What If You Held An Election - And No One Cared?

I'm still working on my own breakdown of Tuesday's Primary Election and will have it posted soon. Until then, consider that less than 18% of the registered voters actually came out and voted in that race according to news stories. What's worse, with only 352,000 people voting, it means less than 10% of the state's actual population voted.

There are lots of theories going around as to why. My own? Very few exciting races were on the ballot. People can say that local races drive turnout, and that is true to some extent, but it is the high-visibility campaigns that get people fired up. There were really none of those on the ballot, especially on the Democratic side, leaving lots of people less than interested.

Is that a good reason not to vote? Of course not. But it is where we stand with most Oklahomans too apathetic to show up. I guess some of them might be offended that I called them that, but my guess is they just won't care.

Tom Coburn: Dr. No or Senate Savior?

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. is making the news in his usual way - by voting "no". This time, however, he is joined by forty of his senate colleagues in blocking the attempts of Senator Harry Ried to move his new "Omnibus" bill forward.

For those of you not following this daily drama over the last three and a half years, Senator Coburn has used a senate rule to put a "hold" on bills he doesn't like or agree with. This allows even one senator to keep practically any bill from moving forward, unless at least 60 of his or her fellow senators will vote to move it forward.

This comes as no surprise to me, or most Oklahomans, having become very familiar with then-Congressman Coburn's similar beliefs when he was in the U.S. House. Whatever you you say about him, and you can say a lot, the man is consistent in his actions to change how government works.

That is why I don't understand how Senator Reid, and the entire Democratic Caucus, seem to be so befuddled by Senator Coburn's actions. Even if you weren't familiar with his work in the House, they've had more than three years to see this. For more than a year and half in the majority! How, in all that time, do you not come up with a strategy?

Really, there are only two options:

1. Find a way to get 60 members to go against him.
2. Realize he isn't going to stop, and begin to draft bills in a manner that fit his criteria.

Since it is unlikely that even with a huge tidal wave of Democratic support this fall the Senate Democrats get to sixty seats, the first option is unlikely. Getting the Republican Caucus to break decisively on anything is as tough as getting a Sooner to cheer for Mack Brown, so Senator Reid will be stuck losing votes with a smaller than necessary majority.

That leaves option number two, changing the nature of how you do business. I admit, this is a tough pill to swallow. Yet with Congressional approval ratings in the single digits, it should soon become clear to someone that business as usual isn't going to work. If you believe the bills being blocked are actually quality legislation, and their passage is critical in nature, then it is time to find a new way to get them to the floor.

Working with other Republican Senators will be necessary in order to assure passage and even to bring them to a vote. This may not be the most effective method of work, but as elected officials sent to do a job, it is, as the saying goes, what you get paid the big bucks for.

Of course, this might not work. It requires bi-partisan cooperation in an election year, and that is pretty rare in D.C. - especially with an election coming up. But by doing the right thing, and putting individual Senators on the spot, is a fight worth fighting.

Time and history will judge if Senator Coburn is right or wrong, Senator Reid's job is to move the Senate forward and it is time that happens.

OKC NBA Team Name

I have to admit, I'm not much of an NBA fan. I'm really not a big basketball fan at all. I frequently say that is because I can't play basketball, but I can't play baseball either and I'll watch it.

Just the same, I'm pretty excited about the new big league team in OKC. I'm not sure I'll make it to a game right away, but here is a quick way I'll become a fan.

The team name.

The news is out that the NBA has filed trademark right for six team names. Barons, Bison, Energy, Thunder, Marshalls and Wind.

That's right, tucked away in that list is MARSHALLS!

If the powers-that-be see fit to give the new team a proud name like that, then who am I but to become a fan? You can be sure I'll buy hats, shirts and all of the other team related stuff they can sell. Tickets? Of course, what kind of Marshall would I be if I didn't attend?

So, only time will tell, but I have to say I just won't get as excited about cheering for the OKC Wind.

Batmania

One can hardly turn on the television, read a newspaper, check out a website or even drive down the road without seeing some form of advertising for the new movie The Dark Knight. I freely admit to having being a bit of a comic book geek when I was a kid, and though my tastes ran more towards Superman and Sgt. Rock, I was always a DC guy.

While I have yet to see the film [yes, I plan to] I am most impressed by the marketing. Beginning more than a year ago, the depth that has been achieved is simply amazing. Now of course it is mostly traditional forms, such as a Batman-themed pizza offer, but the viral and online presence is unparalleled.

Websites for a fictional District Attorney's race, fake newspapers and even a mock version of the Drudge Report were created for fans to follow in the months leading up to the actual release of the movie. No longer was the movie "news" contained to broadcasts of Entertainment Tonight or in issues of TV Guide, but now were at our very fingertips.

These activities have been more than just ads telling us when the movie opened. The screenwriters literally created a backstory to the characters themselves that we could follow. This isn't to say someone won't enjoy the movie without having read all of this, simply that it will enrich the experience.

I like to think of this in terms of visiting an art museum. You can look at all of the paintings and sculptures and revel in the beauty and skill, but if you know the history of the work, or more about the form used, it will deepen your appreciation and understanding.

This type of creativity and outside-of-the-box thinking is truly refreshing to see. With the ever increasing necessity of movies to have extremely successful opening weekends, I suppose we should expect this trend to continue. What will be most interesting to watch will be how much traditional forms of advertising are purchased and what new forms of attracting our attention will appear.

A President For Us All?

As we continue through the 2008 Presidential campaign, a great many questions have arisen. Some are more policy oriented than others, but many relate to the background and character of our next leader.

More than just how Senators Obama and McCain have voted, we have to see who they are to determine what kind of Presidency they will have. What books do they read, what kind of family life have they had and even what do they do for fun all come into play.

One great example occurred during what passes for a wide-ranging interview Senator McCain did with the New York Times this weekend. There are many fascinating bits of information about McCain, and many are examples of his independent streak.

There was one that stood out to me, and is another stark example of the generational differences of this campaign. He said, in part:

“I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need.”

and even:

“I don’t e-mail, I’ve never felt the particular need to e-mail,”

McCain also states that he has staff who read him blogs and pass on important information. Could he have said anything else to prove that he is out of touch? My own 75 year old father uses a computer to read the news and blogs. He regularly emails with my entire family and even old war buddies. That isn't the Vietnam War, but Korea. So, if he and others this age can do it, why can't McCain?

How does he hope to not only lead during this time, but relate to those whom he is leading? More importantly, how will he get his information?

I've worked around many campaigns and elected officials and the worst thing that can happen to them is to become insulated. The information they receive is filtered through the perspective of the person delivering it. The further you go up the chain of power, the worse it gets. It is often referred to as the "bubble".

Yet, the internet and new technology have given our leaders a way to break through. Due to time constraints it made sense that the President or a U.S. Senator didn't have time to trek down to the library or bookstore to search around for information. He or she only had time to read press clippings [prepared by staff] versus reading dozens of newspapers and magazines each day.

Now from their own blackberry or iphone these same leaders can break out of the bubble and know what is going on. Not only will they have a National Security briefing, but can read what embedded reporters are writing. Some are even using things like text messaging and device to device messaging to bypass staff and communicate privately. A revolution indeed!

But where will Senator McCain be in all this? Will he be able, or even willing to reach out and hear what is being said beyond the confines of his own White House? Or will he be like President Bush, who prefers staying in the dark and a has shown a dangerous reliance on staff?

Perhaps the most important question that arises is this: Why hasn't John McCain been curious enough to learn this sooner? As the internet revolution occurred around him, and he sat on powerful committees in the Senate, how has he not made the attempt before now?

I fear what this tells us, and it is why we have to look beyond voting records when choosing a leader, is that Senator McCain isn't a man who thinks outside of the box. He is content with staying in his own insular world and trusting others to do the thinking for him. I simply don't believe we can afford another four or eight years of anyone like that.

We're number 6! We're number 6!

Money magazine has released their annual rankings of Best Cities in America, and Norman was chosen to be number 6, moving up from 40th place last year.

In the description of our community, the magazine said:

"People flock to Norman from around the world to study and teach, and then to
stay and raise a family. "

Well, if this was occurring before - just wait now that the word is getting out!

What is T. Boone Pickens Up To?

Watching the Sunday shows today [Flashpoint, Meet The Press and This Week] I saw, for the first time, Boone Pickens commercial about his "PickensPlan". Very interesting presentation and driving people to this website.

I've read through the site, and I'm still making my way through the news articles about it, but I'm at a bit of a loss. In full disclosure, I've never been a big fan of Pickens. His hard-right politics has always turned my stomach a bit, but he seems to be going through a renaissance. His charitable work, especially at OSU, is a big change from where he once was.

So what is this new thing about? I'm not sure myself, the jury is still out. If you have any ideas or thoughts, comment here or email me at chebon.marshall@gmail.com

Phil Gramm Politicians

For the last few days, and for the next few as well I would guess, much has been written about former Senator Phil Gramm's comments regarding the economy. For those of you who have been living under a rock, he said:

"We have sort of become a nation of whiners."

and:

"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession."

If you have followed Gramm's career, this shouldn't come as a surprise to you, which is why I don't understand Senator McCain's people having him involved in their campaign. This is a man who, discussing cuts to Social Security, said "They are 80-year-olds. Most people don't have the luxury of living to be 80 years old, so it's hard for me to feel sorry for them." What a softy.

There was a time in our country when this is what it took to get elected. With sound-bite driven media, and the need to constantly feed the hard-liners in both parties "red meat", politicians responded with over-the-top statements and attacked those in the opposing parties with a zeal usually reserved for deer hunters on opening day.

While there are still plenty of partisans and politicians out there who fall into this category, younger voters are changing the process. With the ability to reach beyond the normal sound bite [now just 7.3 seconds on average] by reading blogs and news aggregators, Generation X and Millennials are less responsive to these techniques. While more active than their parents, they are less strident in their politics when it comes to partisan loyalty, and less likely to believe that no good ideas can come from the other side of the aisle.

Not since 1960 have we seen an election where generational differences were as clear as this one as Senators Obama and McCain represent opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to generational definitions. This is abundantly clear now in their choice of supporters and advisers. Those "unpaid" advisers who have spoken out in the Obama campaign have quickly become unpaid former advisers. In the McCain campaign they are merely moved off camera.

Time will tell which of these two brands of politics and governing America wants. I personally predict that not only will the November vote be divided along partisan lines, but generational lines too as with many of us who want to work for our country, and not just our Party, choose Senator Obama.

Unfortunately, we'll have to listen to several more months of Gramm-like politics I'm afraid...

An Icon Fades...

The media likes to make a great deal of the turbulent politics of the 1960's and how those who came of age during that time will aways be defined by their experiencing those events. The simple truth is that no matter when you grew up, those times affect you and will, to a certain extent, define your own political philosophy.

For me, and many other Gen X'ers, that means we came about during the wacky politics of the 1970's and 1980's. This was a time when the dorm room activists of the previous decade were still attempting to live out their dreams and the personalities of the past were still revered and part of the process. The ideals of the Great Society and Civil Rights were still being debated in campaigns and in the halls of government.

Fast forward to this week. The Reverend Jesse Jackson, a man who worked for Martin Luther King, Jr. and was at one time a leader of the Democratic Party [his 1984 Democratic National Convention speech is legendary] has been reduced to the level of a side show act. His comments regarding Senator Barack Obama on Fox News [I won't repeat them here, after all kids read this] were perhaps the final act in his long and sad decline.

One could argue that this began with then-Governor Bill Clinton's handling him during the 1992 presidential campaign, but I believe something else. We are at a crossroads in America, both in our culture and our politics. The Jesse Jackson's of the world are out of place in today's America where a majority of people want to move past the campus battles of the 1960's and early 1970's. They no longer feel the discussion about race should be handled the same way any longer.

Now, this is not to take anything away from the work that Rev. Jackson, and countless other leaders of the Civil Rights movement performed selflessly for decades. Just the opposite is true. What they did worked. We have nominated an African American to be the nominee of the Democratic Party, something few believed would happen in their lifetime back in 1968. Many great things have been achieved, but with that means times have changed.

So it is a little sad to see Reverend Jackson now just a pundit, commenting on campaigns rather than being a part of one. His iconic status reduced to that of a side-show in this year's presidential campaign. Some journalists have even referred to this recent flap as Senator Obama's "Sister Souljah" moment - certainly a slap in the face to Jackson. Perhaps it is best to remember all that he has accomplished and his legacy will be that work, and his own son's service as a member of Congress for a new generation?

Connecting On Their iPod...

This morning, if you happened to catch it, occurred a telling example of how the traditional media is at a loss to report on or explain the youth vote. Andrea Mitchell, of NBC news, who is a credible reporter and gifted individual was on with Joe Scarborough.

[His program, Morning Joe, is really the best political news broadcast in the morning. Far better than the recipe-giving, Britney Spears-reporting shows like GMA and TODAY.]

During the discussion with the ever strident Chris Mathews regarding the youth vote and this fall's presidential campaign, Mitchell uttered the following:

"...connecting on their iPods and every other which way they read the blogs."

Huh?

It was easy to miss for some I suppose, but it stood out to me. In a country where the last two elections have been remarkably close, and just a small increase in turnout could aid either candidate, McCain or Obama, this is a critical issue.

We've already seen hundreds of thousands of young voters turn out in the Democratic primaries, mostly for Senator Obama, but some for the other candidates as well. No one can be assured what the turnout will look like this fall. With the first african american candidate on the general election ballot, and one who is spending millions to register and draw voters under the age of 30 to vote, it is impossible to predict.

So I'm happy that MSNBC is discussing this phenomenon, but perhaps someone else should be talking about it? Maybe Andrea Mitchell even owns an iPod, but it seems apparent that she doesn't know how to work it. Maybe she meant iPhone? Either way, having a 61 year old discuss the youth vote makes a much sense as having Jay Leno give a physics lecture. She, and most of the other traditional media, have no idea what motivates these new voters.

They don't grasp how technology doesn't impact them, it is them. This new generation doesn't wait to be told what to think or how to vote by talking-head pundits, they read the news from various sources, and filter it themselves. Sometimes that means Drudge Report, sometimes it means the New York Times and yes, even The Daily Show.

These voters know that the news they are getting is skewed, that they have no "Uncle" Walter Cronkite whose newscast they can trust. They use news aggregators, blogs and direct source reporting to find out what they want to know, not wait on the six o'clock news. This makes the younger voters much less predictable, and harder to pigeon hole into a neat political category.

So, perhaps MSNBC and all of the media outlets should look at having someone who is actually a younger voter, or even someone who understands them, do the talking when it comes to this new issue. I'm free, if anyone is looking...

Congressman Clem McSpadden 1925 - 2008

Many people don't know this, but I grew up attending rodeos. My father, at one time a team-roper, instilled a love for this sport in me at an early age. I even achieved momentary fame one year when I fell into the arena of the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. But those stories are for another day.

Today, its a time for mourning for those in the rodeo world, as well as many politicos, as former Congressman and world-renown rodeo announcer Clem McSpadden has passed away after battling cancer. He touched the lives of countless Americans in both worlds, and will be missed in the rodeo and political arenas. Never again will we hear his voice over the speakers at some dusty roping event or see him walk the halls of the Capitol.

My own personal stories about him are numerous, but my favorite actually is from a congressional campaign I was involved in working against Mr. McSpadden [I never could call him Clem] several years ago.

The candidate wasn't particularly well-versed in rodeo etiquette, nor was he really aware of McSpadden's power in that world. You see, if you never attended an event that Mr. McSpaddend was announcing, or felt the power of hearing him recite his Cowboy's Prayer, then you have missed out on something that is deeply American and especially Oklahoman. Generations of people in our state, particularly in rural parts, grew up listening to him, and revered him. Unfortunately, this candidate knew more of his political persona than this other side of Mr. McSpadden.

So, we went to our first rodeo [literally, not figuratively] where he was announcing. I had warned the candidate and the staff that this wasn't going to be a very good event for us, as once Mr. McSpadden did his thing, we were going to be likely out of favor with the crowd. Yet, on we pressed to the Pryor rodeo.

It was a great summer evening for the event, after some rain the skies had cleared and it was un-seasonably cool. The event began as so many others have for years and years in small town America, with the pledge, the singing of the National Anthem while a lone rider held a flag in the arena, and then, the prayer. This was when Clem McSpadden could truly shine. While he was fantastic announcing throughout any rodeo, emceeing a political event or even recording commercials, when reciting this particular passage, he captivated every individual in the arena. People stood, removed their hats, bowed their heads and even held hands as he led them in a simple, yet powerful prayer.

Then, after this deep display of religious emotion, as he held all of these people with their attention focused singly on his voice, he did what he always did. He introduced a friend. Not just any friend, but the candidate he was supporting, the candidate we were running against in that hotly-contested primary. I had seen it before, it had been my candidate many times, but not this year, this was the first time I had stood on the other side of this power.

"Folks I want to introduce you to a friend of mine" he would begin in his rich baritone with its recognizable drawl. "I've known him for a lotta years, and not many a better man have I ever met." High praise from a man who knew thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people. "He's running for Congress this year, and I think he'd make a pretty good one" this endorsement many a candidate would have sold his family to receive, but the best part was yet to come. "Now, I won't tell you who to vote for, but I will tell ya' who I'm votin' for, my friend Bill Settle."

There it was. Simple. Gentle. Elegant. Never over-bearing, just a suggestion that this was a good man, and maybe you might consider him on election day. Right, and maybe you should call your mother on mother's day.

We didn't stay long after that. It seemed every person there, even the kids wanted to shake Settle's hand that night, so we headed on out. Later, we won the race, and Mr. McSpadden was as gracious as ever in offering to help us in the General Election. And I'll tell you this - never was I happier to be back on his side in a fight!

Clem McSpadden will be remembered for many things, by many people from all walks of life. But for me, it will always be for his decent and honest manor. We didn't always agree, but you could trust him, and you sure wanted him on your side in any arena in which you found yourself, political or otherwise.

Senator Jesse Helms 1921-2008

Jesse Helms couldn't have planned it any better.

The consummate politician, a man who never stopped spinning and never stopped campaigning, I'm sure would've been thrilled to pass away on July 4th. And while many in the world of conservative punditry have attempted to link him to our great founding fathers Jefferson and Adams, who also died on Independence Day, I just don't believe he belongs anywhere near that category.

Historians will still have their say about Helms in the years to come, and his mild attempts at altering his record near the end of his career and life may have a limited affect. Yet he will forever be tarnished for his words, votes and actions that for so many years made him the enforcer of the hard right of the Republican Party.

His self-labeled bigotry, opposition to arts funding and even suggesting a U.S. President would be unsafe on an American military base will be remembered by those who watched him in the Senate for those many years. Generations to come will, however, remember his opposition to the Civil Rights Act and racially motivated campaigns that will always hang around his neck. Worse, unlike other conservatives who ultimately saw the wrong of their ways, Helms was unrepentant about his own racism and vitriol.

While I always have admiration for anyone who gives up their life to public service, especially those who do so with true conviction evident in their record, I find it hard to have much admiration for Jesse Helms. When, on a day that we pause to honor the founding of our great democracy, it is hard to have imagined Washington, Jefferson, Adams or Franklin acting out with as much hate as Helms so often did. Even though we know none of these men were perfect, they kept dignity about themselves and had respect for government. Helms injected hate, race and rancor into the process, and won races by being the "lesser of two evils".

In the end, as a country we are worse off for his service than better for it. A sad legacy for any man.