The Greater Pushmataha Republicans Meet

  In the heart of "Little Dixie", a room full of strong Republicans are making an impact on an area of the state where Republicans often kept quiet for fear of social retribution. 

Straw Poll

  Cruz took 50% of the support in todays straw poll. Trump followed with 35%. Last year, Huckabee and Walker were the top 2.

Country style

  Things are done on a small scale, here. But the process is genuine. My Tulsa County acclimatization is truly refreshed by being here. These conservatives actually need each other. No one is pushing their neighbor away. This group has a healthy diversity and it doesn't threaten any of them. They haven't lost sight of the fact that they are on the same team.

Red To The Roots

  Denise and Richard Engle are here to present the OKGOP's RED TO THE ROOTS strategy for local victory. We'll have much to elaborate on that program.

Citizen Cosponsors Invited To The Effort to Reform Asset Forfeiture

  Senator Kyle Loveless is deeply committed to the cause of Asset Forfeiture reform. During the last few weeks of last Spring, and through the summer & autumn; Loveless has poured significant time, resources, and significant political capital into the cause.

 The concerned citizens of Oklahoma are now being asked to join Senator Loveless as "cosponsors" of his senate bill.
By signing up at The Asset Reform Cosponsorship Registry, individuals can express their resolve on this issue.

Making Money By Not Fixing Washington

  For more than four decades, the pro-life advocates have sent billions on stopping abortion on demand. They have marched, campaigned, picketed, counseled, lobbied, threatened, and established large political foundations. Some of these efforts have been effective, but some have inadvertently become a real obstacle to victory in the fight to protect the unborn.
  A very liberal cousin of mine has been a congressional staffer for a Democrat from Minnesota.

  At a recent family reunion in Minnesota, I said; "The pro-life issue alone is enough reason for me to support republicans.".

  "The Republicans in Washington don't want Abortion to ever end!",
 He responded. "They make too much money off the issue and  they get all these Catholics to keep voting for them because of the issue."

  The short dialogue left me thinking. I knew he was saying a few things that I could not refute. Many of the vast Catholic population in Minnesota are populist and support socialist ideas. If the Abortion issue was resolved, they'd go back to being staunch Democrat activists. And the devout people of several denominations are, to varying degrees, similar.

Trump Defames A Respected Iowa Minister, Get's Busted For It

  Rev. Bob Vander Plaats is a very well known and respected Christian leader in Iowa. His ministry, "The Family Leader" has brought together masses of Christians from several denominations, for the furtherance of family values and other public policy directives.

Via the New York Times:
  In an interview, Mr. Vander Plaats said he thought the tweets showed “who Donald Trump really is.” Mr. Vander Plaats added that Mr. Trump had offered his family a free stay at a hotel in New York City on a rare visit.

  Mr. Trump’s Twitter posts reflect his go-for-the-jugular strategy to discredit a rival, which has been a key feature of his campaign over the last seven months.

“The problem is that Donald Trump expects that if he has a friendship with you and he does anything nice for you, he controls you,” he added.

Red to the Roots

A conservative answer to a century of liberal local policies

by Richard Engle
  Would it surprise you to hear that only 45% of partisan elected officials in Oklahoma are Republicans?

OKGOP Sets March 12 To Elect A Vice Chair

Vice Chair Vacancy

The OKGOP State Committee's next meeting will be convened on March 12th to select a Vice Chairman for the remainder of the current term. the vacancy was brought about by the sudden resignation of embattled former vice chairman, Estella Hernandez.  She has chosen to resign subsequent to her new job at the OCPA thinktank. This completes the process of establishing a new party leadership team and moving on from the disastrous contentions of 2015.  A location has not yet been announced, for this meeting.

Huckabee Seen With Clinton Voter Base.

  Social media add levity to the political process and gives us a very personal connection with the candidates. Mike Huckabee is a master at wit and humor. This impromptu field report demonstrates his ability to effectively drive home a point....

Huckabee posted the clip on his social media page. 

 The Clinton VoteWatch Gov. Huckabee meet with some of Hillary Clinton's voters
- Gov. Mike Huckabee
Posted by Mike Huckabee on Monday, January 25, 2016

"I used to tell people one of the reasons I'm a Christian, and believe in the Resurrection, is I saw it every time on Election Day in Arkansas."

Audit The AG, Now!

Pruitt admits to AG's office having millions that it doesn't need. 

Oklahoma Law Must Be Obeyed, Even By The AG, Scott Pruitt

  A primary reason why Oklahoma became a Republican state, is the long history of Democrat corruption and "good 'ol boy" dealmaking. And now the GOP club is risking that voter trust through hypocrisy and evading accountability.
  The latest chapter in this matter is the refusal of the Attorney General to obey the law which mandates a formal audit from the State Auditor & Inspector, Gary Jones.  When Jones began his preliminary work of notifying Pruitt and requesting that Pruitt provide the customary designation of a department communications director to assist the Audit or in scheduling and access to needed records; Pruitt reacted in complete obstinance and declared that he could instead hire his own auditing firm who would report internally to him, rather than the Auditor and Inspector.
  Pruitt has been in office for 5 years and is used to investigating everyone else. He obviously doesn't like being subjected to the same laws which he uses to dig into the affairs of all of us.

Gary Jones was elected Auditor on a mandate
to restore fiscal accountability to state agencies

Wasteful spending

  Pruitt has an annual budget of $13 million, from the legislature. But his spending has exceeded that number because of his department's own independent revenue streams. Asset Forfeiture and other punitive systems have been an increasing and unaccountable funding source for Pruitt's use. Yet the legislature has not been able to manage these funds, directly.

Making Money Off Crime

  It is a very dangerous threat to civil society when the government, at any level, relies on crime to fund any government services. The Ferguson, MO riots of last year were partially brought about through a city government pressuring municipal courts to increase fines collected, so that they would not have to cut city employees from the payroll.  Yet we see Oklahoma and other governments progressively moving to implementation of taxation through kangaroo court behavior.  The AG office’s overall budget exceeds $40 million when federal grants, revolving funds, case settlements and legal counsel contracts are considered. The AG Office gets $26 million from sources other than the state budget. That's troubling when you ponder how it enables the AG to evade the legislature's 'power of the purse' to keep the office from overstepping civil liberties.

The Auditor & Inspector needs to audit the entire $40 million dollar operation. Not just the $13 million which the legislature hands the AG.

  Here's an example: In 1994, the US Congress elections were massively sweeped by the conservatives who thwarted the plans by the IRS to eventually audit every taxpayer every year. That oppressive plan was stopped simply by cutting the IRS appropriations through legislative budget measures.

  The Auditor & Inspector needs to audit the entire $40 million dollar operation. Not just the $13 million which the legislature hands the AG.

AG Office Flushed With Millions In Cash

This week, AG Pruitt announced that his department could be fully operational on about half the budget he currently manages.  [read story in Tulsa World]
 Pruitt has been taking $13 million from the legislature's budget. But now he admits that $6 million is adequate.  That revelation, itself, is grounds for an audit and inspection. We really don't know all the revenue streams or their fiscal harvest. An audit would tell us many things:

• How much money is coming into the AG's office
• Where that cash comes from
• Where the money goes
• Who decides spending priorities
• What it would cost to adequately run the core duties which the constitution and the legislature authorizes
• Practices which exceed the legislature's authorization and the constitutional mandates

Rumors of Opulence

  The capitol halls and rural coffeeshops are frequently abuzz with little stories of the grand accommodations secured by the AG's department. Office space rental has exploded. Chauffeured travel has been cut back by other departments (including Costello's Labor Dept. and Jones' Auditor & Inspector Dept.), but Pruitt is said to exceed all the other officeholders in travel expenses by the top executive. We, the voters, want facts, not department spin. We voted to have  periodic audits by a state office who reports to us. We require Pruitt to answer to us through the audit process which we mandated to law. Pruitt is not the law, and he's not above the law.  His intransigence is troubling and leading some to wonder if he can be trusted to enforce the law upon the rest of us.

Op-Ed: A Call To Nullify

by Joe Newhouse -

  Knowing that his time is short, we are now seeing President Obama’s full rage and wrath towards the Constitution as he issues broad sweeping executive orders that take direct aim at undermining the Rule of Law.

  In 2014, Republicans vowed to the American people that if they were given control of both houses of Congress, they would stop Obamacare and defeat the president’s unconstitutional executive orders concerning immigration.  We all witnessed in utter frustration when the majority of Republicans – including every single member of our Oklahoma congressional delegation NOT NAMED JIM BRIDENSTINE – do an amazing impression of French military leadership by promptly surrendering to the nation’s adversary, and vote to fully implement the Obama Agenda.

Trump Arena Math: Where 9=27

Trump Supporters jeering the media, at Trump's request.         Photo credit: Jarell Wade

  Donald Trump came to Oklahoma, today. His much publicized event has been anticipated for the past week. But the 11,000 capacity arena was set up  to handle just 9,000 attendees.
  Nothing was on time. The Secret Service screening at the entry was very cumbersome and folks had to wait even longer when they finally did get to a seat.
  The Trump aircraft landed at the Tulsa Intl. about 40 minutes late and Trump took to the stage 70 minutes past the scheduled start time.
He immediately made claims that the comfortably full 8k venue "had 20k in attendance and 7k more were turned away".
  But in the next few sentences his account changed to 15k in attendance with 5k turned away. Observers indicate that no one was turned away and  there were hundreds of open seats scattered in the upper level. At one point Trump taunted the press corp camera crews to pan the arena and show the audience. He knew it could not be done, nor would an independent press take any orders from a politician. But Trump is lucky that they did not. A good slow pan would have revealed every scattered empty seat and empty row.

Cole & Mullin In Trouble Over Deficit Recklessness

Montage: Cole, Obama, Ryan, and Mullin

Deficit Jumps 24% Under Republican Rule

  The Washington Times is reporting tonight that the Omnibus federal funding bill passed late last month has exploded the federal deficit.
 Their headline reads:

Federal deficit to soar in 2016 after Ryan-Obama tax deal

The tax-cut deal inked by President Obama and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan last month has put a major dent in the federal budget, helping send the deficit soaring by 24 percent, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday. 

The $544 billion deficit projected for 2016 marks the first year since 2009 that the red ink has grown, and it powers the deficit back up over the half-trillion mark, where it had been for most of Mr. Obama’s tenure.  Read the Washington Times story, here. 

Richard Engle Considering A Bid For OKGOP Vice Chair.

  In the wake of Estella Hernandez' sudden resignation from the OKGOP Vice Chair; I asked Richard Engle if he is considering the role.

Sooner Politics: "Richard, is your hat in the ring?"

Richard Engle: "We will determine if that is the best place from which to serve more."

  This would be Engles' 2nd run for vice chair. He was previously edged out in the 2013 race.
  He is a former national president of the Federation of  Republican Assemblies, an organization formed by Reagan supporters in the 1970s.
 Richard is an Oklahoma City businessman, teacher, and author. He continues his work in the Republican Assemblies, serving as a regional leader. He is married to Denise, a former  Deputy Insurance Commissioner and appointee to the state workers' Comp commission.

OKGOP State Committee Will Elect A Vice Chair

  In the wake of the resignation of embattled vice chair, Estella Hernandez; The OKGOP State Committee will receive a call to meet and select a replacement.  No one has stepped up, as of yet, to place their name in consideration.
  Here's a posted explanation from the OKGOP Rules Facebook page:

Question: I heard that the State Vice Chairman resigned, just a few months prior to the Quadrennial convention. Will we elect a new State vice chair at the convention?

Answer: No. the rules state that the State Committee shall call for an election at the state committee meeting, held at least 30 days later. But the replacement must be done within 60 days of the vacancy.

"..the election is to take place between Feb. 17th & March 18th"

• "Rule 10-(i) Vacancies of State Chairman and Vice Chairman: If the State Chairman shall die, move from the state, resign, or otherwise become disqualified, then the Vice Chairman shall serve as Chairman until such vacancy shall be filled by the State Committee at a special meeting held within sixty (60) days for such purpose pursuant to written or electronic notice sent to all members of said committee stating such purpose 30 days prior to said meeting. Any person elected to fill such vacancy shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term. If the Vice Chairman shall die, move from the state, resign, or otherwise become disqualified, then the vacancy shall be filled by the State Committee as described for filling the office of Chairman."

So, if the resignation is dated January 18th, then the election is to take place between Feb. 17th & March 18th. The state convention will not be required to act in this matter, if the state committee does their job.

  Hernandez has had a rather controversial 9 months at the OKGOP, serving as acting chair for a month, after the chairman resigned in September. She had a very rocky working relationship with former Chairman Brogdon; publicly criticizing his actions, and particularly his other staffing appointments.
  KFAQ Radio reported an inconsistency in Hernandez' claims, in their research of the endless strife of last year.

Senate 34: Anatomy Of An Upset

Dossett defeats Mclain, in special election.

Adventures In Poll Running.

  Tonight I called the McLain campaign consultant and offered to do some poll-running for the team. Samantha Jones eagerly accepted my help and emailed a list of heavily populated Owasso precincts. I routed my Google map and left my South Tulsa location around 6:45pm

  My first precinct numbers were posted at the Owasso Recreational Center.

  Wow! getting beat, nearly 3 to 1. I don't know the demographics of this rapidly-growing northern suburb of Tulsa County. I figured I was in a neighborhood that either included Dossett, or had some unique connection to him.

Dr. Tom Coburn: An Open Letter To Oklahoma's Legislature

After serving in both houses of congress, Dr. Coburn diagnoses
an institutional illness and prescribes an effective treatment.

  Former Senator Tom Coburn, understands the problems in Washington better than anyone, Here is a recent letter he wrote to the Oklahoma legislature.

 Dear Oklahoma Legislator,
I am proud to be an Oklahoman, and I was proud to represent our state during my time in the United States Senate. One of the biggest lessons I learned during that time was that our federal government is like a runaway freight train. It will continue to overstep its constitutional boundaries and usurp more and more of states’ rights and individual liberties until someone or something stops it.
  Under Article V of the Constitution, you are the ones empowered to stop it, through a state-led convention for proposing amendments. Only through formal amendments can the states put effective checks on judicial activism, reject the damage that has been done to the Constitution through creative “interpretations” of some of its provisions, and impose meaningful fiscal restraints on Washington.

Trump Questions Apostle Paul's Roman Citizenship

Trump: "It's a problem and he needs to deal with it before we go any further".

[WARNING: sarcasm content contained in report]
  Donald Trump, today; disclosed claims that the Apostle Paul's Roman citizenship "is problematic".
  The businessman & reality tv star (now a politician) has uncovered documents that imply that the religious leader was not born in Rome. According to Trump's assertion, Paul was actually born in the Cilician town of Tarsus, as the son of a prominent Jewish family.
  Trump further claims that the issue was deliberately cloaked by Paul, through changing his name. He says that the religious leader's actual legal name is 'Saul'. Trump claims to have uncovered a journal from a Greek physician and historian named Luke. The journal, referred to by insiders as "The Acts of The Apostles"; states that in Paul's own words he claims to have been born in Tarsus but into a family of Roman citizens.

Apostle Paul claims various citizenships and nationalities

 But what remains unexplained is, "How a Jewish family can claim Roman citizenship?".

Rep. Walden Makes Compelling Argument In The Oregon Ranchers' Revolt

Oregon militants: Congressman Walden takes BLM to woodshed

 The U.S. Bureau of Land Management was the target of withering criticism Tuesday by Oregon  Rep. Greg Walden in a dramatic speech.

"How do you have faith in a government that doesn't ever listen to you? "

Walden, speaking from the House floor for nearly a half hour, gave voice to rural frustrations with government officials, particularly the federal land bureau that manages huge swaths of eastern Oregon.

Norman Pastor, Dr. James Taylor, Will Run Against Cole

Dr. James Taylor, of Norman, OK is running
for congress in the district that  JC Watts
once represented.

"It's just frustrating. They tell us one thing and then do another."

KFAQ's David Prock is reporting:

  NORMAN, Okla. (KFAQ staff) - It was the final straw for Dr. James Taylor, the pastor of Christ Church of Norman, after he heard Congressman Tom Cole of District 4 voted for the OMNIBUS spending bill that allows for such things as fully funding Planned Parenthood, and he has decided to do something about it.
  He announced on KFAQ's Pat Campbell Show on Thursday morning that he will indeed run against Cole in the next election.

Book Review: It's Biblical, Not Political!

A review of the new book by Dr. James Taylor, Pastor of Christ's Church, in Norman, Oklahoma.

  The Oklahoma minister strongly contends that God has called Christians to be active in the political arena. "It's Biblical Not Political! How to Line Up Candidates Biblically" takes you on a journey through the Bible of how Christians should vote on economic social and foreign affairs issues.

Cruz Exposes The Gap In Trump's Immigration Policy

  According to Senator Ted Cruz's immigration policy, applicants for US citizenship  should not be eligible if they have a previous federal convictions in the United States. This includes those who violate federal law by failing to secure lawful entry/residency in the US territories and states.

  The issue came up on the campaign trail, this week.  While campaigning this week in Iowa, where he's leading the polls ahead of that state's Feb. 1 presidential caucuses, Cruz suggested he'll be tougher on people in the U.S. illegally than his rival for the Republican nomination.

  "There's a difference," Cruz told a questioner at an event in Boone. "He's advocated allowing folks to come back in and become citizens. I oppose that."

New Gun Orders Will Deter People From Seeking Healthcare

Activists are speaking out in opposition to the actions of the White House, today.
  Mental health activists are warning:   "This new Executive Order is the biggest deterrent to getting help from counselors, therapists, doctors, and other healthcare professionals."

•   Veterans will lose their 2nd Amendment constitutional rights and not even know that they were "diagnosed".
•   This will prevent couples from getting good marriage counseling.
•   This will make people hesitant to see a new doctor, lest they be reported by "Gun Nazies" .
•   This will result in more tragedies because hurting people risk losing self defense rights and face the rest of their lives as unarmed and they face prison time if they go hunting.

Ranchers vs. Feds: Armed Showdown Over Seized Lands

Showdown in Burns, Oregon

  Western Ranchers are taking to arms and occupying a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon.  The issue stems from the disputes over land and private property rights.

CNN reports:

(CNN) - Armed anti-government protesters have taken over a building in a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, accusing officials of unfairly punishing ranchers who refused to sell their land.One them is Ammon Bundy, the 40-year-old son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who is well-known for anti-government action.

Trump Pitches For Canadian Socialized Heathcare

Trump praises Canadian healthcare

From reports by ROBERT KING • Washington Examiner
  Donald Trump said in August that he ideally would want the United States to have a single-payer healthcare system such as that in Scotland or Canada, but it wouldn't work in the U.S. because of state borders.

Trump Calls for Taking Away States' Rights

  "I want to see a private system without the artificial lines with every state," Trump said during the Fox News GOP primary debate. "If I am negotiating in New York or California I have one bidder."