Keith Gaddie

I have not learned a new thing in this presidential campaign season since the beginning of the year. As a white, Southern male with a college degree (the new swing vote), there are some things guys from my demographic know. So here’s a little quiz for political contenders: True or False: I have a roll […]

To: The media and whining Democratic delegates From: A cranky independent Re: “Superdelegates” Having watched with dispassionate disinterest the battle for the Democratic Party nomination, I want to tell one thing to all of the people who are upset about the lengthy primary calendar, the fact that superdelegates will pick the nominee, and the failure […]

So, last week, I’m driving around Oklahoma City and I keep seeing these little signs that proclaim “Big League City.” My mind recalls the riff “brand new state!” at the beginning of the song “Oklahoma.”   The fresh scent of boosterism was in the air, as the branding of Oklahoma City continued. The “yes” vote […]

The Metropolitan Area Projects tax ” or MAPS ” passed in 1993, and the consequences are all around us: new stadiums including the $92 million Ford Center, a new library, a revitalized downtown, a tourist economy. The original tax expired in 1999.   “MAPS 2,” or MAPS for Kids, replaced the old MAPS tax in […]

It is a slow news week for politics, so Dr. Stones pulled out the “little smart pill machine” to look into the year to come:   Jan. 3, 2008: In a stunning upset, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wins the Iowa Caucus. He announces “ultramarathoner” Dean Karnazes as his running mate, “not that being a […]

On Feb. 4, 2008, the Oklahoma Legislature will convene its second session. The first thing the Legislature should do immediately is assemble a concurrent special session and take up ethics reform.   The problems confronting our state in the area of campaign finance increasingly are capturing the attention of the news media and do not […]

The 100 Ideas initiative for Oklahoma ” 100IdeasOK.org ” is in full swing. Around the state, residents are coming together in groups to brainstorm policy ideas for Oklahoma’s future. The inspiration for the 100 Ideas initiative comes from Florida, where former Gov. Jeb Bush sought input to craft a future policy agenda that would outlive […]

When you say “James Inhofe,” you get an opinion. The senior senator from Oklahoma invites controversy. He is the core conservative critic of the climate-change movement, an advocate for the recreational pilot and a staunch defender of national defense. He is also less than diplomatic in his opinions, vicious in his political campaigns and occasionally […]

Issues of affirmative action and racial integration are again in the public eye. The recent Supreme Court decision in Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education and also a Seattle case are lauded as progress toward a race-neutral society and decried as overturning Brown v. the Board of Education. Closer to home, in Oklahoma, expect […]

The 51st Oklahoma Legislature has completed its 2007 session. This historic session, which featured a tied Senate, a Republican House and an unfettered governor, will be remembered for a variety of reasons.   It is tougher to get an abortion in Oklahoma than it used to be, but you still easily can sue a doctor, […]