January 22, 2017
By Dale Denwalt
Oklahoma Democrats make up less than 40 percent of the electorate for the first time since state officials began compiling records on party membership.
The figures extend a downward trend for Democrats, who once enjoyed an 82 percent majority among voters almost six decades ago. Republican and independent voter registration continues to rise as a share of the electorate.
Sarah Baker, executive director of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, said the state has always been behind the rest of the country on demographic trends, including the political landscape.
“I don’t think there’s any cause for concern when we talk about whether the Democratic Party is still going to have a future in this state,” said Baker. “But it does make it much more difficult, obviously, given that we are at the lowest point we’ve ever been, percentage-wise.”
That is exactly what is wrong with the Democratic Party, apathy. Senator Bernie Sanders proved that. Ms. Baker has a great deal to be concerned about. There is every indication it should have started six decades ago!
There are new administrations coming into office across the USA. I suppose Tulsa, Oklahoma is just one, but, I think it reflects an important point.
January 18, 2017
By Cory Turner
...Ideology Meets Legal Reality (click here)
The committee's chairman, Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican and former education secretary himself, asked DeVos whether she would try to push school vouchers onto states even though the federal education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act, does not include or allow it.
"No," she answered. "I would hope I could convince you all of the merit of that in maybe some future legislation, but certainly not any kind of mandate from within the department."...
The Law referred to by Senator Lamar Alexander is a law passed with bipartisan support on December 10, 2015. The vote at passage was; the US House on December 2, 2016, 359 YES and 64 NO. The US Senate passed it on December9, 2015, 85 YES and 12 NO.
I strongly suggest the popularity of this bill be the basis for action by the Democrats in Oklahoma and across the country. The Democratic Party needs to be a 50 state party.
Educating parents in the fifty states about the REALITY of their children and where we are from where we were should be the cornerstone for any Democratic candidate at any level of government.
And just for the record, last I checked, Joe Lieberman is not a Democrat but an Independent. The Democratic Party should be happy to make that distinction because he is the reason "The Public Option" of the ACA didn't make it into the final bill AND the reason some health care insurance is more expensive.
January 22, 2017
By Samuel Hardiman
We’ll continue to focus on education. Education is an issue that you know we send messages nationally. As we try to grow our businesses, and attract people to Oklahoma to grow our businesses, the message that we get about Oklahoma and education isn’t positive. The chamber can be a catalyst for changing that. There are no simple solutions to the funding crisis in Oklahoma City. We believe the chamber can be part of the complex solution there. Probably our biggest goal in ’17 is, in a very civil way, to be part of the solution.
