Like we don’t know already!

Today’s “We the People” rally featured some great speeches from activists local and national. Too bad there was such poor attendance — about 150, I estimate. Rev. Robin Meyers’ speech was very thoughtful, Rep. Pittman was like a preacher herself with some great motivational oratory(despite the unfortunate habit of calling the SCOTUS justices “justices of the peace”), and Max Blumenthal and David Cobb, the out of towners, set the Citizens United ruling in historical and social context. The content from the podium was as good as any rally I’ve attended/viewed in D.C. or elsewhere.

I wish I wasn’t so depressed and stressed, I could do more than complain about the progressive scene in Central OK. Thanks to Barbara McKay, Susan McCann, Steve Hunt for getting the event together, and to all others who organized on this end. Rev. Robin Meyers, Rep. Anastasia Pittman and Reggie Cervantes were locals who spoke and did a great job rallying the sparse troops, giving a lot of motivation and energy with their tireless commitment and passion. And thanks to Max Blumenthal and David Cobb who made the trip here for what must have seemed pretty lame turnout, even for a state as red as OK.

There continues to be a lack of communication tools for getting turnout to such events, but without enough folks with sustained energy and will to fight against the tide, nothing will change.

We The People Rally

I was told that most of the speeches were taped, and hope to be able to listen to them again, because they did the job of a rally speech quite well. Maybe with a recording, we can at least spread their message to all those Oklahoma progressives who weren’t there — and make them sorry enough to have missed it that they will be sure to make it to the next one.

Susan McCann posted this note on the Facebook page for the event:

TODAY we reached beyond Party and Administration on an issue that transcends and requires urgency of action. We were honored to have such a diverse, interesting and informed group of speakers and want to thank each of them for attending.

Photos and Video will be posted tomorrow and emailed to all.

Thanks from Change Oklahoma and We the People- Oklahoma.

Susan McCann

But now Kennedy is openly seeking appointment to the New York Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton’s (presumed) move to the State Department. And the country is debating it in a very public way. The era of Caroline Kennedy’s private persona is officially over, and all the benefits that accrue with that can be considered forfeited.

In many ways, Caroline would be a good Senator. She has good positions on the major progressive policy planks. She’s worked in education and the arts and would probably be a top knotch advocate for those issues — a role someone with clout needs to play.  She’s an attorney and has studied and written about civil liberties and the Constitution. She would be Obama’s right hand in the Senate, helping to pass a lot of good legislation.

So I would like to support her, in spite of all the dynastic concerns that surround the matter. Last night I was listening to some cable TV pundits discuss it, and was quite taken with the notion that she could really be a strong leader in Congress on freedom of expression and support for the arts in general. I was strongly leaning toward endorsing her despite all those other concerns.

Then, today, I read about her first “campaign” decision, and am completely disgusted with her.

So, for whatever my worthless opinion matters (i.e., nothing), NO on Caroline Kennedy being crowned Senator.

Let another celebrity, Fran Drescher, serve for two years (last night on Larry King, Caroline’s surrogate dismissed Drescher as an “interesting actress” so don’t think Caroline is some sweet innocent), then if Caroline wants to duke it out in the political arena in what would still be an unfair fight to her advantage, she can get in the ring legitimately, like yet another celebrity, Hillary Clinton, did. Hill’s a dynastic politico, and I don’t care for her (or her husband’s) brand of politics, but at least she campaigned among the commoners all over the state, and won fair and square.

Now, being realistic, will Caroline be the next junior Senator from New York? Of course.

Rachel Maddow put it well, in her sweetly sarcastic way: “Let’s just rename it the House of Lords and stop pretending!” [paraphrase based on recall]

The world wept for joy; Oklahoma spat defiantly. The glory train of history pulled out of the station; Oklahoma waved goodbye and said “good riddance.” Dr. King’s dream came true; Oklahoma slumbered on, curled up on the hearth of racism and addicted to the mind-numbing power of the word “conservative.”

[...] We are on the wrong side of history again, and we’re damn proud of it.

As you might expect, the comments are pouring in at the Gazette’s site, and more than a few folks are telling him, basically, that if he doesn’t love Oklahoma (the way it is, i.e. reactionary conservative and intellectually impoverished), then he should leave it. Others give their own testimony to Oklahoma’s perpetual brain drain which the conservatives wish to push even faster.

But now, John Aravosis, a prominent lefty blogger, has put an excerpt up at his Americablog — without comment, except for the title: How Oklahoma missed the Obama revolution.

Here are some comments from self-identified Oklahomans in response to the Americablog post.

enpassant

I wish I could understand what’s going on with Oklahoma. A reflection of our education?

The media here is very one-sided and talk radio here makes the Pravda seem fair and balanced, it’s 24/7 one wing nut after the other. Is that it?

tbhull

The problem with Oklahoma is the state has one newspaper owned by a wealthy but completely fucked up nazi cracker KKK republican family know as the Gaylords. Until this family either loses their money or dies one way or another, they control the press in this backward ass state and nothing will change that much.

NiNi

I too am proud to be an Oklahoman that voted for Obama. It was a brutal campaign, and I argued with many of my friends on behalf of Obama… lost a lot of respect for them too, as I realized they INTENTIONALLY kept themselves ignorant… watching the McCain-Palin smears work because these peoeple seemed to WANT those smears to work. Very disheartening and disappointing.

With that said, I was also very surprised at the number of adamantly Republican friends that voted for Obama and not McCain. I’d say at LEAST five of my formerly Republican friends wound up supporting Obama, and that’s actually an amazing number for “these here parts.”

I still drive around town with my Obama-Biden magnet on my car, and feel prouder than ever to be the kind of Oklahoman that the majority of these shit-kickers don’t understand. It was also very, VERY fun gloating after having spent two elections in a row being teased and laughed at when “their guy” won *cough* stole the election.

I am also proud to say that I’m leaving this state in the spring, and heading for greener pastures [Portland, Oregon]. This is a tough, tough place in which to live when you’re not a Jesus freak. But at least while I was here, I remained a very proud, educated, liberal, open-minded “outsider.”

bumpkis

BARTCOP is from Oklahoma…very astute and funny pol blogger…blue all the way.

cheesesauce

I am proud to be an Okie who voted for Obama. I had bet a military person a dollar that Obama would win. He was so seduced by all of the tripe eaters and bullshitters on TV / AM radio that he would giggle every time he saw me so confident was he of a McCain/Palin victory. That being said, he showed himself to be an honorable person and paid up on the bet. I haven’t spent the dollar yet. I’m trying to decide what to do with that kind of prosperity. : )

The great blog Down With Tyranny regularly has insightful posts about Oklahoma politics, with some of the best rants against Inhofe for years now, and was a good source of info about the Andrew Rice campaign. Today, a look at what the hell happened in Oklahoma last Tuesday. Leading in to the piece is a photo from the Dust Bowl which still epitomizes Oklahoma’s seemingly hopeless situation.

Can You Guess Which State Was The Most Reactionary In This Year’s Elections? Hint: Think Rodgers and Hammerstein

But the state least connected to the American mainstream and most politically isolated on Tuesday was poor, sad, reactionary Oklahoma, which gave almost 66% of it’s vote, the most of any state, to McCain. While analysts are working on a post-mortem, or autopsy, on McCain’s no longer twitching campaign, Oklahomans must be wondering what’s wrong with the rest of America.

Daily Kos’s most famous and beloved Okie diaries, droogie6655321, riffed off Thomas Frank’s 2005 examination of Kansas politics, with What’s the Matter with Oklahoma?

What I’m not interested in is sweeping generalities about Oklahomans. If you want to call us all ignorant, misinformed, racist or backward, I suggest you do it an upcoming open thread and not here. As unfathomable as it may seem to us, there is a reason why Oklahomans choose Republicans over Democrats, and I want to know why.

Droogie’s question generated 988 comments and was followed by Sooner Kos discussion threads here and here

The traditional media weighed in on the anomaly which is Oklahoma. The New York Times:

Where Tuesday’s Tide Was All Republican

“Oklahoma Democrats, with very few exceptions, are the old-line white Southern Democrats,” said David Ray, another political scientist at the university. “They don’t like liberals or liberalism.”

Indeed, the state has a political landscape closely resembling that of the old solidly Democratic South, especially in its southeastern corner, known as Little Dixie, where many Southerners settled after the Civil War. When conservatives of the Old South began abandoning the party decades ago, Oklahoma’s Democrats lagged behind the historical trend. Further, the state has relatively small black and Hispanic populations, and so the Democrats did not absorb as many new voters from those groups as in the states of the old Confederacy.

These days Oklahoma Democrats dread running for local office in presidential election years, for fear of being associated with liberal nominees at the top of the ticket.

“Being liberal in Oklahoma, with the exception of a few legislative districts, will not get you elected,” said State Representative Joe Dorman, a conservative Democrat.

[...]

But Mr. Gaddie said that perhaps the most important factor in Mr. McCain’s strong showing here was religion. An Edison/Mitofsky exit poll found that more than half of Oklahoma voters identified themselves as evangelical Christians and that a heavy majority of them had voted for Mr. McCain.

Mr. Gaddie, himself a pollster as well as a college professor, said: “A question we always ask in our polls is ‘How often do you attend church services?’ If a Democrat is not going to vote for a Democrat, they are a frequent church attender.”

Another advantage for Mr. McCain was that the state’s economy, based mostly on the oil and gas industry, has been buffered somewhat from the national economic slowdown. Unemployment remains low, the housing market stable.

For all of that, the Democratic Party is far from dead in Oklahoma, especially in the state’s southeastern section, where, despite the social conservatism, many people still talk about the New Deal and revere Franklin D. Roosevelt.

and Washington Post also remarked on the Oklahoma phenom.

As Much of Nation Went Blue, Okla. Applied Extra Coat of Red

Exit polls found that more than half of Oklahoma voters identified themselves as white, evangelical or born-again Christians. Of those, a heavy majority went for McCain.

State Republican Chairman Gary Jones said it was “not so much an issue of race,” but rather of conservative Oklahomans voting against someone known as “the most liberal member of the Senate.”

Jones said the conservative positions of McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, helped motivate Oklahoma voters.

One thing all these analysts seem to agree on is that Oklahoma not being so hard hit by the economic downturn played a part in the election results. We just aren’t hurting as bad as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, et. al.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But in Oklahoma, the pain wasn’t great enough to trump the other ideology (“family values”) and/or misconceptions about Obama as elsewhere in the nation.

If Obama does a good job as president, which I expect him to do, perhaps Oklahomans will at least drop the latter rationale for not voting for him when he runs for re-election in 2012.

The singer/songwriter is Hannah Friedman. Talented, smart and brave woman. She left a comment on my last post with the link. Thank you, Hannah, for your great heart. I hope it’s not broken, by Obama, or anyone.

Gloria A. Totten, Progressive Majority

The message couldn’t be clearer: voters wanted progressive change. They elected an outstanding progressive as the next president. They put Democrats solidly in control of the Congress. And, they elected 79 great Progressive Majority candidates to state and local office! More results will be coming in as the votes continue to be counted.

The state and local champions Progressive Majority helped elect yesterday will ring in a new era of leadership committed to our progressive values – and they will be a formidable ground force to enact the change we need.

Tim Carpenter and Laura Bonhan, Progressive Democrats of America

At least we know, for the first time in eight years, the person on whom so much planetary security depends has a solid intellect. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell called Obama, “a transformational figure.” We may need no less than that to address the challenges ahead. If tremendous damage has been done to America’s reputation, tremendous healing may come from having as president a man who extolled the need to engage even with one’s enemies, whose extraordinary, world-wide upbringing embodies the maxim think globally, act locally,” and will present a new face to a planet that has become wary of the nation which not long ago was its ideal.

PDA can have a huge role in what is to come. At this year’s annual PDA conference, we were particularly struck to hear John Nichols, Washington correspondent for The Nation, describe Franklin Roosevelt’s less-than-progressive roots, and the degree to which FDR was swayed by the great Fiorello La Guardia and other progressives. This should give us plenty of hope about what is possible in moving an entire administration.

Ron Pollack, Stand Up For Health Care

For those of us fortunate to see, and participate in, this transformative election, our work must not only continue, it must start anew. This election is an opportunity – an opportunity to bring fairness and decency and dignity for those who have yet to share our nation’s bounty.

Our work is far from over.

It’s important we do everything we can to make sure the new Congress and President-elect Obama work together to make quality, affordable health care a reality for all Americans, as soon as possible.

Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense Fund

Elections are about change and this election offers us the
greatest opportunity we have ever had to change course on global
warming.

We must do everything we can to pass climate legislation here at
home and to craft a global compact that unites the world against
the common enemy of rising temperatures, melting ice caps,
erratic weather and the spread of disease.

Here is our post-election campaign memo:
http://action.edf.org/ct/cpq4xAY1Em-Q/. It details the steps
our scientists, economists and policy experts are taking to
seize this historic opportunity.

Frances Beinecke, Natural Resources Defense Council

Hundreds of NRDC attorneys, scientists and policy experts have worked night and day for eight long years to stop the Bush-Cheney juggernaut from laying waste to our public lands, national forests, wildlife refuges and ocean ecosystems. Thanks to your phenomenal support, we have succeeded to an extent that few thought possible.

Barack Obama’s election is a huge win for everyone exhausted from playing defense. Count us among them. It rekindles our hope that environmental protection may be restored to its rightful place as a treasured American value.

On the most important issues of the day — from global warming controls to clean energy solutions to wilderness preservation — President-elect Obama campaigned on behalf of far-sighted policies that NRDC has championed for years.

But hope alone will not turn those promises into reality. It’s time to get to work.

Mary Beth Maxwell, American Rights at Work

One of the most remarkable stories of this campaign season is
how corporate-funded front groups tried – and failed – to use
the Employee Free Choice Act as a wedge issue.

They spent nearly $20 million dollars to smear candidates who
would defend the right to form a union, freely and fairly. And
in almost every race, those candidates beat the lies.

These anti-union groups thought they could scare Americans into
voting for candidates who would look out for CEOs while leaving
the middle class holding the bag. Even Wal-Mart thought it could
bully employees into voting against pro-worker candidates. You
proved them wrong.

Eli Pariser, MoveOn.org

Remember back in 2001 and 2002, when so many of you joined MoveOn? When President Bush had an 80% approval rating, when you held candles to stop a war the media was cheering on, when there were few politicians with the courage to stand up for the truth? Back then, a victory like this seemed impossible.

But yesterday you proved that nothing is impossible. If we stand up together and if we fight together and if we believe together, we can change the course of history.

Today, a new day has dawned in America.

Richard Cohen, Southern Poverty Law Center

Around the world, people everywhere are seeing a new face of America, one that is more tolerant and more just. This is a credit to the sacrifices and the determination of millions of people, like you, who have worked so hard to make equality in our country more than just a dream. As President-elect Obama said to his supporters last night, “This is your victory.”

This election, of course, can never erase the ugly stain of slavery and cannot reverse overnight its terrible, enduring legacy of poverty, discrimination and bigotry.

Nor does it mark the end of overt hate and racism. The campaign exposed deep hostility and even rage among some white Americans who cannot yet accept the idea of a black man as our nation’s leader. And many white supremacists believe this election will rally white people to their cause, especially when our economy is teetering on the edge of an abyss.

I hope and believe that they are wrong, that the growing number of Americans who cherish justice and tolerance will drown out the fear and bigotry that have held our country back for too long.

For now, let’s all celebrate the promise of a new era. Tomorrow, let’s get back to work to make that promise a reality.

Kevin Martin, Peace Action

This morning, I’m thinking about two things: the incredible historical achievement of this country electing an African-American president; and, what that means to people of all colors in this country. What an incredible moment – historically, socially and spiritually.

The other thought is more sobering – President-elect Obama is inheriting quite a terrible mess, on so many fronts, and his policies are frankly not so progressive on war and peace issues. However, at this defining moment we have an opening for positive change, after eight long years of Bush’s and Cheney’s all-out assault on world peace.

We in the peace movement, have steadfastly fought against the war in Iraq, successfully (so far) stopped an attack on Iran. We’ve prevented Bush from moving forward with his new nuclear weapons programs. Now, we have the opportunity for a more positive and proactive type of organizing for peace, social justice and disarmament.

Barack Obama’s message last night was that change is not something he will just deliver for his supporters in some consumerist fashion. He called on us to work harder for the changes we want to see in our country, saying “This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.” He said we have to keep organizing for change. I could not agree more and I intend to take up his challenge!

I know that among our more than 160,000 supporters across the country there is no consensus about Barack Obama. Some folks are passionate supporters, others are highly critical of his positions on various issues.

For me, the celebration today is not just about Obama’s victory or the repudiation of miserably failed Republican politics. The celebration is about the tens of millions of Americans who empowered themselves to take the country in a new, better direction.

Larry Cox, Amnesty International

We have a great opportunity. The world faces overwhelming human rights crises. But with your help, we can turn this country’s policies on human rights back in the direction of alleviating, and not contributing, to these crises.

President-elect Obama has promised to restore the rule of law, to repair America’s damaged perception in the world, to close Guantánamo, and to renounce torture.

These promises bring hope. In the coming days, we will need you to help make those promises a reality.

John Sweeney, AFL-CIO

Because of years of work by people of all ages, races, stations
and faiths hungry for change, the political pendulum is swinging
back toward sanity. It took the inspiration of a rare leader to
translate that hunger for change into an election the likes of
which we have not seen in our time.

Barack Obama brings new hope to America’s working families, and
our increased majority in the U.S. Senate means we can translate
that hope into reality. So thank you for your hard work in
educating and mobilizing voters. (Click here to read AFL-CIO
post-election commentary on our blog:

http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/DpqNgjS1VuYS/)

Last night was a time to rejoice, but now it is time to get back
to work fighting for working families.

Cecile Richard, Planned Parenthood:

I’ve been wondering what it would feel like to know that the president of the United States supports women — it’s been a while — and I must say, it feels amazing.

People around here are finally exhaling, after eight long years. Just think, the massive amount of time, energy, and resources that the Planned Parenthood community had to spend shielding women and teens from the harm caused by the Bush administration can now be directed to expanding women’s access to the reproductive health information and services they urgently need.

Not only that, we also defeated anti-choice ballot initiatives by decisive margins in California, Colorado and South Dakota.

Nancy Keenan, NARAL

Thanks to your hard work, Barack Obama is on his way to the White House! In the House of Representatives, the election of at least 16 new pro-choice members means we have more support to protect a woman’s right to choose. And we moved five Senate seats out of the anti-choice column, with four more still being counted. Check our website for a complete list of winning pro-choice candidates.

http://action.prochoiceamerica.org/site/R?i=UnHIZBYJ_btoJeVxyQoxzg..

South Dakotans – thanks in large part to the efforts of NARAL Pro-Choice South Dakota and its allies – rejected another attempt by the anti-choice movement to ban abortion by referendum in the state. With the help of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, voters in that state also rejected an anti-choice initiative. And while California’s anti-choice ballot measure is too close to call, the results are promising.

And the advocacy to our new president-elect begins.

Jerry Fowler, Save Darfur Coalition:

A champion for Darfur in the Senate has been elected as the next president of the United States.

President-elect Obama has been a consistent voice for Darfur. But now it is time for more than strong words—we need strong action to end the suffering.

Our voices together can compel the next president to act. …

Presidential leadership can end the genocide. Click here to send your postcard and Be a Voice for Darfur today.

I absolutely believe that thousands of voices, united as one, will compel President-elect Obama to act. That’s why we set a goal of 20,000 new voices by Election Day—and met it. And, that’s why we’re setting a new goal: 100,000 online postcards signed by Inauguration Day.

Nancy Duff Campbell and Marcia Greenberger, National Women’s Law Center

The nation has no time to spare in providing guaranteed, affordable health care for all, passing essential legislation that provides basic fairness in the workplace, like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and undoing some of the onerous restrictions on women’s access to reproductive health that were imposed by the Bush Administration.

A first order of business is to pass and implement an economic recovery plan that addresses the needs of women and their families, including by extending unemployment insurance benefits and by increasing nutrition, energy, housing, child care, and Head Start assistance. In addition, the plan should provide fiscal relief to the states to avert cuts in education, Medicaid, child support enforcement, and other critical services.

We’re eager to begin working with the Obama Administration and the new Congress to expand opportunities for women and their families. And NWLC has developed A Platform for Progress with concrete proposals to address the unmet needs of women and their families in the areas of education, employment, basic economic security, health, and legal rights: www.nwlc.org/platform

1. Richard Shelby of Alabama
2. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
3. John McCain of Arizona
4. Mel Martinez of Florida
5. Johnny Isakson of Georgia
6. Mike Crapo of Idaho
7. Chuck Grassley of Iowa
8. Jim Bunning of Kentucky
9. David Vitter of Louisiana
10. Kit Bond of Missouri
11. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
12. Richard Burr of North Carolina
13. George Voinovich of Ohio
14. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma
15. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania
16. Jim DeMint of South Carolina
17. John Thune of South Dakota
18. Bob Bennett of Utah

and others may choose to retire (after all, actual governing is hard work). So, the fun starts again pretty soon.