I am sorry, Falls Creek fans. Your camp counselor-turned-United States Senator is a liar.
In the middle of the night, around 3 a.m. Sunday, I watched James Lankford lie repeatedly while debating against the bill designed to reduce inflation, cut prescription drug costs and so much more. But hold on … hold on … let me stop right here. Lankford the Liar said the ability to negotiate reduced medicine costs would not kick in until 2026; and he repeated that several times.
That is a lie and also a lie about a very big deal to those whose lives depend on affordable, doctor-ordered drugs.
The negotiated approach to lower prices you pay for your meds is effective this fall, just before Lankford will be asking you to send him back to the Senate for another six year term … and, sadly, many of you will do just that.
What a conniving, convivial liar James is. He portrays himself a humble man of God, a Christian, a Baptist, a family man devoted to the best interests of his constituents.
Such a fraud, a phony whose only goal is to keep the title of senator in front of his name and all the perks that accompany that word. In truth, Lankford’s loyalty is to a political party, not the good people of Oklahoma who trusted him, believed his rhetoric, absorbed his self-serving mailers, radio messages, videos and TV spots.
And now he’s got millions of campaign donations and whichever one of his possible November opponents, Jason Bollinger or Madison Horn, prevails in the Aug. 23 runoff, he or she will be outspent 20-1 at least.
Lankford is blessed with a voice made for radio. He has a shock of red hair, a doting wife, a life of good deeds with young people at Falls Creek, but then he absorbed in abundance something that has destroyed many a good man or woman.
And that is power, and especially political power.
He lied Sunday morning because it was easy. Not many of you were watching – certainly not on C-SPAN. No one to call him out for the lie much larger than a white one.
Many of his supporters cut their pills in two so they will last longer or skip meals to buy life-saving drugs. And just because he could, he also voted against capping the cost of insulin, a vote that greatly benefits Big Pharma, but is a killer, literally, to many people suffering with diabetes or other diseases made more deadly without affordable insulin.
Why would this seemingly nice fellow do that?
You could ask Sen. Lankford, but for a more truthful response, why don’t you inquire of your local pharmacist. They have reputations for honesty, integrity and compassion.
What does James now have? A reputation for exaggeration, shunning his constituents, limiting his face-to-face engagements with them and capping the time allowed for town halls.
At least he knows how to cap something.
