Gary Jones: At State Capitol ‘Positioning and Pandering’ Reign Supreme
State Auditor Gary Jones: ‘Positioning and pandering’ dominate at state Capitol
By GARY JONES
Much of what is going on at the Oklahoma State Capitol this year can be described in two words. “Positioning and pandering”.
A little more than a year ago politicos in Oklahoma were focusing on 2016, the year when political dominoes were to start falling with the end of Dr. Tom Coburn ‘s second U.S. Senate term, which he pledged to be his last.
Thanks to newly implemented statewide official terms limits, passed by the voters in 2010, over a half dozen statewide office holders would have a free shot at the open U.S. Senate seat. Add to that the dozens of Oklahoma state senators and representatives from the class of 2004 facing term limits themselves in 2016.
But as we now know Dr. (Tom) Coburn changed the entire landscape of Oklahoma politics in 2014 with his announcement to retire early, catching many politicians off guard and not ready to give up their current office to make a run for the vacant Senate seat.