Articles from December 2008
December 15, 2008
A Civics Lesson
Did you know when you voted on November 4 in the Presidential election you were not really voting for Barak Obama or John McCain, but for their party electors who are pledged, but do not always, cast their vote for the candidate who won the most votes in their state when they meet to officially nominate their party candidate to be our next President?
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of its U.S. senators (2 in each state) plus the number of its U.S. Representatives which varies according to the state's population (determined by the census taken every 10 years) and 3 for Washington, D.C. , as allowed by the 23rd Amendment to our Constitution ratified on March 29, 1961. Washington, D.C. is not recognized as a State and does not have Representatives in the U.S. House or Senate. There are a total of 538 Electoral College members. Oklahoma has seven electoral votes.
Like the President and members of Congress, Electoral College members are sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States.
Most of the time, electors cast their votes for the candidate who has received the most votes in that particular state. However, there have been times when electors have voted contrary to the people's decision, which is entirely legal.
A faithless elector is one who casts an electoral vote for someone other than whom they have pledged to elect. On 158 occasions, electors have cast their votes for president or vice president in a different manner than that prescribed by the legislature of the state they represent.
Of those, 71 votes were changed because the original candidate died before the elector was able to cast a vote. Two votes were not cast at all when electors chose to abstain from casting their electoral vote for any candidate. The remaining 85 were changed by the elector's personal interest or perhaps by accident. Usually, the faithless electors act alone.
By law, on the Monday following the second Wednesday in December, the electors of each state meet in their respective state capitals to officially cast their votes for president and vice president. These votes are then sealed and sent to the president of the Senate, who on the first day of the new Congress, opens and reads the votes in the presence of both houses of Congress elected at the same time as the President.
This year electors will meet on Monday December 15, 2008 and the votes will be opened and counted by Vice President Cheney on January 6, 2009. The winner will be sworn into office at noon January 20, 2009.
If a candidate fails to receive a majority of the electoral votes (270) the House of Representatives will choose a President and the Senate will choose a vice president.
Members of Congress can object to any state's vote count, provided that the objection is supported by at least one member of each house of Congress. A successful objection will be followed by debate; however, objections to the electoral vote count are rarely raised.
WE THE PEOPLE are witnessing a historical time in our Nation. I hope all are paying attention and giving more than a passing glance to these events. Your grandchildren may ask you about them someday.
November 29, 2008
Post-election Personnel Changes Change Capitol
Will the new Republican majorities at the State Senate and the Corporation Commission mean a lean Christmas for staffers? Newly elected Corporation Commissioner Dana Murphy was trying to force the resignations of Jin Roth’s staffers the day after the election even though his term had not expired. Murphy wrongly claimed since Roth had been appointed that his term ended immediately upon her election and that his staff should get out. Murphy certainly has the right to hire her own staff people upon taking office but the manner in which she approached this personnel issue was unprofessional and doesn’t speak well for how she will wield power in that office. Most newly elected officials at least review the qualifications of the existing staff to see if they should be retained. Secretaries and administrative assistants are often retained at the legislature even when the newly elected official is of a different party.
As for former Commissioner Jim Roth himself the electoral defeat may be the best thing that ever happened to him. While Oklahomans may not be comfortable yet with an openly gay official his intelligence and diligence in the job did not go unnoticed. Roth is deciding between numerous enticing career offers that range from a partnership in a law firm dealing with energy and environmental law to corporate offers with financial and energy firms. There is also the possibility that he will land an appointment in energy or environment with the Obama administration.
Meanwhile at the newly Republican State Senate it looks so far that the Pro Tempore elect Glenn Coffee has learned from the missteps of his Republican House counterparts. No big changes in the non-partisan professional staff are rumored. We don’t doubt there will be some at some time. Coffee has already announced that he is “streamlining” committees which could be a pretext for some staff retirements, reassignments or other changes.
The most interesting staff changes will occur among the leadership or caucus staff however. The Democrats will experience minority status for the first time which means diminished staff resources. Long time political and policy advisor Vic Thompson has retired for good and the Ds are unlikely to find anyone near his quality for the budget they will be allotted to hire their staff. They may have to get creative and hire someone to work part-time for their caucus and maybe find them other employment too. There are a couple of younger Democratic staff that will probably stay on but they have not been too involved in legislative strategy or policy development.
On the Republican side Coffee has moved quickly to make staff changes.
http://www.oksenate.gov/news/press_releases/press_releases_2008/pr20081126a.html As soon as Governor Henry announced that Election Board Secretary and Secretary of the Senate Mike Clingman had been appointed to the Director of Office of State Finance Coffee Announced that his staff person, Paul Zyriax, would now assume that post. Zyraix is a former Wes Watkins staff person who also served as press secretary for the Congressman. http://www.oksenate.gov/news/press_releases/press_releases_2008/pr20081120b.html
November 18, 2008
Oklahoma: The Republican Promised Land
Former Governor David Walters has a penchant for p***ing off the Oklahoman Editorial writers. http://newsok.com/somethings-the-matter-with-blasting-state-voters/article/3321550 Walters, although he can be arrogant and off-putting, also has a penchant for being right. Oklahoma’s complete and total rejection of the change of course that Barack Obama represents will hurt Oklahoma economically. With a solid majority of Democrats in both houses of Congress and a Democratic President likely for the next 8 years Oklahoma’s military bases will be in jeopardy like they never have before. Fort Sill and Tinker will weather the storm but not necessarily flourish. Other installations beware.
This is a not a liberal Democratic phenomenon but a hard-ball politics issue. Blow-hard Jim Inhofe is completely out of power – if not hot air. I believe the military will fare well under Obama – just not in Oklahoma. Tom Coburn will get to try out his no pork plan right here at home.
Beyond the military pork the real damage to the Sooner State will be as Walters predicted, our perception not in the country, but the world. The elections did not stop the increased globalization of the world economy and smart investment will be looking to find opportunities in the United States in areas that look like they will be increasing investment in infrastructure, human capital and education as well as new ideas. Oklahoma looks like an incredible backwater.
It is ironic that uber-Republican Burns Hargis, President of OSU and proponent of Oklahoma’s “Creativity Project” http://www.stateofcreativity.com/ will preside over one of the greatest losses of human capital and creativity in this state since the Dust Bowl.
In great part the Creativity Project has been based on Richard Florida’s “The Creative Class” http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0205.florida.html. This work details how acceptance of new ideas, diversity in lifestyle and sexual orientation, as well as education and quality of life lead to prosperity of locales. Say good bye to creativity and prosperity in Oklahoma when the new regime takes over.
Oklahoma will be last in line for any infrastructure spending beyond the usual formula outlays. Oklahoma’s low college attainment, aging population (older than the U.S. as a whole and aging faster), rural, dispersed workforce, and lack of diversity were just the recipe for bringing in McCain votes but just the opposite will be needed to compete in the global economy.
Republican leaders will have plenty of time to crow about their political successes but inherit a decaying kingdom. Until the Oklahoman is sold to Gannett they will also have a built in mouth piece to echo their ideas. By the looks of the paper that sale will probably be sooner than later.
Democratic Governor Brad Henry will be a lame duck in his final two years as the Republicans gained control of both houses of the legislature. The Republicans only announced agenda to date is to pass “family friendly legislation” – read completely ineffective, unconstitutional, politically motivated anti-abortion bills designed not to save lives but to garner more votes of the ignorant and drive away investment by the savvy. We do not support abortion on demand but think that proper sex education, responsible family planning, creating opportunities for young people might be a more effective first step toward reducing abortions than heavy handed government involvement in women’s lives and bodies.
Republicans also want to save the state’s economy by passing tort reform legislation. Much like Right-to-Work, the last pro-business reform that was designed to save the state this is another solution without a problem. You will be able to tell if they are serious about the legislation or whether they just want to fund raise by whether they try to realistically engage Governor Henry is developing a tort bill he can sign. If they leave him out and send him a bill just to be vetoed they are playing games. http://newsok.com/republicans-elect-oklahoma-state-senate-leadership/article/3319826
New Senate Pro Tempore Glen Coffee is also talking about enacting a responsible budget in light of the global financial crisis but he has not yet pledged to stop the last scheduled tax cut that his cronies engineered.
Contrary to the budget and financial mess that W. has created at the national level Democratic Governor Brad Henry has amassed a completely full rainy day fund of just shy of $600 million to face any revenue shortfall brought to the state by Bush’s economic policies. The operating budget of the state is not only balanced, but generating revenues in excess of estimates even through the third quarter of calendar 2008. Henry should enter 2009 with the rainy day fund intact and a couple of hundred million in cash. http://www.ok.gov/treasurer/
This is a far cry from the several hundred million dollar deficits and zero rainy day fund balance that Henry inherited from supposed fiscal conservative Frank Keating in 2003.
So step through the looking glass into Oklahoma in 2009 where Republicans introduce ideas to run off business and investment; Democrats balance budgets and plan responsibly for economic downturns; and the citizens are happy to live in 1950 while the rest of the country moves through the first decade of the 21st century.