
Are you sure about that? I'm not saying it's not true, it just really surprises me.
quote:
Originally posted by rwarn17588
<RM wrote:
The congress will probably be all democrats as well. I predict that the democrats will win more than 30 U.S. Representatives seats back and have a clear majority. There is a decent chance for the dems to win back the Senate as well.
<end clip>
Too optimistic, RM. I predict the GOP will hold a slim advantage in the Senate, and that the Dems will take back the House, but only about 15 seats or so.
It looks like the final total will have the democrats winning either 30 or 31 seats back from the republicans.
Need any other predicting?