Oklahoma County Medallion Dinner

My wife, Cat, and our granddaughter Skylar, attended the Oklahoma County Medallion Dinner. During my time as an Oklahoma County officer, first secretary and then chair, I was involved in several Medallions, which are the main fundraiser for the county party. I enjoyed myself as always. It's great to see old friends and meet new people. The dinner was great, and the fellowship even better. Those who make fun of people in politics don't know what they are missing when it comes to associating with some of the finest people in our community.

The party took a beating in the last election because the Republican party managed to make the state elections a referendum on President Obama, who has never been popular in Oklahoma. Many people are asking what can we do to turn the party around. So far, the Republicans have so far been doing a good job of making us look very good by comparison. But we just can't sit back and "hope they will fail."

I think that we need to keep speaking our truths, but do so in terms that average voters understand: jobs, security, services, and rights. Whenever we propose something, we must keep in mind these goods. How will what we propose help our citizens enjoy better quality lives? If we keep doing this, and showing that we mean what we say, the voters will elect our candidates to office.

One more day as County Chairman

Tomorrow, I will had over the office of Oklahoma County Democratic Party Chairman to someone else. I have enjoyed being chairman, mostly, but I will be happy that someone else has the responsibility for a while.

We managed to raise a good deal of money, and we improved the county's website. I wish we had done better in the last elections, but we were moving against some powerful sources. Oklahoma was a landslide for John McCain. We got caught in it.

I will continue to work in politics, but someone else will have to worry about planning event and gettting people involved in the party.

Good luck to whomever comes after me.

Oklahoma County Democrats had a great Medallion Dinner

Once again we had another great Medallion Dinner. The Medallion is the biggest fundraiser the Oklahoma County Democratic Party has each year. This year we celebrated the victory of Barack Obama as president and former State Senator Angela Monson's victory in the Oklahoma City Public School school board chairman election. We do not know yet how much money was raised, but a great time was had by all.

Congratulations to our Medallion Award Winners: Linda James and Jack Farley of LL James Printing; Patti Bessen, Political Director for American Federation of Teachers, Local 2309; The Oklahoma County Stonewall Democrats; Change Oklahoma with Susan McCann, Jeremiah Elix, and Terry Thompson; and Victor Gorin, volunteer extraordinaire.

We also awarded our Male and Female Volunteers of the Year. The male was Carl Downing for a lifetime of service to the Democratic Party and Pam Paul for her work on the county web page and the listserv.

Paricular thanks needs to go to Ellen Stevens for her hard work to make this a great Medallion.

Saturday Pancake Breakfast

Last Saturday was the annual Oklahoma County Democratic Party Pancake Breakfast. We gathered once again at the Del City Community Center to eat pancakes, sausage, and eggs and hear our candidates for office tell us about their campaigns. Frosty Troy was the M.C. and did his usual great job. We raised over $1600 for our campaigns.
A gathering of great Democrats
Cat and state Rep. Al Lindley talk politics
OK Lt. Gov. Jari Askins speaks to the crowd

Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater speaks at the OCDP Friday Luncheon

Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater
Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater talked about how he has worked to expand Drug and Mental Health Courts as well as relating a moving narration of his work to end gang violence in the county during his talk on August 8th at the Oklahoma County Democratic Party Luncheon. The luncheon is a regular function of the OCDP held at the Boulevard Cafeteria in midtown Oklahoma City.

DA Prater told the over 50 people gathered that his predecessor only had a little over 200 participants in the OK County Drug Court program, a program created by the legislature to provide alternatives to incarceration for drug offenders. "My office expanded the Drug Court to over 600 participants," Prater stated. "We hope to soon have 720 participants in the near future." He challenged those present to visit a "Drug Court Graduation" sometime. "Graduates talk about getting and holding jobs, reconciling marriages, and healing families with the help of Drug Court." He also hopes to expand the Mental Health Court noting that the Oklahoma County jail currently houses more of the mentally ill than any institution in Oklahoma.

Prater also discussed his work dealng with gang violence in Oklahoma County through his work with a former gang lord turned pastor whose ministry works with those in Oklahoma City gangs. The pastor arranged for Prater to meet with gang leaders in at his church. David Prater came to the meeting alone and unarmed. "The gang members had posted 'look-outs' around the building who sent text messages to the leaders inside the church when I drove up. The look-outs were alerting the leaders about whether or not I had come with police to arrest them." The gang leaders, the pastor, and David talked for over 2 hours together. "At first, the talk was very confrontational, but it gradually changed. I talked with them about how we can end the gang violence that has plagued the county." Prater was moved try this unusual and personally risky step after an 8 year old child was shot and permanently impaired due to a gang revenge attack.

DA Prater credits his approach as being instrumental in preventing some gang "turf wars" and revenge killings that threatened to break out in the county. He plans to work with schools to try to deal with the problem of school drop outs, a prime source of new members for the gangs. "When I asked the gang leaders at the meeting how can we best work to curb gang participation, the answer one gave was, 'Keep the kids in school.' "

Doing the Lord's Work on the Campaign Trail

Dana Orwig

Cat and I went out this morning to help the campaign of Dana Orwig who is trying to become the representative for State House District 87. Dana is one of several fellow teachers, along with Donnie Lewis in HD 100 and Ed Holzberger in HD 83, who have taken on the difficult job of running for elective office.

What we did was not very challenging. We just went into a precinct and put door hangers on designated doors telling the voters that Dana would soon be in their neighborhood to visit with them personally. It is a kind of introduction.

Other than it being very hot, this wasn't hard at all. It simply involved walking the neighborhoods and hanging the cards on doorknobs. But I always feel good after doing something like this because it makes me feel like I am fulfilling my duties as a citizen. I call it "Doing the Lord's Work" since I feel that any good work is the work the Lord would have us do.

Primary Results in Oklahoma

Do Something Truly Revolutionary: Register and Vote
Oklahoma held its primary for in-state candidates Tuesday. (Our presidential primary was in February.)

The voter turn out statewide was very low, only about 18% of registered voters bothered to show up at the polls. Democrats showed up in slightly larger numbers than Republicans by about 50,00 voters.

There were some surprises, but all incumbents running for the legislature won reelection.

Andrew Rice won the Democratic nomination for the US Senate, but his opponent, Jim Rogers who didn't do any campaigning won 40% of the vote and actually won some counties mainly in the southern part of the state. (Oklahoma, in many ways, is the last stand of the Dixiecrats.)

My friend and fellow teacher Bert Smith lost his bid to be the Democratic nominee for the 5th US Congressional District. Steve Perry, who traveled with me in the Bethany July 4th parade, is our parties nominee for Congress. Steve is a very personable man who will give a good accounting for himself in the campaign.

The most positive news of the evening actually came from the Republlicans in Oklahoma County who showed good sense and voted Brent Rinehart out of office as county commissioner in District 2. Rinehart is under indictment for campaign fraud. He published a comic book that gained national attention for its homophobia and paranoia. Rinehart seemed to be claiming that Satan was the campaign manager for his opponents whether Republican or Democratic. Of course, the county's good news is actually not so good for the county Democratic Party since having Rinehart for an opponent would have been an easy victory for us. But it is very to know that he will not be a part of our county's government soon.

Now its on to the general election. The Republican believe that they can finally take over the legislature this year. They have been claiming that for years now. We will give them the fight of their lives.

4th of July Parade in Bethany

This was the Oklahoma County Democratic Party's entrance in the Bethany 4th of July Parade.

Pictures I Took of the Pride Parade

Getting Ready to Parade
Bert Smith, Democratic Congressional Candidate for US District 5 in the parade

Another Video from the Pride Parade

In the pickup bed are several of our candidates from Oklahoma County who are running for the legislature: Ed Holzberger running for HD 83, Linda James running for HD 90, and Ron Marlett running for HD 84.

I'm in the trailer with some volunteers for the OCDP and the Stonewall Democrats.

Oklahoma City Pride Parade

Preparing for the Pride Parade On the parade route Friday, I took part in the Oklahoma Democratic Party's entrance in the Pride Parade for our gay and lesbian citizens. I like to remember the words of George Washington in moments like these:

As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.

Two Oklahoma County Democratic Candidates Win Their Challenges

Last week, those who wished to be candidates for office in Oklahoma filed with the Oklahoma Election Board in order to be on the primary and general election ballot.

An inevitable follow-up to the filings are challenges to the legitimacy of their challenges by their opponents. Usually these involve issues such as residency and party affliation. For example, according to Oklahoma election law, one must be a resident in the district for which one is running at least 6 months before filing. One must also be registered as a member of the Democratic, Republican or Independent political party six months before one can file as a candidate for that party. (Technically, "Independent" is not a party, but the same rules apply.)

These challenges can be very messy since one is challenges the veracity and the ethics of a potential opponent. But the challenge system is usually a necessary evil to insure that those who seek public office do so legitimately.

Sometimes, though, challenges fall out of the realm of "necessary" evils and become, well, something bad. Such was the case with one challenge to an Oklahoma County candidate.

The two challenges we had to our candidates involved the candidacy of David Castillo running for House District 93 who was challenged by Mike Christian who is running for the Republican nomination for that district. This was a straight forward challenge to his residency, no problem with that. The challenge was overturned and David will be on the ballot for the Democratic primary along with Wilfredo Rivera.

The other challenge was against Linda James who runs LL James Printing along with Jack Farley. She is running for House District 90 in western Oklahoma County. Linda's challenge was a lot more nasty. Rep. Charles Key, the incumbent, did not challenge her residency. He challenged the legality of her dwelling place. Linda has for 3 years lived at her business address with the full knowledge and consent of her landlord. Her business is zoned for commercial use, but she also used it for living quarters. Rep. Key went a step further with his challenge and arranged to have Linda evicted from her dwelling place!

To me, this is out of bounds. It is one thing to call into question an opponent's residency. It is quite something else to try and order her to vacate her home in 10 days.

The story has a happy ending for Linda. She has managed to secure new digs within her district, and the Election Board threw out Key's challenge on the grounds that he could not deny the fact that she had lived in the district for the required residency period.

Key, by the way, is an ardent believer that the US government was responsible for the Murrah Bombing and not Timothy McVeigh. He deserves to be thrown out of this race by his own party.

In a follow-up to this story, 3 Oklahoma County House District representatives and one county official were re-elected to their offices by virtue of having no opponent. Rep. Richard Morrissette and Rep. Rebecca Hamilton both had no opponet file against them. Rep. Al McAffrey filed a challenge to his opponent who tried to run against him as an independent on the basis that the opponent filed to change his affliation as an independent 6 months prior to the filing date. Oklahoma County Court Clerk Patty Preseley also did not have an opponent file against her despite the fact that she switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party back in 2006.

Keith Leftwich DFA Training This Weekend

Opening seminar
for OK Democratic Party Chair, Jay Parmeley talks about fundraising
OCDP Secretary James Baggett with Ron Marlett who is running against Sally Kern for House District 84

I spent a good deal of my weekend in Norman for the Keith Leftwich/Democracy for America Candidate Training seminar. I learned many things about running a successful campaign, but it was very intensive. I didn't make all the sessions, but the ones I did I hope will make me a more effective county party chairman.

The Necessity of Newspapers

It's always flattering to have readers. The Oklahoma County Democratic Party was noted in a part of our city's daily newspaper, The Oklahoman, in part of their Saturday editorial. Their concern was our recent Medallion Dinner and the live auction we had at the end of it. They note as follows:

What a hoot
Those Oklahoma County Democrats, they've got quite a sense of humor. At the group's recent Medallion Awards Dinner, Labor Commissioner Lloyd Fields served as auctioneer. In a message to members posted on the group's Web site, Chairman Lynn Green saluted Fields for "being such a good sport when a guitar was presented as an auction item.” Recall that Fields was taken to the Oklahoma City police detox unit last month after allegedly having a few too many at a party and then trying to walk off with someone's guitar. We assume he handed this one over without incident.

Of course, the above is a good example of a "left-handed compliment", but it is flattering that someone on the Oklahoman's editorial board is playing attention to what goes on with the OCDP. (There, I have paid back the compliment in kind with a pun in the bargain.)

Of course, I fully subscribe to what the founder of the Democratic Party, Thomas Jefferson, had to say about the press:

Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.

A Memorable Medallion

Corporation Commissiner Jim Roth addresses the 6th Annual Medallion Dinner crowed
We had an outstanding Oklahoma County Democratic Party Medallion Dinner Saturday night. Once again, the great Democrats we have in Central Oklahoma came through for us. Jim Roth, newly appointed member of the Corporation Commission and former Oklahoma County Commissioner, gave a speech that was touched with greatness. I hope to have a copy of his message to post on this blog. He spoke of our need to respond to the attempts to close us off from the rest of the world through our fears and intolerances.

A highlight was the auctioning of a chair donated to the Medallion by state representative Al Lindley. The chair was one used by Lindley during his time in the legislature. When all the chairs in the House chamber were recently replaced, Al purchased the chair he sat in and donated it to the county. State Sen. Debbe Leftwich was high bidder, and she then promptly donated the chair back to Al in honor of his many years of service to the people of Oklahoma.

Around 200 people attended and all gave the event rave reviews.

Thanks everyone for making this a memorable Medallion!

Lives in Our Drives

One of my responsibilities is that of chairman of the Oklahoma County Democratic Party. Today at the "Speaker's Luncheon" our party holds each Friday at the Boulevard Cafeteria, I took a turn as the speaker giving what I called the "State of the County Party" address. I made some opening remarks which I have reprinted here:

Before I begin, I would like to reflect on why we are involved in this business called “politics.” I first got involved in union politics when I ran for job of political direction of the AFT in 1996 and then ran for the position of county secretary in 2003. But like most of you, I have been involved in various activities long before that.

Some times, politics can seem like a game or sport we play. We engage ourselves in contest, we work to win votes like so many points on the scoreboard, and we hope that through our efforts we win and the other guys lose. Someone like me, who was never athletic, can be rightly accused of using politics as a “sports substitute.”

But that’s really just the surface stuff of what we are doing, the method to get what each of us earnestly desires: a society where human dignity is upheld as our highest goal, a society where “justice for all” is more than just words we mumble over when we say the Pledge to the Flag. We must always be aware that our actions have real purpose. What we do and whom we elect may mean that a child, born into poverty, can be vaccinated against preventable diseases, and that child can receive the pre-school education she needs to stand on equal footing with any other child in this state. Our work may mean that a family can stop using the emergency room doctors as their primary care physicians. That a soldier who has fought in a war he didn’t create can find healing for wounds of both body and mind. That a single mother who works a full time job does not find herself at the end of each month falling further and further into debt and despair. That an elder, a member of the Greatest Generation, having built this Great Nation we all love, does not have to choose between buying groceries and buying prescription drugs.

When I was a lad growing up in a preacher’s home, we had Sunday School attendance contests and Membership Drives trying to increase the people attending church. We were frequently reminded that what we were doing was more than just a numbers game to outdo other churches. We were admonished, “There are Souls in our Goals.” Well, when you are asked to take part in a political activity, talk to strangers in person or over the phone, volunteer time and effort, give money, remember when you are asked to take part in a political drive of some sort, There are lives in our Drives. I know you will do your part.

Large Crowd at Our Friday Luncheon Hear About Presidential Bids

We had a great crowd at the Oklahoma County Democratic Party's Friday Speakers' Luncheon. In spite of being in the "Big Room" at the Boulevard Cafeteria, we had to keep running chairs in so we could seat everyone! Kay Floyd spoke on behalf of the Senator Hillary Clinton campaign, Rep. Ryan McMullen spoke for Senator Barack Obama's bid, and Rep. Jerry McPeak spoke on behalf of John Edwards. It's an exciting time to be a Democrat!