Articles from April 2008
April 29, 2008
'Can’t Count Morgan' Rides Again!
By Republican Insider
In the 1929 Rose Bowl a California player named Roy Riegels scooped up a Georgia Tech fumble and ran the wrong way toward the Bear’s goal line. He was tackled by his teammates on the 1 yard line but on the ensuing play Cal attempted a punt to regain field position and it was blocked for a safety. Georgia Tech won the game 8-7. Riegels was forever known as “Wrong Way Riegels”.
What has all this got to do with Oklahoma politics? Nothing really - except that we have our own version of “Wrong Way Riegels” apparently calling the plays for the Oklahoma House of Representatives long after he should have graduated that body.
A few years ago current Senate Leadership Advisor Fred Morgan was Minority Leader Fred Morgan in the Oklahoma House. As the waning days of Democratic power drew close, and then Speaker Larry Adair was hanging on by a thread, Fred Morgan had a brilliant idea. In a bid to speed things up a bit and become the first Republican House Speaker in decades Rep. Morgan had lined up a secret vote to take power from Adair. According to inside sources Morgan was so sure he had the votes lined up to become Speaker he had already informed staff and was picking out furniture and paint for his new office.
One of the most important skills any legislative leader must have is to effectively and definitively count votes. Morgan lacks that skill. His bid to unseat Adair was defeated and Morgan termed out without ever becoming the Speaker or seeing his caucus gain power. Like “Wrong Way Riegels” his maneuver became part of legislative lore and he became “Can’t Count Morgan”
Where the two stories diverge however is unlike Riegels, whose college football career ended and he faded into the mists of time, Morgan has resurrected himself as a political strategist and convinced current Co- President Pro Tempore Glen Coffee that his counsel and experience are needed for the Republicans to take control of the Senate – and perhaps clear his name as a bungling political strategist.
This last week has proven that Morgan’s quantitative skill set has not improved significantly.
In one of the most harebrained schemes seen in years at the state capitol Morgan convinced Coffee that they would have the votes in the House to amend a Tort Reform measure, that had been successfully vetoed in the past by Governor Henry, into a referendum that would dramatically lower attorneys’ fees for plaintiff’s counsel in tort cases. Morgan reasoned that such a measure would have a doubly good impact for the Repubs – As a referendum the measure would get to by-pass Henry’s veto pen and go straight to the people thus giving the Republicans a win they could crow about to voters and financial supporters in the fall of this year. It could also effectively tie up the Trial Attorneys’ time and money fighting the state question and divert them from helping Democratic legislative candidates.
There was only one apparent problem with Morgan’s scheme. He sold it to the House Leadership but neither the House leaders nor Morgan bothered to tell bill authors or rank and file what the strategy was.
When the strategy started to take place on the House floor it resembled a circular firing squad for Republicans more than a legislative tactic. The author of the bill rebelled, Republicans members that weren’t in on the tactic voted against the measure and complete confusion embarrassed Speaker Benge and House Majority Leadership. In short they didn’t have the votes.
The end result is that a measure to carry the Republican holy grail of tort reform is now completely out of commission for the session, trust between the House and Senate Republican Leaders (never strong to start with) has exploded and “Can’t Count Morgan’s” legend has grown enormously.
Will Coffee keep Morgan on after this amazing blunder?
Will the Senate Republican Caucus figure out that a man that “Can’t Count” is negotiating this year’s budget for them?
Will the press ask why the Senate Republicans think it is wise to pay Morgan nearly $14,000 per month to advise them on how to make fools of themselves?
Stay tuned for the answer to these, and many other interesting questions, as the last few episodes of the 2008 Oklahoma legislative session wind down.
April 21, 2008
Spies, Revenge and Money at the State Capitol
By Oklahoma's Own 007
Richard Nixon would have been proud. The anti-immigration “plumbers” broke into Senator Harry Coates’ office to steal documents they believed would prove that Coates, Chesapeake Energy’s Vice President Tom Price and a host of lobbyists were in engaged in an un-American conspiracy to weaken the provision of HB 1804. Heaven forbid a group of people would get together and share ideas about legislation –what could that lead to next?
What the spies procured was a printed out e-mail with some of Senator Coates notes on it. They turned the documents over to a blogger operating out of Missouri who posted the documents on his website
www.okpns.com along with some hateful comments about Price, Coates and some of the lobbyists. The blogger says he has no idea who sent him the information but the site is clearly an organized front for hate.
Fortunately for all of us, these spies must have been trained at the old “KAOS” headquarters because even Maxwell Smart could trace these guys.
What the bungling paper thieves forgot was that the capitol has plenty of electronic eyes and that everyone coming or going from Senator Coate’s office is on tape. There was a bi-partisan meeting of Senate leaders Coffee and Morgan to look into this breach of Senator’s office and the OSBI has been brought in to investigate. I hear they have a pretty good idea about who might have done it. Rep. Randy Terrill had better hope that person does not have any clear ties back to him.
Speaking of Terrill getting himself into potential trouble he may have been tugging on superman’s cape too many times. Terrill also led the charge last week against Oklahoma City getting an NBA franchise. While publicly he said his opposition was based upon an aversion to corporate welfare and millions for millionaires, privately it is known that he hates Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake so badly over McClendon’s opposition to his immigration bill that he will do anything to get even.
What he is really doing is making McClendon and his partners see that moderate Republicans and even Democrats are more pro-business than the hard right of the Oklahoma Republican party. Expect to see a well funded opponent to Terrill in the Republican primary this fall.
There is an old saying that the people who inhabit the City of Moore are – well – Morons. While this is absolutely NOT true, the City’s efforts to eliminate that label through education and economic growth have been stymied in recent years in that they are represented by not only the ignominious Randy Terrill but equally gray matter challenged Senator Kathleen Wilcoxson. Senator Wilcoxson as co-chair of the Senate’s Education Committee successfully blocked former House Speaker Larry Adair’s nomination to the State School Board. Despite Adair’s nomination by Governor Brad Henry, who has time and time again shown himself willing to work both sides of the aisle and Adair’s stellar qualifications, Wilcoxson and her henchmen on the Committee would not consider Adair. This was especially galling to the Governor, who on matters of education has not only supported education interests but also angered the education establishment, with performance based reform legislation such as his Achieving Classroom Excellence (ACE). Henry didn’t want a rubber stamp for the education establishment but a thoughtful, trusted, well qualified person who could move education forward by navigating the political and policy thickets. Adair showed he could do that better than most in his time as Speaker and he has a graduate degree in Education to boot. Wilcoxson, who claims to be a former Teacher of the Year (but her name does not appear on any of the award plaques so honoring teachers at the State Department) said he was not qualified because he doesn’t agree with her views on education reform.
It is rumored the Democrats have an interesting revenge vote planned for the good Senator from Moore.
April 6, 2008
Insults, Apologies, Rumors and Opportunities
By The View from the Inside
There was lots of scrambling in the Speaker’s office after Rep. Guy Liebman insulted the Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Chad Smith last week. Chief Smith was at the Capitol to express his concerns about SB 163, the official English measure. Tribal leaders oppose this measure and the full implementation of last year’s HB 1804 for a variety of reasons. The tribes are also businesses and they see the measures as harming the economy and workforce of the state but at a deeper emotional level many tribal leaders either remember or have been told by their elders of the abusive treatment of young tribe members who were forced to quit speaking their own language and forced to learn English in government schools.
Smith, who is a registered Republican, was denied a chance to make a statement along with Secretary of State Susan Savage regarding the measure before Liebman’s General Government and Transportation committee. Liebman’s condescending tone with Chief Smith was as bad as his decision not let Smith make a statement. Liebman compounded his decision by telling Chief Smith that the meeting was not a public hearing and only House members with bills to present or members of the committee could speak. He then turned around and let Rep. Faught speak who had no bill to present and was not a member of the committee.
Tribal governments are important political players at the capitol these days. Their gaming and other enterprises not only contribute a significant amount to state coffers and employ a large number of native Americans and other Oklahomans in many legislative districts but they are large contributors to both parties’ political action committees.
The apologies where flying in the next few days with Speaker Benge’s office offering both private and public apologies to Chief Smith and issuing mild public and stiff private reprimands to Liebman. Democrats called various tribal leaders to tell them “I told you so” about Republican’s real feelings toward them. I am sure that U.S. Congressman Tom Cole was at his wits end with his partisans at the state house. Cole has worked diligently to build political bridges with all the major tribes and the Oklahoma Republican party. Cole, who is part Chickasaw, saw significant damage done to years of work by one dunderhead house member from Oklahoma City.
Meanwhile in the Senate an internal Republican caucus dispute was brewing. Numerous sources report that Senator Harry Coates was dressed down in Caucus for his ongoing opposition to Rep. Randy Terrill’s immigration reforms and the official English act. Coates had appeared on “Flashpoint” the Sunday prior in opposition to Terrill. It was heard on the elevator that Coates then had to endure another private scolding from Senator Jim Williamson regarding what Williamson sees as attacks on Republicans and Republican causes. Williamson, a massive failure in his attempt to become Lt. Governor, is known for having one of the most abrasive temperaments in the Senate. Many credit Williamson for driving for driving former Republican Senator Nancy Riley into the arms of the Democrats and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory for his Senate Republican Brethren last election.
Senator Coates has taken on a pro-business, yet statesman like leadership against the xenophobic and opportunistic anti-immigration forces. Coates, who is moderate, Main Street Republican from Seminole has a district that is heavily registered Democrat. Can Williamson turn the trick again and drive Coates to either caucus with the Ds or maybe even switch parties. If anyone is irritating enough to do it – it is Jim Williamson. There would be some very nicely remodeled offices waiting for the Senate Democrats if they were able to nudge this conversion into becoming a reality. Maybe they should offer the Pro Tem spot to Coates if he switches.
