There is a political storm coming, and the Democrats of this state have no storm shelter. Hurricane Obama is sweeping across these plains, and Oklahoma Republicans can't wait until November.
Obama is an unpopular president in this state, and the Democrats have no major candidates on the federal or statewide level. The national Democrats are pushing an aggressive liberal agenda, with a proposed government takeover of health care, the forced integration of homosexuals in the military and trials for terrorists. It is a worse scenario than 1994, when the GOP took over the U.S. House and Senate because of President Clinton.
There are many statewide offices that are open or contested this year: governor, lieutenant governor, corporation commissioner, state school superintendent, attorney general and labor commissioner. I predict, and I don't think it is against conventional wisdom, that the Republican nominee should win each of those elections, and it will be their race to lose.
On top of that, the congressional races will all go Republican, and for the first time since he was elected, Rep. Dan Boren is going to have a contested election. But he will win because he is a moderate, conservative Democrat, not like the liberals in Washington, D.C.
I predict that every state Republican, unless they do something stupid, will win re-election, and what's more, I predict every toss-up will go Republican. Counties in Little Dixie that never went to the GOP will for the first time in history.
The purpose of this column is not to gloat or to take anything for granted. If anything, every race will be tough, but we as Republicans and Oklahomans need to have a plan. The phrase in sports comes to mind, "Act as if you have been there before."
The GOP should not strut, boast or be proud. It is the will of the people that put us into power and we should never, ever take it for granted. Republicans must be more than just a degree different than Democrats; we must be better than a vote against a certain president.
The GOP needs to be unified, professional and prepared. We need to be ready to govern, plain and simple. It is not a matter of being in power, but being entrusted with a sacred responsibility to do what the voters want.
Campaign promises come and go" most fall by the wayside and are never brought up again " but how someone governs affects us all.
Oklahoma has serious challenges that have been left untouched for generations, but we can fundamentally change the direction of the state for the better. Education reform, highways that desperately need repair, abundant government waste and duplication and many other challenges need to be addressed. The people of Oklahoma demand it.
Incumbents, regardless of party, will have a difficult time because Oklahomans are tired of empty promises and sick of the status quo. In a better way of putting it, they want change they can believe in.
Republicans are primed to sweep Oklahoma this coming November, but we must have a higher standard and not just rhetoric, or soon we will be shown the door.
Loveless is the CEO of Phoenix Consulting and the business manager for Loveless Orthopedic and Custom Footwear.
