Is the tragedy of Ferguson serving as a national teaching moment? Maybe… at least for people open to learning. Nate Silver made a point the other day, for example, of how most police don't live in the cities they serve-- especially not white police serving in minority areas. In Ferguson, for example, "more than two-thirds of the civilian population is black.
One week from today is primary run-off day for both parties for OK-05, the open seat centered on Oklahoma City (+ Edmond, Shawnee and Seminole). Right-wing extremist James Lankford gave up the seat so he could run for Tom Coburn's Senate seat. The last Democrat to hold that seat was John Jarman, a reactionary who switched to the Republican party in 1975, claiming the Democrats were "too liberal." Before he jumped the fence the district had been a Democratic Party bastion since the GOP caused the Great Depression.
I suppose if a major bridge collapses-- 63,522 of them are obsolete or in need of crucial structural repair-- the Republicans will snap to and stop obstructing the transportation bill. Short of that… they'll give the president some crumbs to avoid a fuss in the media.
We don't always expect much from Republican bastions like Oklahoma. But Blue America endorsed an across-the-board progressive, Tom Guild, to run for the congressional seat based in Oklahoma City. And a couple of weeks ago Tom came in first in a tough 3-way primary against a very conservative state Senator who is the polar opposite of a progressive. Tom walked away with 42.1% of the vote while that state senator drew 30.9% and a third candidate took 27%.
Last February we asked a simple question: Would Republicans String Up The Koch Brothers If Oklahoma Disappears Into A Giant Sink Hole? We never got a clear answer and the Koch brothers still roam the world creating havoc and misery for ordinary humans and Oklahomans.
Monday, we looked at the tiny handful of homophobic Democrats-- like Blue Dogs John Barrow (GA), Dan Lipinski (IL) and Collin Peterson (MN)-- left in Congress. Most homophobes-- and haters and bigots of all persuasions-- know which party to gravitate to these days: the GOP.
Growing up in Brooklyn in the '60s, I wasn't always a big fan of the Democratic Party. In Brooklyn that's where corruption lived. And in terms of the issues that mattered most to me-- equality and peace-- some Democrats were on the same page as I was but many-- particularly powerful committee chairmen (and not only from The South-- were as far from my beliefs as the Republicans.
Monday, Oklahoma's Republican governor, Mary Fallin, a lock-step right-wing ideologue and pawn of the Koch brothers, signed a bill fining or taxing Oklahomans who want to use solar power. It had passed both Houses of the Oklahoma legislature, and, in fact the House passed it 83-5. (Now this is a very, very red state but there are still 29 Democrats in the state House--72 Republicans-- and 12 Democrats in the state Senate--36 Republicans). Many of those Democrats, however, aren't Democrats that actual Democrats would recognize as Democrats.
As you already know, Blue America has endorsed Tom Guild for the Oklahoma City congressional seat James Lankford has abandoned to run for the U.S. Senate. His an unabashedly progressive leader who isn't compromising principles and values to win his a House seat.
As a state legislator-- and Speaker of the House-- Pat Murphy has been working tirelessly and effectively for ordinary Iowa families for many years. They know it and we've written about it before. Blue America endorsed him and we've been asking our supporters to help his campaign.
