Zogby Poll: McCain Has One-Day Lead!

From Drudge ~ ZOGBY SATURDAY: McCain outpolled Obama 48% to 47% in Friday, one day, polling. He is beginning to cut into Obama's lead among independents, is now leading among blue collar voters, has strengthened his lead among investors and among men, and is walloping Obama among NASCAR voters.

'Enormous Turnout' Of Early Voters

"It's an enormous turnout today. It's even larger than four years ago at the presidential election. We may see perhaps even 5,000 people come through the lines early today." ~ Oklahoma County Election Board Secretary Doug Sanderson.

Image courtesy The Oklahoman.

Early Voting Reported Heavy Across State

Election boards across the state report heavy voting by in-person absentee ballots today.

The Oklahoman reports that the first voter at the Oklahoma County Election Board reportedly showed up at 4:30 a.m. and in-person absentee voting didn't start until 8 a.m.

"It's an enormous turnout today. It's even larger than four years ago at the presidential election" Oklahoma County Election Board Secretary Doug Sanderson told The Oklahoman this morning. "We may see perhaps even 5,000 people come through the lines early today."

When asked if there were any numbers yet, Sanderson said they won't be able to calculate that for some time because of the huge turnout.

"At the end of the day we might be able to give some calculation," he said, "but we're not even having time to enter the data; we're just processing voters."

For some sort of comparison, we can look to the first day of in-person absentee voting for the February primary election at the Oklahoma County Election Board -- 900 ballots were cast at that office.

In Norman, the line to vote at the Cleveland County Election Board at 7:20 a.m. was two blocks long with 82 voters lined up, one observer reported.

Officials with the Tulsa County and Stephens County election boards also report heavy early turnout. In Tulsa, election board officials said the line had been almost non-stop throughout the day, with waits of up to an hour. One official said about 400 votes per hour were being cast.

Bozell: Media Bias Worst Ever Witnessed

Conservative media maven Brent Bozell tells Newsmax that news coverage of the current presidential race is the most biased he’s ever seen, with the media “in the tank” for Barack Obama.

Bozell is the founder and president of the Media Research Center and the Cybercast News Service, which are dedicated to exposing liberal bias in the media.

Asked by Newsmax’s Ashley Martella if he has ever seen coverage of a campaign so blatantly one-sided as the Obama-John McCain race, Bozell declared: “Not only is this something I’ve never seen in a 30-year career, but people who are older than I, more experienced than I, people like Bob Novak, will point out that in his professional career, which spans 50 years, which goes back to the days of John F. Kennedy, he has never seen anything like this.

“This is a news media that has thrown off any pretext of objectivity, of fairness, of even-handedness. They are in the tank for Barack Obama unlike any candidate in history.”

Roth Personally Contacted Arcadia Land Owner

Then-Oklahoma County Commissioner Jim Roth's determination to build a bridge and improve a roadway leading to Aubrey McClendon's Deer Creek Tree Farm property in Arcadia was such that he personally called on a property owner to tell him to accept a monetary settlement for easements or face condemnation by eminent domain.

Fox 25 reported the encounter last night in a story about the tree farm. McClendon was a maximum donor to Roth's county commissioner campaign and subsequently, was named by Roth as co-chairman of his campaign for the Corporation Commission, which regulates McClendon's Chesapeake Energy Corp. McClendon is a maximum donor and top fundraiser for Roth's campaign.

Without declaring his alliances with McClendon, Roth voted against a coal-power plant opposed by McClendon when the matter came before the Corporation Commission.

Stanley Kolar, identified in county records as the owner of several parcels of property along Anderson Road in Arcadia, settled with the county for $36,000. Fox 25 reported he told its reporter that Roth personally contacted him and told him if he didn't accept the county's offer on easements, the property would be taken by eminent domain.

Read all the details about the tree farm at http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2008/10/roth-sponsored-roadway-bridge-to.html.

McClendon, Chesapeake Give $600,000

Chesapeake Energy Chief Executive Officer Aubrey McClendon, a political action committee associated with Chesapeake and Chesapeake employees have given almost $600,000 to candidates seeking state office in 2008, according to a review of state Ethics Commission reports filed through the Oct. 20 deadline, the Tulsa World reports today.

McClendon leads all individual contributors in the state with $133,500, and other Chesapeake employees have given $127,196. Energy for Oklahomans, a PAC tied to Chesapeake, totaled $327,000 in contributions, by far the most of any state PAC.

Read the entire analysis of finance reports at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=12&articleID=20081031_16_A1_hAlmos57706.

SurveyUSA: McCain, Inhofe, Cloud Win, Murphy And Roth In Race Too Close To Call

A new poll by SurveyUSA for KFOR-TV, Channel 4 shows a John McCain blow-out of Barack Obama in Oklahoma, a solid victory for incumbent Republican Senator Jim Inhofe, a win for incumbent Republican Corporation Commissioner Jeff Cloud and a horse race between Republican Dana Murphy and incumbent Democrat Jim Roth for the short-term seat on the Corporation Commission.

The numbers:

McCain-Palin ~ 63 percent; Obama-Biden ~ 34 percent.

Inhofe ~ 56 percent; Andrew Rice 36 percent.

Cloud ~ 55 percent; Charles Gray 39 percent.

Roth ~ 49 percent; Murphy 46 percent (margin of error is 4.1 percent).

Murphy: Deer Creek Tree Farm Deal Shows Jim Roth 'Nothing more than a lapdog'

Corporation Commission candidate Dana Murphy says last night's FOX 25 news report by Nick Winkler shows Jim Roth to be nothing more than a lapdog for special interest groups. The story focused on the Deer Creek Tree Farm owned by Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake Energy Corp. in Arcadia and Roth's push to resurface the road leading to it and building a new bridge on the road. Details about the projects were first reported by The McCarville Report Online on October 6th. (Read the story at http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2008/10/roth-sponsored-roadway-bridge-to.html.)

"Jim Roth's ties to special interest groups have been questioned for a long time. Last night's FOX report just confirms what many know, Roth gets from those special interest groups and gives plenty in return.

"Based on this latest news story about Roth's questionable behavior, it's hard to believe he's the one claiming superior ethics to me," continued Murphy. "This is just another example of Roth serving as a lapdog to those who shower him with money and political favors. Roth is a desperate man because he knows he is unqualified for this job. He gets ahead by providing political favors for his supporters - much like Jeff McMahan. It's time to put an end to that type of politics in Oklahoma."

Murphy says it's no surprise Roth refused to talk to Fox Reporter Nick Winkler. "Roth never answers questions about his own character and ethics. He refused to answer my questions on 'Flash Point,' ran away from an OU student asking questions after a recent debate, and he's always running away, refusing to answer the tough questions about his own ethics. The most important question he has dodged this entire campaign is why is he getting tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from out of state donors? Why do people who do no business in Oklahoma and who have probably never been to Oklahoma care about your utility rates or gasoline pumps being accurate or any other issues the Commission regulates? Oklahoma voters should demand an answer."

Rasmussen: Obama By 4%, At 51%

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows Barack Obama with 51% of the vote, John McCain with 47%.

Over the past five days, Obama's lead has been between three and five percentage points each day. That's a bit tighter than the four to eight point margins enjoyed by the Democrat for the previous month.

The tightening comes entirely from McCain solidifying his support. The Arizona Senator has reached the 47% mark on two of the past three days. Prior to that, he had not reached the 47% level of support in over a month.

Another way of looking at it is that McCain's support has now stayed at 46% or above for five straight days. Prior to that, McCain had only reached the 46% level four times in a month.However, while McCain has been solidifying support, Obama has not lost ground.

This is the 36th straight day that Obama’s support has been between 50% and 52%.

Beverly Hodges Told McClendon 'No'

Former Oklahoma County Commissioner Beverly Hodges told Fox 25 News tonight that she refused to build a bridge to the Arcadia tree farm owned by Chesapeake Energy Corp. CEO Aubrey McClendon because it was not a priority.

After McClendon helped fund her opponent, Jim Roth, she was defeated and Roth subsequently sponsored improvements on Anderson Road in Arcadia and construction of the new bridge to the tree farm that McClendon wanted.

As a result, the value of McClendon's tree farm soared.

This year, Roth named McClendon as co-chairman of his campaign for election to the Corporation Commission, which regulates McClendon's industry. McClendon also is Roth's top fundraiser and a maximum donor.

Roth voted against a coal-power plant that McClendon opposed; Roth never disclosed his alliance with McClendon or their connection through the Arcadia road and bridge projects or McClendon's donation to his county commissioner campaign.

Rasmussen: Obama Back At 5% Lead

After showing the candidates just three points apart yesterday, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll on Thursday returns to the range that has defined the race for over a month. It's Obama by five, 51% to 46%.

GOP Plans Election Night Victory Party

Volunteers, supporters and GOP members are invited to celebrate election night in Oklahoma City with Oklahoma Republicans, officials said.

Oklahoma Victory 2008 will sponsor the official Oklahoma Republican Party election night victory party with food, beverages and plenty of television screens to watch the results come in from local, state and national elections. Oklahoma GOP Chairman Gary Jones along with Republican elected officials and candidates such as U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, Congressmen Tom Cole and Frank Lucas, Congresswoman Mary Fallin, Corporation Commission candidates Jeff Cloud and Dana Murphy are expected to attend.

The party begins at 7 p.m. Election Night (Tuesday, Nov.4) and will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Oklahoma City Marriott, 3233 NW Expressway. Food and beverages will be served and there will be a cash bar.

"The Oklahoma GOP is looking forward to a historic election night. We hope to celebrate our first State Senate Republican majority in history, and look forward to celebrating the re-election of Jim Inhofe to the U.S. Senate, Frank Lucas, John Sullivan, Tom Cole and Mary Fallin to Congress and Jeff Cloud to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission," said Oklahoma Victory Director Matt Pinnell.

"And we are looking forward to welcoming a whole new crop of GOP candidates at the state and local level, including Corporation Commission candidate Dana Murphy. We invite all our GOP volunteers and supporters to this election victory party so we can thank them for all their hard work and celebrate together."

Democrats Target GOP's Jim Reynolds, Launch $100,000 Television Commercial Attack

The October Surprise of the Oklahoma Senate campaigns has arrived, and it is a true surprise: Democrats are making a run at Oklahoma City's Jim Reynolds, hoping that attacks and a famous-name opponent can defeat the two-term Republican conservative.

Starting today, a hard-hitting, negative television campaign said to cost $100,000 began airing. The commercials target Reynolds in his District 43 (Oklahoma County running south from Tinker and northern Cleveland County) seat.

The commercials say they are paid for by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

Reynolds is the unanticipated target of the large television buy; some had presumed Democrats would target either open seat candidate Jim Halligan (District 21, Stillwater) or Senator Jonathan Nichols (District 15, Norman).

Halligan is seeking the seat of outgoing pro tempore Mike Morgan (D) and polling indicates he will win, thus it's a potential loss for the Democrats.

Nichols, a conservative two-term incumbent, is defending Republican-leaning turf in Norman where Democrats are less likely to cross party lines.

But tracking polls in both parties, we're told, indicated a safe Nichols and a charging Halligan, so the man caught in the Democrat headlights is Reynolds as Democrats fight to stave off what most believe will be Republican control of the Senate for the first time in history.

Reynolds, who has raised about $156,000, shows no major expenditures except for postage and printing and his last report shows he had about $119,000 in cash on hand. His Democrat famous-name opponent, David Boren, has raised and spent less than a fifth of the sum Reynolds has spent.

LA Times Hides Obama-Khalidi Videotape

The John McCain campaign is demanding that the Los Angeles Times release a videotape showing Barack Obama at an event in Chicago honoring a Palestinian activist who reportedly served as a spokesman for Yasser Arafat.

As Newsmax reported on Tuesday, the 2003 event was a farewell party for Rashid Khalidi, who was leaving the University of Chicago to take a position at Columbia University in New York.

Obama, then an Illinois state senator, lavished praise on Khalidi at the party, as did unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers, according to Andrew C. McCarthy, contributing editor at National Review, who disclosed Khalidi’s link to “master terrorist” Arafat. The Times confirmed in April that it had a copy of the videotape.

Several hours after the Newsmax story appeared, McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb said: “A major news organization is intentionally suppressing information that could provoke a clearer link between Barack Obama and Rashid Khalidi.”

The videotape, he said, could show how Obama responded to a poem recited by a young Palestinian at the party accusing Israel of “terrorism” in its treatment of Palestinians and sharply criticizing U.S. support of Israel. If Palestinians cannot secure their own land, she said, “then you will never see a day of peace.”

Goldfarb called the poem “hate speech,” adding: “The election is one week away, and it’s unfortunate that the press so obviously favors Barack Obama that this campaign must publicly request that the Los Angeles Times do its job — make information public.”

The newspaper hasn’t explained why it won’t release the video, according to Ben Smith of Politico.com.

Times spokeswoman Nancy Sullivan told Smith: “When we reported on the tape six months ago, that was our full report.”

Senate GOP: Trial Lawyers Dump Cash

From Oklahoma Senate Republicans ~ According to Oklahoma Ethics Commission filings, Democrat State Senator Nancy Riley has received 90% of her financial support over the past two months from trial attorneys, trial attorney/workers comp attorney PACs, and out of state unions including the Teamsters.

Keith Erwin of Lawton boasts similar largesse, and Senator Richard Lerblance has tossed a cool $130,000 of his own cash into his race in SE Oklahoma so far, adding $80,000 this past weekend. Candidates Diane Drum and Robert Murphy are also beneficiaries of trial lawyer and union generosity.

"Don't believe it? The numbers and their own campaign finance reports tell the story in black, white and green," said Randy Swanson, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Republican State Senatorial Committee. "The Democrats are withdrawing money from their special interests like it was an ATM with no limit. The voters of these districts deserve to know to whom their candidates are beholden.

"They won't tell you, so we will," he continued.

The following figures come from candidate filings with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission for the period of August 12 - October 20, 2008, and their 24-hour last minute contribution filings since October 21:

Nancy Riley/$enate District 37: Since August 12, Riley has raised $181,254 from individuals. Of that figure, $158,254 -- 87.3% -- has come from trial attorneys and worker's compensation PACs. In one day, October 23 -- Riley received $37,500 from eight PACs funded by worker's compensation attorneys and their allies. In addition, Riley has raised $50,800 from liberal union PACs, including $5000 from the Teamsters Union DRIVE PAC, on October 27. The Teamsters also support Nancy Pelosi and the US House Democrats and are working to elect Barack Obama.

Keith Erwin/$enate District 31: Trial attorneys have contributed $147,700 (82.9%) of Erwin's funding since August 12. Overall, this interest group accounts for 60.7% of Erwin's total receipts. He has received $18,400 from labor unions.

Richard Lerblance/$enate District 7: Since August 12, Lerblance has received $98,000 of $139,440 from identified attorneys, or 70.3%. Some known attorneys identified themselves as "Businessman" (Terry West), and "Consultant", (Mike Turpen). In 2008, he has received 65.1% of his funding from attorneys. In addition, Lerblance received $11,250 from labor unions this reporting period. On Friday, October 24, Lerblance infused $80,000 of his own money into his race. His personal contributions for the campaign is now $130,000. Think about that...Democrats are fighting to retain a Senate seat in McALESTER, OKLAHOMA. In the history of this state, Democrats haven't had to get out of bed to win in McAlester.

Diane Drum/$enate District 15: In the first three quarters of 2008, Diane Drum of Norman raised $74,485 from individuals of which $56,115 came from lawyers, most of whom live outside Norman and Cleveland County, accounting for 75.3% of her financial receipts in the first three reporting periods of 2008. In the August - October reporting period and in last-minute contributions, she received $25,500 from worker's compensation PACs, $1,250 from labor unions, and $200 from the Sierra Club.

Robert Murphy/$enate District 21: In his first Ethics filing in July, former judge Robert Murphy of Stillwater reported raising $51,600 from individuals, of which $35,900 – 69.6% -- came from lawyers, most from outside of Stillwater or Payne County. In the latest filing, Murphy reports $20,050 (49.6%) from attorneys. But his most loyal contributor base includes 36 contributions totaling $7,455 from those with the occupation known as INFORMATION REQUESTED.

"The voters of these Senate districts should ask themselves, 'to whom is my Senator beholden?'" Swanson said. "Based on their fundraising figures, the above candidates clearly owe their allegiances to trial attorneys and liberal, often out-of-state labor unions, and will vote accordingly, against the best interests of their districts."

Panicky Obama Campaign Sends Urgent Memo

Barack Obama's campaign has sent a panic-stricken memo to supporters urging them to redouble their efforts to ensure massive voter turnouts among blacks and Hispanics.

The memo was sent by Deputy Campaign Manager Steve Hilderbrand, who told Fox News, “John McCain is right. Things are tightening in the battleground states.”

Lawyers Pour Cash Into Riley's Campaign

When she was a Republican member of the State Senate, Nancy Riley of Tulsa got barely so much as a nod from attorneys.

Now that she's a Democrat fighting for her political life and with control of the Senate at stake, lawyers and their political action committees are flooding her campaign with cash, much of it coming in last-minute donations.

Riley was elected from her Republican district before she switched to the Democratic Party after a lackluster showing in the GOP primary for lieutenant governor in 2006; she switched after saying she was treated poorly by GOP leadership and party members in that race. The district leans heavily Republican and GOP campaigners say that despite the flood of money from lawyers, they're confident she'll be defeated.

Ethics Commission records show Riley has filed five CR-4 reports, those showing last-minute donations, totaling $64,079, most of it coming from attorneys and PACs. One report shows $37,500 in donations with seven PACs donating $5,000 each and one donating $2,500. Among her last-minute donors are former Senate President Stratton Taylor, Claremore trial lawyer, and his law partner, Sean Burrage; both gave her $1,500.

Her Republican opponent, Dan Newberry, has filed three CR-4 reports listing $31,350 in donations from a wide range of citizens and business employee PACs.

Thus far, the reports show, Riley has raised more than $441,000 to Newberry's $376,000.

Rasmussen: Presidential Race Tightens

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows Barack Obama attracting 50% of the vote nationwide while John McCain earns 47%. This is the first time McCain has been within three points of Obama in more than a month and the first time his support has topped 46% since September 24.

Hall Of Famer Carter Bradley Dead At 89

Carter Bradley, a hall of famer in every sense of the phrase, died Monday at age 89.

Bradley's careers spanned journalism, government and higher education and earned him election to the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.

A Democrat, Bradley was a 1940 graduate of the University of Oklahoma School of Journalism who worked for several newspapers before joining United Press International and was its state manager from 1947 to 1960.

In 1960, he was appointed by U. S. Senator Robert S. Kerr as chief clerk of the Senate Committee on Aeronautics and Space Sciences, a position in which he helped guide President John F. Kennedy's space program through Congress. Following Kerr's death in January 1963, Bradley joined U. S. Senator Mike Monroney as his administrative assistant. Subsequently, he was named executive director of the Oklahoma Higher Education Alumni Council.

Bradley was a longtime member of the Oklahoma City Gridiron Club best known for his portrayals of former Governors Raymond Gary and David Hall.

Federal Judge: Stipe (Still) Incompetent

Former Senator Gene Stipe was found mentally incompetent for a second time Tuesday in federal court in Muskogee.

Terrill Ordered To Pay $11,000

Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, has been ordered by a federal bankruptcy judge to pay about $11,000 to a bankruptcy trustee following the judge's finding that Terrill failed to list that sum as an asset in his bankruptcy case.

Terrill contends the sum constituted reimbursement for expenses and was not a loan, or an "asset."

The sum Terrill was ordered to pay will be distributed to creditors listed in the bankruptcy petition filed by Terrill and his wife. Terrill said the bankruptcy stemmed from college education debts accumulated by his wife.

The Gadfly's Fearless Prognostications

With a week to go in Election Year 2008, The Gadfly sticks his skinny neck out to predict results in some races.

State Senate: Republicans take control for the first time in history by winning a 1-seat (possibly two) majority. Among the Democrat losers: Senator Nancy Riley of Tulsa.

U. S. Senate: Incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe notches another win, taking 56-59 percent of the vote to 39-42 percent for challenger Andrew Rice.

President: Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin mark Oklahoma as their best state in the nation, winning 61-64 percent to the 35-38 percent of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Inhofe Will Top $6 Million, Manager Says

From The Associated Press ~ Incumbent Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe is on track to spend $6 million in his re-election bid, more than twice the amount of Democratic challenger Andrew Rice, according to the latest campaign reports.

"We'll top $6 million," said Josh Kivett, Inhofe's campaign manager. He said Inhofe had over 14,000 contributors.

The Rice campaign, which has criticized Inhofe for accepting over $1 million in donations from the financial sector, reported raising almost $2.6 million and had $199,000 cash on hand as of Oct. 15.

Inhofe, by contrast, had almost $1.4 million in cash after raising $4.8 million. He had spent $4.2 million, much of it on a television blitz.

Heading into the final week of the campaign, Inhofe picked up an endorsement from The Oklahoman after being endorsed the week before by the Tulsa World. Rice counted endorsements from The Muskogee Phoenix, among other newspapers.

In campaign reports filed by congressional candidates, Rep. Dan Boren of the 2nd Congressional District continued to lead all incumbents with total receipts of about $1.6 million. Boren, the only Democrat in the delegation, had more than $1 million in cash. His opponent, Raymond Wickson, did not file a report.

In the 1st Congressional District, incumbent Republican John Sullivan had raised $991,000 and had $322,203 in cash. Sullivan's Democratic foe, Georgianna Oliver, reported raising $527,000, including $443,000 she loaned to her campaign.

Rep. Mary Fallin of the 5th District topped the $1 million mark in fundraising. She had $250,000 in cash. Her opponent, Democrat Steven L. Perry, had not reported any financial activity, according to the Federal Election Commission Web site.

Rep. Tom Cole of the 4th District also raised over $1 million and had $652,000 in cash. Democrat Blake Cummings listed $7,563 in contributions and had $3,489 in cash.

In the 3rd District, Rep. Frank Lucas raised $510,000 and had $217,000 in cash. He faced two underfinanced opponents. Democrat Frankie Lee Robbins reported raising $22,000 and independent Michael W. Forrest showed $62,000 in receipts, including a $50,000 loan.

Roth Surges With Murphy Attack Ads

Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth's television attack ads on Republican challenger Dana Murphy appear to be taking their toll as this week's TvPoll for KWTV-Channel 9 shows Roth for the first time with a commanding 12-point lead.

The poll puts Democrat Roth at 46.7 percent to 34.7 percent for Murphy. Murphy ran ahead in weekly tracking polls until last week, when Roth edged ahead.

In the presidential race, John McCain maintains a huge lead over Barack Obama, 61.6 to 34.8 percent.

In the U. S. Senate race, Republican incumbent Jim Inhofe maintains a lead over Democrat Andrew Rice, although his lead has shrunk from last week; in this week's poll, he's at 51.3 percent to Rice's 41 percent. Inhofe had held a lead of about 13 percent in recent weeks.

In the race for the Corporation Commission's long term seat, incumbent Republican Jeff Cloud maintains a comfortable lead over challenger Charles Gray, 45.9 to 31.3 percent.

Mistrial Declared In Erwin Case

A federal judge declared a mistrial today after a Muskogee jury was unable to reach a verdict in the bribery trial of former state Rep. Randall Erwin.

Gun Sales Spike As Election Nears

From The Washington Post ~ Americans have cut back on buying cars, furniture and clothes in a tough economy, but there's one consumer item that's still enjoying healthy sales: guns.

Purchases of firearms and ammunition have risen 8 to 10 percent this year, according to state and federal data.

Several variables drive sales, but many dealers, buyers and experts attribute the increase in part to concerns about the economy and fears that if Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois wins the presidency, he will join with fellow Democrats in Congress to enact new gun controls.

Obama has said he believes in an individual right to bear arms but that he also supports "common-sense safety measures."

"Even though (Obama) has a lot going for him, he's not very pro-gun," said Paul Pluff, a spokesman for Massachusetts-based Smith & Wesson, which has reported higher sales. Gun enthusiasts are "going to go out and get (firearms) while they still can."

Gun purchases have also been climbing because of the worsening economy, which fuels fears of crime and civil disorder, industry sources and specialists said.

Obama Discussed Socialist Wealth Redistribution Philosophy In 2001 Public Radio Interview

From Drudge ~ A 7-year-old public radio interview in which Barack Obama discussed the failure of the Supreme Court to rule on redistributing wealth in its Civil Rights rulings has given fresh ammunition to critics who say the Democratic presidential candidate has a socialist agenda that he's espoused for a long time.

He Pushed 'Redistributive Change'

The interview -- conducted by Chicago Public Radio in 2001, while Obama was an Illinois state senator and a law professor at the University of Chicago -- delves into whether the civil rights movement should have gone further than it did, so that when "dispossessed peoples" appealed to the high court on the right to sit at the lunch counter, they should have also appealed for the right to have someone else pay for the meal.

In the interview, Obama said the civil rights movement was victorious in some regards, but failed to create a "redistributive change" in its appeals to the Supreme Court, led at the time by Chief Justice Earl Warren. He suggested that such change should occur at the state legislature level, since the courts did not interpret the U.S. Constitution to permit such change.

"The Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of basic issues of political and economic justice in this society, and to that extent as radical as people try to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn't that radical," Obama said in the interview, a recording of which surfaced on the Internet over the weekend.

"It didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, at least as it has been interpreted.

"And the Warren court interpreted it generally in the same way -- that the Constitution is a document of negative liberties, says what the states can't do to you, says what the federal government can't do to you, but it doesn't say what the federal government or state government must do on your behalf, and that hasn't shifted.

"And I think one of the tragedies of the civil rights movement was that the civil rights movement became so court-focused, I think there was a tendency to lose track of the political and organizing activities on the ground that are able to bring about the coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change, and in some ways we still suffer from that," Obama said.

KOTV: Nancy Riley's Claims Are False

From KOTV/Newson6.com ~ We're less than two weeks away from Election Day and in some races, the campaigning is getting dirty. When it comes to the state Senate race between Nancy Riley and challenger Dan Newberry the gloves are off.

He's a rookie with no experience in elected office. She's a practiced politician who made headlines for switching parties.

Two-term senator Riley is attacking her Republican opponent and his livelihood.

"Newberry personally profited from selling risky loans with excessive interest rates," said the Riley ad. That claim is False. Court documents show many homeowners defaulted and had to foreclose, but the loans weren't risky. Newberry lends at adjustable rates, some loans going from 10% up to 16%. But he says defaults are rare, and that a six-percent maximum increase isn't excessive. Tulsa's Better Business Bureau calls his company satisfactory.

Newberry's camp is also in attack mode. "Riley supports higher property taxes, taxpayer funded abortions," said the Newberry ad. We'll put the True stamp on that one. Riley opposed lowering the property tax rate from five percent to three percent. She says lowering the cap would have actually created tax increases.

And the abortion bill aimed to end taxpayer-funded abortions except to save the mother's life. Riley says she supports exceptions for rape and incest victims which was not included in the original bill. "She first ran as a conservative, and now is a liberal who stands with Barack Obama," said the Newberry ad. That claim is half-true.

Two years ago Riley switched parties in the middle of her term. She says she was dissatisfied with the GOP's continual effort to kill her bills, calling the Republican caucus hateful and vindictive. But Riley has never publicly supported or opposed either candidate for President. Riley's campaign says she's got the experience and proven ability to work with both parties.

Newberry's camp says forget the spin, switching party's mid-stream was a stab in the back.

Murphy, Roth Clash On 'Flash Point'

Republican Dana Murphy and Democrat Jim Roth raked each other over the campaign coals in a Sunday morning appearance on KFOR-TV's "Flash Point" show.

The candidates for the short term on the Corporation Commission are in what polls show is a tight race for the seat now held by Roth, appointed by Governor Henry when Republican Denise Bode resigned.

Co-host Mike Turpen, Democrat, asked Roth about his charges that Murphy forged a family member's signature on an oil and gas lease during a divorce proceeding years ago. Roth produced documents and said "every Republican opponent" Murphy has had has brought up the matter.

Roth said the "bar for ethics...must be high" and suggested Murphy doesn't meet the test.

Murphy responded that the issue "really...is whether I had permission" to sign the document. She says she did, and there was no intent to defraud anyone.

Murphy countered that Roth is using his Commission assistant to work in his campaign. She also cited Roth's DUI arrest in 1995 as an example of events in the past.

Roth countered with yet another allegation, saying Murphy has taken discounted rent from an entity regulated by the Commission. Murphy said the office she rented from Ralph Harvey of Marlin Oil Company didn't work out because of access limitations and she rented another office as her campaign headquarters.

"My ethics are impeccable," Roth asserted. Questions about Roth's ethics arose when he voted in opposition to a coal-power plant that was opposed by Roth's campaign co-chairman, top fundraiser and maximum donor Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake Energy Corp. As Oklahoma County commissioner, Roth spearheaded the rebuilding of a roadway and a new bridge to the Deer Creek Tree Farm in Arcadia, owned by McClendon. McClendon was a maximum donor to Roth's commission campaign.

Murphy noted that Roth has not addressed questions about his ethics and noted he's had to return some donations to his campaign because of ethics laws. Inexplicably, she did not mention Roth's alliance with McClendon or question his vote on the coal-power plant.

Biden Can't Take The Heat; Obama Kills Future Interviews With Florida TV Station

Barack Obama's campaign killed all interviews with a Florida TV station after Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, faced tough and critical questions from a reporter at the Orlando station, the Orlando Sentinel reported .

During a satellite video Thursday, WFTV's Barbara West quoted Karl Marx and asked Biden how Obama's comment to "Joe the Plumber," about spreading the wealth wasn't being Marxist.

"Are you joking?," Biden asked.

West replied, "No."

Later in the interview West questioned Biden about his comments that if Obama wins the election next month, he would be tested early on as president and wanted to know if Biden was implying America was no longer the world's leading power.

"I don't know who's writing your questions," Biden asked her.

The Obama camp then killed a WFTV interview with Biden's wife Jill, according to an Orlando Sentinel blog.

"This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election," wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign, according to the Sentinel.

Zogby: Obama By 5.3%, McCain Gains

Republican John McCain continues to gain on Democrat Barack Obama, reducing Obama’s lead to 5.3 points with just over a week to go before Election Day, the latest Reuters/C–SPAN/Zogby national daily tracking poll shows.

The race now stands at 49.4% to 44.1% in favor of Obama. Obama led McCain by 9.5 points in yesterday’s report.

“There is no question that this race continues to tighten and that McCain is finding his message again,” said pollster John Zogby. “It is after all about the economy and that is how McCain tightened it up the last time. I have said over and over again, when he focuses on extraneous issues, he screws up. In today's single day of polling, it was 49% to 46% in favor of Obama. McCain has moved his own numbers each of the three days and Obama has gone down from 54% to 50% to 49%. I have alluded before to this strange, magnetic pull that brings Obama down to 48% or 49%, a danger zone for him. McCain's gains are among white voters, where he now leads by 12 points, and with men, where he again has a healthy lead. There is still a lot of campaign to go. A lot of campaign to go.”

Rasmussen: Obama At 52%, Up 8%

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows Barack Obama attracting 52% of the vote while John McCain earns 44%. This is the fourth straight day Obama has been at 52%, his highest level of support this season.

The Gadfly's Democrat Cousins

Campaigning Cousins: In Florida, cousin Wes seeks a State House Seat. And in Minnesota, distant cousin Mike also seeks a House seat. Both are Democrats.

Mean Streets: Lawton Has 108 Gangs

Lawton Police Department Gang Task Force members say they have identified 108 gangs within the city.

108.

"Gang members are threatening us. Informants tell me they're making threats to shoot me and other high-ranking officers. Well, here I am," said Police Chief Ronnie Smith.

Discussion of Lawton's mean streets comes following the shooting of a drug dealer by a Lawton officer last month.

On October 1st, someone fired shots at an officer's home. The officer wasn't home, but his wife and children were. Such things, said Smith, "are the acts of a coward."

A gang informant later told police that an officer would be shot and killed on October 7th. That didn't happen, but Lawton officers are on special alert and exercising extreme caution during traffic stops and responding to emergency calls, the chief said. U. S. Marshalls have joined local police in some instances.

The gang problem is pronounced in the city's black neighborhoods. Pastor Byron Elmore of Calvary Assembly of God, located in one of the city's worst gang territories, said he's heard rumors of death threats aimed at officers.

Confiscations of illegal firearms in Lawton indicate the scope of the problem, police say. In 2000, 107 illegal firearms were confiscated. In 2007, the number was 274 and this year, it already sits at 270 through the end of September.

Phipps Scandal Grows: More Implicated

Corrupt businessman Steve Phipps, the linchpin of a three-year FBI investigation, told a federal grand jury he could implicate more than 30 people--including Democratic Senate leader Mike Morgan--in "criminal activities and/or political corruption," a court document shows. That's the lead paragraph in a copyrighted Tony Thornton story in the Sunday editions of The Oklahoman.

Among others named: Former Agriculture Secretary Dennis Howard, former Auditor & Inspector Clifton Scott, Water Resources Board Director Duane Smith, District Judge Williard Driesel of southeatern Oklahoma, former Muskogee legislator Jeff Potts, former Jay legislator Jay Hutchison, Kiamichi Economic Development District of Oklahoma Director Chester Dennis, former McAlester Mayor Dale Covington and former McAlester City Manager Randy Green.

The early edition of The Oklahoman is on stands now; the story will be posted at http://www.newsok.com/ tomorrow.

Murphy, Roth Face Off On 'Flash Point'

Corporation Commission candidates Dana Murphy and Jim Roth face off in this Sunday's edition of "Flash Point" on KFOR-Channel 4. The show, which airs at 9:30 a.m., was taped earlier this week.

The two are locked in what a recent poll shows is a tight race for the short-term commission seat now held by Democrat Roth, appointed by Governor Henry when Republican Denise Bode resigned to head the Clean Skies Foundation in Washington.

Murphy, a former administrative law judge, and Roth, former Oklahoma County commissioner, have battled this week over Roth's allegations about Murphy.

Obama Belonged To Socialist Party In 1996

Evidence has emerged that Senator Barack Obama belonged to a socialist political party that sought to elect members to public office with the aim of moving the Democratic Party far leftward to ultimately form a new political party with a socialist agenda.

Several blogs, including Powerline, previously documented that while running for the Illinois Senate

in 1996 as a Democrat, Obama actively sought and received the endorsement of the socialist-oriented New Party, with some blogs claiming Obama was a member of the controversial party.

The New Party, formed by members of the Democratic Socialists for America and leaders of an offshoot of the Community Party USA, was an electoral alliance that worked alongside the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN. The New Party's aim was to help elect politicians to office who espouse its policies.

Read all of this story at http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78945.

Media Polls Biased Against Republicans?

By Ronald Kessler ~ Political polls conducted for most media organizations often are biased against Republicans, says Kellyanne Conway, one of the most respected GOP pollsters. As a result, Barack Obama’s lead over John McCain probably is exaggerated and is contributing unfairly to his momentum, says Conway, president and founder of the Polling Company.

Rather than slant the questions, pollsters distort the results by weighting tallies with more responses from people who are likely to vote for Democrats than is warranted, Conway tells Newsmax. For example, they wrongly assume that huge numbers of groups who favor Democrats will show up to vote.

To be sure, “Barack Obama has energized a critical mass of younger people and new voters to actually show up to the polls,” Conway says.

But in some cases, pollsters assume that those who cast votes will be as much as 40 percent Democrats, versus 25 percent Republicans.

“The country’s just not configured that way,” Conway says.

Conway draws an analogy to the way some news organizations endorse Obama, in effect, with their selection of stories and angles to pursue. In the same way, they endorse him through polls by oversampling respondents who are Democrats, Conway says. “What is the incentive of the major media to have scientific, artfully constructed polling?” Conway says.

By creating the impression that McCain will lose, many media polls are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, Conway says. Because of the attention their polls receive, they depress the turnout for McCain — not to mention cutting into his contributions, endorsements, and support.

“To me it’s a different kind of voter suppression, to constantly try to make people feel like the election is over before it’s even begun,” she says. “Before a single vote has been cast, they’re basically saying, about John McCain, he can’t win. What are the three most fatal words in politics? You can’t win.”

Looking back at polls over the years, “The errors in media polling rarely benefit a Republican,” Conway notes. “It wasn’t like anybody said, ‘Oh, Ronald Reagan will have a landslide in 1980.’ In fact you look back at the Dukakis numbers, the Perot numbers, there was always this presumption that the Republican was going to lose. Not just that the Democrat would win, but that the Republican was going to lose. There was a news report that concluded polls showed Kerry leading Bush 53 percent to 43 percent in 15 swing states.”

Exit polls also tend to favor Democrats unfairly, Conway says.

“Remember the exit polls in the last election all favored John Kerry,” Conway says. “And I had to shoot off a quick memo to people saying that exit polls are more illustrative and anecdotal, more qualitative than quantitative and scientific in nature, because it’s a self-selected population of people who actually reveal to a total stranger how they just voted.”

NRA Cites Obama's Gun Control Record

The National Rifle Association is firing with both barrels at Barack Obama and running mate Joe Biden, devoting a large part of its official journal to attacks on the two Democrats over their stances on gun control and the Second Amendment.

In the November issue of America’s 1st Freedom magazine, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre tells readers: “The next president, by filling inevitable vacancies on the U.S. Supreme Court, will determine the continued existence of our right to keep and bear arms…

“Get your friends, family and co-workers to vote. And vote for the only ticket that will uphold our Freedom. Vote for the Second Amendment. Vote for the McCain-Palin ticket!”

And NRA President John C. Sigler writes: “Taken together, Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden constitute the most anti-gun ticket ever to run for the White House…

“Barack Obama has proposed or supported anti-gun policies so radical and so far beyond the fringe that few politicians have dared to even mention them publicly.”

According to the magazine, Obama has: Supported banning hundreds of rifles and shotguns commonly used for hunting and sport shooting; Voted to allow “reckless” lawsuits designed to put the firearms industry out of business; Voted to allow the prosecution of citizens who use a firearm for self-defense in the home; Supported increasing taxes on firearms and ammunition by 500 percent; Voted to ban virtually all rifle ammunition commonly used for hunting and sport shooting; Became a member of the board of directors of the radically anti-gun Joyce Foundation; Said in 1996 that he supported a complete handgun ban in a questionnaire from the Independent Voters of Illinois; Proposed a ban on gun stores within five miles of any school or park; Stated his support for gun owner licensing and firearm registration; Voted for one-gun-a-month handgun purchase limits; Voted against confirming pro-Second Amendment justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.

SurveyUSA: Terrill Far Ahead Of Opponent

From SurveyUSA For KFOR-Channel 4 ~ In an election for Oklahoma state House of Representatives in Oklahoma's 53rd legislative District today, Republican incumbent Randy Terrill (pictured) defeats Democrat Troy Green 56% to 39%, according to this latest exclusive KFOR-TV poll conducted by SurveyUSA.

Terrill leads among men and women, young and old, in the survey of 550 registered voters. About 19% of Republicans cross over to vote for Green; 26% of Democrats cross over to vote for Terrill. Independents split.

Among the small number of Oklahomans who have already voted via absentee ballot, Terrill leads by 50 points; among likely voters, Terrill leads by 15.

Henry Names Steve Kistler To Judgeship

Governor Henry today appointed Steve Kistler of Stillwater as Associate District Judge for the 9th Judicial District in Payne County. Kistler succeeds Robert M. Murphy Jr., who recently resigned to seek a seat in the State Senate.

Henry selected Kistler from three candidates whose names were submitted by the Judicial Nominating Commission.

Kistler graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1972 and earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma School of Law in 1976. Kistler was employed by the FBI in New Orleans and New York City before becoming an assistant district attorney in Payne County.

Rice's Left To Right Zig-Zag On Gun Control

Democrat Andrew Rice claims in a new television commercial for his U. S. Senate campaign that he's been given an "A" rating by the National Rifle Association, an evident attempt to cozy up to Oklahoma gun owners and 2nd Amendment advocates.

Problem is, Rice was not given an "A" by the NRA; he was given an "A-" (there's a huge difference in the two grades) and the NRA gave Republican incumbent Senator Jim Inhofe an "A+" and endorsed Inhofe, as did the Oklahoma Rifle Association.

In 2006, Rice drew an "F" rating from the Oklahoma Rifle Association in his State Senate campaign.

Jones Claims Roth, Fina Violate State Law

Republican State Chairman Gary Jones (pictured) says today that Democratic Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth and his top aide, Mike Fina, are violating state law that prohibits political activity by Commission employees.

Jones said, "Mike Fina is a familiar sight at Jim Roth campaign events assisting Roth wherever he goes. He was recently seen in a YouTube video where Roth asks him to assist him escape a persistent young student reporter who questioned Roth about the large amount of contributions from special interest to the Jim Roth campaign. Problem is both Roth and Fina are breaking the law."

Jones cited Title 17 of Oklahoma Statutes. He said Chapter 9, Section 180.4, reads, No employee of the Corporation Commission in the unclassified service, shall, directly or indirectly, solicit, receive, or in any manner be concerned in soliciting or receiving any assessment, subscription or contribution for any political organization, candidacy or other political purpose; and no employee of the Commission in the unclassified service shall solicit or receive any such assessment, subscription or contribution from an employee in the classified service. No employee of the Corporation Commission in the unclassified service shall be a candidate for nomination or election to any paid public office, or take part in the management or affairs of any political campaign, except to exercise his right as a citizen privately to express his opinion and to cast his vote.

Jones said, "This week Roth was caught violating the law by having and distributing campaign material at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and now we find he and his press secretary are further violating.... Roth, an attorney, must think that laws are something everyone else has to live by, not him. Oklahoma voters might see it a little different November 4th."

Murphy Rips Roth On Red Rock Vote, Questions McClendon Tree Farm Road/Bridge Projects

Republican Corporation Commission candidate Dana Murphy responded to mudslinging by her opponent Jim Roth today by questioning Roth's ethics and his alliance with Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake Energy Corp.

Murphy said that Roth's attempt to smear her name with accusations from a 15 year old divorce is nothing but "good ole' boy politics at its worst." That accusation came in a Roth television commercial this week.

Murphy says the smear "is being done with hundreds of thousands dollars of campaign contributions from his special interest friends inside and outside the state.

"As a career bureaucrat, he has relied on his powerful, special interest friends to get where he is today," said Murphy. "He's panicked because he won't be able to deliver more favors for powerful friends if he is not elected to the job that was given to him.

"Unlike everyday Oklahomans like me who have earned their way by hard work and persistence working in the real world, he has made his living by delivering favors to his powerful friends using tax dollars while a public official.

"My opponent is using this personal attack mudslinging to divert voters' attention from the issues and who's most qualified to serve on the Commission. As a geologist, energy attorney and former Commission administrative law judge, I have the education and real world experience to be the best Corporation Commissioner. He's reverted to good old boy mudslinging in the hopes people will forget he has no qualifications for office and that he's been acting like a lapdog for special interest groups since he was handed the job of Corporation Commissioner."

Murphy says Oklahomans should demand answers from Roth about his ties to those donating to his campaigns for public office: "He's taken tens of thousands of dollars from officers and CEOs from the largest public utilities in Oklahoma who have regularly had cases in front of him. What are they paying for?

"He's received over $100,000 in contributions that come from those at one large natural gas company. Didn't the same company oppose the coal fired plant that Roth voted against, one that would have saved Oklahoma consumers billions of dollars? Why did Mr. Roth, as a sitting Corporation Commissioner, take campaign contributions during a time when Oklahoma law expressly forbids sitting Commissioners from taking contributions? Why as a County Commissioner did he sponsor the building of a road and bridge that runs to the tree farm of one of his campaign chairmen? Do Oklahomans really want to elect a lapdog for the special interests or do they want an everyday Oklahoman just like them to stand up as a watchdog, someone who is not afraid to stand up to the powerful special interests?"

Here is the text of Murphy's prepared opening statement for today's news conference:

Jim Roth is a desperate, frightened man. As almost half of Oklahomans know, divorce is an ugly, horrible thing and sadly, it brings out the absolute worst in people. My opponent is bringing up allegations against me from a 15 year old divorce case because he cannot match my qualifications for this job.

Let’s set the record straight once and for all. I have never been charged with or convicted of forgery or any other crime. Period.

These last minute smear tactics are reminiscent of the schoolyard bully ambushing kids on the playground.

The people of Oklahoma deserve better.

This smear campaign is costing big bucks.

The real question here is where are the hundreds of thousands of dollars coming from that are being used to smear me? From campaign contributions by powerful special interest groups outside and inside the State who want their lapdog at the Commission looking out for their interests, not the interests of all Oklahomans.

Roth has proven to be that lap dog.

Roth is panicked because this is the best job that he has ever had. He has no place else to go. When he loses this election, it will only be a matter of time before he has a job with one of those special interest groups contributing the big bucks to support his campaign.

It is not a coincidence that Jim Roth has as his campaign chair, a man who received amazing benefits as a result of his contributions.

First, the Red Rock Power Plant decision. That was a done deal as soon as Roth was appointed to the OCC.

Second, when a tree farm (owned by Aubrey McClendon in Arcadia) needed a road and a bridge, it was Roth who made sure it was paid for by taxpayers.

The list of favors for special interests goes on and on.

I have the education, the experience and the qualifications earned during a 15-year career in the oil and gas industry and almost six years as a Law Judge at the Corporation Commission. I have forgotten more about the oil and gas industry than he will ever know and Jim Roth knows it. His special interest supporters know it too and they are scared to death.

My only special interest group is everyday Oklahomans who need a watchdog on the Commission, not a lapdog.

There are 12 days left in this election, I have run a clean campaign focused on the issues and my qualifications for office.

I see no reason to change that strategy.

If Mr. Roth wants to run a dirty campaign, wallow in the mud and sling it – that’s his choice.

Mr. Roth’s mudslinging has given Oklahomans a clearcut choice as to who they want for Corporation Commissioner.

They can have someone like him, a mudslinging bureaucratic lapdog or they can have me, someone who shares their conservative Oklahoma values and has the experience and qualifications to do the best job for all Oklahomans at the Corporation Commission."

Media Bias: McCain News Negative

From Politico ~ The good news for John McCain? He's now receiving as much attention from the national media as his Democratic rival. The bad news? It’s overwhelmingly negative.

Just 14 percent of the stories about John McCain from the conventions through the final presidential debate were positive in tone, according to a study released today, while nearly 60 percent were negative—the least favorable coverage of any of the 4 candidates on the ticket.

The study, by The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, a non-partisan journalism watchdog organization, examined 2,412 stories from 43 newspapers and cable news shows in the six-week period beginning just after the conventions and ending with the final presidential debate.

Read the entire analysis at http://www.politico.com/.

New Poll: Presidential Race A Dead Heat

The presidential race tightened after the final debate, with John McCain gaining among whites and people earning less than $50,000, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that shows McCain and Barack Obama essentially running even among likely voters in the election homestretch.

The poll, which found Obama at 44 percent and McCain at 43 percent, supports what some Republicans and Democrats privately have said in recent days: that the race narrowed after the third debate as GOP-leaning voters drifted home to their party and McCain's "Joe the plumber" analogy struck a chord.

Three weeks ago, an AP-GfK survey found that Obama had surged to a seven-point lead over McCain, lifted by voters who thought the Democrat was better suited to lead the nation through its sudden economic crisis.

The contest is still volatile, and the split among voters is apparent less than two weeks before Election Day.

Tulsa World Endorses Jim Inhofe For Reelection

The Tulsa World endorsed Republican U. S. Senator Jim Inhofe for reelection today. Read the editorial at www.tulsaworld.com in the "Opinion" section.

Dana Murphy Schedules News Conference

Dana Murphy, Republican candidate for the Corporation Commission, will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. today at the State Capitol Building in the first floor Rotunda, her campaign has announced. "Murphy will respond to false allegations made by her opponent in recent TV advertisements," the announcement said.

Whether Murphy will discuss a vote by incumbent Democrat Jim Roth in opposition to a coal-powered plant his campaign co-chairman, top fundraiser and maximum donor Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake Energy Corp. opposed is not known.

Roth's Campaign Materials In State Office

Why does Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth keep campaign materials in his state office?

The question comes as Republican State Chairman Gary Jones rips Roth for passing out a business card with information about Roth's campaign on it.

Jones says he sent a party staffer to Roth's Corporation Commission office to see what cards Roth was handing out at his state office.

State ethics rules forbid distributing campaign materials in a state building.

Roth spokesman Mike Fina says the incident was a mistake when a receptionist picked up the wrong stack of cards after a visitor asked for Roth's business card; Fina did not explain why campaign materials were in Roth's state office.

Roth faces Republican Dana Murphy in the Nov. 4 election.

FEC: McCain Tops Oklahoma Fundraising

Federal Election Commission records show that Oklahomans had contributed more than $5.9 million to presidential campaigns through the end of September, a total more than 2-1/2 times the previous record set in 2004.

Contributions to John McCain and Barack Obama top the previous highs for their respective parties.

The records show that McCain's total grew by $279,171 in September to just under $2 million.

They also show that Obama took in $330,804 during the same period and has raised just under $1.4 million.

All Republican presidential candidates combined raised $3.2 million here, while Democrats raised $2.7 million.

Both figures surpass the total for both parties combined during the 2004 campaign.

Roth's Ethics: Will Murphy Take The Gloves Off?

With Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth having raised the issue of ethics in his campaign against Republican Dana Murphy, some of Murphy's backers are urging her to throw the ethics question back at Democrat Roth because of his vote against a coal-powered plant opposed by his campaign co-chairman, top fundraiser and maximum donor Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake Energy Corp.

"She's got the issue," said one frustrated GOP official. "It's documented...the close relationship between Roth and McClendon and it goes back to Roth's campaigns for Oklahoma County commissioner and includes that road and bridge project Roth did for McClendon that you've outlined. I can't imagine why Murphy hasn't raised the issue...she's probably waited too late now."

Following the recent disclosures about Roth's alliance with McClendon, some asked why he didn't abstain from voting on the coal-powered plant sought by several utility companies. Roth refused to discuss the issue with a reporter for KTOK at the time, has not returned calls from The McCarville Report Online and has remained silent since.

"If the roles were reversed," fumed another GOP leader, "and Murphy was the one who taken money from McClendon, built him a road and bridge to benefit his business, made him her campaign co-chairman and then voted his way on a project that would have cost him and his company money, the media would be all over it and they'd be screaming about the lack of ethics. Why the hell they're protecting Roth is beyond me, unless it's because he's a Democrat."

Like Murphy, Republican State Chairman Gary Jones has been silent on the Roth-McClendon connection and Roth's vote on the coal-powered plant.

Zogby: Obama's Lead Over McCain Grows

Pollster John Zogby, on the latest tracking poll results that showed Barack Obama at 51.6 percent, John McCain at 42 percent: “Three big days for Obama. Anything can happen, but time is running short for McCain. These numbers, if they hold, are blowout numbers. They fit the 1980 model with Reagan's victory over Carter -- but they are happening 12 days before Reagan blasted ahead.

“It’s driving us all insane,” says Matt Towery, chairman of Insider Advantage, an Atlanta-based polling company. “Anybody who says they have the right (polling) model for this election is a liar because nobody knows for sure.”

"If Obama wins like this we can be talking not only victory but realignment: he leads by 27 points among Independents, 27 points among those who have already voted, 16 among newly registered voters, 31 among Hispanics, 93%-2% among African Americans, 16 among women, 27 among those 18-29, 5 among 30-49 year olds, 8 among 50-64s, 4 among those over 65, 25 among Moderates, and 12 among Catholics (which is better than Bill Clinton's 10-point victory among Catholics in 1996). He leads with men by 2 points, and is down among whites by only 6 points, down 2 in armed forces households, 3 among investors, and is tied among NASCAR fans.”

527 Group Launches Anti-Inhofe Campaign

A new 527 group is getting into the U. S. Senate race, going after incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe.

In addition to television commercials, the group issued a news release in which it said, "The 2020 Action Fund is beginning an aggressive advertising campaign this week to expose Senator James Inhofe's record of consistently voting against the interests of Oklahomans. "After more than a dozen years in Washington, Jim Inhofe has proved one thing, that he represents himself and Corporate America in Congress and not the hard-working Oklahomans who sent him there, said Brooke Coleman, spokesperson for the 2020 Action Fund, which financed the effort and launched www.InhofeTruth.org.

"The campaign is focusing on a variety of actions Inhofe has taken as a member of the U.S. Senate, including voting for massive taxpayer subsidies and tax breaks to Corporate America, while voting against tax breaks to alleviate the pains of foreclosures, education costs, unfair wages, child care and health care on middle class Oklahomans."

The first advertisement, which is slated to start running on October 22nd, will air on cable and network television stations through the remainder of the election cycle.

Rice Silent On Obama Endorsement

Democrat Andrew Rice, who trails Republican incumbent Jim Inhofe in the race for the U. S. Senate, has remained silent today after he was endorsed by Barack Obama.

Rice's website contained no mention of the endorsement 12 hours after it was issued in an email to Obama supporters. On the campaign trail, Rice apparently has not mentioned the endorsement in person, either.

The latest TvPoll issued Monday shows Obama trailing John McCain in the state by a 2-to-1 margin.

Roth Throws Mud In Corp Comm Race

The Associated Press ~ A tough race for a seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission has turned nasty, with incumbent Jim Roth accusing his opponent in a television advertisement of underhanded financial dealings with her own family.

[The charge stems from an unsubstantiated allegation made during a contentious divorce action 16 years ago.

[Roth's mud-slinging comes despite poll numbers this week that show him slightly ahead of Republican Dana Murphy after a barrage of positive commercials on his behalf.

[Murphy's campaign thus far has not engaged in negative campaigning, despite what some believe is a ready-made and current issue, Roth's apparent conflict of interest in voting against a coal-powered plant opposed by his campaign co-chairman, fundraiser and maximum donor Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake Energy Corp. Thus far, Murphy has not so much as mentioned the connection between the two despite being urged to point it out.]

McCain Campaign Decries Media Bias

John McCain's campaign seems to be playing a little hardball with the media in the final two weeks of the presidential race.

The campaign on Tuesday issued a statement decrying NBC News for its "apparent refusal" to air Joe Biden's controversial remarks that Barack Obama would face a "generated crisis" early on if he is elected.

"Biden's remarks capture perfectly the message of this campaign: Barack Obama is too risky, too inexperienced, to serve as commander in chief -- that his election by itself will provoke our enemies, and that his brief record raises serious questions as to how an Obama administration would respond to such a challenge," McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb said in the written statement.

"This campaign highlighted Biden's remarks throughout the day yesterday," he continued. "Yet on NBC Nightly News last night, when Andrea Mitchell reported on Biden's remarks, she failed to play the relevant portion -- the portion that this campaign and a variety of news outlets had found controversial, or revealing as the case may be."

Lerblance: 'Slap an L on my forehead'

Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Gary Jones said today that he agrees with State Senator Richard Lerblance on one important issue: Lerblance is a liberal.

"Richard Lerblance has turned campaigning as a conservative and legislating as a liberal into an art form," Jones said. "I must agree with Richard Lerblance's statement on opea.org," the website of the Oklahoma Public Employees union.

"He is a liberal."

"I've been called a 'liberal'...slap an 'L' on my forehead," Lerblance proclaimed, defending his big-spending record on opea.org.

"Richard Lerblance claims in his campaign materials to hold positions that he knows the voters in his conservative district prefer," Jones said, "but while pandering for the votes of the 450 state employees living in Senate District 7, he gladly boasts about his liberal, big-spending voting record.

"I'm sure he thought this stark admission would be maintained in the privacy of a website that few voters would ever visit, but Richard Lerblance has exposed himself as the liberal his fellow Senators know him to be," Jones continued.

"The jig is up, Senator. Not only will we follow your advice and slap an 'L' on your forehead as you suggest, but the voters of District 7 will slap an 'L' for 'loser' on your record on election day."

Lerblance faces Republican Kenny Sherrill.

Gun Grabbers Endorse Obama-Biden Ticket

The nation's best-known anti-gun group, the Brady Campaign, has endorsed Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

The group favors a ban on all semiautomatic firearms, opposes the ownership of firearms by lawabiding citizens and has supported the unconstitutional gun control ordinances in Washington, D. C., San Francisco and other cities.

Military Shows Overwhelming Support For McCain

A poll by the Military Times newspaper group suggests that there is overwhelming support for John McCain among U.S. troops in every branch of the armed forces by a nearly 3-1 margin.

According to the poll, 68 percent of active-duty and retired servicemen and women support McCain, while 23 percent support Barack Obama. The numbers are nearly identical among officers and enlisted troops.

Tulsa Today: Obama's Wealth Redistribution Plan

By David Arnett/Tulsa Today ~ Analysis: Presidential candidate Barack Obama uttered the words that finally placed his true perspective in public. He said, “I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”

That is what is called “redistribution of wealth” a foundation of socialism. Note that the only difference between socialism and communism is that communists put military on the streets where socialists indoctrinate your children. Thus, the truth of Obama’s much heralded “change” is to end America’s representative form of government in favor of Big Mamma government – she can care for us all.

Read the entire analysis at www.tulsatoday.com.

Palin Rises Above Media Villification

An Analysis

The villification of Sarah Palin by the mainstream media continues unabated.

Some so-called "news" anchors mock her at every opportunity. MSNBC and CNN repeatedly cite polls they claim show she is not helping John McCain in his bid for the White House. The homosexual host of a late night show on MSNBC regularly makes outrageous comments about Palin, often with a smirk on her face.

The dissing of Plain comes in the face of the huge, enthusiastic crowds Palin continues to draw on the campaign trail and despite some earlier missteps, Palin has become an aggressive, articulate advocate of conservative values.

What many in the mainstream media miss is the impact Palin has had on the conservative base which, until her emergence, appeared ready to sit on its collective hands for the rest of the campaign. That is not the case now, as right-to-life, smaller government, pro-gun, less taxes and put-God-back-in-schools conservatives rally to the McCain-Palin ticket. And that occurs not just in Oklahoma.

Reports from some battleground states indicate that while Obama may lead in some, his leads are tenuous and the number of undecided voters has climbed as McCain-Palin commercials begin to pierce the non-stop barrage of Obama commercials.

Cole: ACORN's Massive, Multi-state Voter Fraud

By Congressman Tom Cole

Much is being made in the news lately of the uncovering of massive, multi-state, multi-election cycle voter fraud, perpetrated by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, also known as ACORN. In just the past year and a half ACORN claims to have registered 1.3 million new voters. Normally this would be a good thing - we should encourage greater participation in our political system. Unfortunately, it is becoming clear that ACORN was operating a massive scam by registering tens of thousands of phony voters.

In Nevada it has been revealed that ACORN hired inmates in the state penitentiary to register new voters. They registered the Dallas Cowboys to vote in Nevada. Another Nevada canvasser was caught filling out voter registration forms using names and addresses copied out of the telephone book. Needless to say, this scandal is not confined to Nevada. Election officials in Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Mexico have all uncovered similar instances of fraud. A state prosecutor in Washington State put it very well when he described the activities of ACORN as "an act of vandalism against our voter rolls."

Voting in free and fair elections is the very foundation of our system of self governance. Who can ever forget the remarkable election of 2000 when the candidate who actually received fewer popular votes won the election? This was after an extended recount - in the state his bother served as Governor - and a 5-4 Supreme Court decision. Yet at no time did we see tanks rolling through the streets. There was no martial law. Americans tuned into the Tonight Show every night to see Jay Leno cracking jokes about hanging chads. This was possible because Americans had faith that despite the problems we had in that election, the process was fundamentally honest and fair. Organizations like ACORN undermine that trust and as a result they undermine the very political stability of the United States.

And as if this treachery weren't enough, ACORN does this with millions of dollars of taxpayer money. You see, ACORN played another role in the dominant news item of the past several weeks - the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage industry. For years ACORN has used intimidation tactics to force banks to make loans to people who couldn't afford to pay them back. And they extorted millions of dollars from Congress under the auspices of the Community Redevelopment Act by arranging to have Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy up the risky mortgages on the secondary market.

Remarkably, in the recently passed Economic Recovery Act, the liberals in Congress attempted to put even more money into the pockets of their cronies at ACORN. Fortunately, the Republicans put their foot down and all additional funding for ACORN was stripped from the bill. I'd call that a good start, but now we need to get to work making sure the rest of their taxpayer funding is stripped away.

Unfortunately, it does not appear to be just a few bad apples at ACORN. The entire organization has a considerable record of manipulation and fraud. In June the Consumers Rights League published a series of internal documents from the organization that reveal ACORN has comingled political money and taxpayer funds. In order to prevent future taxpayer rip-offs and blatant voter fraud, the Community Reinvestment Act needs to be overhauled, and ACORN should never again receive a penny of taxpayer money. Furthermore, those responsible for the fraudulent registrations must be thoroughly investigated, and if found guilty, punished to the full extent of the law.

Rare Candor: Rather Notes Media's Bias

From Newsbusters ~ Former CBS news anchor Dan Rather noted on today's Morning Joe on MSNBC that the traditional media is largely ignoring Democratic Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden's alarming comment on Sunday: "... (M)ark my words, within the next, first six months of this administration if we win, you're gonna face a major international challenge, because they are going to want to test him...."

Rather pointed out "... (C)ertainly if Sarah Palin had said this it would be above the fold in most newspapers today...

"(I)f Sarah Palin had said this, the newspapers would have jumped all over it and so would have the major television outlets."

Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski agreed with Rather's assessment, saying "I'm seeing spotty media coverage."

Birds Of A Feather: Obama Endorses Andrew Rice

Barack Obama is out with an email endorsing Democrat Andrew Rice in his uphill battle against incumbent Republican U. S. Senator Jim Inhofe.

Why Rice would embrace the endorsement of Obama is a mystery to some; Rice is running ahead of Obama, who is likely to lose Oklahoma 2-to-1 to John McCain.

Here's the text of the Obama email:

Dear Friend, You can change politics in this country at every level -- up and down the ballot. Our records show that you live in Oklahoma. There's a candidate in Oklahoma who's working to bring the change this country needs, and that candidate is Andrew Rice. Get involved and help bring change now. Andrew Rice for Senate: Visit the website. Don't wait until Election Day to support Rice. Get involved today to make sure Oklahoma has a strong senator to take our country in a new direction. Thanks, Obama for America P.S. -- To get involved with Obama for America in your community, visit your state page: http://OK.barackobama.com

Riley Photo Gaffe: Unintentional...Or Planned?

Bunny Chambers, Oklahoma's immediate past Republican National Committeewoman, longtime Republican activist and leader in the Oklahoma Federation of Republican Women, today thanked Democrat State Senator Nancy Riley for promoting a Republican Women's organization in her campaign materials by using a photo showing her wearing a GOP brooch.

It's unclear whether that's a Riley photographic gaffe or an intentional act designed to deceive GOP voters.

"I'd like to think it's gracious of Nancy to use a photo of her wearing her Oklahoma Federation of Republican Women's (OFRW) First Ladies brooch along side her Senate member pin on her campaign materials," said Mrs. Chambers, "but I'm not confident her motives are pure."

Riley, a Democrat, has used a photo of her wearing her OFRW First Ladies cameo brooch on several direct mail pieces and on her website over the past several months. Republican women are suspicious of her motives, perhaps trying to send messages to female Republican voters in her district that she's still "one of them," but Chambers and others in her organization aren't fooled.

"We appreciate her efforts to promote our organization and our cause," Chambers continued, "but the truth is, Nancy Riley ceased being a member in good standing of our organization over two years ago when she switched to the Democrat Party after finishing third in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor.

"And sadly, her voting record reflects her change in allegiance," Mrs. Chambers continued. "We don't want any Republican women in Senate District 37 to be confused.

"She may be using an old photograph of her days as a Republican woman, but Nancy Riley is decidedly not a Republican anymore, and I along with Republican women around the state of Oklahoma heartily endorse Dan Newberry for Senate in District 37," Chambers proclaimed.

NAACP Rips Tulsa World's Use Of Student Name

Members of the Tulsa chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People criticized the Tulsa World for publishing the name of a teenager who was recently arrested on complaints of bringing a gun to a high school.

"The Tulsa World didn't violate any juvenile protection laws, but they violated moral laws," said Twan Jones, the chairman of the chapter's legal redress committee, during a news conference Sunday.

The chapter took exception with an Oct. 2 Tulsa World story in which Booker T. Washington High School was temporarily placed on lockdown after three handguns were found on the school's grounds.

Four male students — two age 14, one age 15, and one age 16 — were arrested on complaints of possession of a gun on school property.

Officials did not identify the students, but sources told the Tulsa World that one of them was Rico Yarbrough. Jones said the Tulsa World was the only news media outlet in the city to name Yarbrough in the incident.

Yarbrough is the son of a former Tulsa police officer, also named Rico Yarbrough, who is awaiting sentencing on federal convictions of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and giving unlawful notice of a search warrant in a drug case in which he admitted to shielding a suspected cocaine trafficker from authorities.

Obama's Glowing Recommendation On Ayers' Book

Five Reasons McCain-Palin Will Sweep Oklahoma

Abortion ~ Barack Obama, throughout his political career, has favored abortion, including partial birth abortion. John McCain and Sarah Palin are opposed, as are a majority of Oklahomans.

Big Government ~ Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the most liberal members of the U. S. Senate, consistently have proposed the expansion of government. In this campaign, Obama clearly has outlined massive new social programs and the expansion of existing ones.

Guns ~ Barack Obama and Joe Biden are gun-grabbers. Despite Obama's lip service to the 2nd Amendment, his sorry record in support of gun control, restrictions on ammo, restrictions on the right to self defense and his opposition to concealed carry of firearms by licensed, law-abiding citizens is clear. Oklahoma voters have demonstrated many times that they reject any form of gun control.

Taxes ~ Barack Obama has outlined programs that will cost billions in tax dollars. His wealth redistribution plan would take taxes from ordinary citizens and give it to others, many of whom chose not to work and pay no taxes. His plan is socialistic.

Trust ~ Say what they will about John McCain, his is a man of his word. His long record of service to the nation is built on trust and honor. Barack Obama's empty record contains no such assurance and is in fact questionable.

TvPoll: Murphy-Roth Race Now A Dead Heat

A new TvPoll for KWTV-Channel 9 shows tightening in only one race and that is the battle for the short term on the Corporation Commission. In that race, the poll found a tie between incumbent Democrat Jim Roth and challenger Republican Dana Murphy, both at 39.2 percent. The undecided is at 21 percent. Murphy had been ahead in six previous TvPoll tracking polls.

In the presidential race, McCain-Palin continue their dominance over Obama-Biden with a 31 percent lead, 63.7 to 32 percent.

In the U. S. Senate race pitting incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe against Democrat Andrew Rice, Inhofe maintains a 13 percent lead, 52.9 to 39.5 percent.

In the race for the long term on the Corporation Commission, Republican incumbent Jeff Cloud has opened a 15 percent lead over Democrat Charles Gray, 44.9 to 29.9 percent.

Observers note that Cloud's television commercials are airing while Gray is yet to be seen and that could account for Cloud's widening lead.

The same can be said in the Murphy-Roth race, where Roth's television commercials air with increasing frequency to an occasional Murphy commercial. Roth, flush with cash in his campaign kitty, has been able to define himself to voters and insiders say Murphy missed an opportunity to define him before he did. Roth's greater commercial frequency accounts for his closing what was a gap between himself and Murphy.

Take A Minute To Study This Graphic

The Oklahoman has posted a graphic showing links to those involved in the Steve Phipps/Jeff McMahan/Gene Stipe/Mike Mass/Richard Lerblance/Tim Arbaugh/Randall Erwin/Jerry Hefner/Randy Dittman/Larry Witt campaign finance scandal. Take a moment to view this insightful graphic at http://static.newsok.biz/flash/stipe/stipe.html.

OFRG Opposes OEA's Initiative Petition

An official with Oklahomans for Responsible Government said today that the Oklahoma Education Association's (OEA) submission of petition signatures to the Secretary of State brings Oklahoma one step closer to catastrophic cuts in state services, school consolidation, and/or record tax increases.

OFRG joins American Federation of Teachers-Oklahoma, an affiliated international union of the AFL-CIO, who has pointed out the detrimental impact the OEA's initiative will have on the state, "If taxes were not increased to produce enough funds to reach the regional average, state services from Medicaid, roads and bridges, public safety, to state employees would suffer budget cuts. We oppose public employees losing jobs for this petition."

AFT-Oklahoma has voted to oppose the initiative petition. (AFT-Oklahoma website)

Oklahomans for Responsible Government (OFRG) and others want transparency of current dollars first. "Taxpayers should know how their money is currently being spent," said Brian Downs, Executive Director of OFRG. "The state has increased education dollars every year since 2003 and passed a lottery that has failed. Why should Oklahoma taxpayers buy-in to another scheme without review of how current dollars are used?"

Will Obama And Dems Assault Conservative Radio?

From The New York Post ~ Should Barack Obama win the presidency and Democrats take full control of Congress, next year will see a real legislative attempt to bring back the Fairness Doctrine - and to diminish conservatives' influence on broadcast radio, the one medium they dominate.

Yes, the Obama campaign said some months back that the candidate doesn't seek to re-impose this regulation, which, until Ronald Reagan's FCC phased it out in the 1980s, required TV and radio broadcasters to give balanced airtime to opposing viewpoints or face steep fines or even loss of license. But most Democrats - including party elders Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry and Al Gore - strongly support the idea of mandating "fairness."

Read the entire article at www.newyorkpost.com.

Over-limit, Foreign Cash To Obama Questioned

By Kenneth R. Timmerman ~ As Barack Obama reaped a stunning $150 million in campaign donations in September, bringing his total to more than $600 million, new questions have arisen about the source of his amazing funding.

By Obama’s own admission, more than half of his contributions have come from small donors giving $200 or less. But unlike John McCain’s campaign, Obama won’t release the names of these donors.

A Newsmax canvass of disclosed Obama campaign donors shows worrisome anomalies, including outright violations of federal election laws.

For example, Obama has numerous donors who have contributed well over the $4,600 federal election limit.

Many of these donors have never been contacted by the Obama campaign to refund the excess amounts to them.

And more than 37,000 Obama donations appear to be conversions of foreign currency.

Some OU, OSU Profs Support Terrorist Bill Ayers

From Brandon Dutcher's Blog ~ The Chicago Sun-Times reports that more than 3,200 educators have signed a statement supporting unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers.

Among the tax-funded Oklahomans on the list: Penny A. Pasque, John F. Covaleskie, and Elizabeth A. Ethridge from the University of Oklahoma, and Hongyu Wang and Bob Nolan from Oklahoma State University.

Obama-Loving Media Cited By Time Writer

Time magazine's Mark Halperin on Sunday made one of the strongest insider indictments to date about how the Obama-loving media have behaved during this presidential campaign.

Talking with CNN/Washington Post media analyst Howard Kurtz about the "clear, unambiguous double standard" concerning how differently Barack Obama's fundraising and flipflop over taking public campaign funds would be covered by the press if he was a Republican, Halperin boldly stated that any reporter who doesn't ask why that is "is doing themselves and our profession and our democracy a disservice."

Zogby: 'Something has happened' In Presidential Race As McCain Pulls To Within 3% Of Obama

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama's lead over Republican John McCain in the presidential race has dropped to 3 points, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Sunday.

Obama leads McCain by 48 to 45 percent among likely U.S. voters, down 1 percentage point from Saturday.

Results Within Poll's Margin Of Error

The four-day tracking poll, which has a margin of error of 2.9 points, is the latest to indicate a McCain bump.

Pollster John Zogby said the numbers are good news for McCain, and probably reflect a bump following his appearance in the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday.

"For the first time in the polling McCain is up above 45 percent. There is no question something has happened," Zogby said.

He said the Arizona senator appeared to have solidified his support with the Republican base -- where 9 out of 10 voters now back him -- and was also gaining ground among the independents who may play a decisive role in the November 4 election.

Obama's lead among independent voters dropped to 8 points on Sunday from 16 points a day earlier. "If that trend continues, it is something that has got to raise red flags for Obama," Zogby said. "It suggests to me that his outward look of confidence may be as much strategy as it is real."

McCain: Obama's Economic Plan Is Socialism

From YAHOO! News/CHARLOTTE, N.C. ~ Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Saturday accused Democratic rival Barack Obama of favoring a socialistic economic approach by supporting tax cuts and tax credits McCain says would merely shuffle wealth rather than creating it.

"At least in Europe, the Socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives," McCain said in a radio address. "They use real numbers and honest language. And we should demand equal candor from Sen. Obama. Raising taxes on some in order to give checks to others is not a tax cut; it's just another government giveaway."

Has John McCain Finally Found His Voice?

John McCain barnstormed across Florida on Friday, attacking "socialist" Barack Obama and drawing contrasts between his philosophy and that of Obama before huge crowds in Republican areas. McCain drew 6,000 at one event, 7,000 at a second.

Some analysts say McCain's description of Obama's wealth redistribution economic plan as "socialist" seems to resonate with voters and has, finally, seemed to give McCain a theme he can hammer in the remaining days of the campaign.

Coffee Touts Hunting, Fishing Rights In SQ742

From The Tulsa World ~ Republican leader Glenn Coffee of Oklahoma City believes hunting and fishing are important parts of Oklahoma's heritage. In sponsoring State Question 742, he said he thought it was time to make it a right.

The measure would add a new section to the Oklahoma Constitution giving "all people of this state the right to hunt, trap, fish and take game and fish," subject to reasonable regulation.

It's one of four state questions that will be voted on November 4th.

Raley Named Ethics Commission Chairman

From The Tulsa World ~ John Raley, an outspoken state ethics commissioner, on Friday was named chairman of the watchdog board that scrutinizes candidates' political campaigns.

Raley noted that commissioners do no receive any pay for serving, other than mileage to and from meetings.

"We do it because we love this state and want to serve," said Raley, a former U.S. attorney from Ponca City.

Raley has been the most vocal critic of the state Legislature's failure to fund the state Ethics Commission adequately.

He has threatened to sue the Legislature if it did not substantially increase the commission's budget.

Rasmussen: Voters See Mainstream Media Bias At Peak, Worse Problem Than Big Donations

Fifty-five percent (55%) of U.S. voters say the media coverage of this year’s presidential campaign is more biased than in previous election years, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Only six percent (6%) say the coverage is less biased, while 36% rate it about the same as in previous election years.

Republicans by more than two-to-one compared to Democrats – 79% to 36% -- see the coverage as more biased. Over half of Democrats (52%) say the coverage is about the same as in previous elections, but just 16% of Republicans agree.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of unaffiliated voters also say the media coverage is more biased this year.

In a survey last month, 69% said reporters try to help the candidate they want to win, and 50% believed this year they were trying to help Democratic candidate Barack Obama. Just 11% thought they were trying to help his Republican opponent John McCain. These findings have been consistent through several surveys this election year.

In August, 55% said media bias is more of a problem than big campaign contributions.

Asked to rate the three major cable news channels in the latest survey, sizable percentages say the coverage on both CNN and MSNBC is biased in favor of Obama. Where Republicans overwhelmingly see bias, Democrats see no bias. Even Democratic voters, however, do not say either of these networks favors McCain.

Fifty-one percent (51%) say MSNBC’s coverage is biased to help Obama, while 28% say it is unbiased. Five percent (5%) say MSNBC favors McCain.

While 60% of male voters see pro-Obama bias on MSNBC, only 42% of women feel that way. Seventy-five percent (75%) of Republicans and 52% of unafilliated voters think the network leans toward Obama, compared to 29% of Democrats.

MSNBC got a black eye last month when it was forced to reverse its decision to have outspoken liberal analysts Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews lead its election news coverage. Complaints from Republicans and from within its parent network NBC prompted the change.

Forty-six percent (46%) say CNN’s coverage is biased to help Obama, but 33% say it is unbiased. Six percent (6%) say it tilts toward McCain.

Again, men are more critical than women. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans say CNN favors Obama, but only 21% of Democrats agree. Forty-five percent (45%) of unaffiliateds say CNN is biased in favor of Obama, but 32% says its coverage is unbiased.

A plurality of voters (42%) rate both Fox News and their local newspaper as unbiased in terms of political coverage. But 39% say coverage on Fox is biased to help McCain, while 32% say their local newspaper’s coverage tilts toward Obama. Thirteen percent (13%) say their local paper is biased to help McCain.

Just eight percent (8%) say Fox is biased in favor of the Democrat. In the final presidential debate Wednesday night, Obama made a joking reference to Fox’s coverage of him, suggesting it is seldom favorable.

While 62% of Republicans say Fox’s coverage is unbiased, 58% of Democrats say it leans toward McCain. Forty-four percent (44%) of unaffiliated voters say Fox favors the Republican, but 40% rate its coverage as unbiased.

In a survey in early August, 87% of Fox News viewers said they were likely to vote for McCain, while those who watch CNN and MSNBC planned to support Obama in November by more than two-to-one.

Earlier this week, 32% described this year’s presidential race as more negative than most, but 74% also said the media reports more on negative campaigning than the issues.

Obama's Associated Press Does It Again

The Associated Press once again has demonstrated its bias against Republican presidential candidate John McCain, ignoring a new national poll result that shows the race between McCain and Barack Obama a dead heat and instead focusing on some poll "internals" that purport to highight McCain's weaknesses.

It's the latest in a long string of questionable national AP stories slanted to favor Obama.

The AP story accompanying the poll is titled, "Poll: Voters Souring on McCain, Obama Stays Steady." It focuses on the increase in negative views of McCain -- his favorable ratings exceed his unfavorable by just 5 points, down from 21 points last month. Obama's favorable versus unfavorable ratings have grown from a 5-point to a 15-point margin during that time.

An AP news executive, quizzed about the latest report, defended it, claiming the poll story is "not about a horse race" but focused instead on other aspects of the poll.

TMRO Publisher Mike McCarville, longtime political consultant and observer, told a national radio audience Friday night that the AP executive's remark "reminds me of what we used to scoop out of the chicken coop."

Red Dirt Report: ACORN Skipped Out On OKC Office Rent, Left Angry Landlord, Littered Office

Story & Photo By Andrew W. Griffin/Red Dirt Report

OKLAHOMA CITY – On the second floor of an old building in South Oklahoma City's “Little Mexico” neighborhood, there is a room that until recently, housed a branch of ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), a low-income advocacy organization known for left-wing activism, rabble-rousing and – shockingly – voter registration fraud.

Left hurriedly and in a shambles, the small office, coated in a layer of plaster dust, still housed computers, documents, registration forms, I-9 employment info and boxes with an IRS return address and others with a return address for an ACORN office in New Orleans.

The person working at this office, Adam Carter, had reportedly skipped town in June, according to the landlord. and in August, an ACORN representative from Tulsa came down and took more items, leaving behind what was found by Red Dirt Report.

ACORN never fulfilled it’s year lease for the property and never paid a dime in rent. The landlord told Red Dirt Report that the ACORN workers seemed to attract trouble and that there was something not quite right about what they were doing. The landlord also said that the aforementioned Tulsa ACORN worker, named “Brittany,” said ACORN didn't have any money to pay for the rent and that Carter had depleted the South Oklahoma City ACORN account.

A call to the main Oklahoma City ACORN office at 2525 Northwest Expressway revealed that the number had been disconnected. A call to the ACORN office in Tulsa, at 531 E. 36th Street North went unanswered.

Granted, these are bad times for ACORN and calls from the media may have resulted in a siege mentality for the group. Nevertheless, ACORN is active in Oklahoma and while touting itself as non-partisan and accepting federal funds, seems to want to advance the goals of “The Party” (aka Democrats) according to evidence left in the abandoned office.

If you haven’t heard of ACORN before, chances are in the past couple of weeks you can’t escape reference to the group. A little history. ACORN began in Little Rock, Arkansas in the 1970’s as a welfare-rights group working with low-income folks. But over the years, ACORN grew beyond the boundaries of the Natural State and in the process expanded the number of core issues it would address.

But in those intervening years there have been countless examples of fraud, rabble-rousing and even nepotism and embezzlement on the part of the brother of ACORN founder Wade Rathke. Then there is the growing scandal related to voter fraud connected to ACORN voter registration drives. With everyone from Mickey Mouse to Jimmy John’s (a restaurant) to the players on the Dallas Cowboys (in Nevada?!?) getting registered across the country, a growing number of states are looking into ACORN and the false voter registration forms. In Ohio alone, 200,000 voter registration forms appear to be fraudulent.

In the past decade, ACORN started ACORN Votes, ACORN’s national political action committee. Not surprisingly, earlier this year they endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president. Obama, as it turns out, represented ACORN on legal issues in 1995. Obama also worked on voter-registration drives in Illinois with Project Vote, an ACORN-allied organization that helped ACORN register over 1 million people to vote. The Obama campaign also gave over $800,000 to an ACORN subsidiary to help augment grassroots efforts in several battleground states.

As noted in a piece by Deroy Murdock at National Review Online, in his November 2007 ACORN address, Obama said: “I’ve been fighting alongside ACORN on issues you care about my entire career.”

Then, there is the online news site, World Net Daily, which has reported this week that Obama has not been entirely truthful about his links to the activist organization. As new reports show, he helped train ACORN activists.

Why isn’t Obama being entirely truthful about his connection?

Additionally, an MSNBC investigation showed that court documents show ACORN has a troubled history.

According to a source close to the Oklahoma County Election Board, last Friday night, 30 minutes before midnight, Democrat activists brought in a stack of voter registration forms. It was noted, by this source known only to Red Dirt Report, that the activists were going to Oklahoma City area homeless shelters and signing up homeless folks with plans to take them to the polls on election day.

And on Thursday, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Moore) said in a press release that a serious investigation into ACORN is warranted, saying, “Furthermore, those responsible for the fraudulent registrations must be thoroughly investigated, and if found guilty, punished to the full extent of the law.”

Red Dirt Report was allowed exclusive entry into the abandoned South Oklahoma City ACORN office which had been trashed and ransacked. Interestingly, flyers left behind called for people in the low-income neighborhood to come to a meeting to talk about the need for more streetlights in crime-ridden neighborhoods. Was this merely a way to get people worked up about an issue so they would come in and then in turn register as a Democrat? Some evidence appears to point to that.

In fact, the evidence discovered in the abandoned office on South Robinson revealed maps of Oklahoma City broken down in House districts. Districts where a Republican won, but just barely, were highlighted. Papers related to the 2006 election results for Oklahoma were also noted.

Red Dirt Report contacted ACORN regional offices in Little Rock and New Orleans seeking comment on ACORN activities in Oklahoma and ACORN activist Adam Carter. However, those calls were not returned.

It should be noted that a source close to Red Dirt Report has it on good authority that a more serious investigation into ACORN may take place.

In Oklahoma’s First Congressional District, in the Tulsa area, Democrat congressional candidate Georgianna Oliver, running against incumbent Republican John Sullivan, was endorsed by ACORN in a letter that was posted at Oliver’s campaign website. Writes North Tulsa (ACORN) Chapter Chairperson Patricia Walker, “Our members are excited to support you and believe that you are committed to representing our issues in this most-important race.”

The blog Living On Tulsa Time found the ACORN endorsement, on ACORN letterhead, which has since been scrubbed from the campaign site OliverForUSCongress.com. Why wouldn’t Oliver want to note that endorsement?

We may never know. A call to the Oliver campaign office in Tulsa was not returned. Neither was a call to the Sullivan campaign, seeking comment on Oliver accepting the endorsement.

Time Is Running Out For Andrew Rice

Analysis Shows Small Undecided Percentage

Lagging behind incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe, Democratic Senate candidate Andrew Rice appears to be running out of time to draw close to Inhofe and it appears there's no room among undecided voters for Rice to gain ground.

Those conclusions can be reached by examining the latest statewide TvPoll results reported on KWTV-Channel 9 in Oklahoma City.

The poll's Week Six findings show Inhofe at 53.1 percent and Rice at 39.5 percent. The Independent candidate draws only two percent support and the undecideds are now down to just 5.4 percent. Thus, even if Rice got all of those voters, he'd still be far short of Inhofe's percentage.

For Oklahoma Republicans nervous about the nationwide presidential race prospects, John McCain remains a huge winner in Oklahoma, leading Barack Obama by a 2-to-1 margin, 63 to 32 percent. Some believe McCain's Oklahoma margin will be the largest in the nation, speculation placing the actual vote at about the 2-to-1 margin. That would rank as one of the worst Democrat showings in history.

In the race for the short term on the Corporation Commission, Republican Dana Murphy maintains a tenuous lead over incumbent Democrat Jim Roth, 40 to 35 percent with a huge 25 percent undecided.

The TvPoll results show McCain clobbering Obama among registered Democrats. With that kind of drag at the top of the ticket, Rice and Roth, as well as Democrat Charles Gray in the long-term Corporation Commission race against incumbent Jeff Cloud, appear to be swimming upstream.

AP/Yahoo: Obama, McCain In Dead Heat

A new AP/Yahoo poll shows the race for president a dead heat.

The poll found Barack Obama with 44 percent, John McCain with 42 percent.

The poll was taken of more than 1,500 voters, 873 Democrats and 650 Republicans.

The Oklahoman's John Greiner Retires

John Greiner, for 37 years a Capitol correspondent for The Oklahoman, is retiring.

Greiner, 66, is known as one of the Capitol's fairest and most accurate reporters. The Henryetta native plans to spend more time with his grandchildren and compile a family history.

Greiner was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 1993. He spent 30 years in the Army Reserve and the Oklahoma National Guard and retired as a colonel.

Coulter: The History Of Presidential Polls

Excerpted From A Column By Ann Coulter ~ Reviewing the polls printed in The New York Times and The Washington Post in the last month of every presidential election since 1976, I found the polls were never wrong in a friendly way to Republicans. When the polls were wrong, which was often, they overestimated support for the Democrat, usually by about 6 to 10 points.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter narrowly beat Gerald Ford 50.1 percent to 48 percent. And yet, on Sept. 1, Carter led Ford by 15 points. Just weeks before the election, on Oct. 16, 1976, Carter led Ford in the Gallup Poll by 6 percentage points -- down from his 33-point Gallup Poll lead in August.

Reading newspaper coverage of presidential elections in 1980 and 1984, I found myself paralyzed by the fear that Reagan was going to lose.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan beat Carter by nearly 10 points, 51 percent to 41 percent. In a Gallup Poll released days before the election on Oct. 27, it was Carter who led Reagan 45 percent to 42 percent.

In 1984, Reagan walloped Walter Mondale 58.8 percent to 40 percent, -- the largest electoral landslide in U.S. history. But on Oct. 15, The New York Daily News published a poll showing Mondale with only a 4-point deficit to Reagan, 45 percent to 41 percent. A Harris Poll about the same time showed Reagan with only a 9-point lead. The Oct. 19 New York Times/CBS News Poll had Mr. Reagan ahead of Mondale by 13 points. All these polls underestimated Reagan's actual margin of victory by 6 to 15 points.

In 1988, George H.W. Bush beat Michael Dukakis by a whopping 53.4 percent to 45.6 percent. A New York Times/CBS News Poll on Oct. 5 had Bush leading the Greek homunculus by a statistically insignificant 2 points -- 45 percent to 43 percent. (For the kids out there: Before it became a clearinghouse for anti-Bush conspiracy theories, CBS News was considered a credible journalistic entity.)

A week later -- or one tank ride later, depending on who's telling the story -- on Oct. 13, Bush was leading Dukakis in The New York Times Poll by a mere 5 points. Admittedly, a 3- to 6-point error is not as crazily wrong as the 6- to 15-point error in 1984. But it's striking that even small "margin of error" mistakes never seem to benefit Republicans.

In 1992, Bill Clinton beat the first President Bush 43 percent to 37.7 percent. (Ross Perot got 18.9 percent of Bush's voters that year.) On Oct. 18, a Newsweek Poll had Clinton winning 46 percent to 31 percent, and a CBS News Poll showed Clinton winning 47 percent to 35 percent.

So in 1992, the polls had Clinton 12 to 15 points ahead, but he won by only 5.3 points. In 1996, Bill Clinton beat Bob Dole 49 percent to 40 percent. And yet on Oct. 22, 1996, The New York Times/CBS News Poll showed Clinton leading by a massive 22 points, 55 percent to 33 percent.

In 2000, which I seem to recall as being fairly close, the October polls accurately described the election as a virtual tie, with either Bush or John Kerry 1 or 2 points ahead in various polls. But in one of the latest polls to give either candidate a clear advantage, The New York Times/CBS News Poll on Oct. 3, 2000, showed Gore winning by 45 percent to 39 percent.

In the last presidential election the polls were surprisingly accurate -- not including the massively inaccurate Election Day exit poll. In the end, Bush beat John Kerry 50.7 percent to 48.3 percent in 2004. Most of the October polls showed the candidates in a dead-heat, with Bush 1 to 3 points ahead. So either pollsters got a whole lot better starting in 2004, or Democrats stole more votes in that election than we even realized.

Rasmussen: Obama's Slender Lead

A new Rasumussen Reports poll of 3,000 likely voters in the presidential race shows Barack Obama at 50 percent, John McCain at 46 percent. The spread is within a point of the poll's margin of error.

It's the second poll released today that shows the presidential race likely is a dead heat. Unlike other polls taken of all voters (as opposed to just likely voters), these two polls indicate Obama has yet to "close the deal" with voters and McCain has gained in recent days.

Gallup: Presidential Race Far From Over

From Drudge: A new Gallup poll shows the race for president among likely voters essentially is a tie. The poll put Barack Obama at 49 percent, John McCain at 47 percent. The poll was released Thursday. Obama's two-point lead is within the poll's margin of error.

Developing....

Barack The Plumber

Benge Announces Push For Voter ID

Legislation requiring identification to vote will be a priority for House Republicans next session House Speaker Chris Benge said today.

The announcement came on the same day FBI officials confirmed to the Associated Press that there is an ongoing investigation into whether the community activist group ACORN encouraged voter fraud across the country in an effort to register more Democrats prior to the Nov. 4 election.

For years, House Republicans have pushed to increase Oklahomans’ faith in their elections by requiring identification prior to voting, including a free state-issued voter ID card. But, Democrats have blocked the effort, claiming an ID will disenfranchise poor voters.

“We are not asking low-income voters to pay anything for identification,” said Benge, R-Tulsa. “And anyone who shows up to the polls to vote on Election Day without an ID would still be able to cast a ballot and have their vote counted if they swear to their identity in a written affidavit.

“But in light of the accusations against ACORN, I think we can all agree that it is our duty to ensure the people of Oklahoma trust our election outcomes,” he said. “And the only way to prevent fraud is to have voters show proof they are who they say they are at the voting booth.”

Some ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) employees have been accused of submitting false voter registration forms – including some signed `Mickey Mouse' and several in Nevada listing Dallas Cowboys players’ names, though none of the players live in the state. Another Nevada ACORN worker was caught filling out voter registration forms using names and addresses copied out of the telephone book. In Nevada, Connecticut, Missouri and at least five other states, fraud investigations are underway and election officials in Ohio and North Carolina also recently questioned voter cards submitted by the group.

The FBI confirmed today they raided the ACORN offices in several states seeking evidence to prove a coordinated national voter scam. The group has claimed to register 1.3 million new voters this election cycle, many of which are now seen as tainted.

“Free and fair elections are the backbone of our democracy, and if Oklahomans do not have trust in our election system, that will only further suppress turnout and increase voter apathy,” said Benge. “We absolutely want to bring new voters into the fold, but we must protect against fraud by ensuring only those able to vote are casting ballots so when our election results are announced, Oklahomans can be confident in the results.”

Last year, Rep. Sue Tibbs carried legislation that would have required identification to vote. The bill provided for a long list of identification options, including a free, state-issued voter ID card, a copy of a utility bill or a driver’s license. It also included language that would have allowed Oklahomans to vote without identification if they signed an affidavit attesting to their identity.

But, the legislation was killed by Democrats in the Senate despite a ruling of the Indiana Supreme Court around the same time in favor of its voter identification law citing the need to reduce voter fraud.

Benge said the legislation will be filed again next legislative session and will be a leadership priority.

FBI Opens Nationwide ACORN Investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI is investigating whether the community activist group ACORN helped foster voter registration fraud around the nation before the presidential election.

A senior law enforcement official confirmed the investigation to The Associated Press on Thursday. A second senior law enforcement official says the FBI was looking at results of recent raids on ACORN offices in several states for any evidence of a coordinated national scam.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Justice Department regulations forbid discussing ongoing investigations particularly so close to an election.

ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, says it has registered 1.3 million young people, minorities and poor and working-class voters—most of whom tend to be Democrats.

Republican accusations about the group were raised during Wednesday's presidential debate between Democrat Barack Obama and GOP candidate John McCain. Some ACORN employees have been accused of submitting false voter registration forms—including some signed `Mickey Mouse' or other fictitious characters.

Those voter registration cards have become the focus of fraud investigations in Nevada, Connecticut, Missouri and at least five other states. Election officials in Ohio and North Carolina also recently questioned the group's voter forms.

Congressional Delegation Awash In Cash

Members of the state's congressional delegation, none of whom face a serious challenge this year, are awash in cash on hand. The latest numbers:

Dan Boren, D-2nd District ~ $1.1 million

Tom Cole, R-4th District ~ $563,323

Mary Fallin, R-5th District ~ $481,288

John Sullivan, R-1st District ~ $481,126

Frank Lucas, R-3rd District ~ $376,779

SS Agent Says Palin Rally Claim 'Unfounded'

SCRANTON, PA – The agent in charge of the Secret Service field office in Scranton said allegations that someone yelled “kill him” when presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s name was mentioned during Tuesday’s Sarah Palin rally are unfounded.

The Scranton Times-Tribune first reported the alleged incident on its Web site Tuesday and then again in its print edition Wednesday. The first story, written by reporter David Singleton, appeared with allegations that while congressional candidate Chris Hackett was addressing the crowd and mentioned Obama’s name a man in the audience shouted “kill him."

News organizations including ABC, The Associated Press, The Washington Monthly and MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann reported the claim, with most attributing the allegations to the Times-Tribune story.

Agent Bill Slavoski said he was in the audience, along with an undisclosed number of additional secret service agents and other law enforcement officers and not one heard the comment.

“I was baffled,” he said after reading the report in Wednesday’s Times-Tribune. He said the agency conducted an investigation Wednesday, after seeing the story, and could not find one person to corroborate the allegation other than Singleton.

Slavoski said more than 20 non-security agents were interviewed Wednesday, from news media to ordinary citizens in attendance at the rally for the Republican vice presidential candidate held at the Riverfront Sports Complex. He said Singleton was the only one to say he heard someone yell “kill him.”

“We have yet to find someone to back up the story,” Slavoski said. “We had people all over and we have yet to find anyone who said they heard it.”

Texas County Rejects 40% Of ACORN Names

From The Houston Chronicle ~ Although nearly 40 percent of the 35,000 voter registration applications submitted in Harris County by a community-organizing group accused of fraud in other states were rejected, there is no evidence of intentional manipulation of the voter rolls here, according to the county's voter registrar.

Elections officials in more than a dozen states are investigating reports that the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, submitted fraudulent registrations.

Republican leaders have called for a federal investigation, and GOP presidential nominee John McCain has been using connections between the group and his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, as fuel for attacks in the final weeks of the campaign.

About half of the 14,000 ACORN applications that were rejected in Harris County were missing required information such as the potential voter's address, date of birth and Texas driver's license number, said Paul Bettencourt, the county's voter registrar and tax assessor-collector. Another 3,800 applicants already were registered to vote.

Funeral Services Set For Debbie Morgan

Funeral services for Debbie Morgan, wife of House Democratic leader Danny Morgan, will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Prague High School Auditorium. Mrs. Morgan, 47, died suddenly on Tuesday.

Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Parks Brothers Funeral Home in Prague.

To ensure adequate seating, those planning to attend Saturday's service are asked to contact Valerie Rodgers with the House Democratic Caucus at 521-2711, extension 213, or email her at valorie.rodgers@okhouse.gov.

Cole: ACORN's Phony Voter Scam

By Congressman Tom Cole

Much is being made in the news lately of the uncovering of massive, multi-state, multi-election cycle voter fraud, perpetrated by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, also known as ACORN. In just the past year and a half ACORN claims to have registered 1.3 million new voters. Normally this would be a good thing - we should encourage greater participation in our political system. Unfortunately, it is becoming clear that ACORN was operating a massive scam by registering tens of thousands of phony voters.

In Nevada it has been revealed that ACORN hired inmates in the state penitentiary to register new voters. They registered the Dallas Cowboys to vote in Nevada. Another Nevada canvasser was caught filling out voter registration forms using names and addresses copied out of the telephone book. Needless to say, this scandal is not confined to Nevada. Election officials in Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Mexico have all uncovered similar instances of fraud. A state prosecutor in Washington State put it very well when he described the activities of ACORN as "an act of vandalism against our voter rolls."

Voting in free and fair elections is the very foundation of our system of self governance. Who can ever forget the remarkable election of 2000 when the candidate who actually received fewer popular votes won the election? This was after an extended recount - in the state his bother served as Governor - and a 5-4 Supreme Court decision. Yet at no time did we see tanks rolling through the streets. There was no martial law. Americans tuned into the Tonight Show every night to see Jay Leno cracking jokes about hanging chads. This was possible because Americans had faith that despite the problems we had in that election, the process was fundamentally honest and fair. Organizations like ACORN undermine that trust and as a result they undermine the very political stability of the United States.

And as if this treachery weren't enough, ACORN does this with millions of dollars of taxpayer money. You see, ACORN played another role in the dominant news item of the past several weeks - the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage industry. For years ACORN has used intimidation tactics to force banks to make loans to people who couldn't afford to pay them back. And they extorted millions of dollars from Congress under the auspices of the Community Redevelopment Act by arranging to have Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy up the risky mortgages on the secondary market.

Remarkably, in the recently passed Economic Recovery Act, the liberals in Congress attempted to put even more money into the pockets of their cronies at ACORN. Fortunately, the Republicans put their foot down and all additional funding for ACORN was stripped from the bill. I'd call that a good start, but now we need to get to work making sure the rest of their taxpayer funding is stripped away.

Unfortunately, it does not appear to be just a few bad apples at ACORN. The entire organization has a considerable record of manipulation and fraud. In June the Consumers Rights League published a series of internal documents from the organization that reveal ACORN has comingled political money and taxpayer funds. In order to prevent future taxpayer rip-offs and blatant voter fraud, the Community Reinvestment Act needs to be overhauled, and ACORN should never again receive a penny of taxpayer money. Furthermore, those responsible for the fraudulent registrations must be thoroughly investigated, and if found guilty, punished to the full extent of the law.

Boren Tops $1.6 Million Raised

Democratic Congressman Dan Boren of the 2nd District now leads the members of the Oklahoma House delegation in campaign fundraising.

Boren's new finance report shows he's raised about $1.6 million; that surpasses Congresswoman Mary Fallin's million-plus.

Murtha Says His Constituents Are 'Racists'

Congressman's Remarks Stir Firestorm In Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH (AP) - U.S. Rep. John Murtha says his home base of western Pennsylvania is racist and that could reduce Barack Obama's victory margin in the state by 4 percentage points.

The 17-term Democratic congressman tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a story posted Wednesday on its Web site that, as he put it: "There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area."

He says it's taken time for many Pennsylvania voters to come around to liking Obama, but he should still win the state, though not in a runaway.

In a separate interview posted Wednesday on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Web site, Murtha says Obama has a problem with the race issue in western Pennsylvania that could shave 4 points off his lead in the state.

Are Criminals Getting This Message?

Police, Private Citizens Protecting Themselves

By Kevin Johnson/USA Today ~ The number of justifiable homicides committed by police and private citizens has been rising in the past two years to their highest levels in more than a decade, reflecting a shoot-first philosophy in dealing with crime, say law enforcement analysts.

The 391 killings by police that were ruled justifiable in 2007 were the most since 1994, FBI statistics show. The 254 killings by private individuals found to be self-defense were the most since 1997.

The FBI says a homicide committed by a private citizen is justified when a person is slain during the commission of a felony, such as a burglary or robbery. Police are justified, the FBI says, when felons are killed while the officer is acting in the line of duty. Rulings on these deaths are usually made by the local police agencies involved.

Some law enforcement analysts say the numbers represent changing attitudes on the streets, where police have felt more threatened by well-armed offenders, and citizens have taken greater responsibility for their own safety.

Northeastern University criminal justice professor James Alan Fox describes an emerging "shoot-first" mentality by police and private citizens. For several years, police departments have armed their officers with higher-powered weapons to keep pace with criminal gangs. "Clearly there is a message out there that citizens may be able to defend themselves" as well, he says.

Lucas Defends Galapagos Islands Trip

Congressman Frank Lucas today is defending a trip to the Galapagos Islands after the television news show Inside Edition called it "the trip of a lifetime on your dime." Lucas, a Republican, was among five Republican and Democratic members of the House Committee on Science and Technology who went to the islands in June to learn about climate change, ocean acidification, El Nino, maritime reserves protection and research funded by the National Science Foundation.

"I know the story painted it all in pretty picturesque terms, but the bottom line is that it was more work oriented," Lucas said Tuesday. "It was a good use of resources to verify how U.S. taxpayer dollars are being spent."

Lucas, who took his wife on the trip, said he reimbursed the government for his wife's expenses.

OFRG Names Brian Downs As Director

Oklahomans for Responsible Government (OFRG) today announced Brian Downs as Executive Director. The board made the appointment official with a unanimous vote last week. Downs was previously Political Director for the organization.

Palin Surprises Ohio Wal-Mart Shoppers

By Kevin Kelly/The Daily Sentinel, Pomery, Ohio

GALLIPOLIS — Gallipolis Wal-Mart shoppers were at first surprised and then excited on Sunday to find a national political figure in their midst who was, just as they were, picking up a few things she needed.

Accompanied by her youngest son Trig, security, staffers and a small pool of news media, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin stepped off the “Straight Talk Express” bus to enter the store around 1:30 p.m., where she purchased a bag of Parents’ Choice brand disposable diapers and a toy.

But it was also an opportunity for the first-term Alaska governor to meet the public at large and win some votes for the ticket on which she’s running with the GOP White House nominee, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona.Palin did not have time to answer questions from the media following her trip through southeastern Ohio, but left some folks exhilirated at meeting her.

“It was so exciting,” said Pat Miller of Patriot, accompanied by her daughter Amber, a student at South Gallia High School. “She seemed to be very sweet, and if she could stop and take the time to buy some diapers for her son, it tells you that for her, family is first.”

Read the entire story at http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2008/10/13/news/news00.txt.

Barack Obama The Ultimate Gun-grabber

By John R. Lott Jr./Senior research scientist, University of Maryland

Barack Obama claims he is a friend of gun owners. He certainly has convinced the media. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Times said the NRA's opposition to Obama seemed strange because "Obama does not oppose gun rights. He has made a point of pounding this home to rural audiences, telling them he has no intention of taking their guns away: not their shotguns, not their handguns, not anything."

From the Boston Globe to FactCheck.org, the media and their watchdogs have uncritically recited Obama's statement that he believes there is an individual right to own guns. How does Brooks Jackson, FactCheck.org's director, explain the NRA's opposition to Obama? He says: "They are lying. . . . They are just making this up."

Yet, while the media and their checkers take Obama's current statements about his beliefs at face value, the NRA doesn't. So who is right?

In Pennsylvania, the answer could alter the election outcome. With about one million of the country's 12.5 million hunters, Pennsylvanians spend more time hunting than the residents of any other state. Pennsylvania also has more concealed-handgun permit holders than any other state, about 600,000.

In June, when the Supreme Court struck down the gun ban in Washington, D.C., Obama claimed that the decision merely confirmed his own view. He told Fox News that he had "said consistently that I believe that the Second Amendment is an individual right, and that was the essential decision that the Supreme Court came down on."

But that doesn't square with statements Obama has made in the past. Just last November, Obama's campaign told the Chicago Tribune, "Obama believes the D.C. handgun law is constitutional." After Obama's later statement supporting the Supreme Court decision, the campaign disowned the Tribune quote as a staffer's "inartful attempt" to characterize his position.

Obama also blamed a 1996 statement supporting a handgun ban on a staffer's mistake. But Politico discovered a copy of the candidate's statement with Obama's own handwritten comments on it.

Obama personally voiced support for the D.C. ban at other times. In February, Leon Harris, a news anchor for the ABC affiliate in Washington, said to Obama: "One other issue that's of great importance here in the district as well is gun control . . . but you support the D.C. handgun ban." Obama's simple response: "Right." When Harris added "and you've said that it's constitutional," Obama again said "right," and he is clearly seen on tape nodding his head in agreement.

In fact, Obama has a long history of supporting city gun bans. The Associated Press described his vote on a gun-control bill in 2004: "He also opposed letting people use a self-defense argument if charged with violating local handgun bans by using weapons in their homes. The bill was a reaction to a Chicago-area man who, after shooting an intruder, was charged with a handgun violation."

No major-party presidential nominee has ever had as strong and consistent an anti-gun record as Obama. Here is a politician who supported a ban on handguns in 1996, backed a ban on the sale of all semiautomatic guns in 1998 (which would encompass most guns sold in the country), and advocated banning gun sales within five miles of a school or park in 2004 (a virtual ban on all gun stores). He also served on the board of the Joyce Foundation, the largest private funder of anti-gun research in the country.

This evidence should be sufficient, but I have yet another reason to be skeptical. I knew Obama during the mid-1990s, when we were both at the University of Chicago Law School. Indeed, when I introduced myself to him, he said, "Oh, you are the gun guy." I responded, "Yes, I guess so." His response, as I recall it, was, "I don't believe that people should be able to own guns."

When I said it might be fun sometime to talk about the question and his support of Chicago's lawsuit against gunmakers, he simply grimaced and turned away, ending the conversation.

Obama obviously thinks the gun issue is important. He and his surrogates constantly repeat the claim that he has always supported an individual right to own guns. But the media should stop uncritically reporting the claim without checking his past statements.

Danny Morgan's Wife Dies Unexpectedly

Debbie Morgan, wife of Democrat leader Danny Morgan, D-Prague, passed away this evening at the OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. She was 47.

Mrs. Morgan's death was unexpected; a cause of death has not been released.

“Kim and I are deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of Debbie Morgan,” said Governor Brad Henry. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Danny, his children, and all their loved ones.”

Mrs. Morgan is survived by her husband Danny and children, Zac and Danielle.

Funeral services are pending.

Jesse Jackson Drives Jews To McCain

Prepare for a new America: That's the message that the Rev. Jesse Jackson conveyed to participants in the first World Policy Forum, held at a French lakeside resort last week and analysts today say Jackson is driving Jewish voters to John McCain.

Jackson promised "fundamental changes" in US foreign policy - saying America must "heal wounds" it has caused to other nations, revive its alliances and apologize for the "arrogance of the Bush administration."

The most important change would occur in the Middle East, where "decades of putting Israel's interests first" would end.

Jackson believes that, although "Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades" remain strong, they'll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House.

FBI's Revell: The Obama-Ayers Connection

Excerpted From An Article On Newsmax.com ~ (Oklahoman) Oliver “Buck” Revell, a former associate deputy director of the FBI, is similarly blunt. “In dealing with Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, and the element that they represented, Obama was dealing with individuals who both openly and admittedly have engaged in treasonous activity and violence against the United States,” said Revell, who worked on the Weather Underground case in Philadelphia and Chicago.

Taxes Show State's Economic Strength

From The Treasurer's Office ~ State Treasurer Scott Meacham says the state is well poised three months into the fiscal year should the national economic downturn begin to take a toll on the local economy.

"First quarter collections are at 106.5 percent of the estimate and, including the five-percent cushion between the estimate and appropriations, we have collected $169.9 million more than is needed to pay the state's bills so far this year," he said.

Meacham said collections are buoyed primarily by higher than expected receipts from the gross production tax on natural gas.

"Year-to-date gross production collections are running 64.4 percent or $111.8 million ahead of the estimate," he said. "However, we can't expect this trend to continue as natural gas prices have dropped significantly in the past few weeks."

Meacham explained there is a two-month delay between assessment and remittance of gross production taxes, meaning the current low prices will not be seen in collections until November or December.

Also, on a positive note, Meacham said income tax collections in September were up slightly over the prior year and significantly over the estimate, driven primarily by stronger corporate tax collections.

Meacham noted that sales tax collections for September were below the prior year.

"This comes as no real surprise since last September was uncharacteristically high due to a one-time payment of $29.4 million from a company that sold a large amount of assets," he said. "If not for that one payment, sales tax receipts for the month would have shown considerable growth over the prior year."

Preliminary reports show general revenue fund collections totaled $620.5million for September. That amount is: $8 million or 1.3 percent above the prior year; and $22 million or 3.7 percent above the estimate.

Net income taxes, a combination of personal and corporate incomes tax collections, yielded $303.3 million to the general revenue fund in September, which was $1 million or 0.3 percent above the prior year and $10.7 million or 3.7 percent above the estimate.

Individual income tax collections produced $232.6 million, which was $4.5 million or 1.9 percent below the prior year and $2 million or 0.8 percent below the estimate.

Corporate returns produced $70.7 million,which was $5.5 million or 8.4 percent above the prior year and $12.7 million or 21.8 percent above the estimate.

Sales taxes produced $142.8 million for general revenue, down $18.3 million or 11.4 percent from the prior year and $12.1 million or 7.8 percent below the estimate for the month.

The gross production tax on natural gas accounted for $98.8 million for September, which was $34.9 million or 54.5 percent above the prior year and $40.7 million or 70.1 percent above the estimate.

Motor vehicle taxes produced $19.2 million, which was $5.2 million or 21.2 percent below the prior year and $2.9 million or 13.1 percent below the estimate.

Other revenue, which includes investment earnings along with taxes on insurance, inheritance, alcoholic beverages and others, produced $56.4 million in September. This was $4.3 million or 7.1 percent below the prior year and $14.4 million or 20.4 percent below the estimate.

The treasurer's investment earnings totaled $13.5 million for the month, which is $1.8 million or 15.9 percent above the prior year in spite of the current low interest rate environment.

Ying-Yang Polling Continues; Obama Up

Democratic Party presidential nominee Barack Obama moved outside the margin of error in his race against Republican John McCain, leading now by 6.2 percentage points in the latest edition of the Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby daily tracking poll. The poll puts Obama at 49 percent, McCain at 42.8 percent with 8.2 percent undecided.

Data from this poll is available here.

In this latest report, Obama gained 1.1 percentage points, while McCain lost 0.8 percentage points in the latest rolling average. Obama's 6.2 point advantage is the largest lead so far in the tracking poll. McCain has come within 1.9 points of Obama early on in the tracking process last week.

TvPoll: Little Change As Republicans Lead

Today's TvPoll for KWTV-Channel 9 shows little change in the four races the poll has monitored for six weeks now.

In the presidential race, the McCain-Palin ticket continues its dominance, 63-31.9 percent, over the Obama-Biden ticket.

In the U. S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe maintains his lead over Democrat challenger Andrew Rice, 53.1-39.5 percent.

In the race for a 2-year term on the Corporation Commission, challenger Dana Murphy, Republican, maintains a slender lead over incumbent Democrat Jim Roth, 40-35.1 percent. Murphy's ticked up about 2.5 percent since last week and Roth dropped 2 percent.

In the race for the long term on the Corporation Commission, incumbent Republican Jeff Cloud maintains a lead over Democrat challenger Charles Gray, 37.4-30.2 percent.

Inhofe Leads Rice 3-1 In Dollars Raised

Republican Senator Jim Inhofe leads his Democratic challenger Andrew Rice almost 3-1 in fundraising, their new finance reports show.

Quarterly campaign reports for the period ending September 30 are due on Wednesday, but the campaigns released contribution figures on Monday.

In the period July 10-September 30, Inhofe raised $910,250, while Rice raised $899,041. That's the most Rice has raised in a quarter.

Inhofe is now past the $6 million mark, while Rice has raised more than $2.3 million.

The Root Of The Problem: Biden's Yea

From News Reports ~ The 1999 Graham-Leach-Bliley deregulation bill, which a majority of Senate Democrats supported, forced mortgage lenders to make subprime loans to families who couldn’t afford to buy houses by offering them interest-only loans, no income verification, and teaser adjustable interest rates.

If the banks refused to make the shaky loans, they would have been hit with big penalties to failing to advance the cause of affordable housing.

(Chris) Dodd voted for the measure, as did Senator Joe Biden, now Barack Obama’s running mate. Only eight senators, including (John) McCain, bucked the current and voted against the 1999 deregulation plan, which even the liberal Brookings Institution condemned.

Zogby: Obama's Lead Declines

Despite Fawning Media, Bush Unpopularity, Economic Crisis, Obama Can't Sustain Solid Lead Over McCain

Democratic Party presidential nominee Barack Obama slipped back into a statistical dead heat with Republican Party nominee John McCain, but still holds the advantage over McCain, the latest Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby likely voter poll shows.

In this latest report, McCain gained eight-tenths of a point, while Obama lost one full point. While the worldwide economic system underwent dramatic turmoil last week, the poll shows the presidential race remarkably unchanged overall at the end of the first full week of daily tracking. Through the week, Obama has always held a small lead, as large as 6.1 points (on Saturday) and as little as 1.9 points (last Wednesday).

The rolling telephone tracking poll included a sample of 1,206 likely voters collected over the previous three 24-hour periods spanning four calendar days – approximately 400 per 24-hour period from Oct. 9-12, 2008.

Obama retains a substantial 17-point lead among independent voters, but that edge receded from 21 points yesterday.

In terms of securing their political bases, both Obama and McCain are doing well. Among Democrats, Obama wins 86% support, while McCain wins 88% support among Republicans.

Man Of The Hour

The Gadfly On The Wall

Dr. Bob: Dr. Robert B. Kamm died this week at age 89; a finer gentlemen never walked this earth. The former president of Oklahoma State University entered my world in 1977, when then U. S. Senator Dewey F. Bartlett, whose reelection campaign I was managing, pulled out of the race to fight lung cancer. Bartlett was determined to have a hand in selecting the Republican nominee and was a huge fan of Bob Kamm. I was present when the first phone call to Kamm was made, and for subsequent calls in which Bartlett literally convinced Kamm to become a candidate. It was a mistake and not just because then-Governor David Boren decided to enter the Democratic primary. "Dr. Bob," as I came to address him, was no politician. He and Maxine, his devoted and delightful wife, were far too genteel for politics and had no stomach for the gut-wrenching ins and outs that befall campaigns, even those with a chance of victory. Dr. Bob had no political center and pretty much was putty in the hands of his handlers, the so-called political experts of which I was one. We made so many mistakes in that campaign I couldn't list them all. In every campaign, there are friendships made that last a lifetime and so it was in Dr. Bob's campaign. I hired young Joe Allbaugh as our field director and immediately saw in Joe the political skills that ultimately landed him in Texas as manager of George Bush's campaign for governor and then, of Bush's 2000 presidential campaign. The Kamm campaign remains as one in which the expenditure of half a million dollars (this was 30 years ago, remember) made not one whit's difference in the outcome; our first poll showed it Boren 67, Kamm 33. The election day vote was the same.

Tone Deaf? Is John McCain tone deaf? His perfomance in last week's debate left me wishful for the old days...Ronald Reagan, my man, where are you when you're needed? The debate was boring. McCain's startling, toss-off announcement that he wants the government to get into the mortgage business didn't even get much attention from McCain himself and based on conservative GOP reaction, that may be good. McCain's body language, speech pattern, gestures...drive me nuts. Obama The Pontificator is far superior as a communicator, but I have this problem with him; if his lips are moving....

A 'Right'?: Obama's declaration during the debate that he believes health care is a "right" shows clearly that he holds radical views. The Founding Fathers delineated the rights we share as Americans. If we take Obama's radical belief to its logical conclusion, we find he supports the right to have government involved in every aspect of our lives, providing every need, proscribing every social norm. Columnist John Leo described that mindset well when he wrote this week that it results in "slaves" to government. Radical, indeed.

ACORN: The in-the-tank-for-Obama mainstream media continues to downplay the obvious evidence this batch of community organizers today is nothing more than an adjunct Obama campaign organization and that some of its organizers have engaged in the multiple registration of some would-be voters.

Radicals: The record is clear that Barack Obama's associations in years past have put him with radical travelers. Bill Ayers, unrepentant domestic terrorist. Jeremiah Wright. Louis Farrakhan. That a compatriot of these three, one who associated freely with them and accepted their endorsements when it served his purpose, might soon sit in our Oval Office leaves me fearful for the Republic.

The Road To Somewhere: The Anderson Road and bridge improvement project in Arcadia, sponsored by then-Oklahoma County Commissioner Jim Roth to benefit his now-campaign co-chairman Aubrey McClendon, might as well be paved with gold. Roth's parlayed his alliance with McClendon into mega-dollars for his campaign for the Corporation Commission. Lucky for Roth, he got the max donation out of McClendon before McClendon's financial empire collapsed this week as a result of the stock market plunge. His billionaire status apparently disappeared overnight, but he's not exactly in the poor house given his extensive property holdings and business interests. I suspect that, in time, he'll be back on top.

Sad: I've been watching presidential campaigns closely since 1968 and, as I said on Sirius Satellite Radio last night, I've never seen one in which a fawning mainstream media has been so in the tank for one candidate. In the past, there have been occasions where media bias has shown, but this time around, it is pervasive. The Associated Press, once a bastion of fairness and solid journalistic principles, is now nothing more than an Obama surrogate. Its Washington writers constantly denigrate McCain and Palin and promote Obama and Biden. "News" stories read that way for a paragraph or two, then become editorials.

NRA: In case you missed it, the National Rifle Association this week endorsed John McCain. No surprise, given Obama's track record in favor of gun control, but the endorsement was slow in coming because McCain's record on the 2nd Amendment isn't exactly stellar. It is, however, a helluva lot better than Obama's.

Bob Kamm Dead At 89

Dr. Robert B. Kamm, whose career included a nearly 11-year run as president of Oklahoma State University and a bid for the U.S. Senate in 1978, died Friday, university officials said. Kamm, 89, died in Okmulgee, but a cause of death wasn't released.

Kamm served as OSU president from July 1, 1966, to Jan. 31, 1977, but was teacher, counselor and administrator at the school for more than 45 years.

Kamm, a Republican, resigned at the urging of then-Senator Dewey F. Bartlett to launch what would be an unsuccessful run for the Senate in which he would be pitted against the Democratic nominee, then-Governor David Boren. Bartlett had been a candidate for reelection, but was forced to withdraw to continue treatments for lung cancer.

It was under Kamm's leadership that OSU became known as a national leader in telecommunications and international outreach, officials said.

"The Oklahoma State University community is saddened to learn of the passing of one of our university's most beloved presidents," said OSU President Burns Hargis. "Dr. Kamm made a lasting difference in the lives of students, and had a real impact on the Stillwater community, our state and our world. He became president during my undergraduate days at OSU and truly inspired me to seek opportunities in public service. Dr. Kamm will be remembered for his warmness, his friendliness and his philosophy of putting people first."

Kamm was born on Jan. 22, 1919, at West Union, Iowa. He received his bachelor's degree in English and theater arts in 1940 from the University of Northern Iowa. He completed his master's degree in 1946 and his Ph.D. in 1948, both in counseling psychology and higher education from the University of Minnesota.

His service in the Navy in World War II initially brought him to the campus of Oklahoma A&M College. Kamm spent three months in Stillwater as part of a yearlong radar study. After the war and college, he was named dean of students at Drake University in Iowa and also served as student personnel dean and freshman dean at Texas A&M University.

He came back to Oklahoma State University in 1958 to be dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and was promoted to vice president for academic affairs in 1965.

When OSU began preparations for its 1990 Centennial Celebration, Kamm was named the director of the Centennial Histories Project, which produced 26 books. He wrote 72 journal articles and five books, including "The Best of Mind and Spirit," published in 2002.

In 1988, he was presented with OSU's highest award, the Henry G. Bennett Distinguished Service Award for outstanding citizenship and leadership, at the university's 93rd commencement ceremony.

He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1972; the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame in 1987; the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 1994 and the College of Education Hall of Fame in 2000.

Kamm was preceded in death by his wife of more than 60 years, Maxine. They were the parents of two children, Steve Kamm of Okmulgee and Susan White of Boulder, Colo.

John Leo: The Power Of One

Liberal media transforms a single bigot at a Sarah Palin rally into a racist mob.

By John Leo ~ Dana Milbank of The Washington Post often writes with a good deal of attitude, and his Tuesday column was no exception. In his report on Sarah Palin’s campaign speech in Clearwater, Florida, laced with mocking Palinisms (“darn right,” “betcha”), he wrote that “the self-identified pit bull has been unleashed, if not unhinged.”

The “unhinging,” in Milbank’s assessment, came when Palin charged that Obama still has some explaining to do about his relationship with 1960s Weatherman bomber William Ayers.

Milbank also wrote that Palin blamed Katie Couric for her “less-than-successful” CBS interview.

Other newspapers reported a more light-hearted Palin response to the dismal interview. The Tampa Tribune, for example, reported that she said: “I shoulda told them I was just trying to keep Tina Fey in business.”

But Milbank’s report triggered Democratic rage across the Internet with his charge that “Palin’s routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness.” Some in the Clearwater crowd, he wrote, shouted abuse at reporters. Someone yelled “Kill him,” apparently a reference to Ayers; and one person shouted an epithet at a network sound man (apparently the N-word, though Milbank didn’t say) and told him, “Sit down, boy.”

Two shouting extremists in a crowd of 4,500 are two too many, of course.

The question is whether these outliers offer sufficient evidence for a clearly hostile reporter to demonstrate that Palin’s rallies have gotten ugly.

Florida reporters did not see the event that way. The St. Petersburg Times ran a benign story on the Palin speech. William March of the Tampa Tribune told me, “They booed Obama and the press, but that just makes it a normal Republican rally.” March admitted that he was standing further from the speaker’s stand than national press reporters, and therefore heard less, but he maintains that the rally was no hate-fest.

An early web version of Milbank’s column was headlined, “In Fla., Palin Goes for the Rough Stuff as Audience Boos Obama.” Rough stuff? There’s no evidence that Palin did anything more than challenge Obama on Ayers.

In the short TV clip available at the Huffington Post, the crowd booed in response to Palin’s litany of Obama’s liberal votes in the Senate. This is pretty standard campaign behavior.

Milbank’s lone racist at the rally soon became a group (or a mob) of people shouting racial epithets.

A New York Times editorial Tuesday (“The Politics of Attack”) misquoted Milbank’s Post column, claiming that one person shouted “Kill him” and “others shouted epithets at an African-American member of a TV crew.”

Many blogs followed suit: “Crowd at Palin Rally Hurled Racial Epithets at African American on News Crew,” read the headline at Pensito Review. This was too much for Bob Somerby, the left-leaning blogger at the Daily Howler. Calling Milbank “a highly unreliable chronicler,” Somerby taunted the Times for multiplying racists at the rally: “It’s the power of pluralization!...One example becomes much more powerful when we stick an ‘s’ on the end. In this case, one epithet-shouter turns into a group. How many people were shouting those epithets? The editors let you imagine.”

At the Huffington Post, the “Kill him” shout directed at Ayers was interpreted as an assassination threat against Obama. Another Huffington piece asked, “Is Palin Trying to Incite Violence Against Obama?”

As the misreporting gathered steam on the Internet, writers became ever angrier.

“The event sounds like the precursor to a lynching,” wrote a Daily Kos blogger. Another opined: “There is a time to start feeling fear.”

Former New York Times reporter Adam Clymer compared Palin events with George Wallace speeches, though he gracefully conceded that “lots of journalists have worked in situations more menacing than covering Sarah Palin.”

This was a disastrous outing for the Post, the Times, and bloggers determined to view Palin appearances as brownshirt rallies. If the atmosphere is so hate-filled and racist at these events, why does the evidence come down to one shouter at one rally?

John Leo edits the Manhattan Institute website Minding the Campus.

National FFA Honors Dale Turner

The National Future Farmers of America Organization recently announced their selection of Rep. Dale Turner to receive a VIP Citation at the upcoming National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Turner, D-Holdenville, is being recognized for his "significant contributions to agricultural education."

Man Says ACORN Gave Bribes To Register

CLEVELAND (The New York Post) ~ A man at the center of a voter-registration scandal told The Post yesterday he was given cash and cigarettes by aggressive ACORN activists in exchange for registering an astonishing 72 times, in apparent violation of Ohio laws.

"Sometimes, they come up and bribe me with a cigarette, or they'll give me a dollar to sign up," said Freddie Johnson, 19, who filled out 72 separate voter-registration cards over an 18-month period at the behest of the left-leaning Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

"The ACORN people are everywhere, looking to sign people up. I tell them I am already registered. The girl said, 'You are?' I say, 'Yup,' and then they say, 'Can you just sign up again?' " he said.

Johnson used the same information on all of his registration cards, and officials say they usually catch and toss out duplicate registrations. But the practice sparks fear that some multiple registrants could provide different information and vote more than once by absentee ballot.

ACORN is under investigation in Ohio and at least eight other states - including Missouri, where the FBI said it's planning to look into potential voter fraud - for over-the-top efforts to get as many names as possible on the voter rolls regardless of whether a person is registered or eligible.

It's even under investigation in Bridgeport, Conn., for allegedly registering a 7-year-old girl to vote, according to the State Elections Enforcement Commission.

Meanwhile, a federal judge yesterday ordered Ohio's Secretary of State to verify the identity of newly registered voters by matching them with other government documents. The order was in response to a Republican lawsuit unrelated to the ACORN probe in Cuyahoga County, in which at least three people, including Johnson, have been subpoenaed.

Bribing citizens with gifts, property or anything of value is a fourth-degree felony in Ohio, punishable by up to 18 months in prison. And it's a fifth-degree felony - punishable by 12 months in jail - for a person to pay "compensation on a fee-per-registration" system when signing up someone to vote.

Johnson, who works at a cellphone kiosk in downtown Cleveland, said he was a sitting duck for the signature hunters, but was always happy to help them out in exchange for a smoke or a little scratch. He'd collected 10 to 20 cigarettes and anywhere from $10 to $15, he said.

The Cleveland voting probe, first reported by The Post yesterday, also focused on Lateala Goins, who said she put her name on multiple voter registrations. She guessed ACORN canvassers then put fake addresses on them. "You can tell them you're registered as many times as you want - they do not care," she said.

ACORN spokesman Kris Harsh said the group does not tolerate its workers paying people to sign the voter-registration cards.

ACORN's political wing has endorsed Barack Obama for president, but Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign in Ohio, said ACORN has no role in its get-out-the-vote drive.

During the primary season, however, the Obama camp paid another group, Citizen Service Inc., $832,598 for various political services, according to Federal Elections Commission filings. That group and ACORN share the same board of directors. In Wisconsin yesterday, John McCain blasted ACORN.

"No one should be corrupting the most precious right we have, that is the right to vote," he said.

What Is A 'Right' And How Do We Know?

By Bill Whittle ~ During the presidential debate Tuesday night, Barack Obama was asked if he thought health care was a “right.”

He said he thought it was a right.

Well, if you accept that premise, I think you can ask some logical follow-up questions: Food is more important than health care. You die pretty quickly without food. Do we have a “right” to food in America? What about shelter? Do we have a “right” to housing? And if we do have a right to housing, what standard of housing do we have a right to? And if it is a right, due to all Americans, wouldn’t that mean that no one should have to accept any housing, or health care, which is inferior to anyone else’s… since it’s a right? Do we have a right to be safe? Do we have a right to be comfortable? Do we have a right to wide-screen televisions? Where does this end?

See, by taking something to a ridiculous extreme, we can illuminate the problem here… what is a right? How do we know? What’s the difference between the right to free speech — which is enshrined in the Constitution — versus the “right” to health care, which is not?

Well, back in the day, we would simply say that a right has legal authority — it’s in the Constitution and therefore it’s a not just a right, it’s a birthright. So why shouldn’t we amend the Constitution to include the rights to health care, food, housing, education — all the rest? What’s the difference between the rights we have and the “rights” Obama wants to give us?

Simply this: Constitutional rights protect us from things: intimidation, illegal search and seizure, self-incrimination, and so on. The revolutionary idea of our Founding Fathers was that people had a God-given right to live as they saw fit. Our constitutional rights protect us from the power of government.

But these new so-called “rights” are about the government — who the Founders saw as the enemy — giving us things: food, health care, education... And when we have a right to be given stuff that previously we had to work for, then there is no reason — none — to go and work for them. The goody bag has no bottom, except bankruptcy and ruin.

Does that ring a little familiar these days? Because isn’t the danger here that if you’re offered something for nothing… you’ll take it?

Only it’s not something for nothing. “Free” health-care costs us something precious, and no less precious for being invisible. Because there’s a word for someone who has their food, housing and care provided for them… for people who owe their existence to someone else.

And that word is “slaves.”

Bill Whittle is an on-camera commentator at www.PJTV.com . You can find him online at www.ejectejecteject.com. He lives and works in Los Angeles.

Coffee Cites State Economic Safeguards

Following a news conference today by Governor Henry and State Treasurer Scott Meacham, Senate Co-President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, issued the following statement.

“Our nation is facing economic uncertainty. Thankfully, the Legislature’s conservative fiscal policies of the past two years have put Oklahoma in a much better position than most states to weather this situation. The Senate is working with the House and the governor’s office to ensure that our state government responds appropriately to any economic challenges,” said Coffee.

Coffee noted, “Our tax relief program has helped keep Oklahoma’s economy stronger than most of the nation, and our successful resistance of efforts to over-spend in the state budget and to raid the Rainy Day Fund for non-emergencies means that Oklahoma is very well prepared if we’re faced with a fiscal downturn,” he said.

TvPoll: McCain-Palin, Inhofe, Murphy, Cloud

The latest TvPoll for KWTV-Channel 9 in Oklahoma City shows the McCain-Palin ticket maintaining a huge lead over the Obama-Biden ticket, 65.5 to 29.1 percent.

In the U. S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe leads Democrat Andrew Rice 52.5 to 39.3 percent. Inhofe is down five percent in five weeks, Rice is up 10 percent.

In the Corporation Commission race pitting Republican Dana Murphy against incumbent Democrat Jim Roth, Murphy leads 37.6 to 33.3 percent.

In the second commission race pitting Republican incumbent Jeff Cloud against Democrat Charles Gray, Cloud leads 36.9 to 31.5 percent.

Henry Names Meacham To Review Economics

Citing ongoing turmoil in the international and national financial markets, Governor Henry today named State Treasurer Scott Meacham to conduct a review of Oklahoma interests to help protect the state during the ongoing economic downturn.

In announcing the action, Henry stressed that Oklahoma’s financial institutions and economy are in much better shape than their counterparts around the country, but he added that the state must be prepared to respond as economic conditions change.

Testimony Heard In Terrill Bankruptcy Case

Rep. Randy Terrill tried Wednesday during lengthy testimony in federal court to refute claims that he had failed to report all of his assets in a 2005 bankruptcy case that was recently reopened.

Terrill, R-Oklahoma City, allegedly failed to note more than $11,000 in assets that should have been reported to the court and made available to pay his creditors.

His 3-year-old bankruptcy case was reopened when questions were raised by a trustee who asserted that Terrill had received loans totaling $11,301 from his campaign, which should have been reported as assets. Terrill alleges the action was taken by those who have opposed his efforts at immigration reform.

Terrill said any money he received from his 2004 campaign was reimbursement for expenses he had incurred out of his personal funds in connection with his House race.

However, Terrill's bank records — produced in court Wednesday by trustee John Mashburn — indicate that Terrill acknowledged the loans by making notations that said "partial loan repayment."

His bank records indicate that he received at least two loans, one for $2,000 and the other for $750, but Terrill said he was really being reimbursed for expenses.

Friday Is Last Day To Register To Vote

Friday is the last day to register for the November 4th general election ballot, which includes the presidential contest, races for two Corporation Commission seats 63 legislative seats.

Roth Sponsored Roadway, Bridge To Campaign Official's Arcadia Tree Farm; Land Value Soars

Remember the controversy over the roadway that passed by property owned by a maximum donor to the campaign of the Oklahoma County commissioner who sponsored the road project?

Today, there's certain controversy over yet another Oklahoma County road, and a new bridge, that provides access to an Arcadia tree farm owned by a co-chairman, fundraiser and huge personal donor to the campaign of former Oklahoma County Commissioner Jim Roth, now a member of the Corporation Commission seeking election in his first statewide campaign.

That controversy is certain to focus attention as well on what appears to be a close and continuing alliance between Roth and the owner of the tree farm, a man who hired Roth's campaign consultant as a Capitol lobbyist and whose primary business empire Roth helps regulate as a member of the Corporation Commission.

The Alliance Between Regulator And Regulated

Records examined by The McCarville Report Online show the following:

1 - In June 2005, minutes of a Board of County Commissioner's meeting show, County Commissioner Roth, a Democrat, began the process of sponsoring improvements on a portion of Anderson Road just south of Old U. S. (now State) Highway 66 in rural Arcadia, and the construction of a new bridge over Deep Fork Creek. The then-existing bridge was in disrepair and, locals say, had been that way for more than a decade; because the road (which deadends to the south) had no through traffic, a source relates, previous Commissioner Beverly Hodges did not push to have the bridge rebuilt and the roadway had been essentially unused. Oklahoma Department of Transportation records indicate the project cost $705,000; ODOT was sent final paperwork on the project in November 2006, the County Commission's meeting minutes indicate. Oklahoma County authorized $50,502 in engineering and other fees associated with the project, the minutes show. In addition, $36,000 was paid for easements to Stanley Kolar of Arcadia. His trust owns five parcels that partially abut Anderson Road, records show, including a 1940-built home listed at 13000 East Highway 66 with a 2008 fair market value affixed by the county assessor of $157,700, a $12,000 increase over 2007.

2 - Located on the west side of that stretch of Anderson Road today is the Deep Fork Tree Farm, owned by Chesapeake Energy Corp. leader Aubrey McClendon. McClendon also owns the nearby Pop's iconic restaurant. The tree farm is south of the restaurant on the west side of Anderson Road. The tree farm is bordered on the west by Westminster Road near the restaurant. Both entities, Arcadia officials have said, have increased tourism and tax collections for the city. The value of the tree farm land has skyrocketed in the year since the road improvements were made and the bridge was constructed. Oklahoma County Assessor Leonard Sullivan's office placed its fair market value last year at $60,100. By the end of March this year, it was valued at $449,362.

3 - McClendon, known for his generosity to political candidates in both parties and to public issue causes, donated $5,000 to Roth's 2006 campaign for the county commission.

4 - In 2007, Roth was named to the Corporation Commission by Governor Brad Henry to replace Republican Denise Bode, who resigned, following an unsuccessful bid to win the Republican nomination for Congress in the 5th District, to become CEO of McClendon's American Clean Skies Foundation in Washington. The commission regulates the energy industry, of which McClendon's Chesapeake Energy Corp. is a part. Among those who supported Roth for the appointment were McClendon and Capitol lobbyist and campaign strategist Pat Hall, former Democratic Party chairman and a Roth adviser who was hired as a Chesapeake lobbyist after Roth was appointed.

5 - After McClendon became a part of the ownership group headed by Clay Bennett that purchased the Seattle Sonics professional basketball team, he and another owner came under fire from homosexual groups in Seattle for donating to an anti-gay marriage group in 2004. Roth, who is openly gay, engaged in an email exchange with McClendon offering to make a public statement defending McClendon from attacks by Seattle's gay community or by Democrats in the Washington Legislature. The emails were disclosed in court in Seattle during the legal battle over relocation of the team to Oklahoma City. Roth himself hinted at the close alliance he shares with McClendon in a 2007 letter he subsequently wrote to the sports editor of the Seattle Times, in which he said, "From the beginning, Clay and Aubrey initiated a genuine kindness and friendship toward my partner and me. They have publicly and consistently supported me, even pushing back when right-wing attacks have occurred. Their support is unconditional and has helped improve the overall climate for expanding tolerance here at home."

6 - In 2007, McClendon funded a campaign against the proposed Red Rock coal-fired power plant. Two of the state's largest utilities, American Electric Power-Public Service Company of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co., wanted to build the plant. Roth sided with McClendon and voted to deny pre-approval of the plant, which killed the project. He was joined in that vote by Republican Commissioner Jeff Cloud. The vote came about the time the finishing touches were being completed on the Anderson Road improvements. Given Roth's alliance with McClendon, should he have abstained from voting on the project McClendon so opposed? The question is certain to be asked.

7 - When Roth formed his campaign committee to seek election to the Corporation Commission seat to which Henry appointed him, he named McClendon, and Bennett, as co-chairmen and the two have since hosted fundraisers and signed fundraising letters for Roth.

8 - McClendon is himself a maximum donor. As has been reported by TMRO, KTOK, the Tulsa World, and The Oklahoman, McClendon's Chesapeake associates joined him in pouring money into Roth's campaign. Many of the donations from Chesapeake employees are in the same amount and given on the same day. The donations have pushed Roth's fundraising total to more than a million dollars and more than one source says about half that sum came through the efforts of McClendon and his business associates.

See Video At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl9QMupUxrU

Roth's critics are certain to cite the series of events that demonstrate the connection between Roth and McClendon: June 2005: Roth initiates road and bridge projects that benefit McClendon; 2006: McClendon donates $5,000 to Roth's campaign for the county commission; March 2007: Roth defends McClendon in letter to Seattle newspaper, citing "unconditional support" from McClendon; September 2007: Roth votes against Red Rock power plant proposal opposed by McClendon; May 2008: Roth names McClendon as co-chairman of his campaign for the Corporation Commission; 2008: McClendon, his company political action committee and numerous employees donate more than $100,000 to Roth's campaign; McClendon is said to have helped raise more than half a million dollars for the campaign.

The latest numbers tallied by the Tulsa World show that 104 Chesapeake employees have contributed $100,675 to Roth, including 82 who have given Roth $1,000 each, often on the same day, Ethics Commission reports show.

McClendon, chairman and CEO of Chesapeake, gave a maximum contribution of $5,000, as did Energy for Oklahomans, a political action committee for company employees.

Headquartered in a sprawling complex of new buildings in northwest Oklahoma City, Chesapeake is Oklahoma's largest natural gas producer and the third-largest overall producer of natural gas in the United States.

Last year, McClendon funded a massive advertising campaign against the proposed Red Rock coal-fired power plant. Roth and Cloud voted to deny pre-approval of the plant, which killed the project. Roth said the Red Rock debate was not about which fuel should be used to generate electricity. He said it was about whether ratepayers should be asked to pay for the costs of the plant before it was put into operation.

At no time during discussion on the issue, or in interviews about it, did Roth disclose his multiple connections to McClendon.

"When I stood up to the utilities and said no to their $2 billion plan and advocated using Oklahoma fuel for Oklahomans, I'm sure that it did attract support of employees and businesses here in Oklahoma because they know I'm working for Oklahoma," Roth told the World's Tom Lindley in a story co-written by Mick Hinton.

OG&E attorney William Bullard noted Chesapeake's involvement in the case. Chesapeake is a member of the Quality of Service Coalition, which has presented information in the case.

"When a party has an attorney in the proceeding," said Bullard, "does not bother to put one witness on under oath to be cross- examined, but elects to spend several hundred thousand - if not more - dollars throwing out inaccurate and wildly inaccurate information in an effort to influence this commission, we need to think about, are there ways to discourage that."

Were proponents of the Red Rock plant aware of the Roth-McClendon alliance at the time he voted against them and for McClendon? A call to Bullard has not yet been returned.

State and federal law prohibits corporations from contributing to candidates, although individual employees can, as long as they are not coerced into giving and their giving is not carried out by the corporation itself.

Marilyn Hughes, executive director of the Ethics Commission, told the World that when employers start specifying amounts and to whom, it might appear that an employee's job is dependent on making a contribution.

"I do think that giving the exact amount, giving it on the same day to the same candidate would be facts that would have to be considered to determine whether there was coercion," she said.

Tom Price, Chesapeake's vice president of communications, told the World that his corporation is careful to follow the law regarding campaign giving: "I am extraordinarily proud of the fact that our employees get involved in the political process," he said.

Sources: Minutes of numerous meetings of the Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners 2005-2007; Oklahoma County Assessor Leonard Sullivan's office; Oklahoma Secretary of State's Office; The Seattle Times; The Oklahoman; the Tulsa World; Oklahoma Ethics Commission; Oklahoma Department of Transportation; Federal Highway Administration; The Journal-Record; Roth2008.Com.

Coming Monday: What Story Does This Road Tell?

Reynolds Returns Improper Donations

By Mick Hinton/Capitol Bureau, Tulsa World ~ Rep. Mike Reynolds, who has accused the governor of making illegal campaign donations, recently returned contributions he received in violation of an ethics rule, records show.

A state Ethics Commission rule states that six months must pass before a candidate can accept a maximum $5,000 donation from the same contributor for two separate committees.

Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, accepted contributions for both his 2006 and 2008 campaign accounts from two people during six-month periods.

"It was a rule I was not aware of," he said Friday. "As soon as I found out I was in violation, I corrected it."

Records indicate that Reynolds accepted contributions three months apart that exceeded the $5,000 limit from Ralph Harvey, president of Marlin Oil of Oklahoma City. Reynolds returned $5,000 to Harvey on July 22.

Ethics Commission records also show that Mike Marshall, CEO of 5 Star Co. of Oklahoma City, gave $2,500 to Reynolds' 2006 committee on Jan. 31, 2007, and $5,000 to Reynolds' 2008 committee on May 29, 2007. Reynolds returned $5,000 to Marshall on Aug. 1. That same day, Marshall wrote another check for $5,000 to Reynolds because the six-month waiting period had elapsed.

Reynolds this week accused Gov. Brad Henry of illegally contributing $5,000 in excess campaign funds to the Young Democrats in 2006 and 2008. Reynolds said the group is not connected to the state party and thus was ineligible for the contribution. State Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes said Reynolds failed to do his research because the group is affiliated with the Democratic Central Committee.

NRA Political Victory Fund Backs Incumbents

The National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund has endorsed all six of Oklahoma's sitting members of Congress who face elections next month.

Senator Jim Inhofe and Congressman Dan Boren, newly-elected member of the NRA's board of directors, won A+ ratings.

Congressmen John Sullivan, Frank Lucas, Tom Cole and Congresswoman Mary Fallin won A ratings.

Barney Frank And Media's Double Standard

From Fox News ~ Unqualified home buyers were not the only ones who benefitted from Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank’s efforts to deregulate Fannie Mae throughout the 1990s.

So did Frank’s partner, a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agency’s push to relax lending restrictions.

Now that Fannie Mae is at the epicenter of a financial meltdown that threatens the U.S. economy, some are raising new questions about Frank's relationship with Herb Moses, who was Fannie’s assistant director for product initiatives. Moses worked at the government-sponsored enterprise from 1991 to 1998, while Frank was on the House Banking Committee, which had jurisdiction over Fannie.

Both Frank and Moses assured the Wall Street Journal in 1992 that they took pains to avoid any conflicts of interest. Critics, however, remain skeptical.

"It’s absolutely a conflict," said Dan Gainor, vice president of the Business & Media Institute. "He was voting on Fannie Mae at a time when he was involved with a Fannie Mae executive. How is that not germane?

"If this had been his ex-wife and he was Republican, I would bet every penny I have - or at least what’s not in the stock market - that this would be considered germane," added Gainor, a T. Boone Pickens Fellow. "But everybody wants to avoid it because he’s gay. It’s the quintessential double standard."

Debate Gives Fox Record Viewership

Fox News Channel averaged 11,098,000 Total Viewers during last night's vice presidential debate, most among the cable networks and the highest viewership in the network's 12 year history.

CNN averaged 10,685,000, and MSNBC averaged 4,412,000.

Cole, Fallin, Lucas Explain Rescue Bill Votes

Congressman Tom Cole said today his vote for the financial rescue bill is one he will have to defend for the rest of his political life.

In a statement, Cole said, "Lyndon Johnson used to say, 'doing the right thing isn't hard, knowing the right thing to do is.' Over the past few weeks I have questioned whether passing this bill is the right thing to do. But I believe that without immediate action the stock market will take a nose dive, credit will freeze up and economic activity will grind to a halt. I am not willing to gamble the jobs, life savings, retirement accounts, the homes and the businesses of the people I represent. We cannot risk the global, political and social turmoil that will surely occur if there is a severe and prolonged recession or depression in the United States."

Congresswoman Mary Fallin, who voted no on the earlier version but voted yes today, issued a statement in which she said, “Passing this bill was an extraordinary and difficult thing to do, but I believe it was the only way of getting our economy back on track. In moving forward, we must look to additional measures that ensure the American people are never again put in this position. Congress retains oversight of this plan and control of the purse strings, and I intend to ensure that we exercise that authority to protect taxpayers. Congress should also work in a bipartisan fashion to install new and workable safeguards against the kind of irresponsible lending practices engaged in by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and other institutions which contributed to this crisis. Only by permanently putting an end to the bad practices that got us here in the first place can we guarantee this crisis does not repeat itself.”

Congressman Frank Lucas, who voted no earlier and the same way today, said, "Today, I voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. This was one of the toughest decisions I have made in my 14 years as a United States Congressman, and I know that many of my constituents will be disappointed with my vote. They, like myself, are concerned about the state of our economy and the impact the turmoil on Wall Street may have on their retirement savings, pension fund, or even bank account. However, as concerned as I am about our economy, the cost and significance of this bill coupled with the haste in which it was crafted was of greater concern to me."

Biden-Palin Debate Drew Huge TV Audience

From Drudge ~ Thursday's debate between Alaska governor Sarah Palin and Delaware senator Joe Biden proved prognosticators correct and scored extremely high viewership.

Last night's debate totaled a 45.0 overnight meter-market household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.

That's 30% higher than Friday's presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, which scored a collective 34.7 rating among the broadcast and cable networks.

It's also a stunning 60% higher than the 2004 debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards. In fact, the figure surpasses any presidential debate since 1992's second bout between Bill Clinton, Ross Perot and George Bush.

Palin's Performance Draws Positive Reviews

Who won? It's the question always asked after debates and while supporters of Joe Biden and Sarah Palin can find polls and pundits today saying their candidate won, many of Palin's previous critics say she saved John McCain's bacon by a stellar performance.

The Drudge Report's poll, with about 393,000 votes cast, shows 70 percent say Palin won. America Online's poll has Palin at 47 percent, Biden at 45 percent.

"Sarah Palin saved John McCain again Thursday night. She is the political equivalent of cardiac paddles," conservative columnist Peggy Noonan, who was caught criticizing Palin in an off-camera moment in early September, wrote in The Wall Street Journal.

"So, who won? On substance, the edge goes to Mr. Biden. On style, Ms. Palin eked out a close win, enormously magnified by the plain fact that she wasn't chased off the stage," wrote editors at The Dallas Morning News.

Meanwhile, Biden, by putting a hold on his gaffe-prone tongue and showing restraint against Palin, helped Barack Obama's campaign, analysts said. One Obama aide told FOX News before the debate started that if all went well for them, most people won't even remember Biden was there.

"I think Biden actually did what he needed to do," Democratic strategist Kirsten Powers said Friday. "He really needed to do no harm ... He didn't really take the bait too much."

But even as many declared Biden the actual winner of the debate, several analysts renewed their praise of Palin and suggested that the first-term Alaska governor's defying expectations is a much bigger moral victory.

"A lot of people, and I include myself in that group, wondered if Sarah Palin was gonna screw up big time. She didn't," said former CBS newsman Bernie Goldberg, a FOX News analyst.

"I think last night she redeemed herself for a couple of very bad weeks," said Howard Wolfson, Hillary Clinton's former spokesman.

Boston Herald Endorses McCain

The Boston Herald is one of the first newspapers out of the gate with an endorsement in the presidential race, and their money's on John McCain.

The newspaper's endorsement described the Republican presidential nominee as an experienced leader "who is steady in the face of crisis, mature in judgment and able to reach across the aisle to break the gridlock that has for too long gripped Washington."

As the economy takes center stage in the presidential campaign, McCain has lost ground in recent national and battleground polls. But the Herald said McCain has the "courage" to make necessary spending cuts in the coming period of "economic uncertainty."

The newspaper had harsh words for Barack Obama, saying, "There is no room for a naif in the Oval Office."

The editorial criticized Obama for saying he'd meet with leaders of rogue nations and for not specifying how he would cut the federal budget during the presidential debate last Friday.

"McCain won a lot of hearts and minds around here in 2000, and we can't help but wonder how history might have been different had he won his party's nomination and the White House back then," the editorial said.

"But there is no going back. There is only the future and it is impossible to envision the future of this great nation being put in the hands of an articulate but inexperienced first-term senator from Illinois.

"Being commander in chief isn't the place for on-the-job training."

Reynolds Questions Henry Contributions

UPDATED ~ An Oklahoma Democratic Party official says these criticisms are off base since the Young Democrats of Oklahoma is an affiliate of the state party.

Governor Henry has apparently given $10,000 in illegal contributions to a partisan organization according to Ethics Commission records, Rep. Mike Reynolds said today.

Campaign reports, Reynolds said, show that Henry donated $5,000 of his surplus campaign funds to the Young Democrats of Oklahoma in 2007 and again in 2008. However, Reynolds said, it is illegal for a candidate to give his or her campaign funds to any partisan organization other than a state party and its affiliates (county parties).

As a result, the Young Democrats of Oklahoma are not an official party affiliate under campaign finance law and cannot legally receive the governor’s surplus funds.

“These transactions are an obvious violation of state law,” said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City. “Our state leaders must be held to high ethical standards that ensure fair and legally funded elections in Oklahoma. The governor’s actions do not pass that test.”

After the Young Democrats of Oklahoma received Henry’s contributions, Reynolds said that money may have been illegally used to fund the campaigns of Democratic candidates.

However, the Young Democrats of Oklahoma have failed to file any reports with the state Ethics Commission since early 2008, missing several legally required reporting deadlines that would have revealed how Henry’s money was expended.

“I don’t know why the Young Democrats would repeatedly fail to file reports in advance of the election if they have nothing to hide,” Reynolds said.

Rice Says Inhofe Ads 'Sleazeball politics'

From The Tulsa World ~ Television spots suggesting Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Rice is friendly to murderers, rapists, thieves and kidnappers are an example of incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe's "sleazeball politics," Rice said Wednesday.

Read all of reporter Randy Krehbiel's story at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=12&articleID=20081002_16_A7_hTheUS597783.

Rasmussen: Obama Maintains Lead

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows Barack Obama attracting 51 percent of the vote while John McCain earns 44 percent.

Yesterday's Gallup Poll makes it 48-44 percent.

Coburn Yes, Inhofe No On Rescue Bill

Senators Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe split their votes tonight on the financial rescue bill. Coburn voted for it, Inhofe against.

Meacham Calls For Bailout Bill Approval

State Treasurer Scott Meacham today called on members of the congressional delegation to act quickly to pass legislation to rescue the nation's failing financial markets.

"The longer they wait, the worse it gets," said Meacham. "It's time for every member of Oklahoma's congressional delegation to stand up and make the tough decisions needed to get the markets back on track.

"While sitting around saying 'no' may be the safe political thing to doright now, it's very short-sighted as credit is drying up, investmentsare shrinking and many Oklahomans' savings and retirement funds aredisappearing."

Without significant action soon, Meacham said the damage will only worsen.

"We saw earlier this week what happened to the stock market after the House failed to approve the first rescue package," he said. "The stock market set a record for the largest single day decline in history and investors lost more than a trillion dollars.

"I commend President Bush, Treasury Secretary Paulson and congressional leaders in both parties for their understanding of the potentially devastating impact of this ever widening financial crisis on our nation's economy and their hard work in drafting a compromise rescue plan to help stop the economic freefall we are currently experiencing."

Meacham said no package is going to please everyone.

"No taxpayer is happy that they are being called on once again to rescue private businesses from their poor decisions," Meacham said. "However, history teaches that failure to act in times of national crisis can be devastating. Herbert Hoover had to learn that lesson the hard way following the stock market crash of 1929.

"My call today is for all members of Oklahoma's delegation to rise tothis historic challenge and take decisive action to keep our country strong."

Is Ifill Out As Veep Debate Moderator?

There's word today that PBS anchor Gwen Ifill may be removed as moderator of Thursday's vice presidential debate between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Sarah Palin because of Ifill's new book, out on Inauguration Day, that praises Barack Obama.

Ifill's impartiality and credibility have been under attack this week, as word of the book's existence became known.

The McCain-Palin campaign was not aware of it when they agreed to Ifill as the moderator, a spokesman told Fox News' Greta Van Sustern.

Whether the Republicans have lodged a formal request is speculated, but not known.

Bouncing Polls: McCain Cuts Obama Lead

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain by 50 percent to 46 percent among likely voters in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, down from a 9-point edge a week earlier.

The new poll released on Tuesday was conducted Saturday through Monday, after the candidates met in their first debate on Friday.

Obama had led McCain by 52 percent to 43 percent in the poll's previous survey released last week.

SurveyUSA: Dems Gain Corp Comm Ground

From SurveyUSA For KFOR-TV ~ Democratic candidates for Oklahoma Corporation Commission seats have gained ground over the past three weeks.

In an election for a full-term seat on the Commission today, 09/30/08, Incumbent Republican Jeff Cloud edges Democrat Charles Gray 47% to 44%, according to this exclusive KFOR-TV poll conducted by SurveyUSA. Three weeks ago, Cloud led Gray by 15 points; today, Gray has gained 7 points; Cloud has lost 5 points and now leads by 3.

Among men, Cloud had led by 17, now leads by 3. Among women, Cloud had led by 13, now leads by 3. Among voters age 18 to 49, Cloud had led by 7, now trails by 5. Among voters 50+, Cloud's lead has been cut in half, from 22 points to 11 points. Cloud, first elected to the Commission in 2002, leads by 9 points today in Western Oklahoma, down slightly from a 13-point lead three weeks ago. In Eastern Oklahoma, the race has flipped: Cloud had led by 17, now trails by 4.

In the race for a short-term, two year term on the Commission, Republican Dana Murphy defeats Democratic incumbent Jim Roth 50% to 41%. Compared to three weeks ago, Roth is up 5 points; Murphy is down 4. Murphy, a geologist and attorney, leads by 9 points among men and by 10 among women. Among voters age 18 to 49, Murphy leads by 4 points; among voters age 50+, Murphy leads by 14. 28% of Democrats cross over to vote for the Republican Murphy.

Roth was appointed by Democratic Governor Brad Henry to fill a vacancy on the Commission in June of 2007; Republican Denise Bode, elected to her second full term in the office in 2004, resigned her seat. The winner of the short-term commission seat will serve the remaining two years of Bode's term.

Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund Backs Roth

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund announced Tuesday it has endorsed 100 openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) political candidates in 2008, making this endorsement slate the group's largest ever.

LGBT candidates are running for offices at all levels of government, from school boards to the U.S. Congress, according to the group.

Chuck Wolfe, the Victory Fund's president and CEO, said the surge in openly LGBT candidates in 2008 reflects the community's growing willingness to embrace political leadership as a path to change: "I think reaching this milestone is a testament to a new attitude in our community about how to achieve political change. We don't have to accept sitting on the sidelines and hoping others will do the heavy lifting. We can roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves."

The Victory Fund expects to continue endorsing candidates for a few more weeks, according to Laura Esquivel, senior vice president for political affairs. "This is a really exciting political season for the LGBT community. We're extremely proud of the out candidates who are stepping up to run for office all across America, and of the role that the Victory Fund plays in preparing and supporting these candidates. We'll endorse in even more races in the next couple of weeks, putting us well past 100 candidates for the year," Esquivel said.

The Victory Fund is the nation's largest LGBT political action committee, and the only national organization dedicated to increasing the number of out elected officials at all levels of government. Since its founding in 1991, the number of openly LGBT elected officials in the U.S. has grown from less than 50 to more than 420.

10 Victory Fund Highlight Races:

· Jason Bartlett — State Representative, Connecticut — Rep. Bartlett came out in 2008 during his current term, making him one of only two openly gay African-American state legislators in the U.S. His reelection would confirm that serving honestly and openly as LGBT is not a barrier to retaining the trust of constituents.

· Kate Brown — Secretary of State, Oregon — Sen. Kate Brown, who currently serves as the Democratic Leader in the Oregon Senate, would become the first openly LGBT Secretary of State in the U.S. In Oregon, the office is the second-highest ranking elected post behind the governor.

· Linda Ketner — U.S. Representative, South Carolina — Linda Ketner is a longtime businesswoman, community activist and philanthropist who is seeking to represent South Carolina's 1st Congressional District in the House of Representatives. She faces an entrenched Republican incumbent, but the state’s political press says Ketner's campaign has made the race competitive.

· Kevin Lee — State Representative, Pennsylvania — Kevin Lee would become the Keystone State's first out representative, which would be a milestone for Pennsylvania's substantial LGBT community. Kevin hopes to represent a swing district in suburban Philadelphia.

· Andrew Martin—State Representative, Nevada — Andrew Martin is seeking a seat in the Nevada Assembly, where he would be the only out state representative. Current state Rep. David Parks, who is also openly gay, is running for the State Senate.

· Sara Orozco—State Senate, Massachusetts — Sara Orozco would be the only openly LGBT state senator in Massachusetts. She faces a notoriously anti-gay incumbent.

· John Perez—State Assembly, California — If elected, John Perez would become the first openly LGBT person of color elected to the California legislature. Perez' strong support from both the labor and LGBT groups reflects growing alliances between the two communities.

· Jared Polis — U.S. Representative, Colorado — Jared Polis, the former chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education, won a hard-fought Democratic primary to represent the 2nd Congressional District. If elected, Jared would become the first openly gay man elected to Congress as a non-incumbent.

· Jim Roth — Corporation Commission, Oklahoma — Jim Roth was appointed to this powerful statewide regulatory commission by Gov. Brad Henry after winning two terms on the Oklahoma County Commission. He is now running to keep the seat. Roth would become the first openly gay statewide elected official in Oklahoma.

· Lupe Valdez — Sheriff, Dallas County, Texas — Lupe Valdez became the first woman, the first Latina and the first out lesbian ever elected to this post when she won in 2004. Republicans, still smarting from having lost the seat for the first time in a century, have targeted this county-wide race.

Will Ifill's Obama Bias Show In Veep Debate?

By Bob Unruh/© 2008 WorldNetDaily ~ The moderator of Thursday's vice presidential debate between Democrat Sen. Joe Biden and GOP Gov. Sarah Palin is writing a book, to come out about the time the next president takes the oath of office, to "shed new light" on Democratic candidate Barack Obama and other "emerging young African American politicians" who are "forging a bold new path to political power."

Gwen Ifill, of the Public Broadcasting Service program called "Washington Week," is promoting "The Breakthrough," in which she argues the "Black political structure" of the civil rights movement is giving way to men and women who have benefited from those struggles over racial equality.

Ifill declined to return a WND telephone message asking for a comment about her book project, and whether its success would be expected should Obama lose. But she has faced criticism previously for not treating candidates of both major parties the same.

During an earlier debate event she moderated, when Democrat John Edwards attacked Dick Cheney's former employer, Halliburton, the vice president said, "I can respond, Gwen, but it's going to take more than 30 seconds."

"Well, that's all you've got," she told him.

Ifill told The Associated Press Democrats were delighted with her answer, because they "thought I was being snippy to Cheney." She explains that wasn't her intent.

But she also was cited in complaints PBS Ombudsman Michael Getler said he got after Palin delivered her nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis this year.

The complaints cited Ifill's "dismissive" look during her report on Palin's speech. According to Getler, some complaints also said she wore a look of "disgust" while reporting on Palin.

Read the entire column at www.worldnetdaily.com.