What's the Matter with Oklahoma?

A couple of years ago a book "What's the Matter with Kansas?" made the reading list of a lot of Democrats I know. I read it. I got mad. So why Kansas and not Oklahoma?

This morning I was looking at a map hosted on the Grassroots Democrats website. It's one of those click on your state and get a profile of your state maps. I did that, then I clicked on the surrounding states. Here's what caught my eye under the Last Presidential Election Results category: In Oklahoma Bush got 65.6%; in Texas he got 61.1%; in Arkansas he got 54.4%; in Louisiana he got 56.7%; in Missouri he got 53.3%; in Kansas he got 62%; in Colorado he got 51%; and in New Mexico he got 49.8%. You would've thought that Bush was our hometown boy the way Oklahomans voted for him in 2004. Not anymore, his favorability is down to 43% in a Survey USA poll taken of Oklahomans just before Christmas; nationally he was at 36% in that same poll.

So my question is "What's the Matter with Oklahoma?" In 2004 we were an island of red in the heartland of America. Let's change that to what WAS the matter with Oklahoma and move on into 2007 and 2008 with conviction and clarity that support our state's Democratic heritage. We are a fiercely independent, populist people. We are patriotic and compassionate. We love football, pecan pie and black eyed peas with our fried okra. We do believe in investing in people and building community. We are the party of compassion, accountability, responsibility, and equality.

We do not have to be an embarrassing island of federal red again. Resolve to get involved in your local Democratic party organization in 2007. Get a head start on 2008 and turning our state Oklahoma Blue. Attend your local precinct meeting on March 8th. Volunteer for a local candidate or cause in the new year.

There's nothing the matter with Oklahoma that a group of committed Oklahoma Democrats can't fix. So get started!