$1.50 25,000 Blue Chip Readers VOL. 39, NO. 18 An Independent Journal of Commentary OCTOBER 10, 2007 Sooner Party On The Ropes Sham Democrats By Frosty Troy Oklahoma’s rank and file Demo- the Henry Administration that the wooing Republican donors. He did nothing to help his hand- crats are concerned about the future governor has refused to meet with Henry’s take on the issue? He told picked party chairman, Lisa Pryor, of their party, ripped by an internal Holmes since he was elected chair- a news conference it was not his job Holmes’ predecessor. fracas that could shred it. man. Holmes keeps calling. “to build a party, it’s my job to build Henry raised $3 million for his own The party is already declining in Holmes said not one member of a state.” re-election race – including donations numbers as a growing Republican the Central Committee supported That is a startling window into the from powerful corporate Republi- Party commands corporate dollars his election to head the party but he mentality of a governor whose self- cans. and support from the state’s funda- holds no ill will. centeredness is built around the The newly elected labor commis- mentalist majority. “It was rank and file Democrats word “bipartisan,” the same word that sioner, Lloyd Fields, took a hit from In one corner is Democratic Gov. across the state who were tired of Meacham uses. Meacham who told Holmes, “I must Brad Henry, closing out his second seeing the party go down who elected It’s a euphemism for wooing Repub- admit I was a little concerned when and last term. Opposite him is an me,” Holmes said. “I ran because I lican votes. you were first elected Chair because unlikely crusader, Ivan Holmes, a 70- didn’t see anybody who was willing to Had it not been for the interven- of your affiliation with Commissioner year-old passionate Democrat who step up for all Oklahoma Democrats.” tion of George Krumme, ex-Gov. David Fields.” has wrested control of what is left of He is working without pay for the Walters and State Committeeman Jim Meacham, a wholly owned subsid- the party apparatus. dead-broke party and has only volun- Frasier, the Democratic Party head- iary of Chesapeake’s gas barons, has The seething problem surfaced teers and three workers paid for by quarters building would have been appeared in paid newspaper ads and when Democratic State Treasurer the Democratic National Committee. lost. TV commercials for Chesapeake. Scott Meacham issued a broadside His goals: A solid financial footing, Meacham’s remarks at his fund- Those are the same gas barons who against Chairman Holmes after he recruiting strong candidates and hold- raiser hosted by Republican Burns funded the Swift Boat liars against was replaced as the Democratic Cen- ing two critical State Senate seats. Hargis were taped. Holmes showed up John Kerry’s heroic military record. tral Committee representative for Holmes said he has crisscrossed and the fireworks were launched. These liars were fined $299,500 by statewide elected Democrats. the state, speaking to thousands of The Meacham letter attacking Hol- the Federal Election Commission. Meacham is Gov. Henry’s obvious fed-up Democrats who want a revived mes is totally false, Holmes said, add- Democratic Lieutenant Gov. Jari choice to succeed him. The Elk City party wrested from the do-nothings. ing: “I am willing to take a lie detector Askins has sided with Holmes, saying banker is Henry’s closest political Meacham went ballistic when he test if he [Meacham] is willing to pay the selection of Fields to represent ally and is an invited guest at all of was dumped, despite the fact that in for it.” statewide elected Democrats “was a the governor’s numerous dog-and- two years he has attended only one The Henry crowd sees Holmes “as a perfect choice.” pony shows. Central Committee meeting and has loose cannon” but Henry’s party per- Ironically, Meacham failed to appear Meacham is a Democratic no-show yet to raise a dollar for the party while fidy is a matter of record. at the elected Democrats’ meeting he at party affairs and admitted at a Re- complains about. He sent an aide, as publican sponsored campaign fund- he usually does. raiser for him that he only registered Holmes said Meacham typically Democratic because there were “more shows up at Democratic functions, Democrats than Republicans in north- asks to speak first, then says he has west Oklahoma.” to leave, careful not to be too identi- Since the day he took office, Hen- fied with Democrats. ry has distanced himself from the Why would a good Democrat want Democratic Party, refusing to raise to be featured at a fund-raiser hosted any funds for it and appearing only at by hard partisan Republican Burns state conventions long enough to be Hargis? on television. Former Democratic Govs. David Bo- Since he took office, Republicans ren and George Nigh have signed on have taken the Oklahoma House for in support of GOP Speaker Lance Car- the first time in 86 years and the Sen- gill’s unofficial campaign for governor ate is dead even at 24-24. – the so-called 100 Ideas promotion. It was the precipitous decline of the Walters declined. party that brought Holmes, a retired Leadership is not a zero sum game. college dean, into the fray. He is try- Ivan Holmes isn’t the issue, it’s the to- ing to win back unions, attorneys and tal lack of party support by the likes educators – once the mainstay of the of Henry and Meacham and too many party. counterfeit Democrats using the par- Long a political activist, including ty like a rental. campaigning for Henry and campaign Ivan Holmes may be all riled up, manager for Labor Commissioner but at least he’s a ray of hope, which Lloyd Fields, Holmes said he was dis- is more than you can say about the traught by the decline of the party. sham Democrats hastening the day His attempt to breathe life back into of a fundamentalist Republican Okla- the party was so obviously ignored by homa. Observations Stay Tuned! The current distress of the Okla- Public Citizen, a highly respected in- homa State Democratic Party ought dependent consumer advocacy orga- to alarm all Oklahomans, not just nization that ranked all the states. Democrats. The stakes are much Public Citizen’s Ranking of State higher than personalities or internal Medicaid Programs ranked Oklaho- politics. ma’s Medicaid program 47th among As we note in our cover story, too the states. many Democrats seeking public of- Deficiencies found in Oklahoma fice are treating the party like a rent- nursing homes as reported to federal a-party vehicle – use it and then walk Medicare/Medicaid officials are about the facilities’ environment – sani- off. City because he was tired of attending tary storage and preparation of food, All of Oklahoma has a stake in a re- lobby functions. housekeeping and maintenance ser- Rice’s Race vived party because the prime movers It’s not wholly the fault of the leg- vices, and the prevalence of accident in today’s Republican Party are not We keep hearing some Democrats islators. They don’t dare snub an im- hazards. the likes of Henry Bellmon or even say that state Sen. Andrew Rice, D- portant lobby. As one said, “No won- Oklahoma’s rate for bed sores is Dewey Bartlett. OKC, is on a fool’s errand in seeking der we don’t have time to read all the 24% higher than the national average. House Speaker Lance Carglll typi- to oust Republican U.S. Sen. Jim In- bills.” Residents physically restrained in fies the radical wingnuts who have hofe, a national joke. The Ethics Commission should ig- Oklahoma is 10.5% compared to the gained control of the GOP. They are They talk about Rice’s lack of expe- nore all the attacks and stick to what national average of 5.7%. bought and paid for by the wealthiest rience, but look how Inhofe’s experi- is right. Oklahomans and the religious right The average nursing home facility ence has made him [and Oklahoma] a [which is neither]. in Oklahoma employs 1.3 registered national laughingstock. We don’t mean Democrats should nurses full-time, compared to the na- We often remind first-time candi- vote in lockstep as do the crowd con- tional average of 2.17 registered nurs- dates that Abraham Lincoln went No! Not Again! es. trolling today’s Legislature. But when bankrupt in 1831 and lost five suc- Here we go again. The Corrections Oklahoma nursing homes would it goes to the heart of Democratic cessive elections before winning the Department has finalized its budget need a 67% increase in registered principles, there should be no ques- presidency. request for the fiscal year beginning nurses to reach the national average. tion. You can’t fail unless you quit. Rice July 1 – $572 million, with an increase We don’t question for a minute that Look at the flood of unwarranted is solid on the issues and even think- of $90 million. most nursing home operators and tax cuts. Look at the attack on pub- ing Republicans should be supporting How many times have we heard their employees want to do a good job. lic education and bedrock social pro- him. If he stays true to Democratic this tune – a desperately underfunded Problems will continue as long as the grams. principles, he will be a force in Okla- agency pleads for help and ends up Legislature fails to address adequate It is a disgrace that so many legisla- homa politics.