�� As a certified political pundit, I guess I am required to offer an assessment of the June 16 voting. “Pundit” originates from the Sanskrit “pandit,” which legitimately meant wise man. Certainly a prime example of how a word can devolve over time, in this case from a wise man to a wise guy – “unconnected,” as those of us living in Huntsville, TX, would always add “free world” when telling folks where we were from.
“Sophist” suffered the same fate though of a more deliberate denigration by Plato and his jealous followers. (Athenians were willing to pay for the Sophists’ wisdom.)
I have been following politics – from the messy insides or on the outs – for 58 years. I have never understood the connection between disgruntled discontent and inaction. On June 16, the 2,428,673 Oklahomans registered to vote let 26% of their friends and neighbors decide to pick the candidates who might govern us and perpetuate the state’s status as a destination of last resort by defeating the attempt to give other friends and neighbors a living wage.
Three-fourths of the folks who will have nothing good to say – often at maximum volume – about the way the state is being run stayed home. Did not vote. Why do they even register?
Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield told us years ago that “wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’” cannot produce results. Neither can bitchin’ and brayin’. In this country, we have secret ballots that can change our circumstances.
And, three-fourths of us decided, “Nah. I can’t be bothered to get up off my – comfy chair.
While Democrats actually raised the state voting average, getting 28% of our bunch to the polls, such an abysmal turnout guaranteed the defeat of State Question 832, which would have established a process to raise the minimum wage.
The Raise the Wage campaign was defeated by 67,743 votes. If many of the people claiming to be caring Democrats had really cared, that deficit could have been overcome.
And, yes, if more of those louder, public Christian Republicans had not traded Christian charity for the prosperity gospel, our votes would have been moot.
Sure, I know there were “No” voting Democrats and “Yes” voting Republicans.
Of 613,532 registered Democrats, only 172,366 voted in the Democratic gubernatorial contest. On SQ 832, there were 281,171 “Yes” votes. Not all of them were independents.
Still, demanding an underpaid underclass to support our economy speaks ill of Oklahomans of all ilks.
Are those staying home afraid of taking a stand only to lose? Investing however little emotional currency to a cause (or causer) and have it come to naught?
One gets used to that.
I had predicted that many of my preferred candidates would lose. I was right. Three of my candidates and the Raise the Wage campaign were defeated. I will dutifully support our candidates, knowing that they do not endorse the most corrupt president in U.S. history.
Easy choices.
Having spent my voting life as a McGovernite in Texas (Ralph Yarborough) and Oklahoma (Fred Harris), I am used to losing primaries, runoffs and elections. Heck, I routinely lose on the resolutions I present to the county conventions I have chaired for ten years.
But, I know that honest, decent, equitable governments have even smaller chances for success if I stay home and stay quiet.
As expected, State Rep. Cyndi Munson, with 75% of the vote, defeated the more liberal former State Sen. Connie Johnson in the Democratic gubernatorial contest. She will face either Gentner Drummond (26.26% of the GOP vote) or Trump-endorsed Mike Mazzei (25.97%) after their Aug. 25 runoff.
Munson and the other Democratic candidates face an uphill climbs. 402,917 Republicans voted for governor as opposed to those 172,366 Democrats. Of course, a party snafu prevented Independents from voting in our primary this year. (I have never favored letting outsiders choose my party’s candidates.)
At the end of May, there were 1,290,034 registered Republicans; 613,532 Democrats; 499,491 Independents and 23,536 Libertarians.
In my Fourth Congressional District, Mitchell Jacob defeated Jeff Pixley (54-46%) for the right to challenge Trump bootlicker Rep. Tom Cole for his House seat. Jacob and Pixley pulled 33,485 total votes compared to the 74,087 votes cast by D-4 Republicans.
Many party pols brag about registering new voters – people who have never cared enough to take part in the process. (Who are these people?) There is even a notion of success in that many Independents switched to the Blue so they could vote in our primary.
It is apparent that the secret to any success requires motivating the apathetic to turn out, drop in and vote.
(Gary Edmondson, of Duncan, OK, was a small town newspaperman. He also served as an editor/author for educational filmstrips and videos. An environmentalist, poet, sports historian, philosopher, he is chair of the Stephens County Democratic Party.)
