BCS Vaults Sooners Into Big 12 Title Game

The University of Oklahoma Sooners will play next weekend for the Big 12 title, thanks to today's BCS rankings that moved OU ahead of the Texas Longhorns.

Oklahoma barely edged Texas in the BCS standings in a tiebreaker that determined the Big 12 South champ.

OU (11-1) will play North division winner Missouri (9-3) at 7 p.m. Saturday in the league championship game in Kansas City, Mo.

The game will be televised by ABC.

If the Sooners beat Missouri in the Big 12 title game, it would be a near certainty that OU would advance to the national championship game on January 8 in Miami, Florida.

Palin Dominates Search Engine Queries

From Politico ~ Three weeks after the Republican ticket suffered a sweeping defeat at the polls, Sarah Palin continues to dominate search engine queries, cable news and online video sites.

The only American politician who generates comparable interest is President-elect Barack Obama. No one else is close.

Palin was the most popular Lycos search from the week she joined the ticket continuously through last Sunday, some two weeks after the election, when she was dethroned by Paris Hilton, the celebutante whom John McCain famously compared to Barack Obama. The Alaska governor now ranks fourth, just one spot below Obama, on the weekly Lycos 50 list.

“People are still searching for her in record numbers,” said Kathy O’Reilly, a spokeswoman for Lycos. “How bizarre is that? Obama is the president-elect after the most historic election of all time and you’d think he would be dominating search activity and he only now is going ahead of her.”

Rasmussen: 77% Support School Pledge

From Rasmussen Reports ~ Seventy-seven percent (77%) of U.S. voters say school children should say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning at school, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 13% say they should not, and nine percent (9%) are undecided.

Biden-tity: Where's Joe?

From Politico ~ More than three weeks into the transition, and Vice-President elect Joe Biden generates less buzz than the non-existent first puppy.

The vice president-elect has not spoken publicly since the election, and was at Barack Obama's side just once this week as the president-elect delivered a series of grim news conferences on the economy.

Obama instead appears to be at the center of his longtime Chicago circle. His chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, and senior adviser David Axelrod were each at two of Obama's press conferences, and Valerie Jarrett, another senior adviser, joined him during a media-frenzied local lunch stop last Friday. Emanuel and Axelrod have also both already made the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows, where Biden used to be a familiar face.

"I think as the president-elect gets to know the vice president-elect and understands his strengths, he'll rely on him a little more," said Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who has known Biden for 30 years. "Right now you're almost in the campaign mode still and so you really rely on the people who've been around since the beginning."

Still, it's a precipitous drop in profile from just three months ago, when 47-year-old Obama, dogged by critics who deemed him an elitist who lacked experience, selected as his running mate Biden, a foreign-policy expert who'd been in the Senate since his new boss was in elementary school but still rode Amtrak to work.

"He's stared down dictators and spoken out for American cops and firefighters," Obama said as he introduced Biden in Springfield, Ill. on a Saturday in late August. "He is uniquely suited to be my partner as we work to put our country back on track."

But even on the trail the tightly controlled campaign kept a close watch on the gaffe-prone Biden as he was dispatched to court Jews in South Florida and blue-collar workers in Pennsylvania. Nor has his role as vice president, a high-profile office with at best nebulous powers, yet been defined, leaving a vacuum filled only with speculation.

Amid reports that Obama will name Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State the question swirled: What about Biden? Foreign policy was supposed to be his domain.

"You think he wasn't in on that conversation?" a source involved with the transition asked rhetorically.

Yet in a column last week The Washington Post's David Ignatius called Biden "the incredible shrinking vice president-elect.""Where is he these days?" Ignatius wonders. "Do they have him in a box? He can't be happy at the idea of considering Clinton as foreign policy tsarina — wasn't Biden's foreign policy savvy the reason he was picked?"

Coffee Finalizes Leadership Staff

State Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee announced Tuesday that he has finalized his majority leadership staff for the 2009 legislative session.

Coffee’s staff includes:

Fred Morgan, Senior Policy Advisor and Legal Counsel to the President Pro Tempore Former State Rep. Morgan continues in his role as Coffee’s top aide.

Becky Woodie, Personal Assistant to the President Pro Tempore. Ms. Woodie has served as Coffee’s personal assistant since he was first elected a decade ago.

Gwendolyn Caldwell, Majority Leadership Legislative Director. Ms. Caldwell first joined Coffee’s leadership staff four years ago as deputy leadership assistant.

Randy Swanson, Majority Leadership Communications Director. Swanson is the new communications director for Coffee and the Majority leadership team.

Ashley Kehl, Majority Leadership Media Assistant. Ms. Kehl first joined Coffee’s leadership staff in 2007 as a receptionist and staff assistant, and was later promoted to media assistant.

Brittnee Preston, Majority Leadership Legislative Assistant. Mrs. Preston interned for Coffee’s office during the 2007 session before joining Coffee’s staff as a full-time employee.

Rita Chapman, Administrative Assistant / Constituent Relations and Appointments. Mrs. Chapman was an assistant to Coffee at his law firm prior to joining the Senate staff in 2007.

Sonja Wall, Administrative Assistant / Receptionist. Ms. Wall worked for 8 years as an executive assistant at the State Senate before joining Coffee’s staff last week.

Last week, Coffee announced that another aide, Paul Ziriax, is leaving the leadership staff to accept Coffee’s appointment to the dual position of Secretary of the Senate and Secretary of the State Election Board.

Coffee’s staff includes a personal assistant plus seven leadership staff, for a total of eight employees. By comparison, when Democrats last held the Senate majority in 2006 the Pro Tem’s office employed 11 people (a personal assistant, 9 leadership staff, and a consultant).

New License Plates Coming In January

By The Tulsa World In Hominy ~ If the guys who make them are any judges, most Oklahoma motorists should like the newly designed license tags they'll be getting next year.

Inmates at the Dick Conner Correctional Center have already cranked up production of the new tags, churning out thousands upon thousands of them just in the last week. The inmates are expected to turn out 3.5 million of the new tags by the end of next year. They will be available to all motorists when they renew their registrations starting in January.

The redesigned tags are a world apart from the old ones, which were designed 16 years ago. For starters, the raised lettering on the plates will be gone. Instead, all the characters on the plates are digitally printed in place. Also gone are the green and white colors of the old tags. The new tags have a pearl-white background, and the tag numbers are maroon — not Sooner crimson. The new tags feature the name "Oklahoma" at the top, with each of the letters bordered in a gold color. The bottom of the plate has a narrow blue band running its length, with the words "Native America" printed in pearl white. At the lower right-hand corner is a white Osage Nation shield. The shield, in all its colors, had been in the middle of the old tags.

Meanwhile, there's a touch of Tulsa to the new tags. The left side of the tag features the Gilcrease Museum's "Sacred Rain Arrow" statue framed against a blue sky.

One other design change will be for local governments, schools and state vehicles, along with farm and commercial trucks. Those entities will get the same new tags, like everyone else, except the blue band with "Native America" will be replaced with whatever the specific designation is. Gone will be the white-background, black-lettered tags now used by governments.

The new tags are made out of aluminum instead of galvanized steel, keeping them free of rusting. The use of aluminum also makes the new tags lighter to ship in bulk.

The state hasn't yet come up with designs for specialty or personalized tags, including tags for the handicapped. Motorists who have those kinds of tags on their vehicles now can keep them on, but they must keep their new license tags inside their vehicles at all times, according to officials.

At the Conner Correctional Center, where inmates have been making state and tribal license tags since 1980, production of the new license plates is more relaxed in an almost printshop-like atmosphere. Large rolls of a plastic-like film, with the surface design of the new tags already printed on, are fed into a computerized machine that prints sequential numbers for each new tag. Each finished roll is then fed into another machine, which adheres the film to a continuous sheet of aluminum. From there it goes to a stamping machine, which cuts out each individual tag and drills the four holes needed for its placement on a vehicle.

The new setup allows the daily production of between 20,000 and 25,000 new tags, prison officials said. The goal now is to deliver 400,000 new tags to tag agencies across the state by January, said J.D. Colbert with Oklahoma Correctional Industries, which runs inmate industrial programs statewide.

Most of the inmates involved in the production of the new plates like the design. Phil Lykins, 57, who hails from Winchester, Ind., said the new design is very distinctive and will stand out among other state license plates. Alan Laman, 36, of Roland, said Oklahoma was overdue for a change. Besides, he said, the new design brings out the Native America quality of Oklahoma more effectively. "I grew up in Texas, but I had no idea how many tribes were located in Oklahoma," Laman said. William Dial, 51, and Donald Robinson, 38, both of Oklahoma City, shared one word for the new tag design — "prettier."

Not everyone was pleased, though. Scott Robinette, 42, of Garber, had a greater sense of nostalgia and liked the old plates because of their variations. But the inmates all said making the new tags is far easier than at the prison's metal-fabricating plant, where the old tags were stamped, painted and baked dry. The plant still produces some tribal plates and motorcycle license tags, which have not been redesigned.

There's one other enhanced feature of the new tags: They will be more easily read at night by police.

Questions Dog Obama's Birth Certificate

Is President-elect Barack Obama's birth certificate authentic? It's a question that's circulated for months now, and even as Obama prepares to become the nation's 44th president, the blogosphere is ablaze with stories about it, pro and con.

Today, "Obama birth certificate" on Google produces 179,000 returns, a number that is growing by the day.

And the stories are being read. Tulsa Today's David Arnett posted a lengthy piece on the controversy yesterday and had so many hits his site went down; service is being restored.

Bunny Chambers of Oklahoma City, a Republican elector this year, is out with an email today in which she writes, "There must be something to hide if BHO won’t release proof, if he has it, that he is a natural born US citizen. He isn’t officially elected until the Electoral College meets on December 15th. I am a member of the 2008 Electoral College. I can’t believe that this is actually happening right before our eyes. We must do something! I’ve worked over 30 years to protect our US Constitution and now it seems that it will have been all for naught."

World Net Daily has an entire page of Obama birth certificate stories.

Obama Approval-Disapproval 60-37%

From Rasmussen Reports ~ Three weeks after his November 4 victory, President-elect Barack Obama’s approval rating has reached a new high (60-37 percent) at the same time that investor confidence has fallen to record lows.

Ratings for Congress improved a point following the legislators’ rejection of an auto-industry bailout, but the improvement raises approval to just 11 percent.

Forty-three percent (43%) of the nation’s voters now Strongly Approve of the way Obama is performing his role as President-elect while 20% Strongly Disapprove. Those figures give Obama a +23 rating in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index. That’s a point higher than his previous best and up fifteen points since the night after the election (see trends).

The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve. Rasmussen Reports believes that this is a better measure of public perceptions than the overall approval ratings. Overall, 60% of voters somewhat or strongly approve of Obama’s performance so far while 37% disapprove.

By way of comparison, 13% of all voters Strongly Approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president. Forty-three percent (43%) Strongly Disapprove. That gives the current President a -30 rating on the Presidential Approval Index.

Coffee Names Committee Chairmen

State Senate President Pro Tempore Designate Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, announced Monday that he is reducing the number of Senate committees and subcommittees by two, from 22 to 20. Coffee also named the Senate’s new committee chairs.

Changes to the Senate’s committee structure include: The elimination of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. Combining two Appropriations subcommittees – Health and Social Services, and Human Services – into a single Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services.

“Streamlining the number of committees will help improve efficiency and make our committees more effective,” said Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

Nineteen Republican senators who each served as a committee co-chair the past two years will serve as chairmen in the GOP-controlled Senate. One new senator – former OSU president Jim Halligan, R-Stillwater – is being tapped to chair an Appropriations subcommittee.

Coffee plans to announce committee vice-chairs and other committee members within the next two weeks.

The Senate’s committees and committee chairs for the 2009 session are:

Appropriations Committee: Sen. Mike Johnson, R-Kingfisher; Appropriations Subcommittee on Education: Sen. Jim Halligan, R-Stillwater; Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services: Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa; Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services: Sen. David Myers, R-Ponca City; Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government and Transportation: Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso; Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary: Sen. Anthony Sykes, R-Moore.

Finance Committee: Sen. Mike Mazzei, R-Tulsa.

Education Committee: Sen. John Ford, R-Bartlesville.

Judiciary Committee: Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid.

Agriculture and Rural Development Committee: Sen. Ron Justice, R-Chickasha .

Business and Labor Committee: Sen. Harry Coates, R-Seminole.

Energy and Environment Committee: Sen. Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa.

General Government Committee: Sen. Cliff Aldridge, R-Choctaw.

Health and Human Resources Committee: Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond.

Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee: Sen. Don Barrington, R-Lawton.

Retirement and Insurance Committee: Sen. Bill Brown, R-Broken Arrow.

Rules Committee: Sen. Jonathan Nichols, R-Norman.

Tourism and Wildlife Committee: Sen. Mike Schulz, R-Altus.

Transportation Committee: Sen. Cliff Branan, R-Oklahoma City.

Veterans and Military Affairs Committee: Sen. Jim Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City.

For the first time in the state’s history, Republicans have the majority in the Oklahoma State Senate. Senate Republicans picked up two seats on Election Day to win a 26 to 22 majority.

State House Closer To Paperless Operation

State House members can now file bills electronically, increasing efficiency and moving the state one step closer to a “paperless” government, Speaker Chris Benge said today.

Benge said the new electronic bill filing system is one of the first in the nation and puts Oklahoma at the forefront of developing and using new technologies to make government more efficient and cost-effective.

“House Republicans have supported streamlining government and making the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and that goes for us as well,” said Benge, R-Tulsa.

Until this year, members filed their bills in person, which then were hand numbered by the House Bill Clerk. Each member is allowed to file as many as eight separate bills. Each individual bill packet contained six copies of each bill that would be hand-numbered. Last year, the House Chief Clerk’s Office reported that more than 1,200 bills were filed, meaning more than 7,200 bills were hand numbered.

To complete the process, additional staff was forced to leave their work and pitch in.

Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, filed the first bill using the new system and Rep. David Dank filed the first resolution. Dank said the system will go a long way toward simplifying the bill filing process and freeing up valuable time.

“I thought it was just outstanding,” said Dank, R-Oklahoma City. “It was very user-friendly and really uncomplicated. These may seem like little things, but it allows us to focus more on the work that we were sent here to do.”

Benge said that since Republicans took control of the House in 2004, they have attempted to bring the legislative process into the 21st century by introducing new technology, including implementing wireless Internet service in the House, providing each representative with a laptop computer for the first time and creating an electronic system that allows members to file amendments to bills and access the House Calendar from the chamber floor.

Benge said the computer programmers at the Legislative Services Bureau and the staff in the House Chief Clerk’s Office deserve all the credit for the idea and the time spent designing the system.

SPR: Oklahoma's 2010 Governor's Race

From A Southern Political Report Story On 2010 Governor's Races In The South ~ Oklahoma: Gov. Brad Henry (D) is term-limited and a spirited contest for the open seat is likely. The leading Democratic contender for now is Attorney General Drew Edmondson, scion of a family prominent in Oklahoma politics. Edmondson has been touring the state and is expected to announce in late 2009. But he may not have a clear field in his own party. Lt. Gov. Jari Askins and state Treasurer Scott Meacham are also getting mentioned for the job.

On the GOP side, two members of Congress are possible gubernatorial contenders. Congresswoman Mary Fallin, a former lieutenant governor, is getting mentioned; she was recently elected president of the sophomore class of House Republicans. Congressman Tom Cole, who earlier this month lost his position as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, is being talked about for governor. And Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, who lost a runoff for Congress to Fallin in 2006, is also getting some attention for the job.

Expert: Media's Performance 'Disgusting'

From Newsmax ~ The mainstream media's support for Barack Obama's presidential campaign was so biased that even major insiders are now admitting they were shocked by its depth and depravity.

Last week, Time magazine's Mark Halperin called the media's performance during the campaign simply "disgusting."

Halperin told a panel of media analysts at the Politico/USC conference on the 2008 election, "It's the most disgusting failure of people in our business since the Iraq war." He added, "It was extreme bias, extreme pro-Obama coverage."

According to the Web site Politico, Halperin, who edits Time's political site "The Page," zeroed in on two New York Times articles near the end of the campaign that profiled both Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama.

"The story about Cindy McCain was vicious," Halperin said. "It looked for every negative thing they could find about her and it cast her in an extraordinarily negative light. It didn't talk about her work, for instance, as a mother for her children, and they cherry-picked every negative thing that's ever been written about her."

But the Times gave Michelle Obama red carpet treatment, "like a front-page endorsement of what a great person Michelle Obama is."

Halperin, a former ABC News political director, allowed that some of the press coverage simply reflected the extreme efficiency of Obama's presidential campaign.

"You do have to take into account the fact that this was a remarkable candidacy," Halperin said. "There were a lot of good stories. He was new."

Obama also had a lot of money and outspent Republican John McCain by more than 2 to 1.

The press never bothered to hold Obama accountable for reneging on his promise to use public financing. McCain kept his promise to do so.

During the campaign, conservatives criticized the pro-Obama coverage, but it had little effect.

Columnist David Limbaugh noted: "Never has that been clearer than in the 2008 presidential election, during which they are covering up rather than covering Barack Obama's shady past and alliances, his knee-deep involvement in corrupt practices threatening the very core of our democratic system, and his many policy misrepresentations."

Limbaugh noted that the press went into a tizzy over Sarah Palin's wardrobe, but ignored extravagances like Obama's "obscenely idolatrous million-dollar Greek coliseum mirage."

Now that the election is over, Halperin is not alone in admitting the bias. The Washington Post's ombudsman recently conceded that the paper’s coverage was skewed strongly in favor of Obama and against the McCain-Palin ticket.

Poll: Internet Most Reliable News Source

A Zogby Poll, commissioned by IFC, found 37.6 percent of those asked consider the Internet the most reliable source of news while just 20.3 percent consider national TV news most reliable and 16 percent say radio is the most reliable source.

Also revealed:• 39.3 percent of those surveyed trust FOX News most for the issues they consider most important, followed by CNN with 16 percent and MSNBC with 15 percent.• 72.6 percent believe the news they read and see is biased.• 88.7 percent Republican and 57.5 percent of Democrat respondents describe the news media as biased.

Zogby surveyed 3,472 adults nationwide on November 5 and 6. The poll was conducted on behalf of IFC which this week debuted a new show called The Media Project which, "reveals the truth behind TV news."

Eric Holder's War Against Bloggers...

http://www.thelibertysphere.blogspot.com/ and scroll down.

Obama's AG Nominee A Gun-Grabber

From Newsmax ~ Barack Obama’s nomination of Eric Holder for attorney general will not sit well with advocates of Second Amendment rights — Holder has consistently championed stronger gun-control measures.

As deputy attorney general in the Bill Clinton administration from 1997 to 2001, Holder “was a strong supporter of restrictive gun control,” according to The Volokh Conspiracy, a Web site that focuses on the legal system and the courts.

He advocated federal licensing of handgun owners, a three-day waiting period on handgun sales, rationing handgun sales to no more than one per month, banning possession of handguns and so-called "assault weapons" by anyone under age 21, a gun show restriction bill that would have given the federal government the power to shut down all gun shows, and national gun registration.

“He also promoted the factoid that ‘Every day that goes by, about 12, 13 more children in this country die from gun violence’ — a statistic that is true only if one counts 18-year-old gangsters who shoot each other as ‘children,’” noted the Web site, founded by law professor Alexander Volokh.

After the 9/11 attacks, Holder wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post arguing that a new law should give "the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms a record of every firearm sale." He also said prospective gun buyers should be checked against the secret "watch lists" compiled by various government entities.

Earlier this year, Holder — who would become the first African-American attorney general — co-signed an amicus brief in support of the District of Columbia’s ban on all handguns and on the use of any firearm for self-defense in the home.

Obama Names Emily's List ED To Top Post

From Politico ~ Ellen Moran, executive director of EMILY’s List, was named White House communications director by President-elect Obama on Saturday.

Moran, a well-known grassroots organizer, has also managed statewide Democratic campaigns and managed the Wal-Mart corporate accountability campaign for the AFL-CIO.

EMILY's List, one of the most important Democratic constituency groups, says it is "dedicated to building a progressive America by electing Democratic pro-choice women to office."

As expected, the White House press secretary will be Robert Gibbs, a top strategist on Obama's campaign who helped chart his leap from the U.S. Senate to the presidency.

Networks Continue Loss Of Viewers

By Jim Meyers/Newsmax ~ Media coverage of the presidential race heated up as Election Day neared, but the overall audience of network evening newscasts actually decreased in the last months of the campaign.

The three major network newscasts were down 280,000 viewers since Sept. 22 compared with the same period last year.

ABC’s World News slipped 2 percent to 8.2 million viewers, and CBS Evening News fell 3 percent to 6.1 million viewers. NBC Nightly News saw a slight increase, up 1 percent to 8.37 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research data reported by the Los Angeles Times.

On the other hand, the cable news networks saw a sharp increase in viewers during the race, more than doubling their prime-time audiences this fall.

The drop in viewership for the network evening newscasts “at a time when viewers were aggressively seeking news speaks to the challenge the programs face in a landscape increasingly cluttered with media choices,” the Times observed.

“Once the country’s dominant news platforms, the three flagship network newscasts found themselves jockeying this season with cable channels and Internet sites to deliver the freshest political updates.”

Since 1991, the combined audience of the three networks has dropped from 36.7 million to 22.7 million.

Coffee Names Randy Swanson To Senate Communications Director Post

From Glenn Coffee's Office ~ Oklahoma State Senate President Pro Tempore Designate Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, announced Friday that Randy Swanson of Yukon will join Coffee’s Senate leadership staff as Majority Leadership Communications Director.

Swanson takes the spot previously held by Paul Ziriax, named Thursday as the new secretary of the Senate and election board secretary.

Swanson brings more than 25 years of experience in public relations, politics and government service to the State Senate. He will direct media, press, and public outreach activities for Coffee and the Senate’s Republican leadership team. For the first time in the state’s history, Republicans have the majority in the Oklahoma State Senate.

“Randy has a wealth of experience in both the public and private sector, so we’re very excited about bringing his many talents to the State Senate,” stated Coffee. “Randy Swanson will do a great job helping Senate Republicans get out our message of fiscal responsibility, traditional values, creating jobs, and reforming state government,” he said.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to join the President Pro Tem’s leadership staff at this historic time,” said Swanson. “Senator Coffee is a remarkable and distinguished leader. I appreciate the confidence he has in me, and I look forward to helping the members of the Senate’s new majority tell our story in the upcoming legislative session.”

During the 2008 election cycle, Swanson served as executive director of the Oklahoma Republican Senatorial Committee. Senate Republicans picked up two seats on Election Day to win a 26 to 22 majority.

Swanson, 50, is a former chief of staff and press secretary to U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas and a former administrative aide and campaign manager to former Corporation Commissioner J.C. Watts. He also is a former regional political director for the Republican National Committee.

In addition to political and government experience, he has consulted various local, national, and international ministries and non-profit organizations on media and public relations. Swanson's volunteer activities include work as Public Relations Chairman for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and as a publicist for Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity.

Swanson has been married to his wife Carol for 28 years. Carol Swanson is teacher in the Yukon Public Schools system. The Swansons have three sons: David, 20, is a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Joel, 16, and Luke, 13, are students in Yukon Public Schools.

The Swansons are active members of Bethany First Church of the Nazarene. Swanson is a graduate of Southern Nazarene University, where he earned a bachelor of arts in communications and business.

He starts his new job at the State Senate on December 1.

Obama Gun Ownership Question Has NRA, Some Blue Dog Democrats Asking 'Why?'

President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team is asking potential appointees detailed questions about gun ownership, and firearms advocates aren’t happy about it.

The National Rifle Association has denounced the move, which has already led one Republican senator to consider legislation aimed at ensuring a president can’t use an applicant’s gun ownership status to deny employment.

It’s just one question on a lengthy personnel form — No. 59 on a 63-question list — but the furor over the query is a vivid reminder of the intensity of support for Second Amendment rights and signals the scrutiny Obama is likely to receive from the ever-vigilant gun lobby.

Obama’s transition team declined to go into detail on why they included the question, suggesting only that it was done to ensure potential appointees were in line with gun laws.

Read more details at http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15835.html.

Federal Judge Dismisses Stipe Action

Muskogee U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White has declared former State Senator Gene Stipe mentally incompetent and in a new order issued earlier this week dismissed the petition to revoke his probation. The action effectively closes the case and makes all other pending motions moot. Had probation been revoked, Stipe could have gone to prison or given an extended period of in-home detention. An existing order of in-home detention expires in late January.

Mark Hodges Retires At Wheat Commission

Mark Hodges said today he will retire next month as executive director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission. The announcement came during today's wheat commission monthly board meeting.

He has served more than 10 years as the wheat commission's lead administrator. Hodges, 55, said he wants to devote more time to his family's Panhandle farming operations.

Paul Ziriax Named Election Board Secretary

Senate President Pro Tempore Designate Glenn Coffee has announced his choice for Secretary of the Senate and State Election Board Secretary. Paul Ziriax, who has held the title of Leadership Assistant at the State Senate for the past six years, has been named to the dual posts.

The Pro Tempore selects the Secretary of the Senate, who must then be elected by a majority of members. Under Oklahoma law that individual also serves as State Election Board Secretary.

“Paul’s experience in both state and national government positions have prepared him well for these new responsibilities,” Coffee said. “I also know him to be a man of tremendous character and intellect, with an abiding respect for the political process and democracy. I know he will do an outstanding job on behalf of the people of Oklahoma.”

“Oklahoma has a national reputation for the efficient way in which our elections are conducted, and Michael Clingman should be commended for the great job he’s done as Secretary of the Senate and Secretary of the State Election Board,” stated Coffee. “I wish Michael the best of luck in his new role as director of the Office of State Finance.”

Before coming to work for the Senate, Ziriax was the Chief of staff and press secretary to former U.S. Congressman Wes Watkins. He serves on the State Capitol Preservation Commission and is a member of the Legislative Information and Communication Staff Section and Leadership Staff Section of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Ziriax earned a degree in Business Administration and Finance from Oklahoma State University, and is a member of the OSU Alumni Association.

The Secretary of the Senate directs the floor staff and oversees the preparation of daily printing and general publications and the content of forms used by the Senate for various reports and procedures. The Secretary is the custodian of all Senate records and provides assistance to the President Pro Tempore and the presiding officer. The State Election Board Secretary is the chief administrative officer of the State Election Board.

“I am deeply honored by the faith Senator Coffee has placed in me,” Ziriax said. “I have some big shoes to fill. I am thrilled with this new opportunity, and look forward to continuing my public service.”

Ziriax, 37, is a native of Claremore and lives in Edmond with his wife, Lisa, and their nearly 2-year-old daughter, Allie. They are members of Faith Bible Church in Edmond.

Fallin Elected President Of Sophomore Class

Congresswoman Mary Fallin was elected today to serve as the president of the sophomore class of House Republicans. Fallin was selected by her peers during Republican organizational meetings and elections.

Benge Pushes Heat Pump System Credit

From The Speaker's Office ~ Oklahomans purchasing a geothermal heat pump system will save not only on their utility bills, but may also receive a state tax credit, House Speaker Chris Benge announced today as a part of his ongoing energy initiative.

Benge announced his plans to file legislation requesting a 5 percent tax credit for both residential and commercial uses of a geothermal system.

Geothermal heat pumps utilize a nearly constant temperature below the ground surface to heat a home or business in the winter, and remove heat to cool a structure in the summer. The technology is considered the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean and cost-effective space-conditioning system currently available.

Rasmussen: Obama Approval Climbs

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index for Thursday shows that 41% Strongly Approve of the way Barack Obama is performing his role as President-elect while 19% Strongly Disapprove for a net rating of +22. That's Obama's highest rating yet, up twelve points since the night after the election.

Cole Withdraws From RNCC Race

Congressman Tom Cole has withdrawn his candidacy for a second term as chairman of the Republican National Congressional Committee, it is reported today.

Cole withdrew in favor of Texas Congressman Pete Sessions, who had the support of GOP leader John Boehner.

Kudlow Joins Inhofe On Bailout Freeze

Economist and CNBC financial commentator Lawrence Kudlow today joined Senator Jim Inhofe’s call to change course and put a freeze on the taxpayer dollars being spent on Secretary Paulson’s TARP program.

Inhofe this week introduced legislation (S.3683) that would freeze unspent bailout funds and ensure Congress votes on any further plans to spend the remaining $350 billion in available TARP funds.

Kudlow, who reluctantly supported the initial financial rescue program, agrees with Inhofe that the bailout madness needs to end and that it’s time to “stop any new TARP money—period. Enough is enough.”

Oklahomans Give Auto Bailout Thumbs Down

SurveyUSA reports that 63 percent of Oklahomans are opposed to a federal bailout of the auto industry.

The poll, taken for KFOR-Channel 4 in Oklahoma City, found just 24 percent support the idea.

See the poll results at http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=cd8fee68-c915-4447-aa34-0e4cbfdaa61c.

Oklahoma's Presidential Vote Draws Attention

Oklahoma's vote in the presidential election continues to draw national interest.

All 77 of the state's counties went for John McCain over Barack Obama, the only state in which Obama lost every county, and the state gave Obama his third-lowest vote percentage.

Those facts, in light of Obama's national victory, have not been lost on others. The New York Times, Southern Political Report and others have reported on it.

Here's an excerpt from The Times' story: “Oklahoma Democrats, with very few exceptions, are the old-line white Southern Democrats,” said David Ray, another political scientist at the university (of Oklahoma). “They don’t like liberals or liberalism.”

Indeed, the state has a political landscape closely resembling that of the old solidly Democratic South, especially in its southeastern corner, known as Little Dixie, where many Southerners settled after the Civil War. When conservatives of the Old South began abandoning the party decades ago, Oklahoma’s Democrats lagged behind the historical trend. Further, the state has relatively small black and Hispanic populations, and so the Democrats did not absorb as many new voters from those groups as in the states of the old Confederacy.

These days Oklahoma Democrats dread running for local office in presidential election years, for fear of being associated with liberal nominees at the top of the ticket.

“Being liberal in Oklahoma, with the exception of a few legislative districts, will not get you elected,” said State Representative Joe Dorman, a conservative Democrat.

Ivan Holmes, chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, said there had been no ballot initiative or outcry on any state or local issue that would explain why conservatives of both parties rejected many Democratic candidates this week.

But, Mr. Holmes said, Mr. Obama was badly hurt in the state by rumors that he was not a Christian, that he sympathized with terrorists and that he would take away people’s firearms, a buzz that could not have helped Democrats down the ticket.

In addition, Senator James M. Inhofe, the Republican incumbent, whipped up anti-liberal sentiment in his successful race against a Democratic challenger, State Senator Andrew Rice, accusing him of being “too liberal for Oklahoma” in opposing a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and voting against tax cuts.

Another Republican, State Representative Sally Kern, who recently declared that homosexuality was a greater threat to the nation than terrorism, easily won re-election.

But Mr. (Keith) Gaddie said that perhaps the most important factor in Mr. McCain’s strong showing here was religion. An Edison/Mitofsky exit poll found that more than half of Oklahoma voters identified themselves as evangelical Christians and that a heavy majority of them had voted for Mr. McCain.

Mr. Gaddie, himself a pollster as well as a college professor, said: “A question we always ask in our polls is ‘How often do you attend church services?’ If a Democrat is not going to vote for a Democrat, they are a frequent church attender.”

The Gadfly: Then They Came For Me...

From The Tulsa World ~ A former Ku Klux Klan leader who has since renounced the organization says the hate group is "making a comeback in Oklahoma," pointing to the recruitment — and eventual killing — of a Tulsa woman by a Louisiana segment of the group. Louisiana authorities have said Cynthia Charlotte Lynch, 43, was recruited to join the group but was killed when she decided to leave an initiation ritual that took place last Sunday. Johnny Lee Clary, 49, used to be active in the KKK — rising to the rank of imperial wizard — but he quit in 1989 and now preaches against such hate groups. He said he's seen signs of the group's comeback in Oklahoma "for some time now, and my message to my fellow Oklahomans is: Don't buy their messages of hate. There are a number of things they will try to use to their advantage to spread their hate propaganda — the poor economy, illegal immigration, the election of a black president. Just remember, this is the kind of violence they are capable of. I know."

* * *

On the night of May 17,1927, as guests gathered for a wedding reception at 801 Spruce Street in Atlantic, Iowa, they found a cross burning on the lawn. Locals of the Ku Klux Klan had let it be known they disapproved of the marriage of John Holsworth and Minnie Jobes Simmons' daughter, 19-year-old Lolita, like her parents a Presbyterian, to a Roman Catholic. Catholics, like blacks and Jews, were Klan targets. There were threats, as well, but (it is speculated) the prominence of the Simmons family in the community gave it some degree of protection.

John Holsworth and Minnie Jobes Simmons were my grandparents, their daughter Lolita and her new husband Millard McCarville my parents.

I relate this bit of family history after reading several stories about the renewed activities of the KKK and other haters of Jews, Catholics and blacks in light of the election of Barack Obama as president and I am reminded of these words from the German Rev. Martin Niemuller: "In Germany they came first for the Communists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me–and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Chris Wilson: 10 Thoughts On 2008

From California's FlashReport ~ [Publisher's Note: As part of an ongoing effort to bring original, thoughtful commentary to you here at the FlashReport, I am pleased to present this column from Chris Wilson, the President of Wilson Research Strategies. This data is helpful in our ongoing dialogue about the future of the GOP - Flash]

If you are new to the FlashReport, please check out the main site and the acclaimed FlashReport Weblog on California politics.

NOTE: Wilson's column below is accompanied by this outstanding PowerPoint presentation (now in .pdf format) which I recommend you read. It contains a lot of interesting data.

Ten thoughts about the 2008 elections and the future of the GOP based on Wilson Research Strategies’ election night poll and post-election analysis.

Read Wilson's remarks at www.flashreport.org.

Senate Republicans Complete Leadership Team

The new Republican majority in the Oklahoma State Senate elected the remaining members of the Republican Caucus leadership team today.

Last week, they elected Senator Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, to serve as the first Republican to serve in the Senate’s top leadership post, President Pro Tempore. Also last week, Coffee named Sen. Todd Lamb, R-Edmond, to serve as Majority Floor Leader.

Today, Republicans elected these members of the leadership team:

Assistant Majority Floor Leaders: Mike Mazzei, Bixby; Clark Jolley, Edmond; Brian Bingman, Sapulpa.

Majority Whips: Cliff Branan, Oklahoma City; Mike Schulz, Altus; Anthony Sykes, Moore.

Majority Caucus Chairman: John Ford, Bartlesville.

“Congratulations to the members of the new Majority leadership team. I am excited about working with our leadership team and the entire Republican caucus to advance pro-family and pro-jobs issues in the State Senate,” said Coffee.

Republicans made history on election night by winning the majority in the State Senate for the first time in Oklahoma history.

Soros Group Provides Obama Policy Ideas

From Bloomberg.com ~ Three blocks from the White House, on the 10th floor of a sleek glass building, young workers pound at computers, with giant flat-screen TVs overhead. It has the look and feel of a high-tech startup.

In many ways it is. The product is ideas.

Thanks in part to funding from benefactors such as billionaire George Soros, the Center for American Progress has become in just five years an intellectual wellspring for Democratic policy proposals, including many that are shaping the agenda of the new Obama administration.

Read the entire story at www.bloomberg.com.

An Informed Electorate?

http://www.howobamagotelected.com/

Reynolds Wins As Opponent Withdraws

Senator Jim Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, will retain his Senate seat without further legal battles after his opponent, Democrat David Boren, withdrew his challenge this afternoon.

Boren's had complained that alleged irregularities occurred in the Senate District 43 race.

A hearing on the complaint was scheduled for this afternoon in Oklahoma County District Court, but Boren withdrew the complaint because, he said, he didn't have time to round up witnesses.

In a recount conducted last week, Reynolds gained two votes.

Boren is not related to OU President David Boren.

Henry Names Clingman To OSF Post

Governor Henry today appointed Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Michael Clingman as director of the Office of State Finance.

Clingman will succeed Tony Hutchison, who resigned the budget post earlier this year.

There's speculation the move may have been made to promote Clingman before Senate Republicans, who control the appointment of the Election Board secretary now that they have a majority in the Senate, could have replaced him with their own secretary.

Clingman has 20 years of experience in public service. Before his appointment as Election Board Secretary in 2001, he served as Commissioner of the Oklahoma Insurance Fund, Administrator of the Oklahoma Workers Compensation Court and Chief Executive Officer of the Arkansas Workers Compensation Commission.

Clingman also served on the staff of Governor George Nigh and worked in the insurance industry.

Clingman will begin work as OSF director on December 1st.

Poll: Hollywood Out Of Step On US Morals

LOS ANGELES ~ A majority of Americans say Hollywood doesn't share their moral values, according to a poll commissioned by the Anti-Defamation League, a group that fights anti-Semitism.

Sixty-one percent of those surveyed said that religious values in America are under attack, and 59 percent agreed that "the people who run the TV networks and the major movie studios do not share the religious and moral values of most Americans."

The poll, titled "American Attitudes on Religion, Moral Values and Hollywood," was conducted by the Marttila Communications Group, which surveyed 1,000 adults nationwide. It was released Friday at the ADL's annual meeting in Los Angeles.

"These findings point to the challenges that we face in dealing with issues of religion in society," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director. "The belief that religion is under attack underlies the drive to incorporate more religion into American public life.

Disturbingly, 43% of Americans believe there is an organized campaign by Hollywood and the national media to weaken the influence of religious values in this country."

It's All Sweet For David Boren, Burns Hargis

The presidents of Oklahoma's two largest universities are doing just fine financially.

University of Oklahoma President David Boren collects $550,544 a year and Oklahoma State's Burns Hargis makes $443,465, according to a survey released Monday.

The Chronicle of Higher Education's national survey said the median salary for public university presidents is $427,400, a 7.6 percent increase over the previous fiscal year.

Kurtz: Media's Obama 'Mythmaking'

By Howard Kurtz/Washington Post Staff Writer ~ Perhaps it was the announcement that NBC News is coming out with a DVD titled "Yes We Can: The Barack Obama Story." Or that ABC and USA Today are rushing out a book on the election. Or that HBO has snapped up a documentary on Obama's campaign.

'The endless campaign is over and there's nothing wrong with the country pulling together, however briefly, behind its new leader. But we seem to have crossed a cultural line into mythmaking.'

Perhaps it was the Newsweek commemorative issue -- "Obama's American Dream" -- filled with so many iconic images and such stirring prose that it could have been campaign literature. Or the Time cover depicting Obama as FDR, complete with jaunty cigarette holder.

Are the media capable of merchandizing the moment, packaging a president-elect for profit? Yes, they are.

What's troubling here goes beyond the clanging of cash registers. Media outlets have always tried to make a few bucks off the next big thing. The endless campaign is over, and there's nothing wrong with the country pulling together, however briefly, behind its new leader. But we seem to have crossed a cultural line into mythmaking.

"The Obamas' New Life!" blares People's cover, with a shot of the family. "New home, new friends, new puppy!"

Us Weekly goes with a Barack quote: "I Think I'm a Pretty Cool Dad."

The Chicago Tribune trumpets that Michelle "is poised to be the new Oprah and the next Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis -- combined!" for the fashion world.

Whew! Are journalists fostering the notion that Obama is invincible, the leader of what The New York Times dubbed "Generation O"?

Each writer, each publication, seems to reach for more eye-popping superlatives.

"OBAMAISM -- It's a Kind of Religion," says New York magazine. "Those of us too young to have known JFK's Camelot are going to have our own giddy Camelot II to enrapture and entertain us," Kurt Andersen writes.

The New York Post has already christened it "BAM-A-LOT."

"Here we are," writes Salon's Rebecca Traister, "oohing and aahing over what they'll be wearing, and what they'll be eating, what kind of dog they'll be getting, what bedrooms they'll be living in, and what schools they'll be attending. It feels better than good to sniff and snurfle through the Obamas' tastes and habits. . . . Who knew we had in us the capacity to fall for this kind of idealized Americana again?"

But aren't media people supposed to resist this kind of hyperventilating?

"Obama is a figure, especially in pop culture, in a way that most new presidents are not," historian Michael Beschloss says. "Young people who may not be interested in the details of NAFTA or foreign policy just think Obama is cool, and they're interested in him. Being cool can really help a new president."

So can a sense of optimism, reflected on USA Today's front page. "Poll: Hopes soaring for Obama, administration," the headline said, with 65 percent saying "the USA will be better off 4 years from now."

But what happens when adulation gives way to the messy, incremental process of governing? When Obama has to confront a deep-rooted financial crisis, two wars and a political system whose default setting is gridlock? When he makes decisions that inevitably disappoint some of his boosters?

"We're celebrating a moment as much as a man, I think," says Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham, whose new issue, out today, compares Obama to Lincoln. "Given our racial history, an hour or two of commemoration seems appropriate. But there is no doubt that the glow of the moment will fade, and I am sure the coverage will reflect that in due course."

One of the few magazines to strike a skeptical tone is the London-based Economist, which endorsed Obama. "With such a victory come unreasonably great expectations," its lead editorial says.

Web worship of Obama is nearly limitless. On YouTube alone, the Obama Girl song, "I've Got a Crush on Obama," has been viewed 11.7 million times. Even an unadorned video of the candidate's election night speech in Chicago has drawn 3.5 million views.

I am not trying to diminish the sheer improbability of what this African American politician, a virtual unknown four years ago, has accomplished. Every one of us views his victory through a personal lens. I thought of growing up in a "Leave It to Beaver" era, when there were no blacks in leading television roles until Bill Cosby was tapped as the co-star of "I Spy" in 1965. When the Watts riots broke out that year, the Los Angeles Times sent an advertising salesman to cover it because the paper had no black reporters. The country has traveled light-years since then.

It is hard to find a precedent in American history. Ronald Reagan was a marquee star because of his Hollywood career, but mainly among older voters, since he made his last movie 16 years before winning the White House in 1980. Jack Kennedy was a more formal figure after winning the 1960 election -- "trying to look older than he was, because he thought youth was a handicap in running for president," Beschloss says -- but quickly took on larger-than-life dimensions.

"The Kennedy buildup goes on," James MacGregor Burns wrote in the New Republic in the spring of 1961. "The adjectives tumble over one another. He is not only the handsomest, the best-dressed, the most articulate, and graceful as a gazelle. He is omniscient; he swallows and digests whole books in minutes; he confounds experts with his superior knowledge of their field. He is omnipotent."

Soon afterward, Kennedy blundered into the Bay of Pigs debacle.

The media would be remiss if they didn't reflect the sense of unadulterated joy that greeted Obama's election, both here and around the world, and the pride even among those who opposed him. Newspapers were stunned and delighted at the voracious demand for post-election editions, prompting The Washington Post and other papers to print hundreds of thousands of extra copies and pocket the change. (When else have we felt so loved lately?)

Demand for inaugural tickets has been unprecedented. Barack is suddenly a hot baby name. Record companies are releasing hip-hop songs, by the likes of Jay-Z and Will.I.Am, with such titles as "Pop Champagne for Barack."

Consumers, the Los Angeles Times reports, are buying up "Obama-themed T-shirts, buttons, bobblehead dolls, coffee mugs, wine bottles, magnets, greeting cards, neon signs, mobile phones and framed art prints."

A barrage of Obama-related books are in the works. Newsweek's quadrennial election volume is titled "A Long Time Coming: The Historic, Combative, Expensive and Inspiring 2008 Election and the Victory of Barack Obama."

Publishers obviously see a bull market.

MSNBC, which was accused of cheerleading for the Democratic nominee during the campaign, is running promos that say: "Barack Obama, America's 44th president. Watch as a leader renews America's promise." What are viewers to make of that?

There is always a level of excitement when a new president is coming to town -- new aides to profile, new policies to dissect, new family members to follow. But can anyone imagine this kind of media frenzy if John McCain had managed to win?

Obama's days of walking on water won't last indefinitely. His chroniclers will need a new story line. And sometime after Jan. 20, they will wade back into reality.

Rasmussen: Obama At 61-37% Approval

Rasmussen Reports finds President-elect Barack Obama with an approval rating of 61-37 percent today. Voters are looking for bipartisan co-operation in the Obama era, the firm reports, adding, "However, A plurality believe that Obama will govern as a partisan Democrat."

Rasmussen puts Obama's approval rating at +20 percent today; that is based on the difference between those who strongly approve and those who strongly disapprove of him. Rasmussen says it believes this is a more fair way to gauge approval than the usual method of combining those with strong feelings and those with not-so-strong feelings.

Ivan Holmes: ODP Needs Staff Money

Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes has warned party activists that the state organization will lose three paid staffers unless it comes up with $30,000 in the next three weeks.

The positions have been funded through the Democratic National Committee's initiative to provide staff members in every state. That program ends this month and Holmes says the three positions will go unfilled until money is raised to cover salaries.

Labor Leader Tom Riddle Dead At 79

Tom Riddle, longtime labor leader and Oklahoma County Democratic Party official, is dead at age 79.

Riddle, retired firefighter, was known for his effort to enact laws that provided firefighter benefits. He was a president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local #157 and served two terms as president of Professional Fire Fighters of Oklahoma. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Labor Hall of Fame in 2003.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday at All Souls Episcopal Church, Northwest 63rd and Pennsylvania, at 1 p.m.

Istook: Death Of Conservatism? Not!

From Tulsa Today, By Ernest Istook ~ The biggest problem facing America's conservatives isn't our "progressive" president-elect or the liberal leaders controlling Congress.

It's defeatism.

Liberal pundits such as The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne were quick to interpret the recent elections as "a definitive end to a conservative era."

A Google search for "death of conservatism" this week produced 57,900 hits. It's the new common wisdom.

But should America's millions of conservatives be despairing? Of course not.

That's what the Left wants the most. "It is best to win without fighting," wrote Sun Tzu in "The Art of War."

"The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord."

Read the entire column at www.tulsatoday.com.

Obama Personnel Questionnaire: Tell Us About Your Guns, But Not About Your Drug Use

President-elect Barack Obama wants to know if applicants for jobs in his administration own guns, but there's apparently no interest in drug use.

The 63-question document applicants are asked to complete contains a question about gun ownership, but there's no question about past or present drug use.

Read the entire questionaire at http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/national/13apply_questionnaire.pdf.

There are several open-ended questions that ask for information that could be used against the applicant, but there's no hint of interest in any mind-altering activities.

Will Jim Roth Replace Bode At Clean Skies?

The rumor mill is working overtime about a successor to Denise Bode at Aubrey McClendon's Clean Skies Foundation in Washington, and the present focus is defeated Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth, whose campaign co-chairman was McClendon.

Bode, who resigned from the Corporation Commission to take the McClendon job and was succeeded by Roth, resigned to become head of an organization pushing wind power.

Roth's campaign was fueled, in large part, by donations from McClendon and his associates at Chesapeake. The alliance between the two goes back to Roth's tenure as an Oklahoma County commissioner and was detailed here in early October.

McClendon is said to have been instrumental in convincing Governor Brad Henry to name Roth to the Corporation Commission when Bode resigned.

The American Wind Energy Association will be third energy group in Washington headed by Bode. She spent seven years as the head of the Independent Petroleum Association of America before being appointed to the Corporation Commission in 1997.

"I am thrilled by my new opportunity of working with the AWEA team to grow wind power in the U.S.,” Bode, 54, said in a news release. "I am particularly proud of the role I played as Oklahoma corporation commissioner to bring commercial wind power to Oklahoma.”

Tom Price, senior vice president for corporate development at Chesapeake, said potential successors to Bode at the Clean Skies organization have already been identified.

Rasmussen: Obama At +20% Approval

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index for Saturday shows Barack Obama inching up to his highest level since winning the White House on Election Day. Obama's rating moved up two points on Saturday to +20 rating, a twelve point improvement since the night after the election.

The Gadfly Gets On The Wall

Get Over It: Barack Obama is president-elect. The 2008 election is over. Some Republican bloggers and commentators continue to write as if the election has not yet been held. It has. It is over.

Get With It: One can only hope that reasonable Republicans in Congress will listen to Senator Tom Coburn and get with the rebuilding of the conservative fiscal policies that took the GOP to control of Congress in 1994.

Get Lost: Former Governor David Walters, who left office in disgrace and who has since resurrected himself (in his mind) as the savior of Oklahoma Democrats, has written that Oklahoma is a national embarrassment given the fact that Barack Obama, while winning the presidency, did not carry a single Oklahoma county. The only embarrassment is that Walters still feels he has a podium from which to speak.

Get Real: I find cause today to ponder the future of the political blogosphere. In this election cycle, much of it was filled with half-truths, lies, unsubstantiated rumors, personal (and degrading) attacks on Democrats and Republicans, obscenities, a lack of respect and irreverence. Some, thankfully, exercised sound judgment and responsibility. Sounds a lot like the mainstream media, doesn't it?

Get A Life: Ted Stevens needs to go. The Alaska Republican senator brings no credit to his party or himself. And Hillary Clinton as secretary of state? "Change," we are to presume from this possibility, means nothing more than changing the names on the doors. John McCain as the face of the GOP? Forget it. McCain never was the face of the GOP. Future of the GOP? Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindahl. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. Mitt Romney. Tim Pawlenty. Pick a name, take your pick.

Guess That Leaves Me Out: Friend Mark Shannon notes that among the many questions those wanting an Obama Administration job must answer is one (#59) that asks if the applicant owns a gun.

Read the entire questionaire at http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/national/13apply_questionnaire.pdf.

Bode Leaves Foundation, Joins Wind Group

From Okie Campaigns ~ The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today announced the appointment of Denise Bode as its new CEO, effective January 2. Bode will succeed Randall S. Swisher, who is retiring after a 19-year stint with AWEA. Bode has headed the Clean Skies Foundation in Washington, an entity formed by Chesapeake Energry Corp. CEO Aubrey McClendon.

Change? Clintonites Join Obama

From Politico ~ Here's how you can tell the campaign is over and the transition has begun: Barack Obama's aides now wear suits and ties, their desks are in the Federal Building on 6th Street in Washington — and Clintonites are everywhere. Thus far, 31 of 47 named to key posts have ties to the Clinton Administration.

Read the entire article at www.politico.com.

Reynolds Wins Recount; Court Action Ahead

Senator Jim Reynolds added two votes to his total over Democratic challenger David Boren on Thursday during the recount of their close contest in Senate District 43.

Reynolds had led by 157 votes.

Boren, who is not related to University of Oklahoma President David Boren, sought a recount.

The recount increased Reynolds' margin to 159 votes, according to unofficial results that must still be certified by the State Election Board.

The election moves into a courtroom on Monday, as a judge hears arguments about possible voting irregularities.

Mark Schwartz Memorial Service Sunday

A memorial service for former Oklahoma City Councilman Mark Schwartz, who died Thursday, will be held Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Temple B'Nai Isreal, 4901 North Pennsylvania in Oklahoma City. Schwartz, 58, suffered from prostate cancer. He served on the council from 1987 to 1998 and was president of the National League of Cities before joining the U. S. Department of Energy as an attorney.

Black And White: The Vote In Dixie

By Hastings Wyman/Southern Political Report ~ Barack Obama divided Dixie’s electoral votes, splitting the GOP’s Southern base much like Democrats Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton before him, an impressive feat by anyone’s measure, considering that Obama is both black and a Yankee, while Carter and Clinton were both white and Southern.

Aside from carrying Virginia, North Carolina and Florida, Obama garnered a higher share of the vote than John Kerry did in 2004 in nine Southern states -- all but Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee, with Obama running even with Kerry in Oklahoma.

Read Wyman's column at http://www.southernpoliticalreport.com/.

Senate District 43 Recount Continues

A recount in the contested Senate District 43 election continued today with Oklahoma County Election Board officials conducting the checking of ballots.

Democrat David Boren requested the recount after his apparent loss to incumbent Republican Senator Jim Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, by 157 votes in latest unofficial vote totals.

The district includes parts of Cleveland and Oklahoma counties. Cleveland County officials finished their count Wednesday.

Oklahoma County workers counted more than 16,000 ballots as watchers from the Boren and Reynolds campaigns looked on. The Oklahoman reported that occasionally, a partisan observer would object to a counter’s ruling on a ballot. Sanderson would remove the ballot from the pile. The three-member election board will review the ballots and make a ruling at the end of the day, Sanderson said.

Boren, a nurse who is not related to former Oklahoma governor and University of Oklahoma President David Boren, sat watching the count Thursday morning.

“We won’t know until it’s done,” Boren said. “If you don’t take a chance, you don’t have a chance.”

Boren has alleged voter irregularities in his race. Reynolds, who has served eight years in the state Senate, also alleged voter irregularities, but withdrew his compliant.

A hearing on the voting irregularities is scheduled for Monday in an Oklahoma County District Court courtroom.

Mark Schwartz Passes Away

Friends of former Oklahoma City Councilman Mark Schwartz report that he died today following a prolonged illness. Schwartz, a Democrat, served as an attorney in the Clinton Administration's Department of Energy.

Details and service arrangements are expected later today or tomorrow.

Coffee Cites GOP Cost-Saving Measures

From Glenn Coffee's Office ~ The November elections that put Republicans in charge of the Oklahoma State Senate for the first time in state history will result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost savings for Oklahoma taxpayers, according to a preliminary estimate by the Senate’s staff.

“We are very pleased that we will be able to implement significant savings for the taxpayers,” stated Senate President Pro Tempore Designate Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. “As public servants it is important that we serve as good stewards of the taxpayers’ money by improving efficiency and finding savings.”

According to preliminary estimates, net payroll savings will be approximately $400,000 as the State Senate returns to the traditional number of leadership staff for the Majority and Minority parties that existed prior to the adoption of a 2006 power-sharing agreement. That agreement provided both parties with equal budgets for leadership staff, although the Republicans regularly operated under-budget.

For the 2009 legislative session, the Democrat leader will receive funding for an executive assistant and two leadership staff – the same number of staff provided to the Republican leader prior to the 2006 elections. This will result in savings compared to the 2008 legislative session, when the Democrat leader employed an executive assistant plus 7 leadership staff. 4 of the 7 Democrat leadership staff members have already retired or secured other employment. As in the past, the Democrat leader will determine who is hired or retained within the Democrats’ Minority leadership staff structure.

Other payroll savings will come by returning to a three-tiered pay scale for executive assistants to state senators. The pay scale includes a base salary with slightly higher salaries for assistants to senators who chair a committee or serve in leadership positions.

Most executive assistants will not see a pay reduction, although executive assistants who have continued to receive substantially higher salaries after leaving the employment of a former president pro tempore will now be paid within the new pay scale.

Coffee said the Senate will also implement reforms that should result in additional savings, such as the electronic filing of administrative rules and streamlining the paperwork requirements for executive nominees who are subject to Senate confirmation.

The Senate will release the specific details about the cost savings when the precise amount of savings is known, he said.

Obama Continues Strong Approval Rating

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index for Thursday shows Barack Obama holding solid in the transition period with a +18 rating. That's the same as Wednesday and a step up from +8 on the night after the election.

Tulsa Mayor's Approval Rating At 60%

The Oklahoma Poll finds that of 503 likely Tulsa voters surveyed Oct. 24-26, just over 60 percent said Mayor Kathy Taylor is doing a good job. That's up six percentage points from a year ago, the last time a Tulsa-only sample was asked to evaluate Taylor's performance.

Liberal Federal Judges Likely Under Obama

President-elect Barack Obama has said that, in selecting federal judges, he would look for candidates who show “empathy” for the weak and underprivileged. He voted against two of President Bush’s appointments to the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Sam Alito, because, he claimed, they did not side often enough with the downtrodden and disenfranchised.

Obama wants judges to have a bias in favor of an entire class of individuals. Imagine the outcry if Bush had said he wants courts to side with the privileged.

Read an entire column on this subject at http://www.newsmax.com/kessler/obama_courts_liberal/2008/11/12/150613.html.

MSNBC Recants Hoaxster's Boast

NEW YORK – MSNBC was the victim of a hoax when it reported that an adviser to John McCain had identified himself as the source of an embarrassing story about former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the network said Wednesday.

David Shuster, an anchor for the cable news network, said on air Monday that Martin Eisenstadt, a McCain policy adviser, had come forth and identified himself as the source of a Fox News Channel story saying Palin had mistakenly believed Africa was a country instead of a continent.

Eisenstadt identifies himself on a blog as a senior fellow at the Harding Institute for Freedom and Democracy. Yet neither he nor the institute exist; each is part of a hoax dreamed up by a filmmaker named Eitan Gorlin and his partner, Dan Mirvish, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

An Obscure Local Blog No More: The Rise Of The (Quite Funny) Lost Ogle

Months ago, your editor described The Lost Ogle as "an obscure local blog."

No longer. This social commentary/humor site has had more non-blog press in recent months than all the other Oklahoma-based blogs put together. It's been featured in the Oklahoma Gazette and Oklahoma Magazine ("75 Great Oklahoma Websites") and discussed on other blogs.

Written by a trio of irreverent (but relevant) young men who find humor almost everywhere, and give it a twist the keeps me returning to it, The Lost Ogle is an exercise in commentary that's addictive.

For example: Recently, I noticed a local news anchor casting his eyes at his female co-anchor in a certain way and thought to myself, "That rascal." The Lost Ogle went way beyond that, posting a video of said anchor and his eyes and where they look during a newscast.

TLO is not a political blog; it has nothing to do with government. It is, however, fun to read and for a welcome change of pace from all things political and governmental, it's refreshing. ~ Mike McCarville

Check it out at http://www.thelostogle.com/.

House Democrats Select 2009 Leaders

House Democrats caucused today and chose their leaders for the coming legislative session.

Mike Brown, D-Tahlequah, was appointed as the new Democratic Floor Leader, replacing James Covey, D-Custer City, who retired this year due to legislative term limits. Danny Morgan, D-Prague, was unanimously re-elected as Democrat Leader for the 52nd Legislature.

The Caucus was also united in their election of Chuck Hoskin, D-Vinita, as Democratic Caucus Chair.

Bill Nations, D-Norman, was uncontested in his bid as Speaker Pro-Tempore. Representative Ryan Kiesel, D-Seminole, will retain his role as Democratic Caucus Vice-Chairman.

Conservative Leadership Seminars Offered

From The Red Dirt Report ~ Less than 10 days after Election Day, the local branch of American Majority, a political training institute which trains people to get into conservative leadership positions, is holding a free training seminar in Tulsa on Friday and in Oklahoma City on Saturday.

Read more at http://www.reddirtreport.com/news.php?id=8322.

Cole Faces NRCC Challenge From Sessions

Congressman Tom Cole faces a fight to keep his post as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Congressman Pete Sessions of Texas has announced he'll seek the seat just as he did two years ago. He was defeated by Cole. This time around, Sessions promises to bolster House GOP fundraising efforts.

While Cole has drawn criticism by some for the loss of GOP congressional seats, supporters note the losses were not as bad as some had believed would happen, and they note that Cole had to deal with problems not of his creation when he took over the chairman's job.

Nunn Joins Obama; Is David Boren Next?

President-elect Obama has hired former Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sam Nunn to help shepherd his Pentagon transition, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Nunn, a former Georgia senator and veteran Democratic defense adviser, was once rumored as a potential running mate for Obama. Transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Nunn will perform "an informal senior adviser role throughout the defense transition process."

Nunn and University of Oklahoma President David Boren endorsed Obama in a joint statement during the campaign. Boren has said he wants no fulltime role in an Obama Administration, but left the door open to a volunteer advisory role. Given his closeness to Nunn, it would be no surprise if Boren accepts such a role on military or intelligence matters.

Benge Names Cooksey, Jackson, Jones, McNiel

From The Speaker's Media Office ~ House Speaker Chris Benge named four additional members of his leadership team today.

Rep. Tad Jones will serve as the Majority Floor Leader, Rep. Mike Jackson will serve as Majority Whip, Rep. Skye McNiel will serve as Caucus Vice Chairman and Rep. Marian Cooksey will serve as Caucus Secretary.

Coburn Says No To 2010 Governor's Race

Senator Tom Coburn says he has no interest in running for governor in 2010 and that he'll wait until spring to decide if he wants to seek reelection to the Senate.

Coburn, known as "Doctor No" for his opposition to pork barrel spending in Congress, is serving his first term in the Senate after his previous service in the House. He quit the House on his own.

Speculation on possible GOP candidates for governor now focuses on Congressman Tom Cole and Congresswoman Mary Fallin. Both have discussed the possibility with supporters. Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee's name also is being mentioned, as is the name of Rep. Randy Terrill, known primarily for his sponsorship of the state's controversial new immigration law.

Keating To GOP: Abolish State Income Tax

Former Republican Governor Frank Keating said today he'd like to see the Republican Legislature repeal the state income tax.

Talking with Reid Mullins on KTOK's "Mullins In The Morning" show, Keating said that while he was governor, he heard constantly from those in business, and others, that repeal of the income tax would stimulate business.

Keating now heads the American Council of Life Insurers in Washington.

Obama's Approval Rating Continues Up

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index for Wednesday shows Barack Obama doing very well early in the transition with a +18 rating. That's up from +8 on the night after the election. Obama's numbers are rising as consumer and investor confidence in the economy falls to record lows.

2008 Coats For Kids Fund Drive Underway

Radio station KTOK has kicked off this year's annual "Coats For Kids" fundraising effort to buy warm winter coats for Oklahoma City elementary school children who need them.

The primary beneficiaries of the effort are Hispanic and African-American students in inner-city schools.

Former KTOK talk show host Mike McCarville, who adopted the program as a project more than 10 years ago, said he was startled to learn the scope of the need when he first examined the program in the mid-1990s: "3,500...that's the number I was given for kids who come to school without warm winter coats. Amazing. Those of us who live comfortable lives and make sure our kids and grandkids have proper winter clothing sometimes forget there are families where such things are luxuries they can't afford. As I've said: Donate to 'Coats For Kids' and you'll feel warm and fuzzy all over."

Donations may be dropped at any MidFirst Bank location or mailed to Coats For Kids, 900 North Klein, Oklahoma City, OK 73107.

Obama Aides Blab Bush Meeting Details

From Drudge ~ Just hours after President Bush and President-elect Obama met in the Oval Office of the White House, details of their confidential conversation began leaking out to the press, igniting anger from the president, sources claim.

"Senator Obama would be wise to keep close counsel," a top Bush source warned.

"BUSH AND OBAMA AT ODDS OVER AID FOR AUTO INDUSTRY," splashed The New York Times in an exclusive Monday evening, quoting "people familiar with the discussion."

The two met at the White House in private, without staff.

"Bush indicated at the meeting that he might support some aid and a broader economic stimulus package if Obama and congressional Democrats dropped their opposition to a free-trade agreement with Colombia," claimed The Times.

The Associated Press quickly followed with details of the conversation, citing "aides who described the discussion on grounds of anonymity, citing the private nature of the meeting."

Bush advisers view the leaks as an effort to undermine the president's remaining days in office. "Senator Obama may not be familiar with a long-standing tradition of presidents holding their private conversations, private," a senior adviser explained to the Drudge Report.

Senate Democrats Name Laster As Leader

Senate Democrats have named Charlie Laster as their new leader.

“Our members voted unanimously to install Charlie Laster as Democratic Senate Leader for the 52nd Legislature of Oklahoma,” said Senator Kenneth Corn, D-Poteau. “We all know Senator Laster as a man of courage, character and wisdom who will provide a voice of experience and solid leadership for our caucus.”

Laster, D-Shawnee, has served as Democratic Floor Leader of the State Senate for the past two years. He was first elected to the State Senate in 2003 to complete the remainder of Gov. Brad Henry’s term. He was reelected to the Senate District 17 seat in 2004 and again in 2008.

NRA-ILA: Obama's Gun Control Agenda

From The National Rifle Association Institute For Legislative Action ~ Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign slogan, "the audacity of hope," should have instead been "the audacity of deceit."

After months of telling the American people that he supports the Second Amendment, and only hours after being declared the president-elect, the Obama transition team website announced an agenda taken straight from the anti-gun lobby--four initiatives designed to ban guns and drive law-abiding firearm manufacturers and dealers out of business.

Dan Boren Has New Political Clout

By Jim Myers/Tulsa World In Washington ~ With only two terms in the U.S. House behind him, Oklahoma Democrat Dan Boren is making preparations to help the new Obama administration fill key federal positions across the state.

Traditionally, that important perk goes to a state's senior U.S. senator or a senator from the same party that controls the White House. As the only Democrat in Oklahoma's congressional delegation, Boren will get that opportunity by default.

Job-seekers are wasting no time. Boren said resumes began pouring into his office weeks before Democrat Barack Obama won the election Tuesday.

"I've actually already met with several people in person,'' he said. To help sort out applicants for posts such as U.S. attorney, marshal and agricultural slots and come up with recommendations for the new administration, Boren said he is forming a board.

"The final say will come from me, but their recommendations will weigh heavily on the decision that is made,'' he said.

With a few details such as the board's size still to be worked out, Boren said the names of its members will not be made public and that it will not meet with individual applicants.

"If you make the names public, then each individual applying for these different positions will then campaign individual members of the board,'' he said. "So, I think it best for my decision-making process that it does not get political and that it is based solely on the qualifications of the individuals applying for those positions.''

Under Senate procedures, nominations that require confirmation usually must have the support of a state's two senators to move forward. Failure to win their blessing can either kill a nomination outright or delay it so long the clock runs out.

When faced with an identical situation in the 1990s, the Clinton administration made it clear that it would not send up a nomination for an Oklahoma slot unless both of the state's senators had signed off on it.

Boren said he plans to work with the state's Republican senators, Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn, to ensure that recommendations he gives the Obama administration will have their support.

"I will be in constant contact with both senators,'' he said. "I won't do anything and send someone up they don't sign off on. That would be a mistake.''

On judicial nominations — which sometimes can generate controversy because, unlike others, they are lifetime appointments — Boren again said he will look for those who can get through the confirmation process. No litmus test will be applied to judicial applicants, he said, adding that they should represent "Oklahoma values'' and not have any blemishes on their record.

Inhofe, who as the state's senior senator is losing the privilege of recommending appointees to the White House, predicted a smooth process under the new arrangement.

He described his working relationship with Boren as "very close.''

"I would prefer, actually, even though technically that is not the way it happens, that he do that,'' Inhofe said of Boren's new role. "I know him well enough that he and I would agree on these appointments pretty much.''

He then quickly added that either senator can stop any nomination. "I seriously doubt that could happen,'' Inhofe said.

Coburn declined to comment.

During the recent presidential election campaign, Boren said he would vote for Obama but withheld an official endorsement, citing the Illinois senator's "liberal'' record. He does not expect that to be a problem when working with the administration on appointments. "They recognize that I've got to represent my district and my people,'' Boren said. "Also, I have a vote to cast in Congress, and they are definitely going to need my vote over the next few years on the various issues. I don't think they would do anything to change that relationship.''

75 Great Oklahoma Websites

Oklahoma Magazine is out with a nifty list of the state's top 75 websites in the estimation of its editors and The McCarville Report Online is listed in the the state's top political websites, for which we are grateful especially since just a handful are listed out the baskets full of sites focused on state politics and government. We find ourselves in the company of many excellent sites you'll find listed in our links on the right side of this page. See the entire list at http://www.oklahomamagazine.com/online/November08.html.

'Renegade' Barack Obama Will Be Most Heavily Guarded U. S. President In History

From The Times Of London ~ President-elect Barack Obama's Chicago neighborhood has become a very different place to live now that Secret Service agents have turned the once easy-going area into a virtual fortress to protect the next president, The Times of London reported.

See President-elect Obama's New Reality Below

Assassination fears surrounding Obama, codenamed Renegade by his security on the campaign trail, mean that he may become the most heavily guarded president in history. After months of shaking hands with strangers, the President-elect delivered his victory speech from behind bulletproof glass in Chicago's Grant Park.

Streets around his mock-Georgian mansion in enclave by the University of Chicago have been closed. The main thoroughfare has been shut down because it passes his yard. Visitors to the synagogue that faces his house must put their names on a list 24 hours before they attend so that their identities can be checked.

"I live one block away. I get carded to go on my block," said Adrienne Stone, 33, a U.S. Air Force veteran. "I have become accustomed to the Secret Service being everywhere. I don't get a lot of sleep. There are helicopters overhead. But he deserves this. We have lost too many leaders before their time," she said.

The United States has seen the assassination of four presidents -- Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy. Eight others have survived attempts on their lives.

Image: Secret Service agent with assault rifle at the ready accompanies Obama while he's in public.

Rasmussen: Obama's Approval Rises

From Rasmussen Reports ~ The tone set by President-elect Barack Obama in the days following his historic electoral victory has been well received by the American people and his Approval ratings are moving up.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index for Sunday shows Obama at +16. That’s up from +12 yesterday and +8 on the night after the election. The Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve. Rasmussen Reports believes that this is a better measure of public perceptions than the overall approval ratings.

Currently, 42% of voters nationwide Strongly Approve of the way that Obama is handling his new role as President-elect while 26% Strongly Disapprove. The number who Strongly Disapprove is down six percentage points since the night after the election (see trends). Overall, 56% of voters somewhat or strongly approve of Obama’s performance so far while 39% disapprove.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters had a positive reaction to Obama’s first press conference following the election. Forty-seven percent (47%) say Obama will do a good or an excellent job on national security issues.

On the night following the election, 24% of voters said the nation was heading in the right direction. That figure has dropped a point a day to 21% today. Still, that’s up from 14% on the morning of Election Day.

There has been, not surprisingly, a dramatic shift in the partisan assessment of the country’s direction. Just before the election, 27% of Republicans thought the country was heading in the right direction. That has fallen to 14% today.

On the other hand, the number of Democrats who say the country’s heading in the right direction jumped from 6% pre-election to 30% today.

Among unaffiliated voters, the change has been less dramatic, from 11% saying right direction on Tuesday morning to 16% today.

Consumer and investor confidence has fallen since Election Day and partisan changes are evident in those figures as well. Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters believe that the government needs to do more on the economic front. But, at the same time, voters are concerned that the government will end up doing too much.

Polling released yesterday shows that 55% believe Congress is doing a poor job.

By way of comparison, 14% of all voters Strongly Approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president. Forty-six percent (46%) Strongly Disapprove. That gives the current President a -32 rating on the Presidential Approval Index.

President-elect Obama's New Reality

The United States Secret Service is charged with the protection of presidential candidates and the president and members of the First Family. For the duration of his life, President-elect Obama faces the reality that he will be guarded, as are all present and former presidents and during his presidency, he will go no place outside the White House without a huge contingent of agents and at least one of them will be have an assault rifle at the ready. In this photo of Obama campaigning in New Mexico, several Secret Service agents are easily seen. Look closely and see if you can spot all of them. (There are eight.) The agent in the center of this photograph has his hands above his waist instead of at his side; in other photos, you will notice most of them stand this way. Why is that? (The "counter-grab" hand position puts the hands in a position that requires the least amount of movement, and time, to counter any threat be it knife or gun. The position is used by bodyguards around the world and is said to stem from three basic defensive arts: The Russian "Systema," the Japanese "Aikido" and the Israeli "Crav Maga.")

Obama Approval-Disapproval: 41-29%

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index for Saturday shows that 41% of voters nationwide Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is handling his new role as President-elect. Twenty-nine percent (29%) Strongly Disapprove.

Inhofe Eyes 2014 Reelection Campaign

From The Tulsa World ~ U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, who believes his seniority on two major committees helped give him another election victory this week, said he could run again in 2014 if he remains in good health.

The Oklahoma Republican turns 74 this month and will be 80 in 2014, when his Senate seat is up for election again.

"I am particularly blessed for some reason I don't understand. I am never sick,'' Inhofe said. "In the last three weeks in the race, I actually in my plane went to 61 communities. That's not easy. I went from dark to dark every single day, actually six days a week.''

Inhofe also said he still enjoys campaigning and dismisses suggestions from others that he may be too old: "I ride horses in parades. I am just much healthier than a lot of people I know who are 60 years old,'' he said.

Blue Dog Democrats Call For Moderation

Congressional Blue Dog Democrats Friday called on the Democratic Caucus to support “moderate voices” in the slew of leadership decisions the party will be making this month.

The group did not name any of the races or contenders, but Blue Dog sources say it can be seen as preliminary support for Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in a brewing bid for vice chairman of the caucus and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) in his fight to stave off a committee chairmanship challenge from Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.).

“As the moderate faction of our caucus has grown and contributed to our large majority, our leadership must have more moderate voices at the table if we want to continue to be successful, strong, and effective as a caucus,” said Blue Dog leader Rep. Allen Boyd (D-Fla.).

The race for vice chairman, opened up by Rep. John Larson’s (D-Conn.) bid for caucus chairman, is in its early stages. Crowley has not formally announced, but is widely understood to be a candidate. Published reports indicate that Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), a former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, has thrown his hat in the ring.

But a Democratic aide said support from centrists and New York lawmakers make him a formidable candidate.

“He could end up being the moderates choice for someone in the room, plus he would have a big delegation behind him that just delivered more seats,” the aide said.

Dingell Friday released a “whip team” of his most prominent supporters in his fight against Waxman for chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

All three top Blue Dog leaders were on the list — Boyd, Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) and Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.).

The fight for caucus chairman is between Larson and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chris Van Hollen (Md.), neither of whom are considered centrists.

The leadership contests are expected to be settled in the organizational meeting on Nov. 17 and 18.

Rasmussen: Palin A 'Definite Asset' To McCain

Despite some news reports suggesting otherwise, a new poll shows that Sarah Palin was a definite asset to John McCain in his run for the White House.

According to a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, 69 percent of Republican voters say the Alaska governor helped McCain’s bid for the presidency. Twenty percent of GOP voters said she hurt the ticket, six percent said she had no effect, and 5 percent were undecided.

Other results of the poll:

91 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of Palin.

65 percent of Republicans have a very favorable view of Palin.

8 percent of Republicans have an unfavorable view of Palin.

3 percent of Republicans have a very unfavorable view of Palin.

64 percent of Republicans say Palin is their top choice for the GOP 2012 presidential nominee.

Obama Apologizes To Nancy Reagan

WASHINGTON (AP) ~ President-elect Obama called Nancy Reagan on Friday to apologize for joking that she held seances in the White House.

At a news conference in Chicago, Obama said he had spoken with all the living presidents as he prepares to take office in January. Then he smiled and said, "I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any seances."

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan consulted an astrologer when planning her husband's schedule, according to former White House chief of staff Donald T. Regan.

The 87-year-old former first lady had consulted with astrologers during her husband's presidency. But she did not hold conversations with the dead. It was Hillary Clinton who was linked to conversations with the dead.

Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said the president-elect later called Mrs. Reagan "to apologize for the careless and offhanded remark." She said Obama "expressed his admiration and affection for Mrs. Reagan that so many Americans share, and they had a warm conversation."

It actually wasn't Nancy Reagan who was linked to conversations with the dead; it was Obama's top Democratic challenger for the presidency, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.

In either case, use of the word "seance" might be overstated.

Recount Ordered In SD 43 Balloting

A re-count has been ordered in the Oklahoma Senate District 43 race, which incumbent Republican Jim Reynolds won by 159 votes, according to final but unofficial returns.

David Boren, the Democratic candidate who is not the president of the University of Oklahoma and is not related to him, requested the re-count, alleging voting irregularities. Reynolds also alleged irregularities in the race.

The Aging Of A President-elect

Barack Obama three months ago...

And at today's news conference.

Obama Election Spurs Gun Sales

MIDLOTHIAN, Virginia (AP) ~ When 10-year-old Austin Smith heard Barack Obama had been elected president, he had one question: Does this mean I won't get a new gun for Christmas? That brought his mother, the camouflage-clad Rachel Smith, to Bob Moates Sports Shop on Thursday, where she was picking out that special 20-gauge shotgun — one of at least five weapons she plans to buy before Obama takes office in January.

Like Smith, gun enthusiasts nationwide are stocking up on firearms out of fears that the combination of an Obama administration and a Democrat-dominated Congress will result in tough new gun laws.

"I think they're going to really try to crack down on guns and make it harder for people to try to purchase them," said Smith, 32, who taught all five of her children — ages 4 to 10 — to shoot because the family relies on game for food.

Last month, as an Obama win looked increasingly inevitable, there were more than 108,000 more background checks for gun purchases than in October 2007, a 15 percent increase. And they were up about 8 percent for the year as of Oct. 26, according to the FBI.

No data was available for gun purchases this week, but gun shops from suburban Virginia to the Rockies report record sales since Tuesday's election.

"They're scared to death of losing their rights," said David Hancock, manager of Bob Moates, where sales have nearly doubled in the past week and are up 15 percent for the year.

On Election Day, salespeople were called in on their day off because of the crowd.

Obama has said he respects Americans' Second Amendment right to bear arms, but that he favors "common sense" gun laws. Gun rights advocates interpret that as meaning he'll at least enact curbs on ownership of assault and concealed weapons. As a U.S. Senator, Obama voted to leave gun-makers and dealers open to lawsuits; and as an Illinois state legislator, he supported a ban on semiautomatic weapons and tighter restrictions on all firearms.

Gun advocates take some solace in the current makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 this summer to strike down the District of Columbia's 32-year ban on handguns. For now, gun rights supporters hold a narrow edge on the court, but Obama could appoint justices who would swing it the other way.

Franklin Gun Shop outside Nashville, Tennessee, sold more than 70 guns on Tuesday, making it the biggest sales day since the shop opened eight years ago. Guns & Gear in Cheyenne, Wyoming, also set a one-day sales record on Tuesday, only to break that mark on Wednesday. Stewart Wallin, owner of Get Some Guns in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray, Utah, said he sold nine assault weapons the day after Obama was elected. That same day, the gun store Cheaper Than Dirt! in Fort Worth, Texas, sold $101,000 worth of merchandise, shattering its single-day sales record, store owner DeWayne Irwin said.

[In Oklahoma City, H&H Gun Range owner Miles Hall told a local television station gun sales have soared this week.]

One Georgia gun shop advertised an "Obama sale" on an outdoor sign, but the owner took it down after people complained that the shop appeared to be issuing a call to violence against the country's first black leader.

The president of a Montana gun manufacturer stepped down last month after word that he supported Obama led to calls for a boycott of the company.

While Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, attributes some of the sales boom to the tanking economy, he thinks the Democratic sweep is the top reason why guns are suddenly a hot commodity. "I don't think he'll be able to stand up to that anti-Second Amendment wing of the Democratic party that's just been spoiling for a chance to ban America's guns," LaPierre said of Obama.

Obama Gets Classless Remark Wrong...

President-elect Barack Obama, asked during his first news conference today if he's spoken with former presidents since he was elected, said he'd spoken to the "living" ones. Then, apparently realizing he'd just said something stupid, added this classless remark about the ailing widow of the late President Ronald Reagan: "I have spoken to all of them who are living," he said. He then quickly added, "I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any séances," he said.

It actually wasn't Nancy Reagan who was linked to conversations with the dead; it was Obama's top Democratic challenger for the presidency, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Latinos Go For Obama Bigtime

From The New York Times ~ Latino voters shifted in huge numbers away from the Republicans to vote for Senator Barack Obama in the presidential election, exit polls show, providing the votes that gave him unexpectedly large margins of victory in three battleground states: Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.

Mr. Obama’s pull on Latino voters also extended to Florida, where a majority of them voted for a Democratic presidential nominee for the first time since at least 1988, when exit polls were first conducted in the state.

In a year when turnout among many groups surged nationwide, the number of Latinos who went to the polls increased by nearly 25 percent over 2004, with sharp rises among naturalized immigrants and young, first-time voters, according to a study by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Hispanic support for the Democratic nominee increased by 14 points over all compared with 2004, the biggest shift toward the Democrats by any voter group.

David Boren Shuts Door On Obama Post

University of Oklahoma President David Boren said today he's not interested in leaving Oklahoma to serve in a Barack Obama administration.

"I made a decision a long time ago to come home," Boren said at a press conference of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Boren said he had congratulated President-elect Obama earlier this week via text message.

He would be willing to offer advice to Obama so long as he was able to stay president of OU and continue living in Oklahoma, he said.

"I definitely am not looking for a full-time position that would take me out of the state of Oklahoma," Boren said.

Benge Wins Reelection As Speaker; Kris Steele Elected Speaker Pro Tempore

State House Republicans have reelected Chris Benge as speaker.

Rep. Mike Reynolds of Oklahoma City, who had announced he would challenge Benge, dropped out.

Republican members also selected Rep. Kris Steele to serve as the Speaker Pro Tempore, ousting incumbent Gus Blackwell, and re-elected Rep. John Wright to serve as caucus chairman.

The remainder of the Speaker’s leadership team and committee chairmen will be announced later this year.

“I am deeply honored to be selected by my Republican peers to serve as their Speaker Pro Tempore and will work tirelessly to oversee the floor proceedings in a manner that is fair and respectful,” said Steele, R-Shawnee.

Wright said he is grateful to continue as caucus chairman to help make for a smooth transition with the newly-enlarged group of Republican members.

“We celebrate our increased numbers while looking forward to the next legislative session as a united caucus,” said Wright, R-Tulsa.

The Speaker and Speaker Pro Tempore will be formally elected by the full House on January 6 when the Legislature holds its constitutional organizational day.

The caucus also took the opportunity to introduce its 12 new members.

The Gadfly Gets It Right...Mostly

Elections: Your Gadfly's fearless election prognostications, made before the ballots were cast, were somewhat on target. Here's the recap, the actual percentages first, my guesses in parenthesis:

McCain-Palin 61-64 (65.6), Obama-Biden 34-38 (34.4).

Inhofe 56.68 (56-59), Rice 39.19 (39-42).

Roth by 2-5 over Murphy, upset possible; Murphy 52.25, Roth 47.75.

Cloud 61 (56-59), Gray 39 (41-44).

GOP takes control of State Senate by 2; GOP won control by 2.

GOP picks up 1 seat in State House; GOP picked up 4 seats.

Tacky: Obama proponents and opponents have been tacky since his election. Some bloggers and posters on forums and news sites have been not only unkind and uncivil; they've been downright nasty. If is everlasting interest to me that some folks believe they enhance themselves by belittling others.

Real Tacky: MSNBC and CNN anchors and commentators continue their unrestrained attacks on Sarah Palin, reporting with glee on purported differences between her and the McCain team, her alleged shopping sprees and what they claim was her unpreparedness for the national stage.

Real Tacky II: Recriminations from the architects of a failed campaign are not unusual, but they generally say more about the recriminators and the art of butt-covering than they do about reality. The drivel coming, ostensibly, from McCain campaign insiders, is a good example. Most of it seems directed at Sarah Palin; they contend she hurt the ticket. I disagree. Rasmussen reports that about 70 percent of Republicans believe she helped the ticket; put me in that number. She energized the lethargic conservative GOP base when McCain needed it and her star quality is evident. What's clear from some of the "leaks" about Palin from McCain insiders is that McCain's campaign was a hodge-podge, composed of those with little loyalty to him or to the GOP.

Strange 'Change': Obama's short list of potential administration appointees, thus far, looks like a list of recycled D. C. insiders and power brokers, many of them from the Clinton Administration.

How Ironic: Homosexuals who supported Obama must be doing a slow burn (or melt-down) as the realization hits them that many of those who voted for him in California also voted to ban gay marriages. Obama swept California and analysts report it was the huge turnout of black voters opposed to gay marriage who helped enact the ban. So while the gays and blacks in California were in the same Obama nest, they weren't birds of a feather.

Racist Poppycock: Some Oklahoma Democrats posting on their local community forum are of the opinion that the only way to explain Obama's loss of all 77 Oklahoma counties is racism, and some of them refer specifically to their fellow Democrats. Are these the same Democrats who did not rejoice when conservative Republican J. C. Watts, an African-American, won election to the Corporation Commission...and then to Congress in the 4th District? I note also that white liberal John Kerry got about the same number of Oklahoma presidential votes that Obama recorded. While racism may have been a small part of the equation in some parts of the state, the more educated and likely surmise is that Obama's liberal philosophy, support of gay marriage and record of opposition to the right to keep and bear arms played a more major part in his lack of support here just as those positions did in Kerry's case.

Blue Dog Firewall? Will the Blue Dog Democrats in Congress be the firewall against legislation that is certain to come from the Obama Administration? While liberals, joined by their conspirators in the mainstream media, are convinced we'll see a new era of unrestrained liberalism under Obama, they overlook the potential clout of a Blue Dog Democrat-conservative Republican alliance to block or alter legislation. They also overlook the constituencies represented by many new congressional Democrats who defeated Republicans in essentially conservative districts. Oklahoma's Dan Boren, who pointedly did not endorse Obama, is a Blue Dog Democrat whose voice may be heard as Obama's proposals come forth.

No Record: Tuesday's voting did not set a new turnout record. It fell about a thousand votes short of the 2004 presidential turnout despite all the hype (mostly from Democrats) about their voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, and the huge turnout of early voters.

All Smiles: State GOP Chairman Gary Jones, Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee and House Speaker Chris Benge may be forgiven their broad smiles on election night, given the absolute whooping they combined to put on Oklahoma Democrats. It was, essentially, a clean sweep for the GOP as they won all the statewide races, added two members of the Senate and added a (stunning) four members of the House.

Sent Packing: It's been a tough stretch for Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake Energy Corp. First, the stock market crash forced him to sell off his bajillion dollars worth of company stock. Then his candidate to defeat Rep. Randy Terrill took a whooping from Terrill. Then his man on the Corporation Commission, Jim Roth, lost his election bid. Now, there's talk of a possible Chesapeake takeover.

Aw, Shucks: TMRO, to read what some readers have written, is aglow. "The Gold Standard for Oklahoma political news," one elected state official wrote on Wednesday. "You are our political north star," wrote a local official. And then there's this return-to-earth message from a local Democrat: "You're a Republican hack bastard."

No Surprise: McMahan Sentences Delayed

MUSKOGEE ~ The sentencing of former state Auditor & Inspector Jeff McMahan and his wife Lori McMahan for conspiracy and bribery was delayed Thursday so that attorneys can present arguments for or against lessening the recommended prison time.

U.S. District Judge James H. Payne said there may be issues that could justify a variance in the federal sentencing guidelines but probably not a departure from them.

U.S. Attorney Sheldon Sperling said that a departure would typically result in more years off the sentence as opposed to a variance.

A pre-sentence investigation recommends Jeff McMahan serve 8 to 10 years in prison and Lori McMahan 6 to 8 years. The prosecution accepted the recommendations, but attorneys for the McMahans, Kevin Krahl and Rand Eddy, pleaded for a lesser sentence, such as probation and house arrest, in the interest of the couple's two children.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gay Guthrie said there were no unique circumstances that would warrant a departure from the federal sentencing guidelines.

Guthrie said the former auditor and his wife have not accepted responsibility for their crimes, which revolves around accepting campaign contributions beyond the legal limits through straw donors. They were also convicted in connection with accepting gifts and trips from Kiowa businessman Steve Phipps, an abstractor, which is an industry regulated by the auditor's office.

Obama Redefines Meaning Of 'Change'

President-elect Barack Obama campaigned for "change," but if he follows through in naming those on his short list for top administration posts, it will be more of the same in Washington.

Obama has drafted a short list of cabinet candidates, with political heavyweights Caroline Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Colin Powell and John Kerry among the most notable names being eyed by his transition team, it's reported.

Illinois Democrat Rahm Emanuel has already accepted Obama's offer to be the next White House chief of staff.

The President-elect is strongly considering Robert F. Kennedy to be the head of the Environmental Protection Agency and is weighing Kennedy's cousin, Caroline, for the position of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations -- a move that would please Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy, Politico reported.

If Obama chooses to oust Robert Gates as Defense Secretary, Colin Powell has been short-listed as a candidate. Powell's endorsement of Obama fueled speculation that the former Secretary of State would be considered for a Cabinet position. But the New York Daily News and New York Post report that Obama could ask Gates to stay in the job.

John Kerry is considered the front-runner for the nation's top diplomat. The senator from Massachusetts selected Obama to be the keynote speaker at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, where Obama delivered the critically acclaimed speech that put him on the map.

Others considered for top jobs are Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell for Secretary of Energy and Chancellor of New York City's Department of Education Joel Klein.

Obama also is considering tapping high-level Clinton administration officials. His transition team consists of former one-time Clinton chief of staff John Podesta and Obama has staffed an advisory board overseeing the transition with former Clinton administration officials Carol Browner, William Daley and Federico Pena.

.40 Caliber Pistol Wound Sobers Up Invader

BROKEN ARROW ~ A man who was shot by a homeowner after he broke into the latter’s home was released from the hospital Thursday morning and transported immediately to the Tulsa Jail, police said.

Stephen Richardson, 19, could be charged with first-degree burglary in connection with the Saturday incident at a Broken Arrow residence in the 3100 block of West Norman Circle, police said.

Police say the homeowner, identified by the Tulsa World through public records as Curtis Freeman, shot Richardson with a .40-caliber handgun after Richardson entered the home by allegedly breaking the master bedroom’s back-door window.

“The suspect threw a rock through the glass portion of the door, then reached through the window, unlocked the door, and entered the residence,” a police report stated.

Richardson entered the master bedroom and was trying to enter the hallway when he was shot, police said.

Police said the homeowner’s wife and son also were present at the time. Police say the homeowner is considered the victim in the crime.

Senate GOP Caucus Elects Coffee

The Oklahoma Senate Republican caucus has elected Glenn Coffee to serve as Pro Tem.

Coffee is appointing Senator Todd Lamb of Edmond to serve as Majority Floor Leader.

Coffee's election was expected. The veteran legislator served as co-president pro tem of the Senate as Republicans and Democrats shared power with the 24-24 split in Senate membership. Republicans took control of the Senate with victories in last Tuesday's elections.

The motion to elect Coffee as President Pro Tem was made by Sen. Harry Coates, R-Seminole, and seconded by Sen. Mike Johnson, R-Kingfisher. Coffee is the first Republican in state history to lead the Senate.

While Coffee announced Lamb's selection today, the Senate’s other majority leadership posts will be elected at a Republican caucus meeting on November 18.

“The people of Oklahoma have entrusted Republicans with the leadership of the State Senate, and we will work non-stop to enact pro-jobs economic reforms, to make government more accountable to the people, to improve education, and to protect the public’s safety,” Coffee said. “I am honored to be elected by my colleagues to be the first Republican to lead the Senate.” Lamb said, “Being selected as the Majority Floor Leader is truly humbling. Senate Republicans have worked very hard to address the issues that are important to Oklahomans, and I look forward to helping our historic majority move Oklahoma forward to brighter and better days.”

The President Pro Tempore will be formally elected by the full Senate on January 6, 2009, when the Legislature organizes pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Constitution.

Henry Elected To Head Oil, Gas Compact

From The Governor's Office ~ The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission today announced that Gov. Brad Henry will serve as its 2009-2010 chairman. He will succeed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin who has served as leader of the energy organization since 2007.

“Oklahoma has always been a leader of the IOGCC, and I’m honored to serve as its chairman,” said Gov. Henry. “At this critical time in history, it is important for energy-producing states to play a leadership role in the development and execution of our country’s energy policy. Domestic producers are the backbone of our energy economy and are uniquely qualified to help lead this effort.”

The IOGCC helps represent the interests of energy states by promoting safe and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas reserves, energy conservation and environmental protection, among other things. The commission also provides states with research and expertise on energy issues.

Established in 1935 by Oklahoma Gov. E.W. Marland, IOGCC is the oldest and largest interstate compact organization in the country. It consists of 38-member states, including Oklahoma.

Gov. Henry will officially be installed as IOGCC’s chairman when the commission holds its annual meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico, later this month.

Democrats Turn On Nominees In McCurtain County

McCurtain County, considered by some the most Democrat of the "Little Dixie" counties of southeastern Oklahoma with 82 percent of voters in the Democrat column, turned its back on Democratic nominees in Tuesday's voting.

Presidential nominee Barack Obama was buried by John McCain, 2,792 to 7,744 votes, a stunning 73.5 percent win for Republican McCain.

Long-term Corporation Commission candidate Charles Gray lost to Republican incumbent Jeff Cloud 4,763 to 4,860.

Short-term Corporation Commission incumbent Jim Roth lost to Republican Dana Murphy 4,867 to 4,887.

U. S. Senate candidate Andrew Rice was dumped by Republican incumbent Jim Inhofe 3,819 to 5,139.

The State Election Board shows that as of November 1st, McCurtain County had 13,836 Democrats, 2,087 Republicans and 952 Independents for a total of 16,875. In the presidential race, about 62 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

Obama Election Day Workers Want Their Money

From WTHR-TV In Indianapolis - Lines were long and tempers flared Wednesday not to vote but to get paid for canvassing for Barack Obama. Several hundred people are still waiting to get their pay for last-minute campaigning. Police were called to the Obama campaign office on North Meridian Street downtown to control the crowd.

The line was long and the crowd was angry at times.

"I want my money today! It's my money. I want it right now!" yelled one former campaign worker.

A former spokesman for the Obama campaign said 375 people were hired as part of the Vote Corps program and said people signed up to work three-hour shifts at a time. Three hours of canvassing got workers a $30 pre-paid Visa card.

The workers showed up to get their cards Wednesday morning at 10:00 am.

"There was a note on the door saying 1:00 pm and then at 1:20 pm everybody was like why is nobody here. They just got here and they're trying to get it organized," said Heather Richards, a former campaign worker.

The large gathering of around 375 people prompted police to call in extra officers and set up temporary barricades. The barricades helped keep the crowd from spilling out onto Meridian Street. Police say the several hundred people in line were for the most part orderly.

On Second Thought, Andrew...

When Barack Obama endorsed Andrew Rice in Oklahoma's U. S. Senate race, some wondered why, given the perception that Rice was running far better than Obama in Oklahoma and an Obama endorsement likely hurt Rice rather than helped him.

Statewide, that may have been the case.

But in the state's two largest counties, Oklahoma and Tulsa, Rice actually ran behind Obama. In Oklahoma County, Obama got 116,133 votes while Rice got 112,372. In Tulsa County, Obama got 96,106 votes while Rice got 93,475. Rice outpolled Obama in most of the other 75 counties.

Are Obama Posts Ahead For Boren, Henry?

Will President-elect Barack Obama reward University of Oklahoma President David Boren and Governor Brad Henry for their out-of-step-with-Oklahoma endorsements of him with offers of positions in his administration?

Henry and his wife were among the thousands who joined Obama's victory celebration in Chicago last night, at Obama's invitation.

Now in the second year of his second term, Henry leaves office following the 2010 election. Whether he might take an Obama Administration position and leave office early is complete speculation at this point, but as one Democrat insider said late today, "When, and if, The Man calls with an offer, will Brad say 'No thanks'? I doubt it."

It's doubtful Boren will leave the OU presidency (which he has described as his dream job) for a fulltime Washington gig. But he could become a "volunteer" adviser on national security, for example, and remain where he is.

Cole Will Seek Second Term As NRCC Chief

A day following an easy reelection win in the 4th District, Congressman Tom Cole announced today he will seek a second term as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Cole also again expressed confidence he will get a seat on the House Appropriations Committee, one of the most coveted assignments in Congress. Having a seat on that panel, which helps oversee federal spending, usually is a huge boost for a state.

Cole made his announcement on the NRCC post one day after his party again lost House seats in the elections, but the losses were not as great as some had predicted.

Obama's Oklahoma Percentage 2nd Lowest

Barack Obama's percentage of the Oklahoma vote for president was second-lowest in the nation.

Only in Wyoming did he do worse: 32 percent. In Oklahoma and Utah, he got just 34 percent of the vote.

Obama lost every county in Oklahoma to John McCain.

Coburn: Republican Party Must Return To Conservative Roots Or 'Go the way of the Whigs'

Senator Tom Coburn released the following statement today regarding last night’s election results:

“On November 4, the American people had the opportunity to choose between two candidates with the character and temperament to be not just good presidents but great presidents. John McCain ran the best campaign he could in a very difficult environment and he showed the country, once again, with his moving and gracious concession speech, what it means for a statesman and leader to put the interests of America and the next generation ahead of his own self-interest.

“Barack Obama’s election last night was an historic victory not for any party or ideology but for America’s aspiration to be a country where anything is possible, and where all men are created equal. His election also was a victory for democracy. Even if many Americans don’t like the electoral results, his campaign proved that when the American people are inspired and mobilize they can seize the reins of government and demand change.

“Our president-elect offered an olive branch to Republicans last night to ‘heal the divides that have held back progress.’ We would be wise to accept his offer, roll up our sleeves and work together on areas where we can agree. The unmistakable mandate everyone in public office can take from this election is that it’s time to define a ‘new kind of politics’ with our actions, not just our words. The space between the parties is a vast frontier of consensus and possibility. The American people have always called this area ‘common sense.’ It’s time for elected officials to put aside their careerist aspirations in service to this ideal.

“Conservatives should be reassured that our president-elect did not seek an ideological mandate in this election, nor did he receive one. The failure of the Republican Party in this election does not represent the failure of conservatism, but of the big government Republicanism that took over our party in 1996. Had the Republican Party not governed as the party of socialism-lite for the past 12 years, our candidates’ concerns about the excessive spending on the other side would have had more relevance.

“Republican efforts to build a governing majority through spending and earmarks have ended in disgrace. The Republican Party can either restore its identity as the party of limited government or go the way of the Whigs. When Republicans decide to come home to the timeless conservatism present at our founding, the conservatism of Abraham Lincoln – which our president-elect graciously acknowledged last night – and the conservatism of Ronald Reagan that won the Cold War and led to unprecedented prosperity, they know where to find us.”

Pollsters Have Egg On Their Faces

From Newsmax ~ The presidential election was a sharp setback both for the GOP and for the major national pollsters who saw their gloom-and-doom predictions of a double-digit drubbing blow up in their faces.

Only Pew, Rasmussen Got It Right

The pollsters will have some explaining to do in the election aftermath, after several predicted the McCain-Palin ticket would lose by almost twice the actual margin.

Sen. Barack Obama's victory over Sen. John McCain clearly is one of historic dimensions. His victory marked the first time since the 1976 election of Jimmy Carter that a Democratic candidate for president captured more than 50 percent of the vote. Obama garnered 62.5 million votes — 52 percent of the vote — compared with McCain's 55.5 million 46 percent, respectively.

Yet the predictions of Gallup and Reuters/C-Span that Obama had an 11 percent margin never materialized. The results were clearly beyond the polls' margin of error.

Other polls, including ABC/Washington Post and CBS, had showed Obama with a 9-point margin. Even the RealClearPolitics "poll of polls," an average of 15 national polls, showed Obama ahead by 7.5 points.

"One thing is clear at this point," Newsmax columnist Dick Morris reported just before 9 p.m. on Tuesday. "The polls were wrong!"

Obama, Morris predicted, "is not winning by the margins the polls predicted."

Some GOP pundits, pointing to polling errors that favored Democrats in 2000 and 2004, warned before the election that the Obama campaign was using inflated numbers to make the election’s outcome appear inevitable, dampening enthusiasm and support for McCain in the closing days of the campaign and reducing GOP voter turnout.

That the race was actually much closer than most of polls indicated explains the furious pace of campaigning by Obama and McCain right up to Election Day.

The polls that emerged as the most accurate: The Pew Research and Rasmussen polls that showed the race precisely at 52 to 46.

Novak: No Mandate For Obama

By Robert Novak In Washington ~ The national election Tuesday was not only historic for the election of the first African-American president in the nation's history but also for how little the avalanche of Democratic votes changed the political alignment in Congress.

The first Democratic Electoral College landslide in decades did not result in a tight race for control of Congress.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt won his second term for president in 1936, the defeated Republican candidate, Gov. Alf Landon of Kansas, won only two states, Maine and Vermont, and Democrats controlled both houses of Congress by wide margins.

But Obama's win was nothing like that. He may have opened the door to enactment of the long-deferred liberal agenda, but he neither received a broad mandate from the public nor the needed large congressional majorities.

The Democrats fell several votes short of the 60-vote filibuster-proof Senate that they were seeking and also failed to get rid of a key Senate target: Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Republicans, though discouraged by the election's outcome, believe Obama will be hard-pressed not so much to enact his agenda but to keep his popular majority, which he considers centrist, as he moves to enact ultra-liberal legislation, particularly the demands of organized labor.

Dan Boren Passes On Governor's Race

From www.tulsaworld.com ~ U.S. Rep. Dan Boren said Wednesday he will not run for governor in 2010.

"Andrea and I have made the decision to pass on the governor's race," the Oklahoma Democrat said.

"For the good of the state, I believe that I can be most effective as this time in Washington looking out for Oklahoma's interests."

Boren said there are "many highly qualified" candidates on both sides of the aisle who can move the state in the right direction.

Boren easily won reelection to the 2nd District seat in Tuesday's voting.

Dana Murphy Upsets Jim Roth 52-48%

Republican Dana Murphy took Democrat Jim Roth out of his Corporation Commission seat in Tuesday's voting in an upset over the favored Brad Henry appointee whom most polls had shown leading the race by substantial margins.

With almost all precincts reporting, Murphy had a 52-48 percent lead that grew during the night as rural counties reported vote totals. Murphy's lead in the race developed with about a sixth of the precincts reporting. It grew slowly and with almost all precincts reporting, stood at about 61,000 votes.

Most observers expected Roth to carry Tulsa County while Murphy would carry Oklahoma County. It turned out just the opposite; Roth carried Oklahoma County, which he previously served as a county commissioner, 143,000 to 128,302 votes. In Tulsa County, however, Murphy won 105,608 to 93,600 for Roth.

Murphy built her winning margin, for the most part, in rural Oklahoma. She carried many small counties by margins of 200 to 1,000 votes and notched bigger wins in some traditional GOP counties, including Garfield and Washington.

Newberry Heads To Win Over Riley

Republican Dan Newberry appears headed to a win over incumbent Democrat Senator Nancy Riley in Tulsa.

With 24 of 39 precincts reporting, Newberry has taken a huge lead, 63 to 37 percent.

Murphy Apparently Headed To Roth Upset

Republican Dana Murphy appears to be headed to an upset win over Democrat Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth.

With 1689 of 2231 precincts reporting, Murphy has taken a 37,000 vote lead, 52 to 48 percent.

History: GOP Takes Senate, Adds 4 House

Republicans made history today, winning control of the State Senate for the first time in history and picking up four seats in the State House.

Senate Co-President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, soon to be the new lone president pro tem, told a cheering GOP crowd of the GOP takeover at the party's watch party.

The GOP House wins put their number there at 61; speculation had been there might be a one-seat pickup.

Murphy Clings To Lead Over Roth

Republican Dana Murphy clings to a 50.8 to 49.2 percent lead over incumbent Democrat Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth with 947 of 2,231 precincts reporting. Murphy has held a small lead since the 488 precinct mark.

In the presidential race, John McCain is wiping the floor with Barack Obama, 66-34 percent, even as Obama appears to be nearing election as president based on nationwide returns.

In the U. S. Senate race, Jim Inhofe is enroute to another term as he leads challenger Andrew Rice 55.3 to 40.3 percent.

In the second Corporation Commission race, incumbent Republican Jeff Cloud leads Democrat Charles Gray 58-42 percent.

GOP Leads In Two Key Senate Races

Republican hopes of taking control of the State Senate are high as election returns show Republican Jim Halligan leading Democrat Bob Murphy in Stillwater's Senate District 21 and Republican Bryce Marlatt leading Democrat Bowdy Peach in the Senate District 27 race in western Oklahoma.

In the Halligan-Murphy race, Halligan leads 58.3 to 41.7 percent with 13 of 43 precincts reporting.

In the Marlatt-Peach race, Marlatt leads 68.5 to 31.5 percent with 34 of 82 precincts reporting.

Murphy, Roth In Tight Contest

With 488 of 2,231 precincts reporting, Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth trails challenger Dana Murphy 50.6 to 49.4 percent in a race that promises to be a close one.

In the race for the long term Commission seat, incumbent Jeff Cloud leads Democrat Charles Gray, 56-43 percent.

In the U. S. Senate race, incumbent Jim Inhofe continues to lead Democrat Andrew Rice, 55 to 41 percent.

In the presidential race, John McCain leads Barack Obama 62-37 percent.

Leading: McCain, Inhofe, Murphy, Cloud

With a few statewide precincts reporting in Oklahoma, John McCain appears headed for a 2-to-1 win over Barack Obama, Jim Inhofe appears headed for a 58 or 59 percent win over Democrat Andrew Rice, Republican Dana Murphy leads Democrat Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth and Corporation Commission Jeff Cloud leads Democrat Charles Gray.

McCain is polling about 63 percent. Inhofe is at 58 percent, Murphy is at 55 percent and Cloud is at 61 percent.

Bob Murphy Escorted From Langston Poll?

Poll watchers report late today that Democratic State Senate candidate Bob Murphy of Stillwater was escorted from a Langston University polling place this afternoon by Logan County Sheriff's deputies.

One source says Murphy was seen inside the polling place and was challenged by a poll worker who apparently called the Sheriff's Department.

The Logan County Sheriff's Department confirmed deputies had been to the site, but had no details.

Murphy faces Republican Jim Halligan in the Senate race.

Will It Be A Short Night...Or A Long One?

Pundits are all over the board today in trying to predict the outcome of voting in today's presidential contest.

Some believe it will be a short night, an Obama blowout of John McCain evident the instant the first votes from Virginia and Florida and possibly Indiana are counted.

Others say it will be a long night based on last-minute battleground state polls that showed McCain closing in the final hours of the campaign. They cite Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida and Indiana as states that may contribute to prolonging the suspense.

Republican strategist Karl Rove, a Fox News analyst, is among those who say it will be a long night. He says forget about Indiana being called early either way; he says the heavily-Democratic part of the state won't report its vote totals (presumably in favor of Obama) until Democrats there "know how many votes Obama needs" to carry the state.

Democratic operative Donna Brazille, former Al Gore campaign manager now a CNN contributor, sees an Obama win of historic proportions and spent considerable time this afternoon emphasizing the racial implications of Obama's historic bid for the White House.

CNN and MSNBC personalities spent this afternoon emphasizing all the positives about Obama and his campaign and discussing polls that showed Obama with double-digit leads and how Obama is, they claim, poised to win states that formerly were in the GOP column. CNN's video was almost exclusively of blacks and Hispanics in voting lines. Fox News showed blacks, Hispanics and whites in voting lines in Florida and other states.

SPR: Gay Winners In Dixie?

From The Southern Political Report ~ Gay Winners in Dixie? In Oklahoma, Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth (D), an openly gay official appointed to a vacancy by Gov. Brad Henry (D), leads with 47% to 35% for his challenger, Dana Murphy (R), according to a TvPoll for KWTV and by a closer 49% to 46% says SurveyUSA. If Roth wins, he will become the first openly gay elected statewide officeholder in the South.

And in South Carolina, US Rep. Henry Brown (R) has a weak-for-an-incumbent lead of 50% to 45% over philanthropist/activist Linda Ketner (D), according to a SurveyUSA poll. Ketner has been lowkey on the subject, but has not made a secret of her sexual identity and has been endorsed by gay and lesbian groups.

Here's Tonight's State-by-State Timetable

WASHINGTON (AP) - Election watchers won't have to wait for polls to close in the West to know how things are going. The first clues will come early, when voting ends in Georgia, Indiana and Virginia. If Democrat Barack Obama wins any of the three, he could be on his way to a big victory, maybe even a landslide.

If Republican John McCain sweeps them, he could be headed for a comeback. And if any of these three are too close to call quickly, that could indicate a long night ahead - and, perhaps, a squeaker of a result.

President Bush comfortably won the trio four years ago. But Obama has used his financial muscle and his draw as the youthful first black Democratic nominee to put them, and other historically reliable Republican states, into play.

Thus, the Democrat has several routes he can take to reach the 270 Electoral College votes needed for victory. McCain's strategy has no room for error; he must win nearly all the states that went to Bush in 2004, and possibly even one or two that voted for Democrat John Kerry that year.

Here's a timetable for armchair election watchers, all given in Eastern Standard Time:

- 7 p.m.: The last polls close in Georgia, Indiana and Virginia, new battlegrounds this year offering a combined 39 votes, as well as in Kentucky and South Carolina, GOP country and 16 votes McCain should easily win, and Vermont, three, a sure thing for Obama.

- 7:30 p.m.: Ohio and North Carolina, both are critical for McCain. Ohio is a perennial swing state that no Republican has ever lost on his way to the presidency. Bush captured the state twice, and a loss would be difficult, if not impossible, for McCain to weather. He has few options to make up the 20 electoral votes elsewhere, while Obama probably could sustain a defeat here and look for wins in other GOP states where polls show him running stronger. North Carolina, with 15 votes, is another GOP state that Obama targeted for a pickup from the start of the general election and one where he is working to get blacks and young adults to turn out for him in droves. He also made a late play for West Virginia's five votes. Both are less likely than others to flip; McCain losing either would be disastrous.

- 8 p.m.: Final voting ends in some 15 states and Washington, D.C. For Obama, the biggest prizes among them are Florida and its 27 votes and 11-vote Missouri, a bellwether for decades. Both went for Bush, and while Obama can afford to lose both, McCain can't. Should the Republican stumble in those states or others, he hopes to make up any deficit in Pennsylvania, which offers 21 votes and hasn't voted for a Republican since 1988. A loss here could be the death knell for McCain's chances; it's the only Kerry-won state where he and the Republican National Committee are fiercely competing. Among other Kerry states, McCain hopes New Hampshire and its independent streak will come through for him again; the state, which has four electoral votes, made him in his 2000 presidential primary and saved him eight years later, setting him on course to win the GOP nomination. McCain also has been gunning for a single electoral vote in Maine, one of two states that award them by congressional districts. In this election-night hour, the Republican will almost certainly rack up 33 quick votes with wins in Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee, while Obama banks 47 from Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and the nation's capital and 24 more from his home state of Illinois and that of running mate Joe Biden, Delaware.

- 8:30 p.m.: Arkansas should be called for McCain shortly after its polls close. It has six votes.

- 9 p.m.: Another big wave of states closing. The ones to watch are hotly contested Bush states Colorado and New Mexico, where Obama hopes Democratic-leaning Hispanics will lift him to victory. McCain could withstand losing the 14 votes these two offer - as long as he wins just about everywhere else he's competing. It's also worth keeping an eye on the typically reliable Republican territory of North Dakota and South Dakota. Obama has competed in the former, and there may be overlap effect in the latter. They each offer there votes. Obama is also pushing for one vote in a Nebraska congressional district. Arizona, McCain's home state, may be another key indicator of which way the election will play out. If McCain loses that state, it's all but certain his presidential dreams are over. Some surveys show the race there having tightened. The Republican can essentially guarantee victories worth 52 votes in Kansas, Louisiana, Texas and Wyoming, while Obama is virtually certain to collect 72 votes from Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

- 10 p.m.: Voting ends in GOP-held, Iowa, Montana and Nevada, a combined 15 votes. Losing these would be a setback for McCain, while winning them would be a boon for Obama. Utah's five votes are a certainty for McCain.

- 11 p.m.: Four states - mega-prize California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington - are expected to quickly give Obama a combined 77 votes, while Idaho is expected to award its four votes to McCain.

- 1 a.m.: Capping off the night is Alaska, where GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is governor. The Republican ticket is a shoo-in for those three votes.

Oklahoma Voting Rush Continues

Oklahomans are clogging polling sites today in what could be a record voter turnout.

A similar story is being told in other states.

Early in-person absentee voting apparently set a record here, although all the numbers haven't been tabulated yet.

In Oklahoma City, election workers reported early lines that often stretched out the door and down the sidewalk.

After hearing of people waiting two to three hours in line Friday and Saturday to vote in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties, state Election Board Secretary Michael Clingman said Monday he had about another 100,000 ballots printed.

He already had ordered 2 million ballots, which should be more than enough if voters eclipse the turnout of 1.46 million voters in 2004. That was about 150,000 more than the number of voters casting ballots in 2000.

Clingman said it’s possible 1.5 million Oklahomans will vote in this year’s general election.

NRA Sponsors Palin Home Watch Party

WASILLA, Alaska (From Politico) ~ The town of Wasilla, which bristled under the glare of intense media scrutiny in the weeks after John McCain tapped Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, seems to be buzzing in anticipation of Election Day.

The National Rifle Association is sponsoring a results watching party here in Palin’s hometown featuring refreshments, booze, gun-safety classes and a rock band called Sarah and the Pit Bulls.

And the front page of the local paper, the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, on Sunday featured a five-column package on Palin resulting from its splurging to send a reporter on the campaign trail with her last week.

Early Voters Swamp County Election Boards

If the turnout of early voters in Oklahoma and across the nation is any indication, Election Day 2008 will see a record turnout here and everywhere.

In Tulsa, about 3,500 early voters visited the polls on Monday at a rate of almost 500 per hour, an absentee turnout that exceeded the 2004 presidential election by nearly 1,000 votes. About 11,500 total in-person absentee voters cast ballots, with 4,600 Friday, 3,400 Saturday and about 3,500 voting Monday, said Tulsa County Election Board secretary Patty Bryant.

In Oklahoma County, an estimated 15,000 voters cast early ballots.

In Lawton, the early turnout was huge: "This is historic," said Monica Baughman, Comanche County Election Board secretary. "I've been here 23 years, and I've never seen anything like this before."

Since Friday, more than 3,000 people have voted absentee in person in Lawton, shattering the previous county high of 1,500 early voters for the 2004 presidential election. The numbers are not unexpected.

Election clerks there have registered 3,630 first-time voters in the last two months alone, according to assistant sectretary Carol Cox.

Roger Mills County Election Board Secretary Jana Maddux said that through the first two days of in-person absentee voting, about 150 votes had been cast in the county.

"That is a pretty exceptional number for our county. And we've had a pretty good turnout today," Maddux said.

Cathleen Branscum, who works in the Pontotoc County Election board office, said "We've been very, very steadily busy today." She said that more than 700 ballots were cast Friday and a little more than 300 ballots were cast Saturday. Branscum said Friday's total set an early voting record for their county.

In Pottawatomie County in-person absentee voting, 974 ballots were cast Friday, another 555 on Saturday and about 350 by 11:30 today, a county election board worker said.

Which Way Will Undecided Voters Break?

WASHINGTON — It's a nightmare scenario for Democrats — their nominee Barack Obama winning the popular vote while Republican John McCain ekes out an Electoral College victory.

Sure, McCain trails in every recent national poll.

Sure, surveys show that Obama leads in the race to reach the requisite 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.

Sure, chances of Republicans retaining the White House are remote.

But some last-minute state polls reported today by The Associated Press show the GOP nominee closing the gap in key states — Republican turf of Virginia, Florida and Ohio among them, and Democratic-leaning Pennsylvania, too.

If the tightening polls are correct and undecided voters in those states break McCain's way — both big ifs — that could make for a repeat of the 2000 heartbreaker for Democrats that gave Republicans the White House.

Report Clears Palin In Alaska Controversy

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A report has cleared Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin of ethics violations in the firing of her public safety commissioner.

Released Monday, the report says there is no probable cause to believe Palin or any other state official violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act in connection with the firing. The report was prepared by Timothy Petumenos, an independent counsel for the Alaska Personnel Board.

Fox News Poll: Obama By 7, 50-43%

With just one day to go before Election Day, Barack Obama has a 7 percentage point lead over John McCain -- 50-43 percent, according to the final FOX News pre-election poll of likely voters.

At the end of October, Obama led by 47-44 percent among likely voters, and by 49-40 percent about ten days ago (Oct 20-21). The last time McCain led was immediately following the Republican Convention when he had a 45-42 percent edge (September 8-9 among registered voters).

Can Jim Roth Pull It Off?

Can Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth go into the Oklahoma political history books as the first openly-gay candidate to win statewide office when the votes are counted tomorrow?

An Analysis

Roth's historic campaign has made him the darling of homosexual activist groups across the nation. They have showered him with campaign donations and urged their Oklahoma members to work in his campaign. Thus far, on the surface, Roth's lifestyle has been a non-issue. Beneath the surface, however, it is very much an issue, particularly in rural Oklahoma. Conversations with Republicans and Democrats alike in rural counties indicate Roth likely won't run well in many of them, although some believe the vote in their counties will be close between Roth and his Republican challenger, Dana Murphy.

Polls indicate Roth is weaker in rural areas than in the state's two large metropolitan areas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The 1st Congressional District, which includes Tulsa, appears his strongest area in most polls. They give him a lead there, while Oklahoma County is close. Roth may benefit from a Democrat surge in the Tulsa area; the polls also show that area to be Barack Obama's strongest spot in the state and Democrat U. S. Senate candidate Andrew Rice also appears to be running well there, although incumbent Senator Jim Inhofe has a massive, 36 percent lead in rural Oklahoma based on the latest "Oklahoma Poll" conducted by Sooner Poll.

If Roth manages to win Tulsa County and rural areas go to Murphy by narrow margins, Oklahoma County could well decide the outcome of the race and Murphy needs a huge turnout in her favor, it appears. The latest "Oklahoma Poll" shows Roth with a 12 percent lead statewide. The new TvPoll for KWTV shows Rice at 49.8 percent, Murphy at 35.3 percent. She leads in western Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City metro area. Roth has leads elsewhere, but the poll numbers are close, several within the poll's margin of error.

The latest SurveyUSA poll, however, makes it just a 3-point race, edge to Roth at 49-46 percent, and the battle in rural areas appears to be a dead heat. If Murphy manages to roll up margins in rural areas, Roth's path to victory gets cloudy.

Democrats Take Voter Lead In Oklahoma County

Democrats now have more registered voters in Oklahoma County than Republicans, State Election Board figures show.

The new numbers have Democrats with 180,629 registered voters, Republicans with 179,936 and Independents at 55,360. On January 15th, Democrats had 161,356, Republicans 168,848 and Independents 50,183.

Statewide, the registrations include 1,079,373 Democrats, 859,872 Republicans and 244,847 Independents.

Henry To Join Obama Chicago Party

Governor Henry will be in Chicago tomorrow to attend Barack Obama's watch party.

Henry and several other Democratic governors from around the country were invited by the Obama campaign to attend his official election night watch party in Chicago.

Henry endorsed Obama in April during the his tough primary battle with Hillary Clinton, even though Clinton handily won the primary in Oklahoma. At the time, Henry called Obama an inspirational leader who could unite the country.

TvPoll: McCain By 30, Inhofe By 17

A new TvPoll for KWTV in Oklahoma City shows John McCain besting Barack Obama in Oklahoma by 30 percent, 63.2 to 33.1 percent. The poll shows incumbent Republican U. S. Senator Jim Inhofe handily defeating challenger Andrew Rice 55.3 to 38.9 percent.

The poll also shows Democrat Jim Roth leading Republican Dana Murphy in the short term race for the Corporation Commission. Roth had 49.8 percent to 35.3 percent for Murphy.

In the long term race for the commission, incumbent Republican Jeff Cloud had 45.7 percent to 33.2 percent for challenger Charles Gray.

Oklahoma Poll: Inhofe Heads To Blowout Win, Shreds Andrew Rice In Rural Oklahoma

From The Tulsa World ~ Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe headed into the final week before Tuesday's election with a comfortable margin despite declining support in the state's two metropolitan areas, according to the most recent Oklahoma Poll.

Conducted Oct. 24-26 by SoonerPoll.com of Oklahoma City, the survey of 357 likely voters gave Inhofe 52 percent, which was almost identical to his share of the vote in July.

Democratic challenger Andrew Rice was at 37 percent, up from 30 percent in July, and independent Stephen Wallace stood at 4 percent. Seven percent were undecided.

"Inhofe has a 15-point lead, Wallace doesn't seem to have done much damage to anyone, and the 7 percent undecided are not going to make much of a difference as far as I can tell," said poll analyst Al Soltow, vice president of research at the University of Tulsa.

For Inhofe, the road to a third full term appears relatively clear. He's the choice of nearly three-quarters of conservatives and more than three-quarters of Republicans. He even has the support of roughly one-third of Democrats, allowing him to overcome that party's 225,000 advantage in registered voters statewide.

"I think (Inhofe) has lots of morals," said self-described conservative Nancy Hicks of Vinita. Hicks said she didn't know much about Rice, but that "if he's running against Inhofe, there must be something wrong."

In fact, most people interviewed said they knew little about the state senator from Oklahoma City except for his and Inhofe's television advertising.

Nevertheless, Rice has been able to eat into Inhofe's support in the metropolitan areas. The Tulsa MSA actually gave Rice a slight advantage 47 percent to 44 percent while in Oklahoma City, Inhofe's margin was less than seven percentage points. In July, Inhofe led Rice by 31 points in Tulsa and 12 in Oklahoma City. Inhofe continues piling up huge leads in Oklahoma's rural areas, however, where he has a 36-point margin.

Fox News: Roth's Bridge To Nowhere

Fox 25 News reporter Nick Winkler last night continued his series of reports on a controversial Arcadia bridge project built by then-County Commissioner Jim Roth that benefited campaign donor Aubrey McClendon, now co-chairman of Roth's Corporation Commission campaign.

The bridge project, and improvements on Anderson Road south of Highway 66, was detailed by The McCarville Report Online in early October. (Read all the details about the tree farm at http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2008/10/roth-sponsored-roadway-bridge-to.html). The road, and new bridge, opened access to McClendon's Deer Creek Tree Farm which has multipled in value as a result.

Roth initiated the project while he was county commissioner. His alliance with McClendon includes donations from McClendon to his county campaign, a letter defending McClendon that Roth wrote to a Seattle newspaper, McClendon's donations to his Corporation Commission campaign, his role as the campaign's major fundraiser and co-chairman, and Roth's vote against a coal-power plant opposed by McClendon. Roth cast his vote against the project without disclosing his relationship to McClendon, CEO of the Corporation Commission-regulated Chesapeake Energy Corp.

Winkler reports that repeated calls to Roth for comment have not been returned. Roth also has refused comment to KTOK and TMRO.

View Winkler's report at http://www.okcfox.com/players/news/top_stories/kokh_vid_1699.shtml.

Rasmussen: Obama By 6, 52-46%

On Monday, the final full day of campaigning for Election 2008, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows Barack Obama with 52% of the vote while John McCain is six points back at 46%. That's up a single point for Obama from his 51% to 46% advantage yesterday.

Clingman: State Could See Record Turnout

From The Tulsa World ~ Oklahoma could see record turnout at the polls on Tuesday when voters pick a president and decide the fates of other issues and candidates on the ballot.

“A record would not be out of the realm of possibility at all,” said State Election Board Secretary Michael Clingman.

Clingman is predicting between 1.4 million and 1.5 million voters. If 1.5 million people vote, it would be a record, Clingman said.

During the last presidential election, the state saw 1.46 million voters, he said, which was up 150,000 from 2000.

IBD/TIPP Poll: Obama By 2, 46.7-44.6%

A new tracking poll by IBD/TIPP released today shows Barack Obama up by 2 percent over John McCain among likely voters, 46.7 to 44.6 percent with 8.7 percent undecided.

Fox 25 News: The Roth/McClendon Alliance

http://www.fox25.net/players/news/top_stories/kokh_vid_1682.shtml

Heavy Early Voting Continues Across State

The heavy turnout for early voting continued Saturday in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

During five hours of voting in Tulsa, 2,461 people cast ballots at the election board offices, officials reported. For the first two days of early balloting, 7,536 people had voted in Tulsa County.

Early voting continues from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday. On Tuesday, precinct polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Image courtesy the Tulsa World.

Confirmed: Public Mistrusts News Media

Politicians are not the only ones struggling with flagging public opinion this election season. The press is also foundering in the favorability department, according to a survey released Friday by Harvard University's Center for Public Leadership.

News for the newsmongers is dismal.

Almost two-thirds of the respondents don't trust press coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign; 89 percent said journalists focus too much on "trivial issues"; and 77 percent think that the press is politically biased. Twelve percent rejected the media altogether, saying they "either don't trust or don't use any media source for campaign coverage."

One-quarter said the election coverage skews liberal, while 5 percent said it leans conservative and 45 percent said it does both - careening from too liberal to too conservative.

The public also appears weary of aggressive reporting on the campaign trail - 82 percent said the press has "too much influence on who Americans vote for."

Limbaugh: McCain Will Upset Obama

Talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh says that John McCain will score a stunning upset over Barack Obama and win the presidency on Tuesday.

In an interview with London Telegraph correspondent Nigel Farndale, Limbaugh said the mainstream media has been pushing Obama’s candidacy because “They want to be able to say they did it if Obama wins.”

To which Farndale countered, “Well, he is going to win, isn’t he?”

Limbaugh’s response: “No, I don’t see it Nigel. I think [Obama has] been dead in the water since the primaries. He is going to need to be up 10 to 12 points to win by 3 or 4.”

CBS Poll: Obama Up 13, 54-41%

A CBS News poll shows Barack Obama leading John McCain by 13 percent, 54-31 percent.

Gallup: Obama By 10, 52-42%

The latest Gallup Poll of likely voters shows Barack Obama at 52 percent, John McCain at 42 percent.

Rasmussen: Obama By 5, 51-46%

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows Barack Obama with 51% of the vote, John McCain with 46%. The race continues to remain remarkably stable at the national level--this is the 37th straight day that Obama’s support has been between 50% and 52% (see trends).

Nearly a third of voters say they have already cast their ballot and Obama leads by nine among this group. Obama also has a similar lead among the small group who have not voted but still plan to vote early. The candidates are essentially even among those who plan to vote on Tuesday.

Not surprisingly, the number of persuadable voters has declined sharply as Election Day draws near. Forty-seven percent (47%) of voters say they are certain they will vote for Obama and won’t change their mind. Forty-three percent (43%) say the same about McCain. Six percent (6%) have a preference for one of the major party candidates but could change their mind, 2% plan to vote for a third party option and 2% remain undecided.

Obama is now viewed favorably by 56% of voters nationwide, McCain by 52%

Oklahoma Poll: Obama Gains In Tulsa

From The Tulsa World ~ Republican presidential nominee John McCain continues to enjoy a wide lead in Oklahoma despite substantial gains by Democrat Barack Obama in the Tulsa metropolitan area, the latest Oklahoma Poll has found.

In a survey of 357 likely voters statewide, conducted for the Tulsa World and KOTV, Channel 6, by SoonerPoll.com of Oklahoma City, 57 percent said they intend to vote for McCain, with 33 percent favoring Obama and 10 percent undecided.

Obama has closed to within eight points of McCain in the seven-county Tulsa metropolitan statistical area after trailing there 60-22 in July and is 15 points down in metro Oklahoma City. In the rest of the state, though, McCain leads almost three-to-one.

The Gadfly's Fearless Prognostications II

State House: Make it a 1-seat addition for Republicans, padding their present majority.

State Senate, Revisited: Make it a 2-seat pickup for Republicans, giving them control for the first time in state history.

Short-Term Corporation Commission: Republican Dana Murphy should be leading this one, but a weak campaign and failure to define Democrat incumbent Jim Roth early, plus being outspent on television and overall, likely puts this squeaker in the "D" win column. It won't be by a wide margin. Best guess (but don't bet money on it): Roth by 2-5 percent based almost totally on the vote in Tulsa County...however...this one isn't over until the votes are counted and Roth's perceived weakness in rural counties could give the win to Murphy.

Long-Term Corporation Commission: Republican incumbent Jeff Cloud defeats Democrat Charles Gray, Cloud at 56-59 percent, Gray at 41-44 percent.

Recapping: McCain-Palin by what may be a record margin; Inhofe in a walk.

Rice, Obama, Democratic Party Plan Watch

The Andrew Rice for Senate campaign, the Obama For President campaign and the Oklahoma Democratic Party are hosting an election night watch part at the Skirvin Plaza Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City.

A party announcement said food will be provided for the 7 p.m. event and there will be a cash bar. Parking will be provided at the Santa Fe Parking Garage or via valet at the hotel.