Tuesday, July 31, 2007

From Daily Kos:

Rice Prepares Campaign Against Inhofe

Tue Jul 31, 2007 at 08:37:33 AM PDT

arice

After a few weeks on the road in Oklahoma and a whirlwind of meetings in Washington, D.C., it now seems likely State Senator Andrew Rice will soon be filing papers to challenge U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe in the 2008 election.

Since winning election to the State Senate from a diverse, inner-OKC district, Rice has already proven to be a skilled consensus builder who gets results. He offers a stark contrast to the right-wing curmudgeon, Jim Inhofe.

Rice still says he will make a formal announcement after Labor Day, but fundraising prospects have surpassed his expectations and sources close to him say he may be "all in" within the next 10 days. He has received encouragement on a draft Rice site and in meetings throughout the state. We also hear the DSCC now views Rice as a potential upset challenger in the style of a Jim Webb or a Jon Tester.

Rice lost a brother in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and believes that Bush and Inhofe took their eye off the ball by waging war in Iraq while Al Quaeda rebuilt its global terror network. Inhofe, who once called global warming a "hoax," boasts of being "one of the last true conservatives left in the Senate".

Go to www.runandrewrun.com to sign the online petition urging Rice to run.


Visit Doc Hoc's Diary for more on Inhofe.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Oklahoma Democratic Party Calls on Senator Coburn to
Denounce Hypocrisy of Republican Senator Vitter

Blind Allegiance to Republican Colleagues
Must End for the Good of the Nation

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Republican United States Senator David Vitter of Louisiana, who recently admitted his phone number appeared in the telephone records of the alleged “D.C. Madam”, Deborah Jeane Palfrey and who has been accused by the New Orleans Times-Picayune of being a client of prostitutes when he was a state legislator in the late 1990s, has found tremendous support from his Republican colleagues over the last two weeks.

Even Oklahoma’s own junior Republican, U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, who is well-known as one of the most zealous and vocal social conservatives in the U.S. Senate, has been quick to defend Vitter, despite his fondness to champion the importance of so-called Republican ‘family values’. “Have you ever done anything wrong? So have I.” said Senator Coburn, who was seen walking Vitter to and from a Republican Senate luncheon where Vitter first addressed his colleagues on the matter. Coburn went on to add, “I’m happy he’s back at work”. Senator Inhofe has continued his silence on what proves to be another Republican scandal.

“It is time for Republicans, like U.S. Senators Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe, to denounce this immorality and stop blindly supporting Vitter because he is a fellow Republican. Republicans have fooled the American people into believing they care about family values and the sanctity of marriage, yet one after another are identified as the hypocrites they truly are,” said Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Ivan Holmes.

What is truly ironic is that disgraced former Republican Congressman Bob Livingston of Louisiana, who was in line to be the next Speaker of the House in 1998, resigned from office after his own sex scandal, which allowed Vitter to become his successor. At the time, Vitter said that Livingston’s resignation was a “very powerful argument that Clinton should resign as well and move beyond this mess,” according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Prostitution is clearly an illegal act in both Louisiana and the District of Columbia. As a result of Senator Vitter’s disregard for the law and morality, the Oklahoma Democrat Party joins with the Louisiana Democratic Party calling for the end of this hypocrisy by asking Senator Vitter to do the right thing and resign immediately.

“We cannot allow our elected officials to break the law and continue to represent the American people. Senator Vitter is not above the law and should not remain in office,” said Holmes.

Senator Vitter is not the only Republican elected official to recently face moral controversy. In September 2006, Republican Congressman Mark Foley was caught sending inappropriate emails and instant messages to under-age male congressional pages from 1995-2006. This scandal eventually led to Congressman Foley’s resignation from his congressional seat. To add to the hypocrisy, Foley was chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children and had previously proposed legislation targeting sexual predators against children.

“Here is yet another example of ongoing Republican immorality, corruption and hypocrisy. America cannot afford the scandals of the Bush Administration, along with Republicans in Congress, like Duke Cunningham, Tom Delay, Mark Foley and David Vitter,” declared Holmes.

“The recent actions of Republican politicians are unacceptable and Americans should not have to accept members of Congress that engage in such behaviors as prostitution and sex crimes against minors. Republicans should listen to their own rhetoric by following the law, doing the right thing and resigning,” concluded Holmes.

To join in calling for the resignation of Senator David Vitter, please sign the petition at www.ipetitions.com/petition/VitterResignation or call on Senator Inhofe and Senator Coburn to do the right thing by visiting www.senate.gov or calling (202) 224-3121.


Monday, July 23, 2007

Oklahoma Democratic Party Praises Democratic

Legislators for Standing Up for Consumer and Patient Safety

Challenges Republicans to End the False ‘Family Values’ Rhetoric

Oklahoma City, OklahomaA recent report from the Oklahoma Center for Consumer and Patient Safety, a Tulsa-based non-profit consumer and patient advocacy organization, gave three Democratic lawmakers a perfect rating on their latest legislative report. The scores were based on legislative votes dealing with issues including extending health coverage to uninsured children, assisted living, identity theft, additional safety requirements for children, and legislation that waived liability for volunteer doctors at free health clinics. All votes were tracked during the 2007 legislative session, which ended at the end of May.

“We are proud of Senator Mike Morgan from Stillwater, Senator Judy Eason-McIntyre from Tulsa and Representative Jabar Shumate from Tulsa who all received a perfect rating in defense of Oklahoma consumers and patients,” said Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Ivan Holmes, “and we congratulate them for working to protect Oklahoma families.”

In addition to the three perfect ratings, the report shows that Senate Democrats had a combined score of 89% compared to the Senate Republicans combined score of 75%. The House Democrats had a combined scored of 88%, compared to the House Republicans combined score of 72%. In the State Senate, nine Democrats scored over 90% and in the House of Representatives, fourteen Democrats scored over 90%, while no Republicans scored over 90% in either chamber.

Holmes went on to add, “it is disheartening, yet not surprising, that the highest score of any Republican is still lower than the Democratic average in either house. It just highlights the fact that there are no Republicans in the legislature championing these issues, which are so critical to the future wellbeing of Oklahoma families.”

“Oklahomans are tired of the false Republican rhetoric about ‘family values’ when Republican votes prove they don’t care about protecting children or the elderly when it might inconvenience their friends in big business. It is clear that the Democratic Party is the only party that will work to make Oklahoma a safer place for our families,” added Holmes.

Democrats in the Senate who voted over 90% of the time to protect consumers and patients were Tom Adelson, Sean Burrage, Mary Easley, Connie Johnson, Debbe Leftwich, Judy Eason McIntyre, Mike Morgan, Jeff Rabon and Andrew Rice.

Democrats in the House who voted over 90% of the time to protect consumers and patients were Wallace Collins, Darrell Gilbert, Rebecca Hamilton, Wes Hilliard, Scott Inman, Ryan Kiesel, Al Lindley, Jeannie McDaniel, Richard Morrissette, Bill Nations, Eric Proctor, Paul Roan, Ben Sherrer, and Jabar Shumate.

Senator Glenn Coffee, leader of the Senate Republicans, along with five other Republican Senators, received a ‘D’ rating. Republican House Speaker Lance Cargill also received a ‘D’ rating, along with twenty-three other House Republicans. In addition, Republican House member Mike Reynolds received the only ‘F’ grade in the entire legislature.

“The Democratic Party will continue to challenge Republicans on these issues, because the citizens of Oklahoma deserve more than lip service from their elected officials. Oklahomans deserve real reform that will make their lives better each day and the Democrats are the only ones working to make that happen,” concluded Holmes.

The full report can be found at www.okccps.org.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Oklahoma Democratic Party
Challenges Inhofe to Denounce Bush
What about the “moral health of our Nation” now, Senator Inhofe?


Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – “I think the final truth is that this President should be held to the very highest of standards,” stated Oklahoma Republican Senator Jim Inhofe, who went on to say, “[I] get many, many letters from young children, parents, teachers, and others who are deeply distressed about the President’s behavior and its impact on the moral health of the Nation.”

These words from Senator Inhofe would be a fitting response to the July 2, 2007 get out of jail free card given convicted top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, by Republican President George W. Bush, but they are not. Unfortunately, these words were spoken in the closed-door perjury trial of former President Bill Clinton and released into the Congressional Record on February 12, 1999. Libby recently received his conviction and prison sentence after lying about national security matters to a grand jury.

Inhofe, Oklahoma’s Senior Republican Senator has remained shockingly silent on the commutation of convicted perjurer Scooter Libby, despite his four page diatribe about the importance of telling the truth, where he added, “I have a hard time reconciling the idea that there might be certain permissible exceptions to telling the truth under oath”.

Today, Dr. Ivan Holmes, Chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, called on Senator Inhofe to take the same stand on the Libby commutation and denounce President Bush for his actions. “Where is your outrage now about the moral health of our nation, Mr. Inhofe? It is time for Senator Inhofe and the other twenty-four Republican Senators who voted to impeach Clinton to stand behind their past rhetoric and denounce this Republican President, who has basically told the American people that his political cronies are above the law, even when it comes to obstructing justice, perjury and endangering the life of former C.I.A. agent.”

The Oklahoma Democratic Party has received an outpouring of calls, letter and emails from outraged citizens demanding that Senator Inhofe do the right thing by taking a stand against this corrupt Republican Administration. Senator Inhofe, who is up for re-election in 2008, will be facing a stiff challenge from any of a number of prominent Democrats eyeing the race.

According to the Southern Political Report from June 6, 2007, Inhofe could be vulnerable due to several factors, including, “The Democrats re-elected Gov. Brad Henry with ease in 2006, despite this state’s pro-Republican history. And although Inhofe has spent ten years in the Senate, he had a tepid approval rating in SurveyUSA’s last poll in November, 2006, with 46% approving of his performance to 41% who disapproved; he ranked a poor 86th among the 100 senators. Since then, national political trends have not favored the GOP -- indeed, they have gotten worse.”

“It is a sad day for Oklahoma when we are stuck with one of the worst U.S. Senators in the nation, especially considering Oklahoma has produced such greats as Robert S. Kerr, David Boren, Mike Monroney, and Fred Harris, which all just happened to be Democrats!”, Holmes concluded.
For more information please visit www.okdemocrats.org or www.okbluenotes.blogspot.com.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Democratic Party Chairman Praises
Victory for Oklahoma Workers

Republican Plot to Strip Away the Rights

of Injured Workers is Found Unconstitutional


Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- Dr. Ivan Holmes, Chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, commended the Oklahoma Supreme Court for striking down a portion of the Republican’s 2005 Workers’ Compensation Law as unconstitutional. The provision stripped away the right of an injured worker to choose their own doctor and left it in the hands of the employer.


“The Oklahoma legislature has no right to take away an injured worker’s right to present evidence from their own medical expert regarding the extent of their injuries, so this was the only logical decision the Oklahoma Supreme Court could have made,” said Dr. Holmes.


Holmes, who was recently elected to the Democratic Party post, campaigned extensively on the issue of restoring the rights of Oklahoma workers in regard to doctor choice. “Thankfully Oklahoma workers did not have to wait on the Republican legislature to restore their rights, because Republican Speaker Lance Cargill and Republican Senate President Glenn Coffee are far too busy pandering to big corporations and wealthy donors at high-dollar fundraisers.”


“When speaking to the Senate Committee about this workers’ compensation bill I asked how many Senators would be willing to give up their right to select their own doctor and not one hand went up. Yet every Republican Senator voted to take away that right for injured workers,” explained Holmes.


“It is simply incredible that these Republican legislators would so blatantly ignore the will of Oklahomans, despite polls that show a majority of our citizens believe an injured worker should have the right to select their own doctor if injured on the job. What is also amazing is that the Republican legislators passed the bill knowing it was unconstitutional, because they would rather play partisan games with our legal system than do the real work of helping Oklahomans.”


Chairman Holmes expects Republicans to launch another assault on the rights of workers in the coming 2008 legislative session, but warned that he will visit the district of every legislator that sided with the corporations at the detriment of Oklahoma workers.


“I will stand in every town square holding press conferences to remind the voters of Oklahoma that Republicans refuse to provide answers to the daily struggles of Oklahomans, like providing affordable healthcare, finding good-paying jobs and building a strong educational system,”
concluded Holmes.



-- For more information please visit www.okdemocrats.org or www.okbluenotes.blogspot.com. --

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Oklahoma Democratic Party
Announces New Focus
on Veterans Issues

All Democratic Veterans Invited to Attend Meeting


Oklahoma City, OK -- Dr. Ivan Holmes, Chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, is proud to announce the revitalization of the State Party’s Veterans Affairs Committee. Ron Wasson and Dr. Katherine Scheirman, Co-Chairs of the Committee, invite all Democratic Veterans to attend the first planning meeting on Saturday, July 21. The meeting will be held at the Oklahoma Democratic Party Headquarters in the George Krumme Center, 4100 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City at 10:00 a.m.

“With the erosion of military and veteran’s benefits and the loss of life in Iraq under Bush’s Republican Presidency we believe it is now more important than ever to support our military personnel, who have fought so bravely for our country,” said Wasson.

Dr. Scheirman went on to add, “We will focus on addressing the needs of our military members and veterans who have been forgotten by the Republicans. In addition, the Veteran’s Committee will be active in helping Democrats get elected in 2008 to restore the promised benefits and ensure the troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan wars get the medical and psychological care they need and have earned”.

The Veteran’s Committee is also planning a “Support the Troops” event, which will be held on Tuesday, August 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Oklahoma Democratic Party Headquarters. Leading up to the event the ODP will be collecting donations that will be packed and shipped to our troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please drop off your donations at the ODP or contact (405) 427-3366 for more information. You can also visit the ODP’s blog, www.okbluenotes.blogspot.com, for a complete list of requested donations.

Dr. Holmes is also proud to announce that Dr. Katherine Scheirman has been named one of eight Senior Advisors for the national organization, VoteVets.org. The mission of VoteVets.org is to elect Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to public office; hold public officials accountable for their words and actions that impact America’s 21st century service members; and fully support our men and women in uniform. “Dr. Scheirman’s appointment gives Oklahoma Democrats a great opportunity to take the lead on desperately needed support for our troops at both the National and State level,” concluded Holmes.

-- Please visit www.okdemocrats.org for more information. --

____________________________________________________________________


Oklahoma Democratic Veterans Affairs Committee

Support the Troops Event – 21 August 2007

Item List

Food items:

Drink mix (Kool-Aid, individual packets)

Cookies

Non-perishable snack foods

Brown sugar

Hygiene items:

Toothbrushes

Toothpaste

Dental floss

Soap/bath gel

Shampoo/conditioner

Deodorant

Baby wipes

Feminine hygiene products

Towels

Emery boards

Combs

Nail clippers

Q-tips

Disposable razors and wash cloths

Lip balm

Miscellaneous:

Magazines (sports, hunting, fishing, gaming, news, science, fashion, cooking)

Small puzzle books (sudoku, etc)

Pre-paid phone cards

Socks (white and black)

Spray and Wash solid

Blank greeting cards

Envelopes

Stationery, pens

Ziploc baggies (Large and small)

Thursday, July 05, 2007

“Bush’s Arrogance is a Slap in the Face
of the American People!”

Dr. Ivan Holmes, State Democratic Party Chair, Comments

on the Commutation of Libby’s Prison Sentence


Oklahoma City, OK – Today, Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes criticized President Bush for commuting the prison sentence of convicted top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Jr.

“President Bush’s decision to commute the 30-month sentence for Libby illustrates that the President has no respect for the law,” stated Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Ivan Holmes.

“President Bush is telling the American people that his political cronies are above the law, even when it comes to obstructing justice, perjury and endangering the life of former C.I.A. agent Valerie Plame. This is the wrong message to send to the country and the world.”

After Bush cited his concern for the suffering of the Libby family for his reason to commute the sentence, Holmes commented, “The President’s concern for Libby’s family does not consider the pain, distress and injustice experienced by Valerie Plame and her family. Nor does he consider that Mr. Libby’s actions put many other lives in danger by outing a C.I.A. agent. These are men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect America, yet they can’t even count on their own Commander in Chief.”

“Sadly, this action is consistent with a Presidential Administration that will accept no blame for their misdeeds, like starting the war in Iraq based on false information and not being willing to withdraw our troops who are truly paying the price for Bush’s arrogance.”

America can no longer afford the corruption that has riddled this presidency over the last seven years. Thankfully the Democrats have a strong field of candidates ready to restore honor and dignity to the White House and put America back on track.”

“By the time Bush leaves office he will have cemented his place in history as one of the worst presidents ever,” Holmes concluded.

-- ODP --