Statements from Oklahoma House Members on the Bail-Out Vote
Here are the statements released today by the Oklahoma U.S. House members after the vote on the $700 billion bail-out package:
Rep. Mary Fallin, R-Oklahoma City, who voted against it:
“Like all Americans, I am extremely concerned with the present state of the economy. I believe government action is needed to stabilize the financial sector and to protect the economic security of our families and businesses. Today’s bill, however, puts the interests of Wall Street above that of …
Read the rest of Statements from Oklahoma House Members on the Bail-Out Vote
Voting on the Bail-Out
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, made it clear that he wasn’t criticizing anybody for voting against the massive rescue plan defeated by the House a few hours ago.
But, he said, “The easy vote was a ‘no’ vote. Politically, that was the easy vote. But we still have to get something done.”
Cole was one of two Oklahoma House members to vote for the package. Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, was the other.
Cole attributed the vote to a few factors:
_ …
Read the rest of Voting on the Bail-Out
Signs, signs
With the presidential election just about a month away, officials with both political parties in the state say they’re having a hard time keeping presidential signs in supply.
Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Gary Jones said today his office has given away about 35,000 signs in the past three weeks or so. Some of the first signs given away just had the name of Republican presidential nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain; signs the past couple week also have the name of Alaska Gov. …
Read the rest of Signs, signs
Who the heck is Tom Coburn?
That must be what millions of Americans (many of whom can’t name their own senators, much less one from Oklahoma) were wondering last night after both Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama mentioned him during the first presidential debate in Mississippi (in Oxford Town, as Bob Dylan referred to it many decades ago).
Maybe the two candidates had Coburn on the brain, since the Muskogee Republican called them both on Tuesday night to urge them to show some leadership …
Read the rest of Who the heck is Tom Coburn?
First Debate Tonight
Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama square off at 8 p.m. central tonight for the first of three presidential debates, this one focusing on foreign affairs and national security, though it’s hard to imagine that the financial crisis won’t get at least some attention.
The vice presidential debate between Democratic Sen. Joe Biden and Republican Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska is scheduled for Thursday.
Election day, Nov. 4, draws near.…
Read the rest of First Debate Tonight
Coburn Rejects Rice's Praise
State Sen. Andrew Rice, the Oklahoma City Democrat who is running against Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, has been criticizing Inhofe this week for opposing the financial rescue plan put forward by the Bush administration.
In one statement, Rice said, ” “Two days ago I called a press conference on this crisis and recognized Senator (Tom) Coburn for saying, ‘Congress has known about these problems for years, but did nothing because [they] were so obsessed with short-term politics … to …
Read the rest of Coburn Rejects Rice's Praise
Coburn Leaning Toward Bail-Out?
He didn’t come out and say it, but Sen. Tom Coburn definitely sounded like he’s ready to support some type of intervention to keep the nation’s financial system stable.
Just minutes ago, Coburn, R-Muskogee, perhaps the most fiscally conservative member of Congress, said in a speech on the Senate floor, “We’ve got to do what’s right … and we should not leave here until this is solved.”
He said he had never seen economic turmoil of this magnitude in his …
Read the rest of Coburn Leaning Toward Bail-Out?
T. Boone's Missing Microphone
T. Boone Pickens told a pretty funny story yesterday at the National Press Club about a previous appearance in which he had some sound problems. Warning: There’s a bit of colorful language at the end.
“I spoke at Midland, Texas. And it was a big audience there. It was about 3,000 people. And I was sitting and I had the person that was interviewing me; it was a conversation type, you know, format. And I talked for about ten …
Read the rest of T. Boone's Missing Microphone
Lucas On the Financial Crisis
Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, is a long-time member of the House Financial Services Committee, which will be one of the panels crafting the massive bail-out proposed by the treasury secretary and Federal Reserve chairman to deal with the nation’s financial crisis.
On Thursday, Lucas appeared on C-SPAN to discuss the situation and you can watch that here. Today, Lucas is scheduled to appear on FOX Business as a guest of Cavuto. The show starts at 5 p.m. central time; Lucas …
Read the rest of Lucas On the Financial Crisis
Government Like a Business
Reuters Photo
Anyone who wasn’t worried about the whole financial mess before Thursday night had to have gotten at least a little nervous after seeing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s face in this picture.
This was taken at the Capitol after a meeting that Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke held with congressional leaders, and Pelosi, D-Calif., looks like she’s in shock.
Paulson and Bernanke were apparently warning of a fiscal apocalypse that could only be averted …
Read the rest of Government Like a Business
