Mud Slinging Top To Bottom

Graphic courtesy Tulsa Today

There's a lot of political mud being tossed today.

It's being used in some of the top statewide races and in a lot of the legislative races.

Three statewide Democrats--Steve Burrage, Kenneth Corn, Susan Paddack--are attacking their Republican opponents in last-ditch efforts to avoid defeat.

Burrage dug up 20-year-old ancient history to criticize Gary Jones in their race for auditor & inspector. Burrage, with his long-standing ties to the Gene Stipe cabal in southeastern Oklahoma, may live in a glass house.

Kenneth Corn tries to implicate Todd Lamb in a sneaky legislative deal in their contentious contest for lieutenant governor. Corn's attempt was given a thumbs down by his fellow Democrat, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, in a rare display of candor by a public official and in a move that took most of the steam out of Corn's attack. 

Susan Paddack has outrageous, certifiably untrue, allegations against Janet Barresi in their battle for superintendent of public instruction. The attacks prompted Barresi's manager, Jennifer Carter, to demand commercials be pulled. Paddack's commercials win TMRO's Hall of Shame award this year.

In Ardmore, Democrat Darryl Roberts claims he has the endorsement of Republican Congressman Tom Cole in his contest with Republican Frank Simpson for a Senate seat, but Cole says Roberts is all wet and is using, out of context, a 10-year-old statement from Cole.

In Little Dixie, the Senate District 6 contest between Democrat Jay Paul Gumm and Republican challenger Josh Brecheen has turned decidedly nasty, with charges, counter-charges and counter-counter charges. Among the silliest claims: Gumm says Brecheen took tens of thousands in taxpayer dollars; true enough, that was his salary as a field representative for Senator Tom Coburn. Gumm doesn't mention that he's taken as much, or more, of taxpayer dollars through his Senate salary. In his latest broadside, Gumm goes after super-popular Senator Coburn.

In Oklahoma City, Republican Rep. David Dank is defending himself against allegations from his Democrat opponent, who attacks his record and asks, "Isn't 16 years of the Danks enough?" The reference is to Dank and his wife, Odilia, who held the seat before he was elected. Dank's opponent goes on to question his background.

In some races, the allegations are being tossed via news releases; most of those releases are being ignored by the news media.

There is no indication the mud-slinging is working; just the opposite seems the case, at least in the statewide races where all those under attack are leading their opponents by increasing margins as election day closes to within hours.

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