‘Selfish’ Americans
Barack Obama is still trying to recover from that conversation with Joe the Plumber in Ohio. Friday in Florida the Democratic presidential nominee talked about his plan to increase taxes on wealthier Americans to fund a tax cut for middle-class Americans. Obama said he’s got nothing against being rich or pursuing the American dream. He said he only wants to make sure everyone has a shot at the dream. He also took a shot at Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin for calling his tax plan socialistic. “I don’t know when they decided they wanted to make a virtue out of selfishness,” Obama said. Selfish? Tough way to characterize Americans resistant to Washington taking an even larger portion of their hard-earned income.
‘Selfish’ Americans
Barack Obama is still trying to recover from that conversation with Joe the Plumber in Ohio. Friday in Florida the Democratic presidential nominee talked about his plan to increase taxes on wealthier Americans to fund a tax cut for middle-class Americans. Obama said he’s got nothing against being rich or pursuing the American dream. He said he only wants to make sure everyone has a shot at the dream. He also took a shot at Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin for calling his tax plan socialistic. “I don’t know when they decided they wanted to make a virtue out of selfishness,” Obama said. Selfish? Tough way to characterize Americans resistant to Washington taking an even larger portion of their hard-earned income.
Can’t be bothered
In July we mentioned the dearth of enthusiasm among Oklahoma political candidates for questionnaires asking them to state their positions of a range of issues. This week, Project Vote Smart said the state was in third to last place in providing answers to questions posed by the group’s “Political Courage Test.” Only 10 percent of legislative candidates bothered to complete the questionnaire, compared to 21 percent nationally. Among candidates for federal offices, the figure was 20 percent, compared to 41 percent nationally. Perhaps the problem is that there’s too many issue-oriented questionnaires sent out during election season. More likely, candidates just don’t want to bother completing a survey that they think few voters will ever see. Gov. Brad Henry has “repeatedly refused” to cooperate with Project Vote Smart; it doesn’t seem to have cost him many votes. These questionnaires will get more response only when candidates believe they translate to actual votes.
Can’t be bothered
In July we mentioned the dearth of enthusiasm among Oklahoma political candidates for questionnaires asking them to state their positions of a range of issues. This week, Project Vote Smart said the state was in third to last place in providing answers to questions posed by the group’s “Political Courage Test.” Only 10 percent of legislative candidates bothered to complete the questionnaire, compared to 21 percent nationally. Among candidates for federal offices, the figure was 20 percent, compared to 41 percent nationally. Perhaps the problem is that there’s too many issue-oriented questionnaires sent out during election season. More likely, candidates just don’t want to bother completing a survey that they think few voters will ever see. Gov. Brad Henry has “repeatedly refused” to cooperate with Project Vote Smart; it doesn’t seem to have cost him many votes. These questionnaires will get more response only when candidates believe they translate to actual votes.
Nevada snapshot
Early voting has started in Nevada, a key battleground state where Democrat Barack Obama has been leading in the polls. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports about 25 percent of the state’s 1.2 million active voters already has cast ballots. The interesting thing is that exit polling of more than 7,000 early voters showed only a narrow lead for Obama, 50 to 48 percent, over John McCain. Indeed, conventional wisdom had it that Obama would benefit greatly from early voters, reflecting assumptions by pollsters, pundits and others that his candidacy has generated greater enthusiasm. Maybe that will ultimately prove true in Nevada. But not at this point.
Caught on tape
Sen. John McCain is skirmishing with the Los Angeles Times over videotape of a 2003 banquet for a Palestinian-American educator attended by Sen. Barack Obama. McCain is unhappy with the Times for not releasing video of the event for Rashid Khalidi at which disparaging things apparently were said about Israel. Obama acknowledges he has known Khalidi for a number of years but says his views on the Jewish state are vastly different from Khalidi’s. The newspaper says it got the video from a source conditioned on keeping it private. The paper says it keeps its promises to sources and that a detailed account of the banquet published in April was sufficient. The Khalidi matter appears to follow a pattern developed with other Obama associates — inconvenient in the heat of a presidential campaign — with Obama dismissing the influence of former pastor Jeremiah Wright and 1960s radical William Ayers. Did Obama denounce criticism of Israel or tolerate it? The video might tell. Would the newspaper have the same position if it had video showing McCain or running mate Sarah Palin at a gathering of white supremacists? Just asking. By the way, McCain also had ties with Khalidi; an organization he chairs gave more than $800,000 to a group associated with Khalidi in the late 1990s.
Safety regs needed for crane operators
Oklahoma’s labor commissioner is doing the proper thing by exploring the regulation of heavy-equipment operators. Work on such regulations is ongoing, and began after two recent fatal crane collapses in Oklahoma City. The first occurred in July, when a crane holding a church steeple toppled and crushed a car, killing a man who was watching the work. On Oct. 20, a worker painting a parking garage downtown was killed when the aerial basket he was standing in fell over. Commissioner Lloyd Fields says there are as many as 200 cranes, bucket trucks, aerial baskets or other such heavy equipment operating in the state. In Oklahoma City, a work zone permit is needed when heavy machinery is used. Those permits require that safety guidelines be followed, such as roping off the work area. But the state doesn’t have any rules for those who operate heavy equipment. Fields has been looking at laws in other states. It’s possible the Legislature could have a bill to work with next session. We hope that’s the case. As one construction company president said, “You can’t work on a toilet unless you are a licensed plumber, but you can take a piece of heavy equipment and work without a license.” That needs to change.
Swingin’ for the fences
John McCain trails Barack Obama in the national polls, but you could argue he’s got some momentum heading toward the finish line next week. McCain seems more energized than he has been, sharpening his rhetoric against Obama and delivering some pretty good lines in the process. Gigging the Democrat for a paid bloc of network time Wednesday night, McCain called Obama’s national address an “infomercial” — and quickly added no speech of his would ever get in the way of the World Series. Now there’s a campaign promise with some meat on it.
Swingin’ for the fences
John McCain trails Barack Obama in the national polls, but you could argue he’s got some momentum heading toward the finish line next week. McCain seems more energized than he has been, sharpening his rhetoric against Obama and delivering some pretty good lines in the process. Gigging the Democrat for a paid bloc of network time Wednesday night, McCain called Obama’s national address an “infomercial” — and quickly added no speech of his would ever get in the way of the World Series. Now there’s a campaign promise with some meat on it.
Two good men
We recently chided a liberal trial lawyer group for its low ranking of a legislator despite his record on health care. A conservative group deserves the same scorn for its targeting of state Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, for being too liberal. The group says Cox has strayed from conservative principles. The trial lawyers targeted state Rep. Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, for voting the “wrong” way on bills the lawyers thought important. Constituents in the district served by Cox are being asked to vote his Democratic challenger. Steele and Cox, a physician, are among the finest members of the Legislature. Both have dedicated their time to improving the health care of all Oklahomans. Few may agree with every vote made by Cox and Steele, but their overall record makes both worthy of another term. Neither deserved the criticism.
