Political considerations

For years, conservatives have complained that government entities supposedly focused on civil rights issues were overly politicized. Liberals disagreed. In Oklahoma, the Legislature has voted to put the state attorney general in charge of investigating discrimination complaints and ending the Oklahoma Human Rights Commission. Some citizens worry that will lead to lax enforcement. A group of those critics recently met to found a separate human rights group in response. The fact that they met at Oklahoma Democratic Party headquarters shows concern about politicization may not have been far-fetched. The group is also jumping the gun. Attorney General Scott Pruitt will answer to the voters if he shrugs off civil rights violations, and his office should be given the chance to prove its worth. And, at the very least, such efforts should not be run out of a political party’s headquarters.

Thank you for joining our conversation on ScissorTales. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy.