NO Media: Rice 'Has a lot of work to do'

From Cox.net-New Orleans ~ Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe looks strong in his bid for a third term. The Democratic nominee, on the other hand, has a lot of work to do if he wants to pull off an election upset in November.

Inhofe, 73, already was a heavy favorite in Tuesday's primary because of his superior financing. He got 84 percent of the vote in sweeping past three little-known opponents.

His opponent in the fall, state Sen. Andrew Rice, got a little less than 60 percent of the vote in defeating Jim Rogers, a perennial candidate who had run twice previously for the Senate.

Joplin Globe: Rice Hasn't Caught On

OKLAHOMA CITY (By The Associated Press) ~ Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe has worried over a tough campaign for re-election, but Tuesday’s primary results show the Democratic nominee has yet to catch on in areas a Democrat must win to be viable.

While Inhofe got 84 percent of the vote against three little-known opponents, state Sen. Andrew Rice captured just under 60 percent in the Democratic primary against Jim Rogers, a perennial candidate who spent no money.

In congressional races, Republican John Sullivan of the 1st District and Democrat Dan Boren of the 2nd District scored landslide triumphs. They are among five incumbent House members favored for re-election.

Sullivan’s opponent, businesswoman Georgianna Oliver, said she had the resources and strategy to give Sullivan a run for his money. Most of the candidates facing incumbent Congress members are newcomers or perennial candidates.

There are lots of reasons being floated as to why Rogers, who has run for something the last several elections, got his best vote ever against Rice, the 35-year-old first-term senator from Oklahoma City. One is that there was a low turnout and many voters in counties far from metropolitan areas simply do not know Rice, whose limited television advertising did not extend to those areas.

Rogers, meanwhile, benefited in rural counties by having a famous Oklahoma political name and being on a statewide ballot for four straight elections.

For the record, Rice called it “a good victory,” while acknowledging he had a major name-building task ahead of him.

“It’s not a vote against Andrew Rice, but it is an indication of a lack of depth of penetration in the Democratic Party base by his campaign,” said Keith Gaddie, political analyst and University of Oklahoma professor.

Rogers got 40 percent of Tuesday’s vote and won 19 counties, including some in Democratic areas in eastern and southern Oklahoma. Rogers best showing in past elections was 12.6 percent in the Democratic lieutenant governor’s race in 2006.

In 2002, the Midwest City man got almost 10 percent in the Senate primary, which former Gov. David Walters led with 49 percent of the vote. Walters had to win a runoff and was easily beaten by Inhofe in the general election.

In 2004, Rogers got almost 6 percent in the Senate primary, which former U.S. Rep. Brad Carson won with 79 percent. Carson had represented the 2nd Congressional District in the House and had a strong Democratic base in eastern Oklahoma, but he lost handily to Republican Tom Coburn in November.

Rogers won in places as far away at the Panhandle in northwestern Oklahoma, but also in Bryan, LeFlore, McCurtin and Sequoyah counties in eastern Oklahoma, which usually vote Democratic.

Gaddie said some might argue that such counties as LeFlore and Sequoyah are not so important, “but you put those counties together and it is a chunk of votes. He (Rice) is going to have to run better in those areas to be viable.”

Rice racked up votes in the cities, beating Rogers by almost 6,000 votes in Tulsa County and by almost 8,000 in Oklahoma County. He also emerged with strong margins in Cleveland and Muskogee counties.

Inhofe got 116,349 Republican votes in his primary, while Rice got 113,780 Democratic votes, according to unofficial returns. The total vote cast of about 329,000 was a paltry 18 percent of those eligible to vote and was the lowest primary total since 1952.

Inhofe has a fundraising edge of more than 3-1, according to the latest federal campaign report, but Rice said he will have money to run a good general election race.

The day after the primary, Rice issued a challenge to the Inhofe campaign to hold a half dozen regional debates, saying Oklahomans deserve more than just seeing “their elected leaders wrapped in slick TV ads and carefully scripted appearances.”

Josh Kivett, Inhofe’s campaign manager, said Inhofe comes back to Oklahoma almost every weekend and is heavily engaged talking to voters about issues.

“We obviously look forward to the opportunity to debate Sen. Rice as part of an overall effort to involve voters and explain to them the differences in the two candidates’ positions,” Kivett said. He said details have not been worked out.

On Wednesday, Rice began running a repeat of a 30-second television ad saying Inhofe has been in Washington for 22 years and has “lost his way.” Inhofe has run ads portraying himself as a stubborn advocate for Oklahoma’s interests.

It's Close In Three Battleground States

Barack Obama’s lead over John McCain has diminished considerably in three battleground states, according to a poll published Thursday.

The Quinnipiac University polls, conducted from July 23-29, found that Obama’s lead has weakened in Pennsylvania and Ohio, two key swing states in November’s presidential election. The poll also found the two candidates in a virtual tie in Florida.

According to the poll, Obama is ahead of McCain by 7 percentage points, 49 to 42 percent, in Pennsylvania — a drop from that same poll last month, which showed Obama leading McCain by 12 percentage points at 52 to 40 percent.

In Ohio, the Illinois senator had a 6-point lead last month. McCain is now just 2 points behind him. The poll shows Obama with 46 percent, McCain at 44 percent. Both men and women in the Buckeye State are closely split in their support of either candidate.

McCain has also gained ground in Florida. Both candidates are statistically tied; Obama has 46 percent compared with McCain’s 44 percent, but likely independent voters in Florida have shifted toward McCain. Forty-six percent support him compared with 41 percent who prefer Obama. In the same poll taken last month, Obama led among independents, 47 percent to 37 percent.

Holmes Misreads FEC Data, Accuses Inhofe Of Receiving Illegal Corporate Donations

Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes (left) is out with a news release today that incorrectly accuses Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of accepting illegal corporate campaign donations.

Holmes apparently based his accusation on summary data of Inhofe contribution sources but missed the key element in the industries listing on the authoritative website Open Secrets (http://www.opensecrets.org/races/contrib.php?cycle=2008&id=OKS2), which states, "The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates."

Holmes' attack appears to be part of a coordinated Democratic National Committee effort to paint incumbent Republican senators as hostages of "big oil."

Inhofe's Federal Election Commission reports do not support Holmes' allegation; they do show donations from corporate employee political action committees and individuals employed by some corporations.

Holmes has not responded to a request for an explanation of, and the source of, his allegation of illegal corporate contributions.

Text Of Holmes' Release

While gas reached $4 a gallon this summer, U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe saw his friends in the oil industry enjoy a record financial quarter, Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes said Thursday.

It is clear that Inhofe's cozy relationship with big oil companies is mutually beneficial. Today, one of Inhofe's largest contributors, Exxon Mobile, announced second-quarter earnings of $11.68 billion, a new record for the highest corporate profits in American history.

"The five largest oil companies together are pulling in $443 million each day in profits," Holmes said. "Sen. Inhofe has taken more than $1 million in his career from Big Oil, and in 2006, when he wasn't even up for re-election, Inhofe took $94,000 from Exxon, BP, Valero, Conoco and KOCH oil companies. Only one senator took more from those companies than Jim Inhofe," Holmes added.

"Oklahomans have been watching gas prices climb higher and higher while Jim Inhofe has been watching his contributions from Big Oil climbing higher and higher," Holmes said. "He consistently opposes reductions in tax subsidies to oil companies, and they richly reward him," Holmes added.

Holmes said the combination of these facts hurts Inhofe's credibility on energy policy. "Gas costs more than ever, Exxon is making higher profits than ever, and Jim Inhofe is taking more money from oil companies than ever. It is not a coincidence that Jim Inhofe's energy policy is always, 'Let's drill more oil,'" Holmes said.

Holmes cited Inhofe's numerous votes against alternative-energy tax credits and better fuel efficiency for cars as proof that Inhofe's oil company ties keep him from supporting the economic interests of Oklahoma families."

Rinehart Ordered To Surrender Records

U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton today ordered Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart to surrender any 2003 tax records for his Unta Bent Inc. to federal investigators by August 11 or submit a sworn statement indicating that the requested documents do not exist or are in the hands of another government agency.

Heaton said he would find Rinehart in civil contempt of court, as requested by government attorneys, if a report due August 15 indicates he does not comply with today's order.

Rinehart, defeated Tuesday in his attempt to win a second term, has been under investigation by the IRS since November 2006. He also faces trial on campaign finance charges.

Democrats Debate Rice's Primary Vote

Some of the state's most vocal Democrats are weighing in on Senator Andrew Rice's lackluster showing in Tuesday's Democratic primary for the U. S. Senate, joining coffee shop and watercooler discussion among political junkies.

News & Commentary

Rice got 59 percent of the vote against Jim Rogers, the perennial Midwest City candidate who didn't campaign and spent no money, and lost 19 counties, many of them key Democrat counties, to Rogers.

The Democrat discussion is taking place on the Democrats of Oklahoma Community Forum, http://www.demookie.com/.

The posting thread was opened by a forum administrator, Tim Reese, who posted The McCarville Report Online's original story pointing out how poorly Rice ran in some counties.

That post was met by this, from "mccurtaincountydemocrat" (Jane Luttrell, another forum administrator): "McCarville is...full of shit...." (Jane's no genteel Southern lady, is she? Disappointing...I've thought highly of her.) Other than that, she offered no explanation of how Rogers beat Rice in her own Democrat-dominated county.

Activist (and way-out liberal) Chris Heldenbrand added, "I thought about starting a thread entitled 'McCarville has strange, unhealthy fixation on Andrew Rice', but figured that would just encourage him. I'm not convinced the primary results mean diddly squat. Andrew knew he had an uphill battle for name recognition when he started. 'Jim Rogers' has been on the statewide ballot before, so low-information voters probably figured he was the one they had heard of. Andrew's going to have to work his ass off between now and November to beat Inhofe, but he knew that, too. By the way, McCarville quotes some Republican hack as saying Rice spent $717,000 on his primary campaign. Bullshit! Had he watched the ads, he would have seen they were directed specifically at Inhofe, not Rogers. Andrew's been conducting a general election campaign from the git-go. Just more McCarville BS, as he watches what little credibility he had as a journalist go down the crapper. Personally, I suspect he's a paid shill." (Nice try, Chris; wrong, but nice try. Credibility? Try reading what your fellow Democrats are saying. Even Ivan Holmes agrees with our assessment; he says he thought Rogers would get 20 percent. He got DOUBLE that. And Chris: We quoted no "Republican hack" about Rice's money; the figure came from his own FEC reports.)

More rational posters addressed the Rice issue head on. Wrote "TulsaTrialLawyer" after saying he could care less what appears on TMRO, "giving up 40% of the vote to a dude who did nothing but put his name on the ballot would worry me if I were the candidate. That guy got 77,000 votes. It's hard to attribute that to 'low information' voters just voting for 'a name' or Republicans registered as Democrats. I sure don't know how or why that happened, but if I am the nominee, I see 77,000 of my own people voting for a non-entity and I am shaking up my frickin' staff."

Wrote "boomersun": "...I like Rice as much as you do, but let's be honest with ourselves in saying that Rice should have done much better than he did. Rice, who has spent considerable time campaigning across the state and airing television commercials ran against a person who did not raise any money, spend any money or do any campaigning, yet Rice only received just under 60% of the vote. This is not good. Most of the national political experts have called this senate race as 'safe GOP' seat and I kind of believe it...I really like Rice, but after watching videos of him meeting cowboys at rodeos and diners, I'm beginning to think that many voters just won't be receptive to him."

In a second string of posts on the subject, "dolebludger" wrote, "Another factor may be at play here. Almost all Democrats in this state were convinced Rice was going to win the primary. And in many precincts, counties, and districts, there were few (if any) other primary races on the Democratic ballot. I fear that too many Democratic voters just stayed home and didn't vote, and this fear is born out by the fact that voter turn out was the lowest since 1952! There's a lesson to be learned here by all Democrats. Go vote, even if you think your candidate is a 'sure thing.' You don't just want your candidate to win -- you want that candidate to win big!"

Swanson: Trial Lawyers Fund Demos

The head of the Oklahoma Republican Senatorial Committee, Randy Swanson, said today that trial lawyers "are almost singularly funding key Democrat campaigns."

And, he charged, some of them are trying to do that while hiding their occupations.

Swanson said Senator Nancy Riley of Tulsa and candidates Robert Murphy of Stillwater and Diane Drum of Norman have received over 70% of their financial support from lawyers outside of their districts.

“Without the largesse of big-time lawyers who have a vested interest in seeing Republicans defeated at the polls, candidates like Nancy Riley, Robert Murphy and Diane Drum would barely have enough campaign money to buy that high-priced gasoline for which Riley is so grateful,” said Swanson, executive director of the GOP committee.

“The very lawyers who have financed Brad Henry’s campaigns, resulting in his consistent vetoes of lawsuit reform legislation, are now funding Democrat Senate candidates across the state and Democrat campaign committees.

“In the case of Nancy Riley, their investment is already paying dividends, due to the fact that she has flip-flopped numerous times on the important tort reform legislation we need to keep our business climate and medical services thriving,” Swanson said. “She was for it before she was against it.”

An analysis of Ethics reports over the past three reporting periods (4th quarter 2007, 1st & 2nd quarters 2008) indicate the following startling statistics, he said:

Senator Nancy Riley of Tulsa has raised $125,065 in individual, reportable (over $50) contributions. Of that figure, $85,425 has been raised from trial lawyers. Add the $5,400 her campaign has raised from lobbyists and Democrat legislators, such special interests account for 72.6% of Riley’s financial support.

Candidate Robert Murphy of Stillwater, the former judge, only recently announced his candidacy, and has filed one Ethics report. In that report, Murphy reports raising $51,600 from individuals, of which $35,900 – 69.6% -- has come from lawyers, most from outside of Stillwater or Payne County.

Candidate Diane Drum of Norman has raised $74,485 from individuals of which $56,115 has come from lawyers, most of whom live outside Norman and Cleveland County, accounting for 75.3% of her financial receipts.

"In a tactic indicative of haphazard campaign reporting or intentional misrepresentation, many lawyers list their occupations on these reports as Self Employed, Consultant, or some other innocuous title," Swanson's news release said. "However, a simple online search of their names belies their true occupations, and exposes the magnitude of the support from this special interest group enjoyed by Democrats."

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Swanson said. “A vast majority of the lawyers who have contributed to these and other Democrat Senate candidates have not yet given the legal maximum amount, so there are hundreds of thousands of dollars still on the table for their cause.

“With almost three of every four dollars in Democrat campaigns coming from the Democrat Party’s most affluent and reliable special interest group, the Trial Bar is making its last, bold stand to maintain its stranglehold on the Capitol, and the State Senate is their final beachhead. They won’t go down without a fight. Oklahoma voters need to be aware of who controls the Democrats in the Senate, and to whom they are beholden."

Rice Tries To Explain Lackluster Showing

By Barbara Hoberock/Capitol Bureau, Tulsa World ~ State Sen. Andrew Rice's successful but lackluster showing in the Democratic primary against a perennial candidate indicates that he has a lot of hands to shake in his quest to unseat U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, a Republican.

But the Oklahoma City resident put a positive spin on the results Wednesday, citing the low voter turnout. Rice garnered 59.65 percent of the vote Tuesday against Jim Rogers of Midwest City, a perennial candidate who didn't spend money and was not seen on the campaign trail.

"We are happy with it, grateful to win and get the nomination to represent the party," Rice said Wednesday. He also said he needs to work on his name recognition.

Oklahoma Election Board Secretary Michael Clingman said the turnout was about 18 percent, the lowest since 1952 in a presidential primary year.

"It was bad," Clingman said.

Election Board information shows that Rice lost to Rogers in 19 counties. Sixteen of the 19 have more registered Democrats than they do Republicans.

Keith Gaddie, a University of Oklahoma political science professor, said, "For a guy who is the presumptive nominee running against a gadfly opponent, it is a pretty poor showing.

"They have got a lot of ground to cover. They have ground to cover with the Democratic base before they start in on the switch-over voters. There is always a chance."

Gaddie said Rice has a talented team behind him and the ability to raise money. "Right now, it is a tough row to hoe," he said. "Jim Inhofe has not started in on Rice, and we know what that campaign is going to be like. Rice is still getting introduced to a lot of the electorate. The question is, is Jim Inhofe going to introduce him or is Andrew Rice?"

Some of Rice's supporters thought the results were disappointing but still found a positive aspect. Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes said more Democrats than Republicans voted in Tuesday's primary.

That is the good news, he said. "I was disappointed that Rice didn't get a higher percent of that vote," he said. "But the reason for that is Rice really has just now started to kick into his campaign." Holmes said he had thought Rogers would get about 20 percent of the vote.

Inhofe, who took all of the state's 77 counties in the Republican primary with 84 percent of the vote, said he had not met Rice but looked forward to meeting him, saying that Rice comes from a good family. "Frankly, I thought he would have done better," Inhofe said, adding that he would debate Rice.

Terrill, Reynolds Relish Big Primary Wins

By Mick Hinton/Capitol Bureau, Tulsa World ~ Despite big corporate bucks contributed to his opponent's campaign, embattled Rep. Randy Terrill, the author of tough anti-immigration legislation, won a huge victory in Tuesday's primary election.

Terrill, R-Moore, amassed nearly 75 percent of the vote, trouncing a newcomer, Curtis Bruehl of Norman.

The victor declared the race a referendum on House Bill 1804, termed the most rigid immigration legislation in the country.

But the head of the House GOP caucus attributed Terrill's victory to his making face-to-face contact with constituents.

"The key buzzword is 'retail' politics," said caucus Chairman John Wright of Broken Arrow, who on Wednesday was analyzing the outcome of primary races. Contributions only go so far in electing a candidate, Wright said.

Some top Oklahoma City business leaders gave maximum $5,000 contributions to Bruehl. Terrill lashed out at Aubrey McClendon, the head of Chesapeake Energy; Larry Nichols, the head of Devon Energy; and Bob Funk, a Republican supporter who runs Express Personnel Services.

He said the voters had spoken against the "Chesapeake-Devon-Express Personnel oligarchy, giving Terrill 1 and them, O."

Chambers of commerce and many business leaders now see the legislation as hurting the state's economy and imposing unrealistic regulations on employers. Tom Price, a spokesman for Chesapeake Energy, said Wednesday that Terrill "is not deserving of us to comment on him in particular."

"We just are not supportive of those interested in being negative and critical of business," Price said. "This is not restricted to Randy."

Nichols could not be reached for comment, and Funk chose not to comment on Terrill's assessment.

Wright also credited political footwork for the victory of another GOP incumbent, Rep. Mike Reynolds, in his southern Oklahoma City race. McClendon, Nichols and other top leaders including Clay Bennett each gave $5,000 to Reynolds' opponent, Jon Echols. Bennett is a major owner of the franchise to bring a professional basketball team to Oklahoma.

Campaign finance records show that Echols raised more than $75,000 in his campaign while Reynolds raised about $43,000. Usually incumbents far out-raise their opponents. Reynolds, who relishes being a gadfly in the House, is often at odds with his own caucus. He says those business leaders don't support him because of his stance on one issue: He opposes the Legislature's helping bring a professional basketball team to Oklahoma City. Reynolds also supported the anti-immigration bill. He said, "I don't find anywhere that it's the responsibility of government to promote business."

Inhofe Donates PAC Money To Charity

Two Oklahoma charitable organizations will get $10,000 each from Senator Jim Inhofe's re-election campaign.

The $20,000 represents donations Inhofe's campaign received from a political action committee controlled by indicted Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska.

Josh Kivett, Inhofe's campaign manager, said the money from the Northern Lights PAC will be given to the Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity and the Tulsa affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Stevens was indicted on seven felony counts of making false statements on his financial disclosure reports. It's alleged he hid $250,000 in gifts and services from Veco Corp., an Alaska-based energy company.

Other senators have donated the PACs contributions as well, saying they did so to distance themselves from Stevens.

Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes, chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, had called on Inhofe to return the money even though Holmes has been silent on donations to Oklahoma Democrats that violated state law.

For Rice, Not A Pretty Picture

U. S. Senate candidate Andrew Rice's lackluster showing in Tuesday's primary against a no-name opponent who spent no money and didn't campaign is reflected in this map, which shows the counties the Democrat lost to perennial candidate Jim Rogers. Note that most of the counties Rice lost are in the heart of Democrat country, southeastern Oklahoma, southern and southwestern Oklahoma. He also lost two counties in western Oklahoma, the three Panhandle counties and the Democrat county of Ottawa in northeastern Oklahoma. The orange counties are those in which Rice polled less than 55 percent; the brown counties are those in which Rice underperformed his state percentage (59%). He carried the counties in gray by larger margins.

GOP Group: Rice 'Off to a stumbling start'

Democratic nominee Andrew Rice's November challenge to U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe is off to a stumbling start following a lackluster primary performace yesterday, a spokesman for Oklahoma Victory 2008 said Wednesday in a news release.

"Rice, who has been campaigning for the Democratic nomination for months, won the Democratic primary Tuesday night with 59.65 percent of the vote," the release says. "That's a far cry from the nearly 80 percent tallied by Brad Carson in his failed U.S. Senate race in 2004."

"Andrew Rice failed to generate the kind of momentum Democrats gave Brad Carson in 2004. It must be worrisome that Rice's general election campaign is off to such a stumbling start," Oklahoma Victory Director Matt Pinnell said.

Rice spent more than $717,000 in his primary campaign, compared with Jim Rogers, who didn't even raise or spend enough to file a financial disclosure report.

Rogers spent only $1,000 in filing fees yet garnered more than 40 percent of the primary vote.

Pinnell said, "Rice criss-crossed the state campaigning and spent tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars on TV and radio advertising in an attempt to introduce himself to voters. It's clear by his performance in the primary that Oklahoma voters are not buying what Rice is selling."

Voter Turnout: Pathetic, At 18%

Many Oklahoma voters took Tuesday off. The turnout, Election Board Secretary Mike Clingman says, was the lowest since 1952 with a turnout of about 18 percent.

Clingman says it was in 1944 that a lower total in a U. S. Senate primary in a presidential election year was recorded. Only 328,974 cast ballots on Tuesday.

Rice Lost 19 Counties To Rogers, Who Records Best Total In Four Races

UPDATED ~ Final election results in Tuesday's primary for the U. S. Senate shows that Democrat Andrew Rice, with unlimited money, statewide advertising and a no-name opponent who didn't campaign, lost 19 counties and narrowly won a dozen others. It was far from the whopping victory Rice and his supporters expected.

Rice's 59-41 victory over Jim Rogers of Midwest City came as incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe swamped three opponents, getting 84 percent of the GOP vote.

While Rogers spent no money and got 76,973 votes, Rice spent $719,641 for his 113,780 votes. Thus, each vote cost Rice $6.32 versus zero for each of Rogers' 76,973 votes.

Rogers has now run for the U. S. Senate three times and for lieutenant governor as well. This is by far his best showing in any primary. In the 2002 Senate primary, won by David Walters with 170,414 votes, Rogers got just 34,217 votes. In the 2004 Senate primary, won by Brad Carson with 280,026 votes, Rogers got just 20,179 votes. In the 2006 primary for lieutenant governor, Rogers got just 32,336 votes in a five-way primary.

Rice's inability to win some key Democrat counties indicates he faces an uphill battle against Inhofe. In "Little Dixie," and other areas, Rice's liberal reputation obviously sent voters to Rogers, who spent no money and, so far as anyone can tell, didn't shake a single hand during the campaign.

Said one well-know Democrat observer: "Just running metro media doesn't help in counties that don't get their TV from them! I understand trying to save money but now you get to deal with a week of 'you should have received a bigger landslide' stories. This should remove all cockiness from the campaign staff, anyway."

Said another observer: "Imagine how Mr. Rice would have fared had he not bought 1,500grp (on television) two weeks before the primary." (Rogers had no television.)

Said another campaign veteran, a conservative Democrat: "Here's a perfect example of what the Rice campaign doesn't get. His watch party (I was there) had MAYBE 100 non-staff there last night, where he was introduced by Al McCaffrey. Does he think that will help him in places like McCurtain County?"

The Election Board's final unofficial results show Rice lost these counties to Rogers: Atoka, Beaver, Bryan, Carter, Choctaw, Cimarron, Dewey, Jefferson, LeFlore, Love, McCurtain, Marshall, Ottawa, Pushmataha, Roger Mills, Sequoyah, Stephens, Texas and Tillman.

Inhofe, meanwhile, carried all 77 counties.

Gaddie's Post-Election Analysis

By Pollster, Pundit & Political Science Professor Dr. R. Keith Gaddie ~ Here's what's on my mind this morning, the day after the Ghost Primary: Before I headed up to OETA on Tuesday night, I canvassed five Cleveland County precincts.

Dana Murphy ran better than expected, far better in Norman and Moore than in the rest of the state. Her Cleveland County margin accounts for most of her winning margin statewide. Keep that in mind the next time we have a low-turnout statewide primary.

Andrew Rice gets 59% against a perennial ballot filer who doesn’t spend money and doesn’t campaign – and also loses about a dozen counties in Little Dixie. Sounds like there’s a lot of base-building to do, and as Jim Lovell said, “the Earth is getting pretty big in the window.” Rice’s new campaign manager has arrived, now the question is whether she can land this baby or if the campaign just skips off the atmosphere.

South OKC rocked the Cleveland County and state Republican primaries. While I don’t have data on hand yet, turnout was heavier in this part of the state than elsewhere. One of the reasons? An apparent coordinated effort in South OKC between Steve Russell, the runoff frontrunner (41%) for Senate 45 against Kyle Loveless (27%); Rep. Mike Reynolds, who pulled away in a bitter fight with Jon Echols; and Mark Hamm, who ran a surprising 40% for sheriff and is in a runoff with Joe Lester (41%). Three candidates coordinating effort and voters had the effect of driving up turnout with a strong ground game, and this rippled up into the corporation commissioner primary, too.

Talked to a nameless senior operative who said that the turnout models worked everywhere in the state except Cleveland County.

Oklahoma County: Brent Rinehart polled 21%, which is where we had him in a poll two weeks ago. Of the 27% undecided we picked up, it split evenly between J. D. Johnston and Brian Maughan. If the 40+5 rule holds in this runoff (frontrunner got 40%, led by five points) then there’s a nine-in-ten chance that Maughan can start looking for staff – there’s already some pretty new furniture in the office.

Tulsa County: Randi Miller, please call your service, because Tulsans voted to ring your (Sally) Bell. Note to local politicians: don’t mess with local tradition, especially when sentiment is involved.

Incumbent “scandals” fizzled, which is not a huge shock. Randy Terrill got a safe renomination, and this is a safe GOP district. Mike Reynolds is coming back again despite the best effort (again) of Lance Cargill to put him out of the legislature (again). Jabar Shumate (D-73) survived the warning shot from his constituency in a 55-45 win, but the percentage doesn’t tell how close it really was. Don’t know what the problem was for David Derby (R-74), but 52% in a three-way primary is a warning shot to an incumbent for next time out (Derby has no general election opponent).

Over in Norman, Aaron Stiles rocks the field and beats a former mayor (Ron Henderson) to earn the chance to face incumbent Wallace Collins in House 45 – now what happens when Stiles, a Republican, has to reconcile issues brought up in this campaign about his conscientious objector status? We’ll watch this one, because Wallace Collins has seen his share of young, fair-haired Republican opponents in the past (he’s 1-2-0 against young fair-haired Republicans.) But the Republican winds are weak in east Norman this year, so we will watch.

Stillwater: Two guys who have resumes to run for statewide office are running for the state legislature to succeed Mike Morgan. This seat, plus Barrington’s seat, and Nancy Riley’s seat, and you’ve got most of the playing field for control of the tied Senate. (Let’s call it a 1.5-seat map, Mr. Pro Tempore.)

For the Normanians, I did an informal census of my neighborhood. In nine-tenths of a mile running on Astor Street, there are five speed humps, two round-abouts, one “pinched” intersection, in addition to the seven drainage culverts cutting across the street. That’s a total of fifteen obstacles on a mile of road. Did we get these speed humps at a fire sale or what? A candidate running for city office next year or the year after might make hay of the notion that there's safety, and then there's overkill. We have enough speed humps to repave Broadway Extension.

Cole: Preserving 2nd Amendment Rights

By Congressman Tom Cole ~ On June 26, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal appeals court decision that the gun ban in Washington, D.C. is unconstitutional. This gun ban had been in place for over 30 years and during that time our nation's capital degenerated into one of the most violent, crime-infested cities in America.

Many people, myself included, believe one of the reasons for that crime wave was precisely because we disarmed the law abiding citizens and left them defenseless.

While the highest court in the land has restored the full constitutional rights of the citizens of the District of Columbia, their own city council and mayor have immediately set to work at eroding these rights.

The D.C. City Council and mayor are already hard at work coming up with heavy handed rules and regulations designed to make gun ownership in the capital city as difficult and cumbersome as possible.

Under their proposed regulations any gun that can hold more than 12 rounds would be banned, citizens would be required to register their guns and pay an arbitrary fee and all guns would be required to be kept unloaded and disassembled or equipped with trigger locks.

As one of the attorneys involved in the lawsuit remarked, "A robber basically has to make an appointment in order for a homeowner to get ready to defend themselves."

To combat the city's ongoing disregard for the constitutional rights of its citizens, I have added my name to a discharge petition - a legislative tool used to force a vote in Congress - that is being circulated in the House of Representatives. The piece of legislation that this discharge petition pushes forward is H.R. 1399, the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act. It is a bill that would provide congressional enforcement to the Supreme Court's decision and prohibit the District of Columbia government from adding restrictive provisions that would nullify the true effect of the ruling.

More specifically, H.R. 1399 would preserve D.C. gun rights in three key ways. First, it would override the storage requirements that would prevent residents from keeping a firearm ready for self-defense at home. Secondly, it would repeal the District of Columbia's registration system. Finally, the bill would reiterate the authority of an individual's constitutional right over the D.C. City Council's agenda to impose unreasonable burdens on those rights.

Over 200 Members of Congress have added their support to the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act, but it is currently stuck in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. By signing onto the discharge petition, I hope to bring it to the floor for an immediate vote. I am working to encourage my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to add their support to the petition as well.

The Supreme Court made the appropriate decision by restoring the rights of D.C. residents to keep and bear arms. Now, Congress needs to act to ensure that an overzealous local government doesn't take us down the path of eroding those rights again.

"Are we at last brought to such an humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our own defense? Where is the difference between having our arms under our own possession and under our own direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?" - Patrick Henry

For Rice, Trouble In Democrat River City

UPDATED ~ Andrew Rice won his primary for the U. S. Senate today over no-name opponent Jim Rogers of Midwest City, 59-41 percent, but an analysis of county-by-county voting shows there's trouble ahead for Rice against incumbent Republican Senator Jim Inhofe.

The analysis shows that, even though Rogers had no advertising and didn't campaign, he out-polled the liberal Rice in some key Democrat counties.

Among the counties Rice lost to Rogers: Bryan, Carter, Jefferson, McCurtain, LeFlore, Love, Marshall, Ottawa, Sequoyah, Stephens and Washita.

Inhofe, meanwhile, carried all 77 counties in his 84 percent win.

Note: Final returns show Rice lost far more counties than listed here. For an updated list, see story above.

Maughan Came Close To Clear Win

Republican Brian Maughan came close to a clear primary win in today's voting for Oklahoma County commissioner, getting 4,230 votes, or 47.4 percent, against J. D. Johnston and incumbent Brent Rinehart.

Rinehart was given the boot by voters; he got only 1,900 votes and 21 percent. Johnston got 2,808 votes, or 31.4 percent.

Murphy Wins Corporation Commission Race

Dana Murphy appears to have won the GOP primary for the Corporation Commission over Rep. Rob Johnson in today's voting.

With 2,217 of 2,234 precincts reporting, Murphy had 68,018 votes to Johnson's 65,274. That made it Murphy 51 percent, Johnson 49 percent.

Murphy now faces incumbent Democrat Jim Roth in the general election.

76,000 Democrats Reject Rice

Jim Rogers spent no money, didn't campaign and regularly files for office to see his name on the ballot.

Yet, the no-name collected more than 76,000 votes in today's Democratic primary for the U. S. Senate against Andrew Rice, who managed to win by a 59-41 percent margin.

Rogers collected 76,000 votes despite Rice's advertising barrage. Rice's supporters claimed he would win a huge victory, but his 59 percent pales when compared to the 84 percent of the GOP vote collected by incumbent Senator Jim Inhofe.

Murphy Leads Johnson By 3,000 Votes

Dana Murphy leads Rep. Rob Johnson by about 3,000 votes with about 120 precincts yet to report.

Murphy had 51.1 percent to Johnson's 48.5 percent with 2,112 of 2,234 precincts reporting.

Terrill Wins Renomination

Rep. Randy Terrill won renomination tonight, topping challenger Curtis Bruehl 74.5 to 25.5 percent with all precincts reporting.

Mike Reynolds Wins Renomination

State Rep. Mike Reynolds appears to have won renomination, topping GOP opponent Jon Echols 55-45 percent with all 16 precincts reporting.

SD45: Russell, Loveless Head To Runoff

Steve Russell and Kyle Loveless are headed to a runoff in the GOP contest in Senate District 45.

With all precincts reporting, Russell had 40 percent to 27 percent for Loveless. Jerry Foshee had about 20 percent.

Caudill Bests Inman, 58-42%

Republican Oklahoma County Clerk Carolynn Caudill appears headed to renomination as she leads former County Commissioner Stan Inman 58-42 percent with about two-thirds of the precincts reporting.

Rice Falls Below 60%

State Senator Andrew Rice, running against a no-name opponent who spent no money, has an unimpressive 59-41 percent lead over Jim Rogers of Midwest City with more than half the state's 2,234 precincts reporting in the race for the Democratic nomination for the U. S. Senate.

Republican incumbent Senator Jim Inhofe won his primary with about 84 percent over multiple opponents.

Russell Leads Loveless, Foshee

Steve Russell maintains a lead over Kyle Loveless and Jerry Foshee in the race for the GOP nomination in Senate District 45.

Russell now has 38.6 percent to 27 percent for Loveless and 21 percent for Foshee.

Murphy Hangs Onto Lead Over Johnson

Dana Murphy and Rep. Rob Johnson are locked in a tight race for the GOP nomination for the Corporation Commission.

With more than half the state's precincts reporting, Murphy leads 50.5 percent to 49.5 percent.

Russell Leads Loveless, Foshee

Steve Russell leads Kyle Loveless and Jerry Foshee in their fight for the GOP nomination in Senate District 45. Russell has 36 percent to 27 percent for Loveless and 23 percent for Foshee with about a third of precincts reporting.

Terrill Leads Bruehl 69-31%

Rep. Randy Terrill leads his GOP challenger, Curtis Bruehl, 69-31 percent, with about a third of precincts reporting.

Reynolds Has 55-45% Lead

Rep. Mike Reynolds leads his GOP challenger, Jon Echols, 55 to 45 percent with about a third of precincts reporting.

Rinehart Running Third; Loss Evident

Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart appears headed for a third-place finish in today's Republican primary as challengers Brian Maughan and J. D. Johnston are running 1-2 as returns come in.

Maughan had 42 percent, Johnston 33 percent and Rinehart just 21 percent.

Rice Struggles Against No-Name Opponent

Andrew Rice leads his no-name opponent by a substantial margin in early vote returns, but any hope the state senator had of a blow-out victory appears slim.

With 381 of 2,234 precincts reporting, Rice had barely 60 percent compared to Jim Rogers' 40 percent. But Rogers, a perennial candidate with no political standing, did not campaign and apparently didn't spend a dime on his campaign.

Should the percentages hold, and Rice manages only 61 percent against such an opponent while incumbent U. S. Senate Jim Inhofe wins 80+ percent in a multi-candidate field, Rice's road ahead becomes rocky.

Reynolds Leads Echols 52-48%

Rep. Mike Reynolds leads challenger Jon Echols 52-48 percent, with just a few precincts having reported.

Murphy Takes Lead Over Johnson, 52-48%

Dana Murphy has taken the leader over Rep. Rob Johnson in the GOP primary for the Corporation Commission. With 145 of 2,234 precincts reporting, Murphy had 52 percent to Johnson's 48 percent.

Terrill Leads Challenger Echols

Rep. Randy Terrill has taken an early lead over challenger Jon Echols, 72-28 percent.

Russell Takes Early Lead, Reynolds Lags

Steve Russell has the early lead in the multi-candidate Republican primary in Senate District 45.

With early returns in, Russell had 32 percent, while Kyle Loveless had 25 percent and Jerry Foshee had 30 percent.

In the House District 91 race, incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Reynolds was behind challenger Jon Echols, 58-42 percent.

First Returns: Inhofe, Rice Roll, Johnson Takes Lead Over Murphy

Republican Senator Jim Inhofe and Democrat Andrew Rice apparently will blow out their opponents in today's voting and Rep. Rob Johnson has taken an early lead over Dana Murphy in the race for the Corporation Commission.

With only 2 of 2,234 precincts reporting, Inhofe had 82 percent in his primary and Rice had 68 percent in his two-man race with Jim Rogers.

In the Corporation Commission race, Johnson took a 51-49 percent lead over Murphy early, then fell behind Murphy as additional precincts reported. Developing....

Francis Stipe's Conviction, Fine Vacated

A federal judge in Muskogee today vacated the late McAlester businessman Francis Stipe's guilty plea and corresponding $500,000 fine.

Stipe, 77, recently died unexpectedly of complications following a stroke. The $500,000 fine he already had paid will be returned to his estate.

Voters: Ho-Hum

Today's primaries are not drawing large numbers of voters to polls, it appears in early afternoon.

Mike Klingman, Election Board secretary, said, "There haven't been any high turnouts that we're aware of."

Polls remain open until 7 p.m.

Ted Stevens Faces 7-Count Indictment

WASHINGTON — Alaska Senator Ted Stevens allegedly made false statements to cover up gifts given to him by an oil contractor seeking his help on Capitol Hill, according to a seven-count federal indictment unveiled Tuesday.

Stevens, 84, is the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate and has been under investigation for more than a year, with a heavy focus on work done to his Girdwood, Alaska, ski-community house.

Coburn Fights Ethics Panel Pressure

From The Hill ~ Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-Okla.) office hit back Monday at new attempts to prevent him from delivering babies for free, arguing the Ethics panel might as well investigate Sen. Patrick Leahy’s (D-Vt.) cameo in “The Dark Knight.”

Coburn has come under new pressure from the Ethics panel for delivering babies at the Muskogee Regional Medical Center, which changed from a public to a private institution in April last year after it was acquired by Capella Healthcare.

Read the entire story at http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/coburn-renews-battle-with-ethics-over-baby-deliveries-2008-07-28.html.

New DC Gun Restrictions Head To Court

The District of Columbia's new restrictions on the ownership and possession of handguns by residents is headed into federal court, as the plaintiff in the U. S. Supreme Court case that overturned Washington's 32-year-old handgun ban reacts to new restrictions.

In a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court, Dick Heller and two other plaintiffs allege that the city's new gun regulations still violate rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

The lawsuit cites the District of Columbia's unusual ban on firearms that carry more than 12 rounds of ammunition, which includes most semiautomatic handguns.

The suit also claims that the city's regulations make it all but impossible for residents to keep a gun ready for immediate self defense in the home.

The Supreme Court struck down Washington's handgun ban June 26. The D.C. Council passed emergency legislation July 15.

Gallup: 'Likely' Voters Give McCain Nod

Republican presidential candidate John McCain moved from being behind by 6 points among "likely" voters a month ago to a 4-point lead over Democrat Barack Obama among that group in the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.

McCain still trails slightly among the broader universe of "registered" voters. By both measures, the race is tight.

The Friday-Sunday poll, mostly conducted as Obama was returning from his much-publicized overseas trip, shows McCain now ahead 49%-45% among voters that Gallup believes are most likely to go to the polls in November. In late June, he was behind among likely voters, 50%-44%.

Among registered voters, McCain still trails Obama, but by less. He is behind by 3 percentage points in the new poll (47%-44%) vs. a 6-point disadvantage (48%-42%) in late June.

Results based on the survey of 791 likely voters have margins of error of +/- 4 percentage points -- so McCain's lead is not outside that range. Results based on the survey of 900 registered voters also have margins of error of +/- 4 percentage points.

Tax-Free Weekend Coming Up

From The Senate Media Office ~ State Senator Don Barrington, the author of the law that created Oklahoma’s sales tax holiday, is excited about this weekend’s tax-free event after seeing how successful it was in 2007.

“Oklahoma’s sales tax holiday helps families save money on purchases of clothing and shoes, and it provides a boost to Oklahoma’s economy, too,” said Barrington, R-Lawton.

“Last year, the sales tax holiday performed exactly as many of us predicted: it boosted retail sales by a whopping $100 million for the month of August,” said Senator Jay Paul Gumm, who fought for years to pass the measure. “The holiday will do the same this year.”

Oklahoma’s sales tax holiday for 2008 runs from 12:01 a.m. this Friday, August 1 through midnight on Sunday, August 3.

“We created the back-to-school sales tax holiday to help Oklahomans save money on purchases of clothes and shoes, especially for parents of children who are about to go back to school,” stated Barrington. “Last year we also saw the tremendous economic benefit of the sales tax holiday as businesses had an increase in sales to shoppers of all ages,” he said.

In 2007 the Oklahoma Legislature overwhelmingly passed Barrington’s Senate Bill 861. The bill created a three-day sales tax holiday on the first weekend of August each year, making purchases of clothing and shoes up to $100 free of sales taxes.

Even though clothes and shoes are tax free during the holiday, last year’s event actually resulted in an overall increase in sales tax collections due to the extra business generated by shoppers over the weekend.

Campaign 2008: Ice Cream, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Comic Books, Bottled Water

Thus far in the primary election season, we've seen ice cream trucks by Rep. Randy Terrill's GOP challenger, Curtis Bruehl, a street-side hot dog/hamburger cookout by south Oklahoma City Rep. Mike Reynolds, a "comic book" from Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart and now, Terrill is out with bottles of water labeled "cool, refreshing and conservative" left on doorsteps. The note on the right from Terrill reads, "It's not an ice cream cone. Sorry."

Primary Turnout Hard To Predict

Voter turnout in Tuesday's primaries is hard to predict, most agree.

Election Board Secretary Mike Clingman says he doesn't know what to expect.

There are no super-hot primaries in either party and while there are several that have been hotly-contested, they haven't risen to the level that's likely to increase turnout.

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Most See Close Johnson-Murphy Primary

Rob Johnson...or Dana Murphy?

Ask Republican insiders and other observers about their Tuesday primary for the Corporation Commission and the opinions fly all over the place as the two battle to win the right to face incumbent Democrat Jim Roth for the remainder of the two-year term to which Roth was appointed when Republican Denise Bode resigned.

"Well," said one of the state's most astute analysts, "I'd say Johnson but we're also waiting to see what Murphy's last minute media blitz does. These candidates have not really had the money to run effective major statewide campaigns, so there's a lot of play -- my 6:5 pick is Johnson."

"Murphy by a nose," said another. "But don't bet any money on it."

Said one of the state's top GOP consultants: "Dana began the race as a front-runner...and supposedly had the support of most in the energy industry. But she and others underestimated Rob's ability to raise funds from the OIPA oil/gas crowd, and she found herself behind in fundraising. She never caught up, despite loaning her own money to her campaign. Then, instead of hiring a campaign-tested advertising firm, she went with a downtown OKC corporate ad agency that doesn't understand political campaigns. The result of her weak-by-comparison fundraising and her poor hiring decision is unconvincing paid media and too little of it. Murphy clearly started out ahead on a statewide ballot, but Johnson has erased that advantage and, by Election Day, will have taken Dana's lead and won the nomination."

Johnson, State House member and the son of Senator Mike Johnson of Kingfisher, challenged Murphy's candidacy during the filing period; his challenge, based on a technicality, was rejected by the Election Board and was viewed by many as a trivial attack that didn't work.

Murphy, perceived by many the initial front-runner, appears to some to have lost her momentum in the paid media battle. Johnson was on the air early, and often, and remains so. Murphy's paid media has become increasingly apparent in the past 48 hours.

Said one GOP official: "This is a good race. Two good people, both qualified. Both have strengths. It looks very close to me as of right now (Saturday)."

Said a southern Oklahoma local GOP official: "Dana has some name ID from the 2002 race, so she's probably ahead based on that alone, and she's also strong with the hardcore party people. Rob's done a pretty good job building name ID. Either one of them will do well against Roth down here, but I do think it will be very close between them on Tuesday."

Said a veteran campaign observer in northwestern Oklahoma: "Both have good ads, with Johnson playing the 'family' card. It will be interesting to see how (Murphy's) long time involvement with the Party will play out. And, who will vote Tuesday? Will the guys get out as well as R women’s groups? I...would not bet" on the outcome.

Johnson began the race with a $164,000 transfer from his House campaign committee. He's raised, his Ethics Commission report shows, $224,000 and spent $241,000, leaving him with about $146,000 cash on hand as of the end of the last reporting period.

Murphy reports she's raised about $257,000, spent $210,000 and had about $35,000 on hand.

In her 2002 race for the commission, Murphy and eventual winner Jeff Cloud battled to a razor-thin margin for Cloud in the primary, 40 percent to 39.5 for Murphy. In the runoff, Cloud easily defeated her, 59 to 41 percent.

Transcript Endorses Murphy, Rice

The Norman Transcript has endorsed Republican Dana Murphy in her primary race with Rep. Rob Johnson for the Corporation Commission and Senator Andrew Rice in his primary race for the Democratic nomination for the U. S. Senate.

The editorial: There are only two statewide offices up in this year's Primary Election. The Republican nomination for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission has generated considerable interest over the past few weeks.

The winner in Tuesday's primary election will face incumbent Democrat Jim Roth who was appointed to the commission in June 2007.

We believe Dana Murphy is the most qualified of the two Republican contenders. She has worked in the oil patch as a geologist, practiced oil and gas law and served as an administrative law judge at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. She understands the industry and sees a pro-active role by the commission in developing Oklahoma's energy policy.

Across the aisle, we believe Andrew Rice is the most qualified Democrat in the U.S. Senate primary. Sen. Rice, an Oklahoma State Senator, has tackled issues such as hunger in the homeland, energy efficiency, veteran's insurance and health insurance coverage for patients in clinical trials.

The winner will take on Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. James Inhofe.

Reynolds Flips Food In HD91 Campaign

Republican Rep. Mike Reynolds has set up "shop" at the corner of Southwest 104th and May Avenue and is treating his constituents to an old fashioned cookout today with burgers and hot dogs as Reynolds seeks renomination in House District 91.

Hamburgers currently are being flipped by Oklahoma City Ward 5 Councilman Brian Walters and others. They'll be at the location through 2 p.m.

Reynolds is challenged in the GOP primary by Jon Echols.

Poll: Media Trying To Help Obama Win

From Politico ~ Half of Americans think the press is trying to help Sen. Barack Obama win the presidential election, according to a new poll by Rasmussen Reports.

In an automated survey of 1000 likely voters, Rasmussen found that 49 percent of respondents believed reporters would favor Obama in their coverage this fall, compared with just 14 percent who expected them to boost Sen. John McCain.

The number of Americans who see pro-Obama bias in the press has increased by five percent in the last month.

According to Rasmussen’s numbers, less than a quarter of voters – 24 percent – now trust the press to report on the election without bias.

“People are looking at reporters the way reporters want us to look at Wikipedia,” said Rasmussen Reports CEO Scott Rasmussen. “It’s useful information, but you’ve got to check the source.”

Rasmussen suggested that glowing coverage of the run-up to Obama’s trip abroad may have contributed to the perception that reporters sympathize with his campaign.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, suggested a different source for the public’s concerns about bias: the press itself. “As the press covers reports of disparities in amount[s] of coverage,” Jamieson said, “the belief, often reinforced in conservative media, that the press are biased against the Republican should increase.”

Jamieson pointed to a study released last week by the Tyndall Report, a media-monitoring group, that showed Obama vastly outstripping McCain in press coverage, as the kind of report that would “magnify this perception of bias among non-Obama supporters. I am sure that the press will dismiss or even better ignore the poll results, but it does serve as a glimpse of the challenge McCain faces during the campaign. A media darling when he was railing against GOP policies has been usurped by a charismatic, slickly packaged Democrat that more closely resembles the media's own personal viewpoints."

Poll: Obama's New Mexico Lead Shrinks

In the race for New Mexico’s Electoral College votes, Barack Obama has a five-point advantage over John McCain.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows Obama attracting 46% of the vote while John McCain earns 41%.

Last month, Obama enjoyed an eight-point advantage. Two months ago, it was Obama by nine.

When “leaners” are included in the totals, it’s Obama 49%, McCain 43%. Leaners are those who don’t initially express a preference for one of the major candidates. But, when asked a follow-up question, they do.

Coburn Brushes Off Irregular Heartbeat

Senator Tom Coburn is at work in the U. S. Senate today after being treated yesterday for an irregular heartbeat.

The 60-year-old physician was taken to a Washington hospital Friday morning, treated and released. He was back in his office late in the afternoon.

Henry Leaves For Turkey Tour

Governor Henry will visit Turkey as part of a cultural exchange program sponsored by the Institute for Interfaith Dialog, his office annouced today.

Henry left Oklahoma City today and returns August 6th.

His schedule in Turkey includes meetings with the U.S. ambassador, business leaders and government officials, including the country's president.

Coburn Taken To DC Hospital

From The Hill ~ Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) was taken to a hospital Friday for tests.

"Dr. Coburn is having tests for a common arrhythmia and has not been admitted to the hospital," said John Hart, the senator's spokesman. Hart said Coburn expects to return to the Senate for Saturday's 11 a.m. vote on housing legislation.

Insiders: Brent Rinehart Is History

Political insiders and observers are unanimous in their assessment of Tuesday's Republican primary for Oklahoma County commissioner: Incumbent Brent Rinehart is history.

That harsh assessment of the controversial Rinehart's chances of winning renomination comes from all of those The McCarville Report Online asked about the race and that includes consultants, county officials, county politics-watchers and political insiders.

Has Media Barrage Boosted Johnston?

A recent TvPoll for KWTV-Channel 9 found Rinehart running second behind challenger Brian Maughan (left) and slightly ahead of challenger J. D. Johnston. That poll, however, concluded before a Johnston media barrage, funded in large part by Johnston's own money, that almost all agree has boosted him in the race. The poll put Maughan at about 35 percent, Rinehart at about 20 percent and Johnston at about 18 percent.

"This is a classic," one observer said. "You've got an incumbent in trouble. You've got a grass-roots, door-knocking guy in Maughan and you've got a top-down candidate in Johnston, who is dominating in the paid media."

'He's toast.'

Said another: "Whatever Rinehart had in the way of support a month ago, he's got today. It probably hasn't shrunk, but it sure hasn't grown. He's toast."

Rinehart's Problems

Reflective of Rinehart's difficulties this time around is the amount he's been able to raise to fund his reelection bid: Just $28,000, compared to the $216,000 he raised in 2004. Rinehart says the investigation into his 2004 campaign donations scared off donors this time around. Rinehart still faces criminal charges as a result of that investigation, which he has blamed on political enemies in both parties. He faces trial in September on felony campaign corruption charges. He also faces an Internal Revenue Service examination of his personal and business tax returns for 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Ground Game vs. Advertising Barrage

Those in the know say Maughan has worn out his shoes knocking doors in the commission district and supplemented that effort with what most describe as effective direct mail pieces. Thus far, he's had no advertising that's been visible.

Johnston, however, has relied on advertising and done little door-to-door contact. Sources say the former Bethany mayor made a decision to restrict his time away from home since his wife suffers from cancer. One supporter said that while he admires Johnston's support of his wife, his failure to "personalize" his campaign with direct voter contact weakens his candidacy.

Rinehart, most say, has done little campaigning and there's been no advertising thus far. "He doesn't have the money" for advertising, said one observer. Rinehart has placed signs in the district, but he's been matched by Johnston and Maughan, so there seems little advantage for him there.

One of those familiar with the campaigns of all three candidates says he sees Tuesday's result as "Brian and J. D. in the high thirties and Rinehart in the twenties" in the vote totals. That outcome would result in a Johnston-Maughan runoff as Democrat Jim Dickinson, Harrah construction firm owner, waits for the GOP to pick its nominee. Dickinson is expected to best opponents Bob Boyster and Charles Saunders.

Jerry Foshee Leads Dollar Race In Senate District 45 Republican Primary

Attorney and former Oklahoma City Councilman Jerry Foshee is the top fundraiser in the Republican primary in Senate District 45, Ethics Commission reports show.

Foshee has raised $117,000 and spent $75,000, leaving him with about $40,000 on hand.

Retired Army Lt. Colonel Steve Russell, an Iraq war veteran who received the endorsement of former Governor Frank Keating, has raised about $80,000 and spent $46,000, leaving him with about $33,000 on hand.

Political consultant Kyle Loveless, endorsed by the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee, has raised about $29,000 in cash and spent $24,000, leaving him with about $4,000 on hand. Loveless reported about $20,000 in in-kind contributions, putting his total raised at about $49,000.

Observers say the race is a tough one to call; they foresee a runoff. Foshee's advantage, they say, is his name ID after years in the spotlight. Loveless' advantage, they add, is his ground-game approach, during which he's walked the district and knocked on doors. Russell's advantage is said to be his networking and personal contact with voters. All three candidates, they say, bring something to the table that makes the race one to watch next Tuesday.

Gallup: McCain, Obama Neck And Neck

The Gallup Poll Daily newest tracking of national registered voters' presidential election preferences finds Barack Obama with a slight advantage over John McCain, 45% to 43%.

SD37 Voters To Select GOP Nominee

By Randy Krehbiel/Tulsa World ~ Oklahoma Republicans have been frothing at the mouth to oust state Sen. Nancy Riley.

On Tuesday, GOP voters in her district will decide which Republican candidate will carry their banner.

Elected in 2000 as a Republican from Senate District 37, which includes west Tulsa, Sand Springs, Jenks, Bixby and west and south Tulsa County, Riley switched to the Democratic Party in 2006.

That kept Republicans from a majority in the Senate the last two years and made Riley Public Enemy No. 1 as far as the state's top Republicans are concerned.

Most of the attention — and money — for the GOP primary has gone to Dan Newberry, a Tulsa mortgage broker. But Jan Megee, an aide to Tulsa's City Council for the past decade and a longtime public employee, is also in the race.

Read the entire story at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=12&articleID=20080725_16_A18_hOnewi371821.

Henry Commutes Killer's Death Sentence

Governor Henry today stopped the pending execution of convicted killer Kevin Young.

Henry commuted Young's death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Young, 43, had been recommended for clemency by the state Pardon and Parole Board.

He had been scheduled for lethal injection on July 22, but the execution was stayed while Henry reviewed the case.

Young was convicted of first-degree murder in the slaying of Robert Sutton, 56. Young said he never meant to hurt anyone, but emptied his .38-calber revolver after he was shot and wounded during a bungled robbery melee at a gambling room located inside an Oklahoma City restaurant.

Coates' Missing File Investigation Called Off At His Request, April 30 Letter Shows

A Department of Public Safety investigation into the disappearance of a confidential file in the possession of Republican Senator Harry Coates has ended at his request, The McCarville Report Online has learned.

A letter from Coates, R-Seminole, dated April 30, reports that the investigation to that point had found nothing conclusive and to avoid additional expense, he asked that it end.

Coates wrote that the number of individuals with access to his office, and the cost associated with interviewing large numbers of people, prompted his request that the probe end. He urged senators to take steps to secure confidential files in their offices.

The letter was sent to senators, with copies to Senate Co-President Pro Tem Mike Morgan, Co-President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, Attorney General Drew Edmondson, Commissioner of Public Safety Kevin Ward, and Senate Chief of Staff Dr. Tom Walls.

The file, which contained email exchanges connected to House Bill 1804, the state's new immigration law, became a controversial topic of discussion over both where it was when it disappeared, and because of its contents. Emails apparently in the file appeared on a blog that has been the center of continued attacks on Coates over his opposition to the new law.

Coates said the file apparently disappeared from his office; those attacking him claimed he or someone else left it where it was found by someone who then sent the contents to the Missouri-based blogger, who then printed excerpts. Christoper Arps, who operates Oklahoma Political News Service, said, "I received them in the mail in a plain manila envelope with no return address."

Asked by a reporter for Fox 25 News if he left the file in a restroom, Coates said, “No, that’s not the way it happened, I promise you.”

After some of those emails were made public, Coates said, “...this is an overt attempt to embarrass and intimidate anyone who does not agree with the immigration law. The Senate is currently conducting an internal investigation in an attempt to discover who is behind this. Once we learn their identity, that information will be turned over to law enforcement, and we would expect it to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The internal probe apparently involved a review of camera images of the hallway outside Coates' office. That review obviously produced no evidence the file was taken from Coates' office.

Senate Co-President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, said at the time that Senate "security breaches" would be addressed aggressively.

"We are trying to find out the facts internally," Coffee said. "At some point, we probably would bring in the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, once we find out what has gone on."

Coates said he does not believe that any lawmakers are behind what he called the theft of the file with the e-mails.

He said the publication of the private e-mails on the blog could stifle debate on issues.

"Some of the material has been taken out of context with the rather obvious purpose of embarrassing anyone who dares to defy those who relish the thought of ridding our state of people who speak another language, legal or illegal," Coates, whose family operates a Seminole roofing company, said.

Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, the author of House Bill 1804, called the incidents "bizarre."

He said he doesn't believe that supporters of his legislation were behind the missing documents.

"The pressure of being on the wrong side of an 80-20 issue has apparently gotten to Senator Coates," Terrill said at the time.

Cargill Consults Terrill Campaign

Former House Speaker Lance Cargill, The Oklahoman reports today, is a consultant for Rep. Randy Terrill's reelection campaign.

Michael McNutt reports: Terrill reported receiving a $5,000 in-kind contribution from Cargill's political action committee, Republican PAC to the Future, to close out his 2006 campaign committee, according to campaign reports filed with the state Ethics Commission.

Terrill, R-Moore, said Wednesday he also is paying Cargill to give him advice for his 2008 campaign. Terrill is being challenged by Curtis Bruehl of Norman in Tuesday's primary election.

The expenditures to Cargill, a Republican state representative from Harrah who served as House speaker in 2007, were not listed on Terrill's most recent campaign report filed earlier this week. The report covers the period from April 1 to July 14.

Terrill said payment to Cargill will show up in last-minute campaign reports that will be filed before Tuesday's primary election.

Read the entire story at http://newsok.com/terrill-pays-ex-speaker-for-help/article/3274161/?tm=1216872104.

State Media Polling Firms Tops In Nation

An analysis of political polling firms whose primary clients are the public or the news media shows that two of them who poll for Oklahoma media outlets are among the highest ranked in the nation.

The analysis, actually a listing of all polling firms based on a sliding scale of the accuracy of their polling data percentages (not whether they predicted winners), is compiled by SurveyUSA, a national firm that polls for KFOR-TV, Channel 4, in Oklahoma City.

In the listing, SurveyUSA itself is listed 5th. The firm has been remarkably accurate in previous surveys for KFOR. It was the first polling firm to report the likelihood that Democrat Brad Henry would upset Republican Steve Largent in the 2002 governor's race.

The only Oklahoma firm listed is SoonerPoll, which conducts polls for the Tulsa World and KOTV, Channel 6. It is listed 33rd, right behind the Gallup Poll, with which it is numerically tied in the ranking. Pollster Bill Shapard also partners with Keith Gaddie in the firm TvPoll, with KWTV, Channel 9, as a client.

Gallup is listed 32nd in the analysis, which includes about 50 firms. Fox News is listed 8th, Zogby 10th, Rasmussen 20th, Mason-Dixon 24th.

The listings do not include survey research firms that routinely poll for clients and whose poll results are not disclosed. That would include the firms of Cole Hargrave Snodgrass And Associates (which does publish some results in its Sooner Survey) and Wilson Research Strategies, Washington-based firm with an Oklahoma City office and with political and corporate clients here and across the country.

Kern Gun 'Oversight' At Capitol

By John Greiner/Capitol Bureau, The Oklahoman ~ State Rep. Sally Kern was stopped from carrying a gun into the Capitol today in an incident that she and state troopers describe as an accidental oversight on her part.

Not realizing she had her pistol, Kern started into the Capitol Wednesday, was turned back and allowed to put the weapon into her automobile, she confirmed.

Capt. Chris West of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said she was asked to secure her weapon outside when guards discovered that she had a weapon in her purse.

"I'm out of the habit of being at the Capitol, had a meeting at 10 a.m.," Kern said.

She put her purse on the security machine that X-rays purses and other bags of people coming into the Capitol. That's when the gun was discovered.

She has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, West said.

"We didn't feel like that was a malicious act," West said.

Lucas Opposes Foreclosure Prevention Act

Congressman Frank Lucas today refused to support H.R. 3221, the “Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008,” a bill that spends billions of taxpayer dollars bailing out lenders and borrowers who made risky decisions in the housing market.

Lucas said the current bill contains several troubling provisions, including one that extends an unlimited line of credit from the U.S. Treasury to the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in an effort to reinstall confidence in them, and another provision that creates a permanent Affordable Housing Trust Fund which takes funding away from them. “At a time when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are having financial difficulties, why are we diverting their funds to finance this Affordable Housing Trust Fund?” asked Lucas. “If we truly believe that these companies are in need of a bailout from the federal government, we should not be siphoning money from them to fund yet another unnecessary housing program.”

Fallin Promotes American Energy Act

Congresswoman Mary Fallin joined House colleagues today in unveiling the landmark American Energy Act that would increase the supply of American-made energy, improve conservation and efficiency, and promote renewable and alternative energy technologies.

“American families and businesses are being crushed by high gas prices,” said Fallin. “They need relief now. The American Energy Act provides that relief by blending new production of traditional fossil fuels with conservation and speedy development of technologies like wind, solar and nuclear energy. It is a landmark piece of legislation that will finally give our nation a coherent and comprehensive national energy policy.”

Sheriff's FOP Dumps On Rinehart

By John Estus/The Oklahoman ~ Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart received a vote of no confidence this morning from the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office Fraternal Order of Police.

The vote stems from Rinehart’s history of disagreements with Sheriff John Whetsel, but “the straw that broke the camel’s back” was the controversial comic book released by Rinehart’s re-election campaign last week, FOP President Larry Grant said at this morning’s weekly board of county commissioners meeting.

Grant told Rinehart, the District 2 Commissioner, that the fallout from the comic book is negatively affecting Oklahoma’s national perception and that Rinehart has a personal agenda and is not conducting himself professionally.

The comic book attacks homosexuals, Whetsel and other local politicians who Rinehart claims are out to get him. It has received national media attention as a homophobic hit piece, but Rinehart has defended the book as a creative way to inform voters about his often-controversial political career.

Rinehart said during the meeting that he’s never needed FOP or other union support in the past and the he’ll “be fine” without it. He is up for re-election this year and the Republican primary is Tuesday.

Grant gave Rinehart a letter detailing the vote of no confidence during the meeting.

Grant told Rinehart that local law enforcement officers are “insulted” that Rinehart labeled equipment they use for protection as “toys” in the comic book.

In a sequence in the comic, Whetsel is shown asking for more money so he can buy “more, more and more toys!” The “toys” referenced include police cars and armored assault vehicles.

Whetsel has called Rinehart anti-law enforcement in the past. Rinehart said this morning that he isn’t anti-law enforcement but wants to hold the sheriff’s office accountable for its expenses.

Following the meeting, Rinehart called the sheriff’s FOP “almost a taxpayer-funded political machine” for Whetsel.

Grant said Whetsel had no knowledge that he would appear at today’s meeting.

The vote of no confidence occurred at last night’s FOP Lodge 155 meeting. It was unanimous.

Stan Inman Campaign: DA Forced Release Of Carolynn Caudill Work Records

Republican Stan Inman's campaign for Oklahoma County Clerk said today it took the intervention of District Attorney David Prater to obtain records Inman claims show incumbent Carolynn Caudill "has shown up for work only slightly more than 30% of the time."

The records, the Inman campaign said in a news release, were obtained through an open records request made by Friends of Stan Inman.

Two requests were made on June 25th, 2008. One of the requests was about payroll and employees, and it was released within days. However, the request for records pertaining to county officials entry and exit from the security system located in the Oklahoma County office building were not responded to until the DA's office and Sheriff's Office intervened on Monday, the release said.

The records, which only go back to January, 2008 show: There were a total of 107 working days which comes to 856 hours of operation @ 40 hours per week or 160 hours per month; Caudill "badged" in 57 of those days. There was never one time that Caudill exceeded 20 hours in the office per week; She logged a total of 58 hours in February, 44 hours in March, 41 hours in April, 43 hours in May, and 32 hours in June. That equals 218 hours of being in the office out of a total of 856 total hours of operation, the release claims.

Rice Campaign: It Was A Postal Error

The Andrew Rice for U. S. Senate committee said today it has complied with all Federal Election Commission requirements and that a demand letter from the FEC sent last week was the result of a Post Office error.

To view Rice's FEC data, go to http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?C00437558.

The campaign's spokesman, Tres Savage, told The McCarville Report Online today, "We've communicated with the FEC, and they've assured us that we are in full compliance. The FEC reports of U.S. Senate candidates are required to first go to the Office of Public Records at the Secretary of the U.S. Senate. Contribution records must either be hand-delivered to the Secretary of the U.S. Senate or mailed to a specific address in Alexandria, Va. Our report was filed in a timely manner, however, the United States Postal service failed to notice that the box for 'waiver of signature required' was clearly marked, and the report was not directly deposited into the PO Box of the Secretary of the U.S. Senate."

McCain Takes Poll Lead In Ohio

From Rasumussen Reports ~ John McCain has opened a modest lead over Barack Obama in the key swing state of Ohio. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the Buckeye State shows McCain attracting 46% of the vote while Obama earns 40%. Last month and the month before McCain held a insignificant one-point lead over Obama.

Carter Tops Fundraising In SD 35 Race

By Barbara Hoberock/Capitol Bureau, Tulsa World ~ Cason Carter has a substantial fundraising lead in the Republican race to fill the state Senate District 35 seat.

Carter, a former Tulsa city councilor, has brought in the most money in the five-way race that could be determined in the July 29 primary or a possible runoff.

Sen. James A. Williamson, R-Tulsa, is term-limited and can't seek re-election in Senate District 35.

No Democrats filed for the seat.

Carter has raised $109,925, according to his most recent report filed with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. Of that amount, $104,425 came from individuals and $5,500 from political committees.

Gary Stanislawski has raised $64,074, of which $30,000 came from a loan he made to his campaign.

Read the entire story at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=12&articleID=20080723_16_A8_spancl742833.

Robocalls Stir Tulsa Senate Race Debate

By Randy Krehbiel/Tulsa World ~ Automated calls attacking Republican state Senate District 35 candidate Gary Stanislawski were not connected to any of his four primary opponents, the Norman political consultant who recorded the calls said Tuesday.

"The guys in our group from Tulsa were kind of ambivalent about that race, but they were mad at Gary," said Kirk Shelley, a political operative who has been involved in more than 130 legislative races, according to his company Web site.

Shelley said the automated calls were paid for by some people who heard Stanislawski speak last fall to the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee.

Read the entire story at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=12&articleID=20080723_16_A8_spancl737641.

FEC Calls Rice Campaign On Carpet

The Federal Election Commission has ordered the Andrew Rice for U. S. Senate campaign to complete its pre-primary election report for the period July 1 to July 9 within four days or face possible civil penalities.

The FEC's letter, obtained by The McCarville Report Online, is dated last Friday and is addressed to Rice's campaign treasurer, Dallas Cody Barnett.

The letter advised Barnett that the Reports Analysis Division of the FEC found its report lacking and the campaign "...may have failed to file...in its entirety." Barnett was given four days to complete the filing.

The letter is signed by Patricia Cormona, assistant staff director in the Reports Analysis Division of the FEC.

38 Legislators Endorse Rob Johnson

Thirty-eight legislators have endorsed Rob Johnson for Corporation Commissioner, Johnson’s campaign announced today.

"I am humbled and honored to have such resounding support from Oklahoma’s lawmakers," Johnson said. "I have worked with these men and women for the past four years to make Oklahoma a better state and am grateful they feel I would be the best candidate to serve Oklahomans at the Commission."

Twenty-five representatives and 13 senators are among those endorsing Johnson. Included are the chairmen of their respective Energy Committees, Rep. Dennis Adkins and Senator Brian Bingman.

Endorsing Johnson: Senators Brian Bingman, Cliff Aldridge, Owen Laughlin, Patrick Anderson, David Myers, Mike Johnson, Don Barrington, Anthony Sykes, Brian Crain, Bill Brown, Todd Lamb, Harry Coates and Mike Mazzei; and Reps. Colby Schwartz, Earl Sears, Randy Terrill, Mike Jackson, Don Armes, Dan Sullivan, Tad Jones, Fred Jordan, Ann Coody, Phil Richardson, Mike Thompson, Weldon Watson, Greg Piatt, TW Shannon, Dennis Adkins, Gus Blackwell, David Derby, Shane Jett, Ron Peterson, Trebor Worthen, Charles Key, Ron Peters, Doug Cox, Mark McCullough and Terry Ingmire.

Johnson faces Dana Murphy in the Republican primary next Tuesday.

Chesapeake Execs Flood Roth With Cash

Executives and employees of Chesapeake Energy Corp., an entity whose activities are regulated by the Corporation Commission, poured at least $77,775 into the election campaign of Commissioner Jim Roth in the second quarter, an analysis of his latest campaign finance report shows.

The McCarville Report Online tallied donations from dozens of Chesapeake employees in the analysis, which also shows that Roth's campaign is, in large part, financed by those in industries the Corporation Commission regulates.

Chesapeake's leader, Aubrey McClendon, gave Roth, a Democrat, $5,000 and a long list of other company executives donated $1,000 each, Roth's report shows.

The total appears to be about 14.5 percent of the total $537,000 Roth reported he raised in the reporting period, which ended July 14th.

Among other donations is $2,500 from John Gibson of Tulsa, CEO of ONEOK.

Roth faces the winner of next Tuesday's Republican primary for the seat. The GOP candidates are Rep. Rob Johnson and Dana Murphy.

McClendon and other Chesapeake executives also donated $8,500 to Republican Commissioner Jeff Cloud for his reelection campaign. Cloud's report also shows a large part of his donations came from those in industries the Commission regulates.

Roth On Fundraising Roll, Report Shows

Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth raised more than $500,000 for his election campaign in the second quarter. That put him far ahead of his two Republican opponents, Ethics Commission reports show.

Roth, a Democrat, was appointed to fill the unexpired two years of Denise Bode's term when she resigned.

His reports show he has raised a total of about $790,000, including $537,193 from April 1 to July 14.

He reported he's spent $115,000 in the last three months and has total expenditures of $181,000. That leaves him with $589,000 cash on hand.

State Rep. Rob Johnson and Dana Murphy, a former administrative law judge, seek the Republican nomination.

Johnson reported he raised more than $116,000 during the last quarter and a total of nearly $225,000 for his campaign. He reported he's spent about $222,000 over the last three months, including $143,000 on television advertising. He has about $146,000 cash on hand.

Murphy reported she raised about $108,000, including a $10,000 personal loan, bringing her total amount raised to $257,000. Murphy also reported receiving $2,500 in last-minute contributions that came in after the reporting deadline. Murphy reported she's spent $196,000 since April 1, including about $170,000 on television and radio advertising. She reported spending nearly $210,000 total on her campaign, leaving her with about $35,000 cash on hand.

Another seat on the Corporation Commission, currently held by Republican Jeff Cloud, also is up for re-election for a full six-year term. Cloud will face Democratic challenger Charles Gray, a former state House member, in the general election in November. Neither candidate drew a primary opponent.

Cloud reported he's raised about $287,000 since April 1. He reported transferring only $2,700 from his previous House campaign. He also reported spending almost $50,000 on campaign activity, leaving him with about $240,000 cash on hand.

Gray's contributions and expenditure report has not yet been posted on the Ethics Commission's site.

USDA: Nine NW Counties Get Help

Responding to a request made by Gov. Brad Henry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture today issued an agricultural disaster declaration for nine northwestern Oklahoma counties. The designation will pave the way for farmers and ranchers in those counties, and five contiguous counties, to receive federal assistance.

Rinehart Contributor Faces Charges

From NewsRadio 1000 KTOK ~ A Norman developer who pleaded guilty this year to funneling improper campaign contributions to Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart now faces manslaughter and DUI charges following a Monday night fatal traffic accident in Oklahoma City.

Police say Jerl Methvin was jailed overnight following the one-car crash near SE 104th and Triple X road that killed a passenger, Candy Dubiel, age 37, the mother of six who is well-known in the Oklahoma City homeschooling community.

Police reports say Methvin was allegedly traveling at a speed of more than 100 mph when his car missed a curve and struck a utility pole.

Methvin was originally charged with Commissioner Rinehart in a case prosecuted by the State Attorney General. He was given a six-month deferred sentence after admitting he contributed in excess of the legal limit of $5,000 to Rinehart's campaign for county commission.

Lowest Gas Prices: Small Consolation

Oklahoma has the lowest gas price in the nation for the second time in about a month, AAA-Oklahoma reports.

The state posted the lowest average price for a gallon of gas today, at about $3.83 a gallon. Missouri’s average price was about $3.86 a gallon, and South Carolina, which saw its coast being affected by Tropical Storm Cristobal earlier this week, posted an average price of about $3.87 a gallon.

In the Oklahoma City metro area, some stations have dropped this week to as low as $3.55 per gallon.

Two Tulsa Legislators Endorse Murphy

Dana Murphy, Republican candidate for the Corporation Commission, today received the endorsement of Tulsa GOP Reps. Sue Tibbs and Pam Peterson, Murphy's campaign announced.

Tibbs serves on the Legislature's Energy and Technology Committee. Peterson is the chairwoman of the Children and Families Committee and former majority whip.

Murphy faces Rep. Rob Johnson in the GOP primary next week.

Higher Ed Council Honors Coffee, Morgan

Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan and Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee have been named recipients of the Lifetime Achievement award by the Higher Education Alumni Council of Oklahoma (HEACO).

The leaders and other members of the Senate will be formally honored next week during HEACO’s annual meeting. The ceremony will be held at noon on Thursday, July 24, at the Nigh University Center of the University of Central Oklahoma.

Morgan, who is leaving office this year due to term limits, said, “When I first came to the State Senate 12 years ago, I recognized how crucial it was to support higher education and help more students gain access to our colleges and universities.”

Coffee said he too was honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement award, and would continue to make higher education a top priority during his final two years in the Senate.

“Creating more Oklahoma college graduates and more economic opportunities to keep them in Oklahoma are keys to greater personal prosperity and a better quality of life for all our citizens,” said Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. “I’m proud that we’ve created a permanent funding source for OHLAP, that we’ve continued to dedicate resources for endowed chairs at our state’s colleges and universities, and that we’ve provided hundreds of millions of dollars in new funds for higher education in recent years. Our investments in higher education are an investment in the future of Oklahoma.”

Senate Appropriations Co-Chairs Mike Johnson, R-Kingfisher, and Johnnie Crutchfield, D-Ardmore, will be recognized with the HEACO Distinguished Service award, while Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, has been selected for the Courage of Convictions honor.

Freshman State Sen. Sean Burrage, D-Claremore, will be honored with the Legislative Newcomer award, given for his resolve and commitment to higher education’s needs during his first two years in the Senate.

Poll: Maughan Leads Rinehart, Johnston

A poll in the Oklahoma County commissioner race shows incumbent Republican Brent Rinehart running a distant second to challenger Brian Maughan with challenger J. D. Johnston in third place.

The poll, taken of 440 likely Republican primary voters, surveyed July 18-20, shows that Maughan got 34.7 percent, Rinehart 19.5 percent and Johnston 18.1 percent. About 28 percent said they are undecided.

The poll was taken for KWTV-Channel 9 in Oklahoma City by TvPoll.com and the results were presented on the station's morning show by pollster and political science professor Keith Gaddie.

Said Gaddie: "We also mapped the results and Maughan is strong across the district, Johnston is predictably strong but not overwhelming in Bethany, and Rinehart is weak all over. There were heavy undecideds from South OKC through Del City all the way out to Harrah.

Republicans Win Top Ballot Spots

Election Board Secretary Mike Clingman supervised a drawing on Monday that placed the names of Republican candidates first on the November 4th general election ballot.

“We’ll take it,” Republican Party Chairman Gary Jones said as Kitti Asberry, vice chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, opened a sealed envelope to determine which party’s candidates would be listed first.

Rinehart, 'Comic Book' On CNN Today

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/07/21/seg.rinehart.comic.book.cnn?iref=24hours

Coates, Leftwich Tee Off On CIB

From The Senate Communications Division ~ Senate Business and Labor Committee co-chairs, Senators Debbe Leftwich and Harry Coates, are furious with the actions taken by the Construction Industries Board (CIB) Thursday during its July meeting and are considering requesting an audit of the agency. The legislators, while pleased to see a permanent administrator hired, were disappointed by the board’s decision to retain Jerry Regier as the board’s Interim Administrator.

“We’re glad to see the board finally make a decision on a permanent director. Maybe now they can get on with the business at hand,” said Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City.

Coates said he was appalled by the CIB’s willingness to waste the taxpayers’ and industry’s money especially during such uncertain economic times.

“This is a clear manipulation of our state’s retirement system. It has allowed a bureaucrat to tap into the state’s retirement system at a time when we can’t afford to provide state employees a raise nor retired educators an adequate cost-of-living increase,” said Coates, R-Seminole. “We believe that the actions of the CIB are a textbook case of governmental sprawl that occurs when we create new agencies and don’t provide adequate oversight. If the CIB has enough money to make these kinds of hiring decisions, perhaps they should consider reducing the costs of licenses for Oklahoma’s hardworking trades people and contractors.”

The legislators were also bothered by the turnout for the meeting. In 2007, Coates authored SB 2131, effective July 1 of this month, to decrease the number of board members from eleven to seven in order to ensure that most, if not all, of the members attended the monthly meetings. The pair, therefore, did not understand why only five board members were present for such an important vote for the agency regarding the immediate firing of Regier. The final vote was 3 to 2 to keep Regier. The legislators questioned why two of the members did not show up for the job they were appointed to do and were concerned that they were possibly persuaded, by those who favored Regier’s continued employment, to not attend the meeting in order to ensure the outcome of the vote.

Since bringing the actions of the CIB to light earlier this month, the legislators have received numerous emails and phone calls from state employees and private citizens concerned about the situation. Based on the information they are receiving, Leftwich and Coates believe an audit may be in order.

“Since this whole thing started, several people have contacted our offices and brought forth alarming information. We believe it’s in the best interest of the state and, quite frankly, the new director for us to request a performance audit of the CIB,” said Leftwich.

Coates further said the situation has brought to light the need for greater oversight and possibly new laws to help prevent such inappropriate hiring practices among state agencies in the future. He pointed out that the previous administrator was fired in November giving the board seven months to consider applicants for the permanent position and then chose to hire both a temporary and permanent administrator within two weeks – a situation Coates believes stemmed from a lack of proper oversight.

“We still believe that Mr. Regier and others orchestrated his hiring solely for the purpose of making him eligible to draw state retirement. It’s just too strange - they claimed they needed a temporary administrator because of the backlog of work. Obviously they were behind because they took way too long to fill the position. And why did it take them so long when they had so many highly-qualified applicants?” said Coates.

“We find it ironic that within a week of the situation being exposed, they were able to hire a permanent administrator. This whole mess has made us realize that besides requesting an audit, we also need to look at our state laws to see how we can prevent these types of shenanigans from happening in the future. At the very least we’re going to keep a closer eye on this agency.”

Tulsa DA To Probe Taylor's Airplane Use

By David Arnett/Tulsa Today ~ Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris will investigate the ethics of Mayor Kathy Taylor’s participation in flying Tulsa City Councilor David Patrick (D-Dist. 3) and his grandson back to Tulsa – cutting short a family vacation – so that Patrick could attend an official council meeting for a mayor-mandated vote on a new $60 million tax assessment to fund in part a downtown baseball stadium.

Read the entire story at www.tulsatoday.com.

Attorney: Reopen Terrill Bankruptcy Case

UPDATED ~ Following allegations first reported in a Spanish language newspaper, El Nacional de Oklahoma (http://www.noticiasok.com/), and given wider circulation by the Democrats of Oklahoma Community Forum, http://www.demookie.com/, Oklahoma City attorney John Mashburn has asked the U. S. Bankruptcy Court in Oklahoma City to reopen the 2005 bankruptcy filing of Rep. Randy Terrill, architect of the state's new immigration law.

Mashburn (pictured), who says in the filing on July 18th that he was the original trustee in the Randy and Angela Terrill bankruptcy case in 2005, alleges there may be assets that were not included in the final settlement in 2006. Mashburn apparently was trustee for creditors.

Terrill told The McCarville Report Online, "I don't mind the trustee taking a second look to make sure everything was done properly."

Mashburn's filing came after the reports alleged Terrill's campaign committee owed him money and that the debt was repaid after his bankruptcy was discharged and the debt, an alleged undisclosed Terrill asset, was not included in the filing.

Terrill said, "...it's unfortunate...that some...are trying to damage me politically" because of a family bankruptcy filing prompted by his wife's college debts: "I find it despicable that someone would exploit my wife's financial difficulties during college to damage me politically."

Terrill said the "loan" repayments listed on his campaign documents covered ordinary campaign expenses for which he paid and was later reimbursed. He said many of the expenses occurred in 2003 and 2004 prior to the bankruptcy filing.

He said there were no "loans" in "the traditional sense of the word."

Terrill added that those who oppose him because of his sponsorship of the state's new immigration law and advocacy of "English only" have "been trying to pedal this story...for some time."

Terrill, who said he's not yet been officially notified of Mashburn's filing with the court, said he's confident that a review of the bankruptcy case and all the documents related to it will find nothing wrong.

The original post on the Democrats of Oklahoma Community Forum: Escrito por Redacción Local Viernes 18 de Julio de 2008 19:05 After declaring bankruptcy, State Legislator Randy Terrill contributes a substantial funding to his own campaign. On October 14, 2005, Randy Terrill filed a Bankruptcy Petition. Included in the petition is a Summary of Schedules in which claimed assets by Terrill total the amount of $12,854.40. Of the total claimed assets Randy Terrill only claimed to have $500.00 in a checking account and no cash on hand, no accounts receivable, and no liquidated debts. In Schedule I-Current Income of Individual Debtor(s) Randy Terrill stated his occupation to be a Consultant for the State of Oklahoma instead of a Legislator with a monthly income of $3,200.00 gross and $2316.19 net. On January 1, 2006, a Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Report showed a loan made by Randy Terrill to his Campaign Committee in the amount of $9,801.00 while his bankruptcy was still pending. On March 1, 2006 one day before Discharge of Debtor was granted to Randy Terrill, a loan repayment in the amount of $1,500.00 was shown in Schedule E. Monetary Expenditures of Campaign with a reporting period from January 1, 2006 to March 31, 2006. Discharge of Debtor was dated March 2, 2006. On July 6, 2006, after Discharge of Debtor was granted to Terrill, a loan repayment in the amount of $7,209.50 was shown in Schedule E Monetary Expenditures of Campaign with a reporting period from April 1, 2006 to July 10, 2006. Based on this information, there is a possibility that Terrill could face charges of perjury and or fraud.Ultima actualización ( Viernes 18 de Julio de 2008 19:29 )

Special Ice Cream Campaign Report

A Special On-The-Scene Political Report From Our Bubble-Gum Ice Cream Bar Correspondent, Dr. R. Keith Gaddie, Esq.

So, I'm coming back in from the YMCA and what do I see in my Norman neighborhood, but the Curtis Bruehl for State Representative ice cream truck.

Now, I know that this is a pretty low-resolution campaign season, but we are getting our fair share of interesting news, between Sally Kern, Jeff McMahan, and the irrepressible, almost unbelievable comic-book antics of Brent Rinehart.

But this was kind of nice to see --- a campaign antic that didn't insult or hurt anyone, just handing out bubble-gum ice cream bars on a hot summer day.

Bruehl, of course, has an uphill battle to try and even come close to Randy Terrill. Randy is enjoying a surge of support down here in the Norman part of the district, and he looks solid for renomination. But I will note that when Randy and John Angier came rolling by my house the other day, they didn't have any ice cream.

Best from down here in the Libertarian Paradise of Norman. ~ Keith Gaddie

Stipe's Name On Courthouse Offensive

By Tony Thornton/The Oklahoman ~ For at least the next two years, justice in Pittsburg County will be meted out in a temporary courthouse named for political icon Gene Stipe. The irony isn't lost on current and former county courthouse employees.

"This may be the only court building in the nation to be named for a convicted felon,” said Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Steven Taylor, a former Pittsburg County judge.

Read the entire story at http://newsok.com/court-may-be-stuck-with-stipe-name/article/3272274/?tm=1216441321.

With This Kind Of Publicity...

Google "Brent Rinehart's comic book" and you'll get 4,910 returns from around the world.

Google "Jenna Plumley's arrest" and "Jenna Plumley's suspension" and in total, you'll get 5,160 returns.

In Case You Missed It...

http://downloads.newsok.com/documents/rinehartcartoon.pdf.

Federal Reserve Bank: Burrage And Massey

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

The notification listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. [thinsp]225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire a bank or bank holding company. The factors that are considered in acting on the notices are set forth in paragraph 7 of the Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)(7)).

The notices are available for immediate inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank indicated. The notices also will be available for inspection at the office of the Board of Governors. Interested persons may express their views in writing to the Reserve Bank indicated for that notice or to the offices of the Board of Governors. Comments must be received not later than September 29, 2006.

A. Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (Donna J. Ward, Assistant Vice President) 925 Grand Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64198-0001: 1. Steve Burrage, Antlers, Oklahoma; as co-trustee of the John L. Massey 2003 Family Trusts, to acquire voting shares of Durant Bancorp, Inc., and thereby indirectly acquire voting shares of First United Bank & Trust Company, both in Durant, Oklahoma.

Regier Retained By CIB In 3-2 Vote

Jerry Regier has been retained as interim administrator of the Construction Industries Board despite a call by two legislators that he not be hired.

The board voted Thursday to retain Regier despite criticism that he got the job as a favor to qualify him for retirement benefits.

The vote by the Construction Industries Board was 3-2 against a motion to fire Regier, who has been defended by board Chairman Larry Shea.

The board also voted 4-1 to hire a permanent administrator at a salary of $85,000 a year, but did not release his name pending further negotiations with the candidate.

Regier defended himself from charges made by Senators Debbe Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City, and Harry Coates, R-Seminole.

Regier said he is trying to clear up a backlog of work because of delays in hiring an administrator. He said rumors that the board hired him as a favor were not true. "This is a sham job, and none of you did this as a favor for me," he said. "I was asked by you, the board, unanimously to come and assist for an intense short period. I serve at the pleasure of the board. I will serve as long as you ask me to, and if you decide you do not want me to serve, then I am done and you can run this operation yourself until you get a new administrator."

Plumley Won't Play This Year, Coale Says

University of Oklahoma Lady Sooners basketball coach Sherri Coale today suspended star Jenna Plumley indefinitely and said the point guard will not play this season.

Coale's action came after Plumley, 20, was detained by a Wal-Mart security guard in Norman. Police say they found cosmetics in Plumley's purse for which the store had not been paid. She faces a misdemeanor charge of petit larceny.

"There had been ongoing concerns with Jenna that culminated in a meeting within the last two weeks," Coale said in a statement that hints at as-yet-unknown problems. "During that meeting a plan was outlined for what our program expected from her. She has not met those expectations. I am concerned for Jenna and want to proceed in a way that is in the best interest of her education and our team. This is an unfortunate situation, but I am hopeful that it will produce the best results in the long run."

Plumley apparently will remain on scholarship at OU if she elects to continue there.

Gumm: GOP Attacks On OEA 'Laughable'

Oklahoma Republican House members today rolled out “laughable” media statements saying the Oklahoma Education Association is trying to force rural school consolidation, Senator Jay Paul Gumm says.

“For House leaders to say this is simply disingenuous,” said Gumm (D-Durant). “They have had ample opportunity to pass a constitutional amendment that would protect rural schools from forced consolidation, yet have squandered those opportunities at every turn as those critical bills have been allowed to die in smoke-filled rooms in the Capitol.”

Gumm, as author of multiple bills designed to protect schools from consolidation, said that in the last four years GOP "partisan tricks killed the chance to do the right thing for Oklahoma rural schools and the families and communities they serve."

Tad Jones Criticizes OEA Plan

The Oklahoma Education Association’s latest initiative would likely devastate vital government services and rural schools while draining the pocketbooks of hard-working Oklahomans during troubled economic times, a top budget leader warned today.

“The OEA’s proposed constitutional amendment would result in at least one of the following outcomes – a massive tax increase at a time when gas prices are skyrocketing, consolidation of schools, or devastating cuts to vital government services such as roads and law enforcement,” said Rep. Tad Jones, Claremore Republican who chairs the House Education Committee and is vice-chair of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee.

Hickman: OEA Pushes 'Back-door' School Consolidation Plan For Second Time

The Oklahoma Education Association is renewing its push for “back-door consolidation” of rural schools, a state legislative leader warned today.

Rep. Jeff Hickman noted this is the second time in three years the Oklahoma Education Association has tried to force rural consolidation.

“The OEA keeps using the same old bait-and-switch: They say they want to help education but pursue strategies guaranteed to force the closing of rural schools,” said Hickman, R-Dacoma.

This year’s state appropriation for public schools was $2.53 billion – an increase and record amount in a session when most state agencies received no extra funding at all. Oklahoma schools are expected to also receive another $628.2 million in federal funds and around $1 billion more in local funding, he said.

In spite of that record support, the OEA plans to promote a proposed constitutional amendment mandating an increase in “per-pupil” funding they say would require an additional $850 million appropriation, according to the July 17 edition of The Oklahoman.

That plan would almost certainly force the closure of dozens of rural schools in an effort to reach the OEA’s arbitrary goal, Hickman noted. Many of those smaller, rural districts are at or near the top in the state in academic performance.

“The OEA’s plan would force the elimination of schools across the state to reduce overhead and boost per-pupil funding,” Hickman said. “Their plan would not provide any true benefit to students and would actually create serious hardships for families throughout Oklahoma. The OEA bosses in Oklahoma City may not think it’s a big deal for rural parents to have to drive children an hour or more to school, but I think most parents would disagree, especially in a time of $4 gas.”

This is the OEA’s second attempt to force school consolidation. In late 2005, the union filed a lawsuit on behalf of the super-wealthy Jenks and Western Heights school districts claiming they were underfunded, Hickman said. The OEA lawsuit was modeled after an Arkansas plan that forced the closure of 57 school districts in that state. If the OEA had been successful at forcing the Arkansas model on Oklahoma, up to 250 Oklahoma school districts could have faced closure thanks to the OEA’s back-door consolidation plan.

“You don’t improve education by closing schools – particularly some of our best-performing districts,” Hickman said, “It’s too bad the OEA doesn’t understand that.”

Wesselhoft Rips Coates, Leftwich

Rep. Paul Wesselhöft, R-Moore, issued the following statement today in response to calls for the firing of Jerry Regier, interim director of the Oklahoma Construction Industry:

“It has been appalling to read the recent attacks on one of Oklahoma’s most honorable sons, Jerry Regier. State Senators Debbe Leftwich (D) Oklahoma City, and Harry Coates (R) Seminole have called into question the merits of the Oklahoma Construction Industry Board’s (CIB) hiring of Regier as its interim director.

“Jerry Regier has an impressive history of success and accomplishment guiding and resurrecting countless programs and agencies. Amongst his accomplishments, Mr. Regier was the founding President and driving force behind the Family Research Council; an early Washington, DC watchdog organization. In Oklahoma, he took the reigns of the Department of Health and Human Services at a time of crisis, righted the ship, and uncovered numerous ghost employees. He appointed me to head Oklahoma’s new abstinence initiative, in which we successfully lowered the teen and out of wedlock birth rates.

“For the State of Florida, he restructured the Department of Children and Families, successfully reducing a backlog of 30,000 social services cases and increasing adoptions by some 150 percent. He put in place a new foster care system which had literally lost children in the past.

“One must wonder why Senators Leftwich and Coates would call for the ouster of the man who in 2001 was named Administrator of the Year in Oklahoma by the American Society of Public Administration (Oklahoma Chapter). They had not said one word about the CIB for the past 8 months since Boyd West had been fired as the Administrator…so why now? Clearly it seems to be politically motivated.

“As the Chairman of the Industry and Labor Committee, in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, I understand the critical need for quality leadership within our construction industry at this point in time. Jerry Regier is the right man, at the right time for this post. He has been a problem solver in a wide range of administrative posts, from local government up to multiple Federal posts under three different Presidents. Many of these agencies were in states of crisis, and Jerry succeeded in bringing each situation encountered to a positive and productive resolution. There should be no doubt that a similar result will occur for the CIB should Mr. Regier be allowed to continue in his capacity as Interim Director. The Board should not allow these Senators to now become Administrators of an Executive branch agency, but should do what is right for the good of the CIB.”

Lucas Praises Ag Secretary's Decision

Congressman Frank Lucas applauded Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer’s decision today to declare nine counties in Oklahoma primary disaster areas and five counties in Oklahoma contiguous disaster areas due to the severe drought that has hit the state. This follows a decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) earlier this month that granted a contiguous disaster designation to Texas and Cimarron counties in the panhandle of Oklahoma.

Kathy Taylor Uses Private Jet To Get Vote

David Arnett at Tulsa Today posts this story: Tulsa City Councilor David Patrick (D-Dist. 3) said he arrived back in Tulsa on Thursday, July 10, after cutting short his Colorado vacation at Mayor Kathy Taylor’s request – and because she sent her private Lear Jet 31A to fetch him. That sweet ride allowed him to vote in favor of Mayor Taylor’s (D) proposal for a downtown baseball stadium.

Read the entire story at http://www.tulsatoday.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1645&Itemid=2.

Rinehart Comic Book Targets Foes, Others

The Oklahoman's John Estus reports today: The "liberal good ol' boys,” gays and Satan are doing everything they can to get Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart out of office, a comic book prepared by his re-election campaign claims.

[The comic book idea is not a new one; several note today that Jim Marshall, Rinehart's chief deputy, used such a device when he sought the Republican nomination for attorney general along with Tim Green and Denise Bode in 2002.]

Read all of the story at http://newsok.com/rineharts-comic-book-targets-foes/article/3271203/?tm=1216280078.

To view the comic book, click http://downloads.newsok.com/documents/rinehartcartoon.pdf.

Fawning Network News Anchors To Accompany Obama On Trip To Iraq

From Newsbusters.org ~ Senator John McCain’s trip to Iraq last spring was a low-key affair: With his ordinary retinue of reporters following him abroad, the NBC News anchor Brian Williams reported on his arrival in Baghdad from New York, with just two sentences tacked onto the “in other political news” portion of his newscast.

But when Obama heads for Iraq and other locations overseas this summer, Williams is planning to catch up with him in person, as are the other two evening news anchors, Charles Gibson of ABC and Katie Couric of CBS, who, like Williams, are far along in discussions to interview Obama on successive nights.

And while the anchors are jockeying for interviews with Obama at stops along his route, the regulars on the Obama campaign plane will have new seat mates: star political reporters from the major newspapers and magazines who are flocking to catch Obama’s first overseas trip since becoming the presumptive nominee of his party.

McCain Has Solid Lead In Kansas

Barack Obama may trace his roots to Kansas, but new polling data shows he’s not likely to win the state’s six Electoral College votes this fall.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain leads Obama 52% to 32% in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Kansas voters. When “leaners” are included, it’s McCain 58% and Obama 35%.

Jackson Also Used 'N-word'

From news.aol.com ~ The Rev. Jesse Jackson used the N-word during a break in a TV interview where he criticized presidential candidate Barack Obama, Fox News confirmed Wednesday.

The longtime civil rights leader already came under fire this month for crude off-air comments he made against Obama in what he thought was a private conversation during a taping of a "Fox & Friends" news show.

In additional comments from that same conversation, first reported by TVNewser, Jackson is reported to have said Obama was "talking down to black people," and referred to blacks with the N-word when he said Obama was telling them "how to behave."

Confusion Over GOP Hopeful's Calls

What appeared to be an automated call, or "robocall" placed on behalf on a Republican candidate in House District 47 actually is a live call and thus, what at first appeared to be a violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act is not, a spokesman for the candidate said today.

The call, on behalf of candidate Leslie Osborn, is not an automated one, said Rep. Trebor Worthen, consultant to Osborn's campaign.

Osborn's opponent, Jane McNeff, under the impression the call was a robocall, asked Attorney General Drew Edmondson's office to examine the call and determine if it violates the TCPA.

The issue of robocalls arose in 2006, when calls placed in the Oklahoma County Commission race prompted Edmondson to take action against former State Rep. Tim Pope for robocalls that did not contain a return telephone number. Pope eventually was fined $4,500.

Also in 2006, Edmondson's Consumer Protection Division investigated robocalls made in the Republican primary for Congress in the 5th District and Edmondson reached a settlement with the group Americans For Job Security about robocalls placed against Mary Fallin and Denise Bode. Edmondson said AJS and vendor Advantage Inc. agreed to pay $3,000 each to cover investigative costs into the violation Edmondson alleged, that the calls did not contain the name of the entity sponsoring them in the proper place and did not contain a call-back telephone number.

Poll Says OU Will Repeat As South Champ

A preseason poll of 51 sports media members who cover Big 12 football resulted in the Oklahoma Sooners being picked to repeat as the South Division champion.

The Sooners will try for their third consecutive Big 12 title this year.

Oklahoma State wound up in the No. 4 position.

Does Obama Face Racial Divide?

From The New York Times ~ Americans are sharply divided by race heading into the first election in which an African-American will be a major-party presidential nominee, with blacks and whites holding vastly different views of Senator Barack Obama, the state of race relations and how black Americans are treated by society, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Read the poll results at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/us/politics/16poll.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin.

Inhofe Continues Fundraising Dominance

Senator Jim Inhofe continues his fundraising dominance in the U. S. Senate race, latest reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show.

Inhofe raised about $900,000 in the last three months for his re-election campaign, compared to about half that for State Senator Andrew Rice.

The reports show that Inhofe raised $295,400 from conservative and business political action committees in the quarter, while Rice raised $52,573 from liberal PACs.

Inhofe has raised a total of about $5.1 million, while Rice has raised about $1.4 million. Inhofe has about $2.5 million in cash on hand, while Rice has about a third that sum.

Obama Leads McCain In Online Poll

Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain 67-33 percent in our poll asking who would win the presidency if we voted now.

The two were tied at 50 percent each until the Democrats of Oklahoma Community Forum, http://www.demookie.com/, posted a link to TMRO and encouraged its readers to vote in the poll. [The usual disclaimer: Nothing scientific about our poll.]

Analysis of the election shows Obama with a substantial electoral college lead over McCain, while national polls show a dead heat in the popular vote.

Istook, Loveless Pay FEC Fines

By Chris Casteel/Washington Bureau, The Oklahoman ~ Former U.S. Rep. Ernest Istook paid nearly $14,000 to the Federal Election Commission to settle fines stemming from an audit of his 2004 re-election campaign that found numerous violations.

Istook, the former Republican congressman from Warr Acres, paid $12,000 to the FEC out of remaining campaign funds and $1,800 in personal money, according to Istook and a report filed Tuesday with the commission.

Istook said his former campaign manager, Kyle Loveless, had paid another $800.

Istook, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006 and now works at a conservative Washington think tank, said in an e-mail exchange, "I accept responsibility for the bookkeeping and reporting errors made by campaign staff. I devoted huge amounts of time going through voluminous records personally to make sure that every mistake was corrected.”

The fines came on top of $7,000 in reimbursements that Istook and Loveless had to make to the campaign for expenses that were deemed to be personal. In some cases, Istook said he mistakenly used a campaign credit card for personal items.

The matter has not officially been closed by the FEC.

Because of partisan squabbling over appointees, the commission only last week had enough members to meet.

Istook said the fines were part of an agreement reached by the campaign and FEC staff members.

The FEC report shows that $2,000 is owed to the Washington law firm hired by Istook's campaign to handle the matter.

The Gadfly As Media Critic

Charmaine Noronha is a writer for The Associated Press. Earlier this week, she filed a story with this as the lead: A 16-year-old captured in Afghanistan and held at Guantanamo Bay sobs during his questioning, holding up his wounded arms and begging for help in a video released Tuesday that provided the first glimpse of interrogations at the U.S. military prison.

Read that lead and what conclusions do you reach? That this poor teenager is being unjustly held at Guantanamo? That he's wounded and being denied treatment? That he's being brutalized? That U. S. interrogators are working him over? And how does this video provide the "first glimpse" of interrogations since it just shows the teenager complaining?

But here's a lead that would have been much more accurate: A wounded 16-year-old, accused of lobbing a grenade that killed a U. S. soldier in Afghanistan and brought back from death by military medics on the scene, begged for help while being questioned by agents of the Canadian military services.

Point 1: He's only 16, but he's accused of being a battle-seasoned soldier who killed one of ours and he's the son of a terrorist leader.

Point 2: He himself was almost killed, but our medics saved his life.

Point 3: He was being questioned by Canadians, not Americans.

UPDATE: AP subsequently revised the lead on its story and the new lead much more accurately reflects the contents of the story.

Barr Plans Ballot Lawsuit

Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr said in Oklahoma City Tuesday that he plans to file a lawsuit in federal court later this week challenging the state's "restrictive" ballot access laws.

Barr said at a Capitol news conference that his campaign is "on track" to appear on the ballot in 49 other states, plus the District of Columbia.

"America deserves better than simply voting for the lesser of two evils," Barr said.

He is the nominee for president of the Libertarian Party.

Barr is a former Georgia congressman; he's been a member of the board of directors of the National Rifle Association and now practices law in Atlanta.

Fiscal Year Ends On High Note

From The Treasurer's Office ~ Oklahoma's fiscal year has ended strongly with the rainy day fund receiving a $25 million deposit, filling it to capacity, and $82.8 million in surplus funds remaining, State Treasurer Scott Meacham announced today.

Preliminary reports show general revenue fund collections for Fiscal Year 2008 that ended June 30 totaled $5.953 billion. That amount was: $18.4 million or 0.3 percent above the prior year; and $107.8 million or 1.8 percent above the estimate.

This is the fourth consecutive year the rainy day fund has been filled to capacity with surplus funds remaining. These four years are the only years in the history of the rainy day fund that this critical fiscal safety net has been filled to its constitutional limit. The maximum balance of the rainy day fund is limited to 10 percent of the prior year's certified general revenue fund collections, which was $596.6 million in FY-2007.

Last year's fund balance was $571.6 million,allowing a maximum deposit of $25 million.

"High energy prices really drove collections, particularly in the last few months of the fiscal year," Meacham said. "Higher than expected collections in gross production taxes is the key reason the rainy day fund is full with money to spare. Stronger than expected gross production collections offset weaker than expected income tax and motor vehicle tax collections."

Gross production taxes on oil and natural gas yielded $825.2 million for the year, which was $185.7 million or 29 percent above prior year collections and $171 million or 26.1 percent above the estimate.

Net income taxes, a combination of personal and corporate income taxes, produced $2.518 billion, which was $254.6 million or 9.2 percent below the prior year and $88.2 million or 3.4 percent below the estimate.

Personal income tax collections for the year were $2.239 billion. That is $98.6 million or 4.2 percent below the prior year but $84.9 million or 3.9 percent above the estimate.

Corporate income tax collections were $279.1 million. That is $156 million or 35.9 percent below the prior year and $173.1 million or 38.3 percent below the estimate.

The state sales tax produced $1.612 billion for the year, which was $80.6 million or 5.3 percent above the prior year and $17.7 million or 1.1 percent above the estimate.

Motor vehicle taxes produced $251.7 million, which was $7.5 million or 2.9 percent below the prior year and $4.2 million or 1.6 percent below the estimate.

For the fiscal year, investments by Meacham yielded $171.4 million. That is $23.2 million or 15.6 percent above the prior year.

Other revenue, including the treasurer's investment earnings along with taxes on insurance, inheritance, alcoholic beverages and others, produced $746.3 million for the year. This was $14.2 million or 1.9 percent above the prior year and $11.4 million or 1.6 percent above the estimate.

Lady Sooner Jenna Plumley Arrested

Jenna Plumley, the star junior point guard for the University of Oklahoma women's basketball team, was arrested Monday on suspicion of petty larceny, it is reported today.

Norman Police Department records show Plumley, 20, was arrested at 11:57 at a Norman Wal-Mart. It is alleged that cosmetics that had not been purchased were found in her purse.

An OU athletics department spokesman said coach Sherri Coale is aware of the arrest.

Plumley, of Red Rock, started all 31 games last season, averaging 7.8 points per game with 103 assists.

Lucas Praises Bush On Offshore Drilling

Third District Congressman Frank Lucas said today that President Bush has "made big step forward" with his call for lifting the ban on offshore drilling.

“The president has made a big step forward towards decreasing that pain at the pump that all Americans are feeling,” said Lucas. “Now it’s time for Congress to do the same by lifting the congressional restrictions on offshore drilling.”

Congressional restrictions began in 1982 through restricted Department of Interior appropriations, such as denying necessary funds to lease offshore areas to oil and gas companies. For this reason, both the congressional and executive bans must be lifted in order to access the oil under the Outer Continental Shelf, which is estimated at billions of barrels.

“Increasing American-made energy, both in traditional and alternative sources, will not only decrease the price at the pump and our dependency on foreign oil,” stated Lucas, “It will also encourage investment in the American economy, help to create jobs, and promote research and discovery in renewable fuels.”

Lucas has been a supporter of increasing American energy production, including his cosponsorship of legislation that would allow offshore drilling, improve and increase oil refining capacity, and encourage the research and development of alternative energy sources.

Poll: Obama Has Solid Iowa Lead

Barack Obama has taken a double-digit lead over John McCain 48% to 38% in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Iowa, carried by Al Gore in 2000 and George Bush in 2004. When “leaners” are included, the Democrat is ahead 51% to 41%.

In June, Obama enjoyed a seven-point lead in the battleground state. That lead represented a push for Obama from May, when he was ahead by just 2 percentage points. McCain has held steady now at 38% for two months in a row.

The race is closer among voters not affiliated with either political party. Among those voters, Obama has a 38% to 34% lead. In June, Obama had a much larger lead 44% to 29% lead among those voters.

Rasmussen Markets shows that Democrats are currently given a 80.0% chance of winning Iowa’s seven Electoral College Votes in November.

George W. Bush carried Iowa by only 10,000 votes in 2004, having lost the state four years earlier to Al Gore by half that many.

Francis Stipe Dead At Age 77

From The McAlester News-Capital ~ McAlester businessman and admitted felon Francis Stipe, 77, has died, a source says. It is unclear where Stipe died.

Stipe, the brother of former state Sen. Gene Stipe, also a convicted felon, was convicted on federal conspiracy, mail fraud, witness tampering and illegal monetary transactions charges. Sources say Stipe had aready paid a $500,000 fine.

[A source in McAlester says Stipe died of a stroke; he apparently was taken to McAlester Regional Medical Center, then transported to a Tulsa hospital where he died.]

[The Oklahoman's Tony Thornton reports: Confirming his death was Kelly Garrett, U.S. probation supervisor for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Garrett's office prepared the presentencing report for Francis Stipe while also supervising Gene Stipe. "We haven't received the kind of confirmation that the court will require, but that is our understanding," Garrett said when asked about Francis Stipe's death.

Inhofe, Fallin Laud Offshore Drilling Action

Senator Jim Inhofe, ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Congresswoman Mary Fallin today praised President Bush for lifting the executive ban on offshore drilling.

“President Bush is to be commended for taking a critical step to ensure increased domestic energy supply for America,” Inhofe said. “Democrats in Congress must stop blocking America’s access to the resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). With gas prices continuing to skyrocket, suffering Americans are demanding Congress allow more domestic energy production. Recent polling has shown 67 percent of the American people now support offshore drilling, with just 18 percent opposed. Congress should follow the President’s lead and lift the moratoriums on domestic energy exploration. Currently, 85 percent of the OCS --an estimated 19 billion barrels of recoverable oil -- is off limits. At today’s import levels, this is the equivalent of 35 years of imports from Saudi Arabia. No country on earth has exploration technology as advanced and environmentally sound as ours. Even so, Democrats oppose offshore production based upon misleading environmental grounds. Major spills from drilling and production platforms are nearly non-existent. Both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which were massive Category 5's, plowed through the heart of Gulf oil production just four weeks apart, yet no major spills occurred.”

Said Fallin: “I applaud the President’s decision. It is obvious that one immediate solution to rising energy prices is to find and develop more domestic oil and gas reserves. Modern technologies have made offshore drilling safer and cleaner than ever before. We must move aggressively to open those offshore areas that were off limits for far too long. Unfortunately, those in control of Congress still refuse to allow us to vote on lifting congressional bans on additional exploration and development. I will continue to work with like-minded colleagues from both parties who understand the economic realities and who are determined to craft a sensible energy policy that will tap domestic oil and gas reserves while we move ahead on all fronts in conserving and in developing alternative energy sources. Hopefully this decision by the President will inject some common sense into the debate in Washington.”

Magazine Says Norman Rocks

Money magazine today named Norman one of the top 10 best places to live in the United States.

Read more at http://www.newsok.com/article/3269832/.

Henry To Tour Cimarron County

From The Governor's Office ~ On Wednesday, Governor Henry will tour drought-damaged areas in Cimarron County in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

The governor will land in Boise City at approximately noon and proceed to the town square and county courthouse.

He will visit with residents there before beginning a driving tour of area ranches. Oklahoma's Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach, will accompany the governor.

In June, Gov. Henry requested federal disaster aid for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers in nine counties in northwestern Oklahoma. Climatologists and longtime Panhandle residents have compared the latest drought to the Dust Bowl days of the 1930’s.

Extreme heat, dry weather, high winds and other factors have damaged hay forages, livestock, grazing lands, alfalfa and other crops.

Satire...Or 'Tasteless and offensive'?

A New Yorker magazine cover dominates the political buzz today.

Barack Obama's campaign says the satirical cover showing him dressed as a Muslim and his wife as a terrorist is "tasteless and offensive." Republican John McCain agrees.

The illustration connects to an article, "The Politics of Fear." It was drawn by Barry Blitt, and shows Obama wearing the traditional Muslim sandals, robe and turban, and his wife, Michelle, dressed in camouflage wearing combat boots with an assault rifle strapped over her shoulder, standing in the Oval Office.

In the fireplace, over which hangs a portrait of Osama bin Laden, an American flag is burning.

GOP Fundraiser Marks Cornett Birthday

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett's 50th birthday on Saturday is the occasion for a Republican Party fundraiser.

An announcement from the Oklahoma Republican Party says the event, which features Cornett and Senate GOP leader Glenn Coffee, will be held at the Bricktown Centennial Rooftop, 200 South Oklahoma Avenue, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Donations requested include $250 per couple, $500 for Silver Donors, $1,000 for Gold Donors and $5,000 for Centennial Donors.

For more information, call Whitney at 405-228-4161 or email wharbour@cothrandevelopment.com.

Polls Show McCain-Obama Dead Heat

A month after emerging victorious from the bruising Democratic nominating contest, some of Barack Obama's glow may be fading. In the latest Newsweek Poll, the Illinois senator leads Republican nominee John McCain by just 3 percentage points, 44 percent to 41 percent. The statistical dead heat is a marked change from last month's Newsweek Poll, where Obama led McCain by 15 points, 51 percent to 36 percent.

Meanwhile, Rasmussen Reports says its data shows a very close race. For the second straight day, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows that the race for the White House is tied. Sunday’s numbers show Barack Obama and John McCain each attracting 43% of the vote. When "leaners" are included, the two candidates are tied at 46%. For most of the past month-and-a-half, Obama has led McCain by approximately five percentage points. It will take a few more days to determine whether this recent tightening of the race reflects real change or is merely statistical noise, Rasmussen said.

Lobbyist Caught On Video Offering Access For Donations To Bush Library

From Fox News ~ A lobbyist with close ties to the White House reportedly was captured on undercover video offering access to key Bush administration figures — including Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice — in return for large donations to a library commemorating the Bush presidency.

The Sunday Times of London reported that Stephen Payne, who claims to have raised more than $1 million for the Republican party in recent years, said he would arrange meetings with senior administration officials in return for a payment of "several hundred thousand dollars" toward the library in Texas.

During an undercover investigation by the newspaper, Payne was asked to arrange meetings in Washington for an exiled former central Asian president. He outlined the cost of facilitating such access.

“The exact budget I will come up with, but it will be somewhere between $600,000 and $750,000, with about a third of it going directly to the Bush library,” said Payne, who also is a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

He is shown on video telling the undercover Sunday Times reporters that the “family” of an Asian politician should make the donation. He later added that if all the money was paid to him he would make the payment to the Bush library.

Electoral College Estimate: Obama Ahead

The latest estimate of electoral college votes shows Barack Obama at 320, John McCain at 215 in their race for the presidency.

The estimate is based on state-by-state polling data and historical voting patterns in the 50 states.

Details at http://electoral-vote.com/.

Jack And Clem...And Now, Tony

Cancer has claimed another today. Television and radio personality, newspaper columnist and former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow has died of colon cancer.

Not long ago, stomach cancer claimed former Lt. Governor Jack Mildren.

A week ago, cancer claimed former Congressman Clem McSpadden.

All three were friends of many years. I knew Jack for more than 20 years, Clem for 40 and Tony for 20. I last spoke with Tony when he left the White House; I called him to encourage him to renew the radio show he had previously hosted and that I had placed on the air at KTOK in Oklahoma City. He was upbeat, as always, but was well aware, I believe, that his road ahead was narrow.

Thirty years ago, lung cancer claimed former Governor and U. S. Senator Dewey F. Bartlett, for whom I worked off and on for more than 10 years.

I will make a donation to cancer prevention and cure research in the names of Jack and Clem and Tony. - Mike McCarville

Unclaimed Property Featured On Dateline

From The Treasurer's Office ~ State Treasurer Scott Meacham and the state's unclaimed property program will be featured on a broadcast of Dateline NBC on Monday, July 14th, at 9 p.m.

In the interview, taped in the treasurer's vault in the State Capitol Building, Meacham tells NBC correspondent Peter Alexander about interesting items turned over to the state from abandoned safe deposit boxes.

As administrator of Oklahoma's unclaimed property program, Meacham is holding $260 million for 350,000 Oklahomans. During the past fiscal year, Meacham paid $17.7 million to almost 19,000 Oklahomans - a record in both dollar amount and number of claims paid. The highest, single amount paid was almost $1 million to a Tulsa woman.

Following the broadcast Monday night, Meacham and his staff will take phone calls from viewers of KFOR-TV, the NBC affiliate in Oklahoma City,to search for unclaimed property during the 10 o'clock newscast.

"We're always looking for ways to let people know that we're holding their lost money," Meacham said. "My hope is that more people will see the Dateline NBC broadcast on Monday night and come to check if we're holding money that belongs to them."

To find out if Meacham is holding unclaimed property for you, go to the treasurer's website at www.treasurer.ok.gov and click on the "Search for Unclaimed Property" button. From there, you can enter names into a searchable database.

"Remember that our service is always free," Meacham said. "Don't be fooled by websites that try to make you pay. It is, after all, your money. You shouldn't have to pay to get it back."

When businesses lose track of people to whom they owe money, the law requires they bring it to the treasurer's office. Examples of unclaimed property include cash, rebates, paychecks, royalties, stocks, bonds and safe deposit box contents.

Twice each year, Meacham publishes the latest list of names of those with unclaimed property in newspapers throughout the state. He operates booths at the Oklahoma City and Tulsa state fairs each year and periodically conducts phone banks with state television stations.

DOC: Prison Sentences Don't Mean Much

Three-time felons with parole hearings just 18 months after being imprisoned for multiple-year terms.

Convicted drug dealers being assigned to minimum security facilities and being placed on parole dockets having served less than one-fifth of their sentences.

Those are just two examples of how the Oklahoma Department of Corrections handles some prison inmates whose records The McCarville Report Online reviewed after receiving a complaint that one convicted felon, a two-time loser, had been placed on a parole docket just eight months after being incarcerated.

"It's a revolving door at the DOC," one frustrated law enforcement official said after complaining that one inmate he'd helped convict was back on the streets less than two years after his imprisonment on multiple drug possession and drug-dealing charges.

In one case, Inmate X has a record (12 felony convictions) that begins in 1983 with multiple burglary convictions for which he served time. In 1996, he was again convicted, this time on a burglary charge, and was given probation. In 1998, he was convicted of multiple drug possession and drug-dealing charges and served seven years of concurrent 15-year sentences. In late 2007, less than two years after being released from prison, he again was convicted on multiple drug charges and given four concurrent 7-year sentences in Oklahoma County District Court. He was turned over to the DOC in April 2008 and is scheduled for a parole hearing in December 2009, the DOC website shows.

The parole process has disturbed some law enforcement officials and prosecutors for years. They argue that despite sentences handed down by juries and judges, inmates seldom serve anywhere near their full sentences and often win parole having served just fractions of their sentences.

DOC officials have said in the past that the inmate screening process is thorough and every step is taken to make certain dangerous inmates are not released early.

Legislators Seek Regier's Ouster

State Senators Debbe Leftwich and Harry Coates called on the Construction Industries Board (CIB) today to remove Jerry Regier as the agency's Interim Director. Regier was hired last week - a move the two legislators believe to be pointless.

"Senator Coates and I are adamantly opposed to the board hiring an interim director. There is no logical reason why they shouldn't have hired a permanent director. They're wasting time and money," said Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City. "We believe the board made an interim position to help Regier, a former CIB director, start drawing state retirement. That's unfair to the other applicants, and it wasn't a responsible move by the board.”

According to the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS), Regier would not be eligible for state retirement without getting back on the state payroll. According to records, he requested a retirement calculation from OPERS on June 25 and was then hired by CIB on June 30.

"I'm so sick of the good 'ole boy system. This is a clear case of an agency losing sight of their responsibilities and bending the rules to help a friend. They wasted several months only to hire someone who will be there temporarily and then they'll have to go through the whole hiring process again and train a new person," said Coates, R-Seminole. "As a taxpayer, I'm sick of all the unscrupulous actions of state officials who do things such as this to help their friends. We have to do what we can to rid our state government of inefficient practices and this is a blatant example of one. It's just not acceptable."

If Regier had not been put back on the state payroll, he would have only been eligible to receive his personal contributions into the state retirement system. By CIB hiring Regier, they have unnecessarily cost the taxpayers an additional minimum of $1,236 per month to fund his retirement, Leftwich and Coates said.

The board will next meet on July 17, and Leftwich and Coates strongly urge them to hire a permanent director from their list of local qualified applicants.

Former OKC Newsman Joins Chesapeake

Dallas television news anchor Tracy Rowlett, former reporter for Oklahoma City radio and television stations, will join Chesapeake Energy Corp. as the host of a new Internet show, Shale.TV.

Rowlett, described as the most recognized news anchor in Dallas, is the second television news personality with Oklahoma ties to join a Chesapeake-sponsored entity in recent months. Tyler Suiters, anchor at KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City, is now among hosts for the Internet presentations at Clear Skies in Washington.

A Chesapeake spokesman says Shale.TV is being created to call attention to one of the nation's largest natural gas fields, a rock formation called the Barnett Shale. The field has 13,000 wells operating in 19 counties.

Rowlett, who first appeared on local Dallas television news for Belo-owned WFAA-TV (Channel 8) in 1974, is now with CBS-11.

Rowlett said he hopes to quickly convince viewers that he and his colleagues aren't shills for Chesapeake and will keep their journalistic ethics. Rowlett went to Dallas after quitting an Oklahoma TV station in protest when the head of the state car dealers association successfully lobbied to kill a series of stories he had helped produce.

Although Shale.TV is an unusual concept, it's not without precedent, The Dallas Morning News reports. Web surfers need to look no further than the Chesapeake-funded Web site, CleanSkies.TV, which launched in February. The site, part of the nonprofit American Clean Skies Foundation, promotes natural gas as an environmentally friendly fuel.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported: Although sponsored by Chesapeake, Shale.TV is owned by Branded News, a subsidiary of Oklahoma City advertising agency Ackerman-McQueen. Branded News operates an Oklahoma tourism site and one for the National Rifle Association. President Kyle Millar, said the company practices "legitimate journalism" and that Shale.TV will be held to that standard.

Chesapeake also operates the AskChesapeake.com informational site and contributes to the Barnett Shale Energy Education Foundation, Dallas newspapers report.

Cargill's Offer To Help Democrat Declined

By John Estus/The Oklahoman ~ A Democratic candidate for Oklahoma County commissioner recently turned down former House Speaker Lance Cargill's offer to consult for his campaign.

Oklahoma County District 2 commissioner candidate Jim Dickinson (below left), a Democrat, said he met Cargill (right), a Republican, in Harrah for breakfast about three weeks ago and listened to his longtime acquaintance make a pitch to run his campaign.

Cargill offered to coordinate campaign fundraising and run Dickinson's campaign at a cost of $10,000 for the primary and another $10,000 for the general election, Dickinson said. That was out of Dickinson's price range, he said.

Despite being from different political parties, Dickinson once hosted a fund-raiser for Cargill at his home and Cargill is a supporter of Dickinson's candidacy.

Cargill confirmed the offer and said he supports Dickinson because of the work he did as a Harrah city council member. Both men live in Harrah.

"He just thought I was the right man for the position,” Dickinson said.

Dickinson said Cargill wasn't involved in his failed 2004 campaign for the same seat.

Cargill stepped down from the speaker's position in January after it was revealed he was repeatedly late filing his personal taxes and paying property taxes. He has since decided not to defend his House District 96 seat.

Cargill is advising at least three other candidates this election cycle — all Republicans.

Cargill has said he is advising and has endorsed Lewis Moore in the House District 96 race for the seat Cargill now holds, but declined to name the other candidates he's working for or disclose how much he is being paid.

Republican candidates Jon Echols and Rep. Doug Cox have confirmed they are paying Cargill to advise their campaigns. Echols is challenging Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, in House District 91 and Cox, R-Grove, faces Democratic challenger Kelly Devin Kerr in House District 5.

Inhofe Praises Petraeus, Odierno Vote

Senator Jim Inhofe, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today praised the overwhelming votes confirming the nominations of General David Petraeus to become Commander of United States Central Command, and Lieutenant General Ray Odierno, who will replace General Petraeus as Commander of Multi-National Force – Iraq.

“I am pleased with today’s overwhelming Senate vote affirming the confirmations of General Petraeus and Lieutenant General Odierno,” Inhofe said. “They have demonstrated tremendous ability and deserve our nation’s utmost support."

Fallin To Take Energy Tour

Congresswoman Mary Fallin joined Republican Leader John Boehner and U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy today to announce an upcoming energy trip for freshmen Republicans that includes a visit to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Fallin will be among those to visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado and both Prudhoe Bay and ANWR.

The trip is designed to showcase the future of American energy, ranging from solar power to the vast untapped oil and natural gas reserves in Northern Alaska.

Henry Appoints Burrage As New Auditor

As expected, Governor Henry today named Antlers banker and certified public accountant Steve Burrage as the state's new auditor & inspector.

He replaces the disgraced Jeff McMahan, who resigned after being convicted of multiple felonies in federal court.

"Steve Burrage has impeccable credentials and a reputation above reproach," Henry said. "He is without question the best person to serve as auditor and restore public trust in that important position."

Burrage said, “I appreciate Gov. Henry’s confidence in me and look forward to serving the people of Oklahoma as their state auditor and inspector. My top priority is to restore public confidence in the auditor’s position and ensure that Oklahoma tax dollars are being used as efficiently and effectively as possible.”

Said Senate Republican leader Glenn Coffee: “I am very hopeful that Mr. Burrage will bring integrity and honesty to the office of State Auditor and Inspector. However, former Auditor McMahan’s conviction still serves as a reminder of the mistake Gov. Henry made by vetoing legislation to create a legislative Office of Accountability and Innovation that would help the Legislature weed out inefficiency and corruption in government. As a co-equal branch of government, the Legislature should be involved in ensuring that state government is efficient, accountable, and free from corruption. Senate Republicans will push for more reforms like the Office of Accountability and Innovation during the 2009 legislative session."

“I couldn’t be happier about the Governor’s choice to appoint Steve Burrage as our state’s new auditor and inspector,” said Senator Jeff Rabon, D-Hugo. “Steve is a dear friend with a tremendous record of leadership and public service. He’s the right man to restore public confidence in the office.”

Rep. R. C. Pruett, D-Antlers, said, “He brings decades of experience to the position, and will now be able to put his expertise to use as a leader for the state of Oklahoma. Steve Burrage has been an active public servant for many years and is impeccably qualified to manage the duties of the agency. He’ll do great things for the state and bring integrity back to the office.”

Henry To Name Steve Burrage To Post?

Capitol sources say Governor Henry will name Antlers banker Steve Burrage today as the state's new auditor & inspector.

Burrage, member of a family prominent in Democratic Party politics, has not returned calls seeking comment on his possible appointment.

Burrage is chairman of the board of FirstBank of Antlers and is a longtime Democratic Party donor. He is a former chairman of the Oklahoma Bankers Association, serves on the board of the Oklahoma City branch of the Federal Reserve, is a member of the board of The State Chamber and is highly respected as a banker and businessman.

He and other family members won praise from the Banking Board in 2000 when they took over a troubled bank in Atoka and turned it around.

Burrage supported John Edwards for president and was a donor, along with other prominent family members, including former U.S. District Judge Michael Burrage and Senator Sean Burrage of Claremore. He also was a substantial donor to Congressman Dan Boren.

Burrage is a graduate of Antlers High School and the University of Oklahoma.

Developing....

Henry To Name New Auditor

Governor Henry is expected to appoint a new auditor & inspector today to replace the disgraced Jeff McMahan, who resigned after his federal conviction on multiple felony counts.

Oops! Open Mic Snares Jesse Jackson

From Fox News ~ Jesse Jackson is apologizing today for saying Barack Obama is “talking down to black people” during what Jackson thought was a private conversation before a FOX News interview Sunday.

Jackson, unaware his mic was live and his comments were being recorded, was speaking to a fellow guest at the time about Obama’s speeches in black churches and his support for faith-based charities. Jackson added before going live, “I want to cut his nuts off.”

IRS Wants Rinehart Fined, Jailed

By Jay F. Marks/The Oklahoman ~ Attorneys for the Internal Revenue Service want Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart's money and his freedom for failing to cooperate in an ongoing investigation.

They are asking a federal judge in Oklahoma City to hold Rinehart in civil contempt of court because he has not complied with a Jan. 25 order to provide documents and testimony in the probe, which began in November 2006.

The IRS wants Rinehart — who maintains he has produced everything requested of him — to be fined for each day he does not turn over the documents sought by investigators, according to court papers. The agency also is asking the judge to jail Rinehart until he turns over corporate records for his heating and air conditioning company.

U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton has set a July 31 hearing to consider the contempt issue.

Rinehart had argued he should not have to answer IRS agent's questions because his answers might incriminate him. He is awaiting trial in Oklahoma County District Court on campaign finance charges.

Heaton ordered Rinehart to cooperate with the IRS in January, but he acknowledged some questions might affect his criminal case.

The IRS is looking into tax records for Rinehart and his company, Unta Bent Inc., from 2003 to 2005.

One of those seeking to replace Rinehart, Republican Brian Maughan, said today that, “The latest news of the IRS seeking imprisonment of Brent Rinehart is continuing to erode the public trust. With three court dates this month alone regarding separate trials, Mr. Rinehart cannot possibly be focused on the people’s business while doing everything he can to stay out of jail and also running a reelection campaign. If Mr. Rinehart should be reelected and then found to be guilty it will cost nearly $200,000 to hold a special election to replace him. Brent Rinehart should do the right thing and step down as County Commissioner so that others can attend to the work of Oklahoma County.”

Riley Comments Draw GOP Rebuke

The executive director of the Oklahoma Republican Senatorial Committee, Randy Swanson, said today that Senator Nancy Riley of Tulsa has a soulmate in U. S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Swanson said Democrat Riley's recent remark in a newspaper interview that high gasoline prices are good for Oklahoma shows she's out of touch with voters.

"If Senator Riley is happy with the fact that higher energy prices are sustaining the state budget, we have no problem with that," Swanson said. "But Republicans believe there are better ways to grow an economy other than consumer pain at the gas pump.

"We suggest Republican principles of responsible budgeting, reduced spending and a free-market economy.

"This stunning pronouncement by Nancy Riley is indicative of her compatibility on other issues that are important to her new political mentor. Both Nancys stand with big time trial attorneys when it comes to lawsuit reform, more government intrusion into your family’s personal life, and more government spending," he continued.

"We in Oklahoma can’t do anything about Nancy Pelosi, but we can send Nancy Riley back to her private life, and out of the business of supporting higher costs for Oklahoma families. We can’t afford the Riley-Pelosi Premium here in Oklahoma."

Riley, elected as a Republican, switched parties following her poor showing in the 2006 GOP primary for lieutenant governor.

Republicans Dan Newberry and Jan Megee are candidates for the GOP nomination in Riley's District 37.

The Verdict: Odom, McCarville Square Off

Democrat Ben Odom (right) and Republican Mike McCarville (left) square off this Sunday on The Verdict, hosted by Kent Meyers and Mick Cornett.

The two discuss this year's political campaigns from the battle for control of the State Senate to the Corporation Commission to the U. S. Senate to the race for president.

McCarville makes a startling (to some Republicans) assertion about the presidental race if the election had been held this week, and Odom claims Senator Jim Inhofe is in trouble (fat chance, says McCarville).

The Verdict airs on Cox Communications Channel 7 in Oklahoma City, and Channel 3 in Tulsa Sunday at 9:00 a.m., Monday at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

Photo by Shiela Gilley.

State Workers Eye Flex Schedules

From www.tulsaworld.com ~ The governor and agency directors were encouraged Wednesday to step up efforts to provide flexible work schedules to state workers that are already allowed by law.

The flexible schedules could allow four-day work weeks, at least in a few agencies, representatives of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association said.

State Rep. Mike Shelton, D-Oklahoma City, said he was not calling for a change in the law to mandate something like a four-day work week. But he wants agency directors, who already have the authority, to provide more options.

Shelton organized the hearing at the state Capitol and asked agency representatives to say what they are already doing to help employees. Shelton said this is a means to reward workers who have had few pay raises in the last decade.

Some agencies are allowing employees to work nine-hour days, then take off every other Friday.

The Department of Transportation has about 28 percent of its workers on four-day weeks performing road maintenance during summer months. But during the rest of the year, they maintain regular five-day schedules.

Gov. Brad Henry said earlier this week that he does not want any of the services provided to citizens to diminish under any new work plan. He noted agencies already can allow flexible work schedules.

FEMA Approves Henry's Disaster Request

Twenty-four counties hard hit by severe storms last month will receive federal public assistance, Governor Henry announced today.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the governor’s request for aid, ensuring that federal funding will assist cities, towns and counties with infrastructure repairs and other related costs.

The assistance entails storms, tornadoes and flooding that occurred between June 3 and June 20.

The impacted counties are: Alfalfa, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Cotton, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Grant, Harmon, Harper, Jackson, Kay, Kiowa, Major, Okfuskee, Osage, Ottawa, Roger Mills, Rogers, Tillman, Washita and Woods.

Other counties can be added to the declaration as additional information becomes available.

“The torrential storms that pounded parts of Oklahoma throughout June caused significant damages,” Henry said. “On behalf of those communties that were hit hard, I am grateful that President Bush and FEMA officials have approved public assistance.”

The storms resulted in more than $9.6 million in infrastructure damage, particularly with regard to roads, bridges and rural electric cooperatives.

McSpadden To Lie In State At Capitol

On Friday, Clem McSpadden will lie in state in the Rotunda on the 2nd floor of the Capitol from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., it was announced this afternoon.

Saturday Services Set For Clem McSpadden

Services for Clem McSpadden will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Clem McSpadden Bushyhead Ranch Arena, 13 miles north of Claremore on Highway 66, Chelsea Funeral Home announced this afternoon. The ranch is located on the west side of the highway.

McSpadden, 82, died Monday night of cancer at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the McSpadden scholarship fund at Oklahoma State University, mailing address for which is the Foundation for the Clem McSpadden Endowed Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1749, Stillwater, OK 74076.

McSpadden Funeral Details Expected

Funeral arrangements for Clem McSpadden may be announced today. The former congressman and professional rodeo announcer died Monday night at age 82 at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Family members have asked that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Foundation for the Clem McSpadden Endowed Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1749, Stillwater, OK 74076.

Chelsea Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Burial will be at the Chelsea Cemetery.

Riley Gives Thanks For High Gas Prices

Senator Nancy Riley, Democrat seeking reelection, says in a newspaper interview, "thank goodness for high gas prices." She says the high prices are helping the state's economy.

Read the entire article at http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19830414&BRD=2754&PAG=461&dept_id=574063&rfi=6.

Leaders React To McSpadden's Death

Governor Brad Henry: “Clem McSpadden was a true Oklahoman, a dear friend and a deeply committed public servant who loved the state of Oklahoma and its people, and he spent his life working to make a difference in the lives of those around him. Through his work in the Oklahoma Legislature and in Congress, Clem helped to build the great state we know today. Clem was not only respected in political circles. Outside of the State Capitol and Washington, D.C., he was known and admired as a legendary rodeo announcer who loved the sport and carried on the heritage and tradition of the West. Kim and I send our deepest condolences to the McSpadden family. I know we join all Oklahomans and many more around the country in extending our thoughts and prayers to them in this time of grief.”

U. S. Senator Jim Inhofe: "Clem was a close personal friend; our friendship went well beyond politics. When I was first elected to the State Senate in 1968, it was Clem, the Democratic President Pro-Temp, who gave me a ride to the Capitol on my first day and took the time to introduce me to fellow members. Like many Oklahomans, I will most fondly remember him for his rodeo announcing. Clem will long be remembered and admired for his many contributions to Oklahoma. His family is in our thoughts and prayers."

Congressman Dan Boren: “Clem McSpadden was a cherished mentor and advisor to me and so many other elected leaders across Oklahoma. He was a State Legislator, U.S. Congressman, businessman, rancher, long-time rodeo announcer, and always remained a devoted public servant to his community, state, and country. Andrea and my prayers are with Donna and the entire McSpadden family. Thousands of people across the nation share in the sadness of their loss. Clem’s life and memory is fully woven into the fabric of Oklahoma’s heritage. There are very few people who would make such a great role model for us all.”

Senate President Co-pro Temore Glenn Coffee: “Last night Oklahoma lost one of its finest cowboys, Clem McSpadden. He was a worthy successor to the Will Rogers mantle, and a legend in his own right. Clem McSpadden loved his country and his state and served them both with honor and dignity. We will dearly miss him.”

Senate Democrat Caucus Chair Kenneth Corn: “I’ve known Clem since I first came to the Capitol 10 years ago. He was a strong voice for agriculture and the rural way of life. He was truly a legend in his own time who exhibited the very values that make Oklahoma great. Clem McSpadden was one of Oklahoma’s last great cowboys. We’ll miss his steady leadership and presence at the State Capitol and his voice in the rodeo arena. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family for their loss.”

Congresswoman Mary Fallin: “Clem McSpadden was an Oklahoma legend who served our state in Congress and whose long and illustrious career in rodeo helped popularize a uniquely American sport. His good humor was always contagious, whether it was at our state or national Capitol or in the rodeo arena. I know all Oklahomans join me in extending our thoughts and prayers to his family, and in mourning the loss of an outstanding representative of our state.”

Senate President Co-pro Tempore Mike Morgan: --“Oklahoma lost a real champion last night, with the passing of Clem Mcspadden. His contribution to this state will be realized for years to come, and our people are better off today because he gave his heart to making Oklahoma a better place to live, work and raise a family. Clem embodied the true meaning of public servant, and treated every person with whom he had contact with respect and kindness. It was an honor and pleasure to work with this wonderful man and the lessons he taught me about serving my state with dignity and pride will stay with me forever.”

House Democratic Leader Danny Morgan: “Clem McSpadden’s contributions to our state are immeasurable, and he has left a lasting imprint on the lives of countless Oklahomans. I always thought Clem was larger than life. He would call to mind John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, the great names of our past and present who captured our hearts and minds with their work. Clem was an outstanding statesman and public servant, and we have all lost a great and beloved leader in his passing. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Senator Sean Burrage: “Clem was a tremendous Oklahoman, legendary for what he accomplished in two of the toughest arenas – politics and professional rodeo. He was a great champion for the growth and development of Northeastern Oklahoma. He created the blueprint for representing this region. He will always be admired for his courage and steadfast commitment to the people of Oklahoma. He was truly an inspiring leader and all of our lives have been enriched by his presence."

House Speaker Chris Benge: “Clem McSpadden was a true statesman and held immense respect here at the Capitol from those in both political parties. Clem had a great impact on the state of Oklahoma; one that will continue on in history. It has been an honor and privilege to work with him during his years at the Capitol and he will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this trying time.”

Image of McSpadden speaking at the dedication of the Chelsea Post Office in his name last January courtesy the Tulsa World.

Clem McSpadden Dead At Age 82

Former State Senate leader and Congressman Clem McSpadden of Chelsea died last night at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the family reports.

State Leaders React To Professional Rodeo Announcer's Death: See Story Above

His death came after a lengthy battle with cancer.

McSpadden, a rancher, was the grand nephew of Will Rogers. He was a U. S. Navy officer in World War II and was known in his later years as a spokesman for advertisers and as a rodeo announcer for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He was a member of the PRCA Hall of Fame.

McSpadden earned a degree from Oklahoma State University in 1948 after serving in the Navy from 1944 to 1946. He was elected to the State Senate in 1954; and served until 1972 (he was president pro tempore for two sessions).

He was a rancher; insurance executive; real estate developer; professional rodeo announcer; contract director, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association; delegate, Democratic National Convention, 1968; elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-third Congress (January 3, 1973-January 3, 1975); was not a candidate for reelection to the Ninety-fourth Congress in 1974; and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1974.

Survivors include wife Donna, son Bart McSpadden and his wife Kate of Edmond and their children Noah, Chloe, Tucker and Luke; daughter Kay and her husband Joe Lucas of Edmond; son Paul and his wife Connie McSpadden of Richardson, Texas and their children John McSpadden of Richardson and James McSpadden of Oklahoma City.

Services are pending.

Obama To Visit Oklahoma?

There's word today that Governor Brad Henry and University of Oklahoma President David Boren are urging Barack Obama to visit the state.

Henry is a Democratic National Convention superdelegate who endorsed Obama. Boren endorsed Obama as well and serves on a national Obama advisory committee.

Abuse Services Alliance Honors Blackwell

Speaker Pro Tempore Gus Blackwell, R-Goodwell, has been singled out for his role in passing drug counseling legislation during the 2008 legislative session and given the "Legislator of the Year" award by the Oklahoma Substance Abuse Services Alliance.

ACYPL Selects Dorman For Trip

Rep. Joe Dorman has been selected as a delegate by the American Council of Young Political Leaders to study the political systems of Nicaragua and El Salvador and promote the United States during a 14-day trip.

"I am honored to represent ACYPL and the United States in this endeavor," said Dorman, D-Rush Springs.

"This will be a chance to better understand the current political dynamics in Central America and help people there better understand the United States. I look forward to forging possible trade relationships and friendships between not only the countries, but also specifically between Oklahoma and the nations of El Salvador and Nicaragua."

He will join six other young political leaders from across the United States during the trip from July 9-25 to discuss the country's political structure, engage in dialogue on bilateral issues and forge professional relationships.

Dorman will join the delegates in Washington, D.C. for briefings by the U.S. Department of State and the Nicaraguan and El Salvadoran Embassies before flying on to Managua, Nicaragua.

ACYPL targets young political leaders likely to assume future leadership positions in their national governments. Throughout its 40 years of existence, the ACYPL has sent over 6,000 rising political stars from around the world on delegations to over 90 countries for the purpose of fostering international relationships.

Benge Names Health Care Task Force

House Speaker Chris Benge has appointed a bipartisan group of seven lawmakers to serve on a special Health Care Reform Task Force.

He has also named a 30-member advisory committee that will assist the lawmakers.

“This task force will take a comprehensive look at our health care system and the problems fueling growth in the number of uninsured Oklahomans,” said Benge, R-Tulsa.

“The group’s emphasis will be to find common-sense solutions that empower families, not creating a government-run, single-payer system that simply grows bureaucracy.”

A newly released survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly one in three Oklahomans younger than age 65 does not have health insurance – a larger percentage than any other state in the nation.

“It would be a mistake to spend our time simply expanding benefits for those fortunate enough to already have coverage when so many have no insurance at all,” Benge said. “We don’t want health care coverage to simply be attractive; it needs to be affordable.”

The task force members will be charged with studying efforts in other states and gathering testimony from national experts in the heath care field as part of their work.

The group’s first meeting is scheduled July 24th and will feature Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute in Washington, D.C., as well as officials with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. The Task Force members are State Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove and task force co-chair; State Rep. Kris Steele, R-Shawnee and task force co-chair; State Rep. Ron Peterson, R-Broken Arrow; State Rep. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa; State Rep. Lisa Billy, R-Purcell; State Rep. Wes Hilliard, D-Sulphur; and State Rep. Ben Sherrer, D-Pryor.

“The purpose of this initiative is to identify and reduce the barriers to affordable health care coverage. Our goal is to improve the overall quality of life for the people of Oklahoma,” Steele said. “Increasing the number of citizens with insurance would improve health outcomes and bend the trend of rising insurance premiums within our state.”

Cox, the only medical doctor serving in the Legislature, said the task force must find new ways to empower patients.

“I’ve seen first-hand how too many people use the emergency room for routine care simply because they don’t have a primary care physician,” Cox said. “That drives up the cost of insurance for everyone without increasing benefits for anyone. If we can help those people obtain insurance and have easy access to preventative care, we’ll see a dramatic change in Oklahoma’s health statistics.”

The advisory committee – which includes consumer advocates, businessmen, and medical officials from all corners of the state – will assist members of the task force as they seek to reduce the number of uninsured Oklahomans and rein in the growing cost of health care.

The advisory committee includes the following: Lt. Gov. Jari Askins; Marianna Bacarach, an emergency room physician with the Oklahoma City Veterans Administration Medical Center; David Blatt, chair of the Alliance for Oklahoma's Future and director of policy for the Oklahoma Policy Institute; Kevin Blaylock, CEO of the Oklahoma Spine Hospital; Richard Boone, president of St. John Medical Center Foundation; Laura Brookins, executive director of the Oklahoma Association of Health Plans; Dr. Mike Crutcher, commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Health; Craig Jones, president of the Oklahoma Hospital Association; Rick Ferguson, CEO of the Oklahoma Surgical Hospital Mike Fogarty, CEO of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority; Melissa Gower, group leader for health services for the Cherokee Nation; Heather Griffin, executive director for the Center for Legislative Excellence; John Harvey, CEO of the Oklahoma Heart Hospital Jake Henry, CEO of the St. Francis Health System; Joe Hodges, president of St. Anthony Hospital; Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland; Stan Hupfeld, CEO of Integris Health; Phil Lakin, executive director for the Tulsa Community Foundation; Bert Marshall, group vice president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma; Larry Mocha, president of APSCO, Inc. and chairman for the Center for Legislative Excellence; Dr. Judy Goforth Parker, a Chickasaw legislator; Anne Roberts, executive director of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy; Matt Robison, vice president of small business and workforce development for The State Chamber; Mark Rogers, CEO of Pushmataha Hospital; Dean Schirf, vice president of governmental relations for the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce; Barry Smith, Of Council to Barkley Law; Hopper Smith, president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs; Steve Turnbo, executive committee member of the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce; Ron Webb, CEO of Valley View Regional Hospital; and Brent Wilborn, policy liaison for the Oklahoma Primary Care Association.

Henry Names Two To Aeronautics Panel

Gov. Brad Henry appointed two new members to the Aeronautics Commission today. He also reappointed a current member of the board.

Rick Armstrong of Tulsa and Mel Stubbings of McAlester will be new to the board while Joe Harris of Blackwell will serve a second term.

SLC Slates July Oklahoma City Meeting

Oklahoma is the host state for the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC). The conference, which meets in Oklahoma City from Thursday, July 11 through Tuesday, July 15 is expected to attract more than 800 visitors, including legislative leaders and guests.

The SLC region includes 16 southern states which share many of the same concerns in areas ranging from economics to education to energy use.

Randy Terrill Faces Sign War

State Rep. Randy Terrill apparently faces a sign war in his reelection campaign this year, as this photo demostrates.

The photo was taken in a Norman neighborhood.

Terrill, R-Moore, represents House District 53, which includes some of Cleveland County.

The controversial legislator authored the state's new immigration law, which has drawn praise and criticism.

Comic Relief In The Dog Days Of Summer

Give it up for the gang at The Lost Ogle. They've come up with some comic relief in the dog days of summer that has nothing to do with politics or government: "The Worst of OKC." (Well, there is a "Worst Politician" category.)

The lively blog, panned here in the past for picking up an untrue story from another blog, contains social commentary and irreverent (and often entertaining) posts on just about everything.

"The Worst" is a takeoff on "The Best" lists that appear in several publications.

Check out the list at http://www.thelostogle.com/2008/07/07/the-worst-of-okc/.

Graphic from The Lost Ogle.

Four-day Work Week Due Discussion

Rep. Mike Shelton's proposal for a four-day work week for state employees will be discussed at a Wednesday hearing.

Shelton, D-Oklahoma City, and Oklahoma Public Employees Association officials came up with the idea, one that has been favorably received in other states. Utah is leading the way, mandating a four-day work week to start next month, and several other states are considering similar moves.

Chesapeake Names Hargis To Board

Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis has been named to the board of directors of Chesapeake Energy Corp.

Hargis, a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 1990, was vice chairman of BOK Financial Corp., the holding company of the state's largest bank, the Bank of Oklahoma, from 1997 until this year when he was named to the OSU post.

Gun Shop Owners Endorse Steve Russell

Three Oklahoma City-area gun shop owners have endorsed Steve Russell in the Senate District 45 Republican primary.

Russell faces former Oklahoma City Councilman Jerry Foshee and GOP consultant Kyle Loveless in the race. The seat is now held by Republican Senator Kathleen Wilcoxson, who is term-limited.

"It is critical that we get Steve Russell into the State Senate. While many will support the right to bear arms, Steve understands the 2nd Amendment and has put his life on the line to defend our American freedoms," the three owners wrote in their endorsement.

The owners are Miles Hall of H&H Gun Range in Oklahoma City, Mike Blackwell of Big Boys Guns & Ammo in Wheatland and Mark Loeffler of Brigadoons in Del City.

Oklahoman: Cargill Signs Political Clients

Fomer Republican House Speaker Lance Cargill, The Oklahoman's John Estus reports in the paper's Sunday edition, apparently has signed up a number of clients as he wears his new hat of political consultant.

Cargill confirmed he is advising a candidate for the House District 96 seat he has held, Lewis Moore. He declined to identify other clients.

Estus, however, identifies Oklahoma City Republican House candidate Jon Echols and Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, as clients. Echols seeks to unseat fellow Republican Mike Reynolds, who was not a supporter of Cargill.

Cargill and the candidates declined to reveal how much they are paying him for his services, but one House member who was approached by Cargill said Cargill told him his fee would be $20,000, $10,000 for the primary and $10,000 for the general election. The member said he declined Cargill's offer to consult his campaign: "Too rich for my blood," the member said.

Cargill also declined to even confirm if he's being paid by the candidates. Ethics Commission rules do not require candidates to list consultants by name on their campaign finance reports. However, they are required to list sums paid and the general purpose of the expenditure.

Cox's last campaign finance report lists a $1,500 payment on February 29th for "management" and a $6,000 payment on March 20th for "consulting."

Echols' last report lists a March 11th payment of $5,400 for "political stragegy."

Cargill, an attorney, resigned as speaker in January following revelations in The Oklahoman that he was late in filing personal income taxes and property taxes. He did not file for reelection to the House this year and has placed his Harrah law office building for sale.

The Ethics Commission has been examining the circumstances of donations made to one GOP entity that were deposited in the account of another entity, and Cargill's role, if any, in the transactions.

'Rice Family Caravan' Hits The Road

From The Rice Campaign ~ Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Rice next week begins a week-long, barnstorming tour of the state beginning in Perry on Monday and ending in Shawnee on July 12.

Rice will be joined by his family, volunteer supporters and staff during the six-day, multi-city “Rice Family Caravan” to walk door-to-door in neighborhoods, visit downtowns and meet with voters across the state.

“As an underdog campaign, I know we have to outwork my opposition in order to win, and this will be the first of many Rice Family Caravans to criss-cross our great state, hear the concerns of Oklahomans and let them know they have a choice in this election,” Rice said.

The traveling caravan will be met by Rice supporters in each community that the Oklahoma City Democrat visits.

Piatt Has Son Arrested On Burglary Charge

Majority Floor Leader Greg Piatt of Ardmore has had his 18-year-old son arrested on a burglary charge.

Local news reports say that Gregory Travis Piatt was arrested early Thursday for allegedly breaking into a food distribution company in Lone Grove run by his father.

The younger Piatt was taken to the Carter County jail and his bond was set at $5,000. His preliminary hearing is set for July 22nd.

The Gadfly Flying The Flag

July 4th: Tradition in my family means no national holiday, especially July 4th and Armistice Day, passes without the flag flying off the front porch. In my case, it's mounted daily on the 18-foot pole just off the courtyard. Among my earliest memories is helping my Dad hoist his flag, which he had mounted to a cane fishing pole. We did that in Conway, Arkansas (when I wore knee pants), Cadillac, Michigan (where I graduated to bluejeans), and Oklahoma City (long pants, preferably in khaki). Salute!

Policies: We don't have many of those here at TMRO, but we do endeavor to use some judgment when it comes to the (endless) flow of news releases about anything and everything from Republicans and Democrats alike. Some political emailers send so many pronouncements that if we used them all, our blog would be theirs. And some "news releases" contain no news, only the rantings of the sender; ergo, we don't use them. We're regularly asked to link to other blogs; we check them out and sometimes list them, sometimes don't. Those that go days without posts quickly drop off our list; those with limited appeal (as in a certain county or locale) usually don't get a link at all. We do sometimes link to non-political blogs; in short, we link to the blogs we like and thus, hope that readers will like them as well.

Two Years: It was two years and 3,506 posts ago that The McCarville Report went online.

Rush: Rush Limbaugh's just inked a new deal, a package said to be worth more than $400 million, with a nine-digit signing bonus. Limbaugh celebrates 20 years this summer as a national host. He's buying a new G550 jet and now makes an estimated $38 million per year. He's finally making the kind of dough I was when I "retired" from KTOK. (Loud laughter allowed.)

Bad Taste: It was, and it leaves it. In Denver, Mayor John Hickenlooper's annual State of the City address is getting more attention for what wasn't included than what was. “I don’t think it’s fair artistic expression,” said Governor Bill Ritter of the incident, in which black singer Rene Marie was to sing the national anthem but instead sang what is known as the "black national anthem" and stunned the assembled. Marie was unrepentant following a flood of criticism. Perhaps this will end her career as an anthemist. One can only hope.

McCain Reorganizes: About time.

Bigtime: While I'm not among those who will be purchasing a ticket to see the (pick a name you like and insert here) pro basketball team play in the Ford Center this year, I wish the team well. For Oklahoma City, it's a step into the sports bigtime. The Hornets experience showed fans will support a pro BB team; granted, the circumstances were different and it remains to be seen if fan support is as strong for the relocated-by-its-owners team as it was for the relocated-by-disaster team. Now, if Clay Bennett can just clone Chris Paul (a first class player, and citizen) of the Hornets...and for whom do I root when the OKC team plays the Hornets?

The Times Is A-Changin': Managers of half a dozen newspapers have announced in recent days they will cut 900 staffers to cope with declining ad revenue and readership.

Senators Criticize Reiger Hiring

State Senators Debbe Leftwich and Harry Coates on Thursday criticized the Construction Industries Board’s (CIB) recent hiring of an interim director. As co-chairs of the Senate Business and Labor committee, the legislators said it’s time for the CIB to quit stalling and hire a permanent director.

“The Board has had months to fill this position and it makes no sense for them to hire an interim director when they’ve had so many good applicants,” said Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City. “It’s my understanding that they were looking at applicants from out-of-state when there are qualified candidates that live in Oklahoma.”

The CIB has been accepting applications for the position for at least four months.

“This agency is too important not to have a permanent director. They’ve already gone without one for too long,” said Coates, R-Seminole. “Further delaying hiring a director only diminishes this agency’s ability to deal with the many issues concerning construction around the state.”

The legislators were also frustrated with the fact that the person hired, Jerry Regier, has already resigned from two state agency positions in Oklahoma and Florida for ethical impropriety.

“This agency is acting like a typical bureaucracy, which has lost its focus and is becoming derelict in performing its duties,” said Leftwich.

“Taxpayers are fed up with with agency directors who are not operating in an ethical manner,” said Coates. “Therefore, hiring someone with a questionable background is extremely irresponsible.”

NBA Ticket Calls Prompt Second Line

By Randy Ellis/The Oklahoman ~ Because of the heavy volume of calls from fans who want tickets to see Oklahoma City’s new NBA basketball team this fall, the team has added a second phone line.

Customers now can call either 601-0975 or (888) 618-HOOP to put their names on a list to be contacted when season tickets and multi-game ticket packages become available, said Dan Mahoney, spokesman for the team’s owners.

Customers also can register online by going to the team’s website, www.supersonics.com. Mahoney said he would “strongly urge” people to use the Web site because it will be available 24 hours a day.

NBA Team's Ticket Interest Reported Brisk

Interest in Oklahoma City's new professional basketball team seems high today following yesterday's announcement that the Seattle SuperSonics, less the name, are headed to the city immediately.

Phone lines set up to take names of those wanting to place ticket orders reportedly are jammed today, and have been since the team's managing partner, Clay Bennett, announced the NBA team's imminent relocation yesterday. The team will play this year in the Ford Center.

"Brisk" is how one operator described incoming calls for ticket information. "It's like the Hornets, plus," he added. The reference is to the flood of ticket sales that followed word two years go that the New Orleans Hornets would temporarily relocate to Oklahoma City.

The team's relocation came after action by the Legislature and the city to smooth the way with incentives.

Owners are expected to move quickly to select a name for the team; with a short fuse on the printing of materials including a schedule, the selection of a name immediately is necessary.

While Bennett and his partners will pay Seattle $45 million up front as part of the deal, one businessman said the owners will save "$100 million, at least" by making the move immediately instead of waiting two years.

Bob Morgan Dead At 73

Robert M. "Bob" Morgan, former Oklahoma National Guard adjutant general and chief of staff for former Governor David Boren, died Wednesday at 73.

A funeral service for Morgan will begin at 2 p.m. Monday at the Church of Christ in Wekwoka under the direction of Stout-Phillips Funeral Home of Wewoka.

Burial with military honors will take place at Oakwood Cemetery south of Wewoka.

Morgan was named adjutant general in 1978 by then-Governor Boren and also served under Governor George Nigh, holding the post until 1987. Morgan also was chief of staff for Boren, now president of the University of Oklahoma.

OCPAC Endorses Jordan

The Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC) has endorsed John Paul (JP) Jordan of Mustang for the House of Representatives in District 47, the seat now held by Susan Winchester.

A Noted (And Long) Quote

“With Obama we started out, we couldn’t talk about his big ears ’cause that made him nervous. We’ve gone from that to this: Not only can we not mention his ears, we can’t talk about his mother. We can’t talk about his father. We can’t talk about his grandmother unless he does, brings her up as a ‘typical white person.’ We can’t talk about his wife, can’t talk about his preacher, can’t talk about his terrorist friends, can’t talk about his voting record, can’t talk about his religion. We can’t talk about appeasement. We can’t talk about color; we can’t talk about lack of color. We can’t talk about race. We can’t talk about bombers and mobsters who are his friends. We can’t talk about schooling. We can’t talk about his name, ‘Hussein.’ We can’t talk about his lack of experience. Can’t talk about his income. Can’t talk about his flag pin. This started out we can’t call him a liberal. It started out we just couldn’t talk about his ears. Now we can’t say anything about him.” ~ Rush Limbaugh

NRA Goes After Obama, But Withholds Possible McCain Endorsement

The National Rifle Association announced plans today for a $40 million campaign to paint Barack Obama as an opponent to Second Amendment rights. But the effort, first reported by Politico, doesn't include -- at least as far as the NRA is specifiying publicly -- a firm pitch for the presumptive GOP nominee, John McCain.

The group is still withholding its endorsement, a vital seal of approval for the party's conservative base and a nod that matters to voters in rural swing states, such as New Hampshire and Virginia.

Andrew Arulanandam, the NRA's director of public affairs, said the organization will make an endorsement decision after the GOP convention.

"We’ll let you know when the time comes what we decide to do," he told On Call.

Arulanandam noted that in recent history the NRA has twice decided not to endorse the Republican nominee for president: George H.W. Bush in 1992 and Bob Dole in 1996.

McCain, who received a C+ rating from the NRA in 2004 (the group's most recent scorecard), has voted for legislation to close the gun show loophole, and his support for campaign finance reform also goes against the NRA's platform.

"If you look at his record he’s had a good record with us," Arulanandam said. "He’s voted against gun bans. He’s voted against ammunition bans. He’s voted against waiting periods."

Arulanandam said Obama's comment tentatively praising the Supreme Court's decision last week to strike down the District of Columbia's handgun ban belies his record of support for gun control measures.

"If you look at his voting record, he has spent a lifetime of voting against gun owners and hunters whether in the Illinois legislature or in the United States Senate," he said. "I don’t think there’s a dime’s worth of difference between Al Gore, John Kerry and Barack Obama when it comes to the gun issue. All have strong records of voting for gun control."

Arulanandam said that about half of the $40M will be used for literature, calls and advertising targeting the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Lucas Hires New Press Secretary

Congressman Frank Lucas has hired South Carolina native Leslie Shedd to serve as his press secretary.

“I am delighted to welcome Leslie to the team,” Lucas stated. “Her experience and background will be a great addition to our office and I look forward to working with her.”

Shedd received her undergraduate degree from Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, and recently graduated from the University of the District of Columbia School of Law. She is the daughter of Pat and Madelyn Shedd of Greenville, South Carolina, where she grew up.

Before joining Lucas’ staff, Shedd served as the deputy press secretary to Congressman Brian Bilbray of California. In addition, while attending law school she interned in the Office of Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Office of the Vice President.