Meadows: Why Did Brogdon Win OCPAC Endorsement?

From the OCPAC weekly email… Reminder, you can watch the full debate on YouTube.

++ WHY DID SENATOR BROGDON WIN OCPAC’s ENDORSEMENT?

First let me say, thanks so much to the volunteers at Olivet Baptist for setting up our room, preparing our food each week and moving folks through the line so well this past Wednesday. Far and away, we had the largest crowd ever, approaching 240 folks. I believe it shows the real interest in this U.S. Senate race to finish the term of U.S. Senator Coburn. We now have the video of our meeting posted on our web-site, www.oklahomacpac.com, you can view the candidate forum for yourself.

Following the meeting, a reporter approached me and asked my opinion as to why Senator Brogdon got the endorsement of our organization. I shared a few things and let me say, I have now watched the forum on our web-site and will try to answer that question as far as I see it.

First let me say, I know all three of these men and consider them as friends, 2 of them have been in my home for a meal more than once and the 3rd was supposed to, but we had to cancel with my wife and I both being sick at that time. I don’t know of another state that has 3 candidates as conservative as these men with their proven track records. But differences do exist.

They are all good communicators, with Lankford being an exceptional talent. His experience in Washington gives him an edge in knowing the process. His intelligence and hard work there allows him to speak with a certain degree of expertise and gravitas. He really comes across as conservative and reasonable. However, sometimes a man’s greatest assets are also his greatest liabilities.

Probably the most popular politician in Oklahoma today, in the eyes of the knowledgeable grass roots conservatives, is U.S. Representative Jim Bridenstine. Since about last December, Representative Lankford has cast 3 key votes alongside Congressman Bridenstine. Lankford has voted against the farm bill, against the budget and against raising the debt ceiling. Had James cast votes along those lines the previous 3 years while in Washington, he would be the darling of the Oklahoma grass roots activists today. Unfortunately, on many occasions he was voting alongside House leadership. While he is very persuasive, some are having a hard time knowing if he has turned a new leaf or if he is simply moving to the right to win our support? He currently sounds great, but is it real? Our problems today are so severe, one has to ask do we want another person that is so reasonable, that they lack the edginess to make the kind of changes we need?

In my opinion, T.W. Shannon has been the most conservative and finest Speaker of the House in state history. In many cases when Republicans get into leadership, they govern a little more liberal. However, that was not the case with T.W. as he even became a little more conservative than before he became Speaker. I looked up his scores on the Oklahoma Constitution Newspaper’s Conservative Index and they are as follows: in 2007 a 73, 08 an 80, in 09 a 53, in 2010 an 83, in 11 a 70, in 12 a 90 and in 2013 he scored another 70, for a 7 year lifetime average score of 74.

It will be interesting to see what he scores this year as he may miss a lot of votes while running for the U.S. Senate. Unfortunately, some of T.W.s past votes are a little troubling, as some of them are spending increases, increased bonded indebtedness and some are tax or fee increases.

Shannon sounds great right now, the question will be what will he do when he gets to Washington. I do know some folks are concerned with his association with Tom Cole and just how independent would he be if he is in Washington at the same time with Cole? One more thing, I believe some folks are at least disappointed with his decision to leave the Speaker’s position and run for this office. I am certainly in that category, I even begged him to stay put about a week before he made his announcement. However, the decision has been made and I believe that decision should be put aside. T.W. should be evaluated upon his qualities and drive to become our next Senator, not our disappointment in his decision to leave the legislature.

When it comes to Randy Brogdon, the bio is conservative, consistent and reliable. He finished 8 years in the legislature with a lifetime Conservative Index Score of 93, a remarkable feat. He was the first Republican SENATOR to score a perfect 100 on the Index in modern times and he did that in his second year in the legislature and in a few more years following.

On more than one occasion Brogdon used his reasoning skills to persuade his fellow Republican Senators to at least consider the moral arguments on issues. He was an effective lawmaker and earned the trust of the grassroots activists across the state. In the 3 years he served Insurance Commissioner Doak, he worked hard to make the agency lean and efficient. It is in his bones, Brogdon has always been about reducing the size of government and liberty.

In closing, the down side for Brogdon is that he got started late in this effort, especially after switching from the Governor’s race to this Senate race. Though he has raised more money and faster than he has anticipated, his funds come from the grass roots and they can never produce the kind of money the “folks in tall buildings” provide. Often times the wealthy contribute because they want something from government and expect elected officials to ask how high when they tell them to jump. On the other hand, the grass roots contribute because they believe in a cause.
Bottom line, I believe Brogdon got the OCPAC nod because the people TRUST him, his whole time in government has been about limiting government and liberty. The grassroots people know he will not be beholden to what I lovingly call the “Oklahoma Mafia”, the rich and powerful who happen to be more into fascist capitalism and central planning rather than free market capitalism.

Thanks for your time and attention.

Charlie Meadows