• An Independent JournAl of CommentAry • NOVEMBER 2018 • VOLUME 50 NUMBER 11 • $5.00 Cash For Clunkers Sadly, Today’s Campaigns Are Driven More By Fundraising And Less By Ideas COVER STORY Begins On Page 24 Observations www.okobserver.org Hubris … With A Capital H VOLUME 50, NO. 11 The conventional political wisdom is that energized pro-public educa- tion forces targeted and defeated 12 Republican legislators in this year’s PUBLISHER Beverly Hamilton primaries and runoffs. EDITOR Arnold Hamilton That undoubtedly was the defining policy issue … but it wasn’t the only ingredient that led to the unprecedented turnover. ADVISORY BOARD Each of the Dumped Dozen painted a massive target on their backs Andrew Hamilton, Matthew Hamilton, during the two-week teacher walkout by disrespecting constituents who Scott J. Hamilton, Trevor James, Ryan Kiesel, George Krumme, descended on the Capitol to make their voices heard. Gayla Machell, MaryAnn Martin, Recall Grandfield Rep. Jeff Coody telling students that teacher de- Bruce Prescott, Bob Rogers, mands were “akin to extortion”? Slaughterville Rep. Bobby Cleveland Robyn Lemon Sellers, Kyle Williams chiding teachers for whining at the Capitol instead of educating in the OUR MOTTO classroom? Or the dozens of GOP lawmakers holed up in their offices, To Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the refusing to engage their visitors? Comfortable. In the Capitol bubble, hubris – with a capital H – often blooms. With doting special interests catering to almost every whim, legislative heads OUR CREDO So then to all their chance, to all their can swell. shining golden opportunity. To all the This highlights a truth about Oklahoma politics: Voters will forgive right to love, to live, to work, to be many transgressions, but they will not long abide smugness or arro- themselves, and to become whatever gance in their elected representatives. thing their vision and humanity can combine to make them. This seeker, The most successful lawmakers find ways to balance the reality of is the promise of America. real, back home life and the looking glass world of NE 23rd and Lincoln - Adapted from Thomas Wolfe Blvd.’s marbled halls. Those who don’t, risk the wrath of normally qui- escent constituents. FOUNDING PUBLISHER House District 14 Republican nominee Chris Sneed gave a glimpse Helen B. Troy [1932-2007] into this reality on the night he unseated incumbent Rep. George Faught, telling the Muskogee Phoenix: “I walked with the teachers every FOUNDING EDITOR day during the walkout – I worked to find out what issues they faced. Frosty Troy [1933-2017] I think if you want to fix issues, you have to talk to the people on the front lines.” [ISSN 0030-1795] It seems an obvious truth, yet one that remains stubbornly elusive for The Oklahoma Observer [USPS 865-720] is published on the first Wednesday of each CONTINUED ON PAGE 43 month by AHB Enterprises LLC, 13912 Plym- outh Crossing, P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. Periodicals postage paid at Edmond, OK and additional entry of- fice. Phone: 405.478.8700. POSTMASTER Send address changes to The Oklahoma Observer, P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. SUBSCRIPTIONS 1-Year [12 issues] $50. Send check to The Yes! Please send me a one-year subscription for only $50. Oklahoma Observer, P.O. Box 14275, This special offer includes my certificate for a free book courtesy Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. Online: Visit of Full Circle Bookstore [a $20 value]. See page 41 for details. www.okobserver.net to use a credit card. UPDATE ADDRESSES Please notify us at least two weeks before your move to ensure uninterrupted service. E-mail address changes to subscriptions@ okobserver.net or mail to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. LETTERS TO EDITOR E-mail to [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113- 0275. 2 • NOVEMBER 2018 Observerscope Dart: To Sen. Anastasia Pitt- Laurel: To CAIR Oklahoma, hon- Why did our favorite Oklaho- man, D-OKC, recording a robo-call ored as chapter of the year at last ma-born senator, Massachusetts’ in support of the GOP candidate month’s Council on American Is- Elizabeth Warren, take Donald seeking to replace term-limited lamic Relations annual national Trump’s bait on her native lineage. Rep. Scott Inman, D-Del City. Pit- banquet in DC. Well deserved, She offended Cherokees with her tman’s checkered career defines Adam Soltani and Co. DNA test and gave the hate-mon- the term “loose cannon.” ger-in-chief fodder to stir up his For the record: ActBlue’s on-line deplorables. So Oklahoma Republicans are fundraising this year for Demo- lockstep behind a president who cratic candidates topped $850 mil- Laurel: To ACLU-OK’s Allie demeans women – remember lion – five times its 2014 mid-term Shinn, honored with Freedom “Horseface”? – yet recoil when haul. Oklahoma’s 2018 Horizon Award Mick Cornett refers to his GOP as a rising star in LGBTQ advoca- runoff opponent’s trash-talking as Dart: To the editorial pages of the cy. A rising star, yes, but an even “Bull-Stitt.” Go figure. state’s largest dailies, the Oklaho- better person! man and Tulsa World, endorsing Laurel: To Rep. Collin Walke, uniquely unqualified Kevin Stitt Remember the carbon barons D-OKC, chosen as Freedom Okla- for governor. Their breathtaking il- wailing last spring about a mod- homa’s Lawmaker of the Year for logic suggests pandering to deep- est hike in GPT? Continental Re- his tireless, fearless efforts to pro- pocketed, rightwing advertisers sources third quarter income rock- mote justice and fairness. Bravo! – not to the common good or com- eted to $314 million – 30 times the mon sense. amount in same period in 2017. Remember this number: $440.7 Seven percent GPT, anyone? million. That’s the funding in- You get what you pay for: Only crease state lawmakers will be 16% of Oklahoma’s ACT-takers Mark your calendars: the 34th asked to approve for public ed this year met all four college readi- Fall Peace Festival is set Nov. 10 at next year. Will a new-look Lege get ness benchmarks – English, sci- OKC’s Civic Center Music Hall. See schools on road to recovery after a ence, reading and math. Worse, back cover for more details. decade of starvation budgets? 43% didn’t meet any of the four. CONTINUED ON PAGE 44 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 3 Letters Editor, The Observer: nies pay the same fuel tax for driv- I read that a trillion-a-year debt I’m sick of all the tax giveaways ing giant trucks that destroy our can be expected. in this last-place state. Oklahoma roads as tiny cars pay. Meanwhile, the president’s son- isn’t bankrupt. We are a state rich Even retailers like Costco get in-law legally gets by without pay- in resources. We just have a ridic- huge tax giveaways. Costco is go- ing any income tax and he’s a third ulous Swiss cheese tax code at the ing to build in OKC even without of the way to being a billionaire. state level. the huge sales tax kickback. For Republican candidates, know We protect the Chambers of Oklahoma is among the lowest that I will keep this in mind on Commerce. We defend the wealthy. tax states in virtually every tax cat- Nov. 6 – Election Day. everybody who owns land, live- egory. And our Tax Commission Things go better for my family stock, equipment, businesses are is so woefully understaffed and and friends when Democrats hold at the tax-break trough. under-equipped they can’t begin the offices and write the laws. Oil and gas drillers are the big- to police the thousands of self- Joseph H. Carter Sr. gest hypocrites of all. Remember, employed people who work in the Norman they were going to leave the state, “cash economy.” or go belly-up, if the Legislature We poor slugs who work for a Editor, The Observer: raised their gross production tax? salary and have our taxes with- My grandmother used to say, And Oklahoma oil producers are held and remitted by our employ- “Republicans are about me. Demo- among the few in the nation who ers? I’m pretty sure we’re the same crats are about us.” She was right. pay zero property tax on their oil bunch of folks who rely on our After eight years of Republican and natural gas reserves. And zero public schools. I’m thinking the “leadership” in Oklahoma, I am property taxes on their equipment. joke is on us – double. a registered Republican who will Farmers and ranchers aren’t far Mickey Thompson be voting Democrat except in the behind. Their property tax burden Oklahoma City treasurer’s race where I’ll be vot- is ludicrously low. They don’t pay ing for the independent, Charles sales tax on equipment. Editor, The Observer: de Coune. Manufacturers, technology My tax guy says I will pay about Red Goldfarb firms, and call centers all get huge the same “pretty hefty” federal in- Yukon tax incentives for jobs they may [or come tax this year – after Republi- may not] create. Trucking compa- cans passed the new tax law. Now, CONTINUED ON PAGE 45 4 • NOVEMBER 2018 Arnold Hamilton An Emerging Conensus On Healthcare, Medicaid? As she knocked doors across north central Okla- signature tenet of the once-vilified ObamaCare: that homa’s House District 35, Democratic nominee Ja- insurance companies cannot refuse coverage based sha Lyons Echo-Hawk quickly discovered what was on pre-existing conditions. President Trump even foremost on voters’ minds: health care.