Kick the Anthill

A co-worker came up behind me this morning and asked me, “Why are you voting for Inhofe?”  I blinked at him.  (My first thought is always, “Are you kidding?”)  And then the scary thought occurred that perhaps there are others like him out there and this might be a good conversation to have here.

Why am I voting for Jim Inhofe?

1)  He is a Republican.  You should understand that this does not mean that all Republicans are good or that every Republican adheres to the party platform.  What it means to me is this:  He is not a Democrat.  (Translation: his deviance from the Republican platform is less likely than a Democrat’s.)

2)  He is conservative.  Let me explain this slowly.  I click on his website, I read what he stands for.  I click on his opponent’s website, I read what he stands for.  Once I finish reading the window dressings, I take at least 30 minutes to google each candidate for interviews, videos and news articles where I can learn how they have lived out their principles and promises.  Has Jim Inhofe supported conservative principles?  Has he adhered to the GOP platform?  If not, why?  Fortunately for me, I’ve been following Inhofe for a while, so I’m already familiar with his work:

• He is pro-life.
• He is uninterested in raising my taxes for things like Al Gore’s pet projects.
• He is interested in enforcing immigration laws without amnesty for all.
• He voted against the $700 billion bailout and lack of accountability.

I think that pretty much clears up the conservative issue for me.

3)  He has a lot of experience in leadership.  Something that I believe Oklahomans should consider when voting for Inhofe is the fact that he is both a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Chairman of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee.  Think about what this means:  For the people of Oklahoma, it means that we have a strong voice promoting our interests on those important committees.  For the nation, it means that the Senator we send them will have a strong conservative voice for what is right on those committees.  Inhofe’s years and experience have awarded him a position of influence, and because he listens to what we have to say and honors his principles, I want him to stay right where he his.

4)  He doesn’t mind coming under fire for what’s right.  He doesn’t change his convictions to suit the screaming nutroots.  How many times have you seen him chasing the press for a little limelight?

If you’d like to look further into his campaign finances, Open Secrets has more info.

One more thing I’d like to clear up about Inhofe.  My co-worker said something like, “You mean you’re actually going to vote for someone who takes millions from oil companies?” which demonstrated to me that he is well trained by the MSM to believe what he sees.  He would rather have voted for a liberal Democrat than someone who holds his own more conservative Oklahoma views because of a 30-second spot on tv.  That’s dangerous, folks.  It’s election season, and I hope more people know better than to just believe everything they see and hear.  Go back up to #2 and reread the steps for finding information for yourself.  Then go to Jedijson’s post and read the context behind the ad for yourself.

I don’t know everything there is to know about Jim Inhofe, but I think I’ve seen enough to make an informed decision regarding which candidate I want to serve as Senator from Oklahoma.

So, why are you voting for Inhofe?

UPDATE: Two things I forgot to mention:

1) Oklahoma officials should be receiving contributions from Oklahoma oil & gas companies.  Do Michigan officials receive contributions from GM?  Do California officials receive contributions from Hollywood?  Oil & gas is part of our bread and butter here in OK, and the only time anything is wrong with that is when we let the liberal looneys from the left mow over us and shame us into thinking we are baaad and eeevil.  Without energy companies our society would grind to a total halt.  Al Gore may not agree, but I’d like to see him try to take off in his private jet without them.  What is bad is when those who run the companies monopolize the energy market, preventing capitalist competition or when they bribe favors or practice unethical corporate greed.  Before you scream about the oil & gas industry, just think about all of the other industries who ask to be paid for services rendered or who make a mint from it, and remember you need to be fair and scream about all of them.  The music industry is just awaiting your protests.

2) The highest praise I have ever heard of Jim Inhofe comes from the Kwazy Kos Kids.  Their hatred of him is like a luminous badge of honor.  My favorite quote from that post: ”Remember, Oklahoma is a relatively cheap state in which to advertise, meaning that just a little bit of money goes a long way towards helping Rice get his message out. So show some love to the newest Orange to Blue candidate, State Senator Andrew Rice.”  And Kos himself’s praise of Rice works just the opposite.