Melanie Grayson of Muskogee, OK: McCain's Political Strategy, with Regard to the Financial Crisis. New ad for McCain...starring Bill Clinton

This info posted with much thanks to Mrs. Grayson for permitting us to take a peak at what she is up to. She and her husband, William, are grassroots supporters, who played many integral roles in helping Gov. Huckabee to win the 2nd Congressional District of Oklahoma.

I am not a professional campaign adviser, but things aren't looking so good for the McCain camp right now. I am fed up with John McCain allowing Obama to take a free ride on our current financial crisis.

It is not exploiting the situation to let people know the part the Democrats, and specifically Obama, have played in the financial mess we are in.

I think he needs to roll the dice and take a chance on being accused of exploitation. What does he have to lose at this point? He's already headed for losing the election if he doesn't grab the bull by the horns.

Below is the email I sent and the response I received from the McCain campaign this morning. If you think he should stop holding back, I urge you to contact the campaign and let them know.

From: [E-mail Address]
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 9:58 AM
To: oklahoma@johnmccain.com
Subject: Maverick, Let's Roll

I am impatiently waiting for John McCain to act on the financial crisis in his campaign. It has been politicized, it is political and and he needs to give it to Obama with both barrels. I watched in disgust on Sunday night as Nancy Pelosi raged against Bush Administration and all Republicans, including John McCain, while flanked by two people with a huge responsibility for this mess, Frank and Dodd. How could Dodd or Frank even have the audacity to speak, with the role they have played in this mess? McCain needs to be pointing out Dodd's role as chairman on the Senate Banking Committee and Franks's role as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. What about the monies Dodd and Obama have received from Fannie and Freddie and Countrywide and probably many other corrupt lenders? Let's give some background on ACORN and their agenda and the Democrats relationship to that terrorist organization and the connection to what's going on now. Let's talk about how Obama trained ACORN activists in corrupt Chicago. This is no time for Mr Nice Guy; he's got to let them have it or he is going to LOSE, BIG TIME!

Respectfully,


Melanie Grayson
[Phone Number]

The following is the response that Mrs. Grayson received:

From: SCR States
To: [E-mail Address]
Sent: Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:23 am
Subject: RE: Maverick, Let's Roll

Melanie:

Thanks for the note and I will pass your thoughts to the right place.

Best,
Aaron Trost
McCain-Palin 2008

And, here is the latest from the McCain camp: Bill Clinton will be starring in the next McCain commercial...
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

Bill Clinton the star of new McCain ad
Posted: 01:40 PM ET

From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
The McCain campaign is highlighting a recent Clinton interview in a new ad.
(CNN) — As he gears up to hit the campaign trail on behalf of Barack Obama later this week, former President Bill Clinton is the star of a new television ad — for John McCain.

Watch: New McCain ad features Bill Clinton

The Arizona senator's campaign is highlighting Clinton's remarks in an interview with ABC News last week during which he appeared to lay some of the blame of the current economic crisis on congressional Democrats.

"I think the responsibility that the Democrats have may rest more in resisting any efforts by Republicans in the Congress or by me when I was president to put some standards and tighten up a little on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," Clinton said in the ABC News interview that is highlighted in the new McCain ad.

The announcer of the one-minute spot called "Rein" cites McCain's call for more regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago and said "Democrats blocked the reforms."

"Loans soared. Then, the bubble burst. And, taxpayers are on the hook for billions. Bill Clinton knows who is responsible," the announcer also says.

But in the same interview with ABC, Clinton also said it is important not to assign blame at this time for the current state of the economy: "We are where we are. I think the most important thing is we got two candidates for president saying 'lets try to minimize the partisan differences,'" he said. "We will have plenty of time later to look at who caused this and what mistakes were made."

Those comments did not make it into the McCain ad.

The ad comes days after some Democrats grumbled the former president appeared to be overly praiseworthy of the Arizona senator as the final stretch of the heated presidential campaign gets under way. In the same interview with ABC News, Clinton defended McCain's call to possibly push back the first debate, saying it was a pledge made in "good faith." He also later said the Arizona senator had taken the lead in his party when it comes to climate change.

The commercial is called, "Rein":

Federal Bailout Deal Defeated - Huckabee, Pence, Hannity, and Colmes

"Who's to Blame" - Very good discussion on Hannity and Colmes with Gov. Mike Huckabee and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) about the Paulson bailout plan that failed to pass in the House today.

Huckabee and Pence mention better solutions than the Paulson (btw, be aware that Paulson IS a Democrat) "bailout" plan such as reducing or getting rid of capital gains taxes and perhaps creating insurance similar to the FDIC for these mega-corporations, which would be paid for by them.

Huckabee calls the harsh regulatory practice and predatory loan practice, under the Community Reinvestment Act, "... ridiculously stupid ...". Huckabee also mentions, "... market-to-market kind of accounting methods which created de-valuing of company's portfolios ... it caused a lot of company's values and assets to be lowered and that's part of what created the mess ..."

On Nancy Pelosi, Huckabee states, "...this is a lady that doesn't know the difference between the punch bowl and the toilet bowl...", due to her calling the Republicans, "unpatriotic".

This video is so good, you may want to watch it several times.

http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=3119378&referralPlaylistId=0bc56e415b2e04a215f6a3dba55a3402fc523c09

Need a good laugh? Check out ZoNation from Macho Sauce Productions (a.k.a. Alfonzo Rachel)

Mr. Rachel's Blog is found here: http://www.thezonation.blogspot.com/

His YouTube page is here: http://www.youtube.com/user/machosauceproduction

THE VOTE REAPER

FOXNEWS.COM HOME > HEALTH

Biden Healthy, But at Increased Risk for Aneurysm, Doctor Says

Monday, August 25, 2008

By Jessica Ryen Doyle

As he approaches the end of his sixth term as a U.S. senator from Delaware, Joe Biden certainly lends experience to Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

But is the 65-year-old Democratic vice presidential nominee-to-be physically fit to be "a heartbeat away"?

One medical expert says yes, despite his increased risk for suffering an aneurysm.

Biden underwent surgery in 1988 to repair two berry aneurysms on opposite sides of his brain. (A berry aneurysm gets its name because the bulge it creates is so small it looks like a tiny blueberry.)

As long as Biden is checked regularly by his health care providers, and has regular brain CT scans (at least every 1-2 years), he should have a normal life expectancy, Dr. Michael Marin, chief of surgery at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, told FOXNews.com.

“He is probably on medication, but not for the aneurysms. Maybe for blood pressure or that kind of thing,” Marin said. “These aneurysms were diagnosed before he had any events, so he is fine.”

An aneurysm is an enlargement of a normal artery. If an artery has a bulge on its surface – due to genetics or a medical condition such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure – and the artery wall becomes stretched, it can rupture.

However, the causes of berry aneurysms, which are similar to other types of aneurysms, aren’t well known, Marin said.

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones died Wednesday from a brain aneurysm.

At the time, Marin, who did not treat Tubbs Jones, said she – like most sufferers of brain aneurysms – probably had no warning signs.

But Biden did have warning signs: When the first aneurysm ruptured, he suffered neck pain and nausea. Apparently, the second aneurysm tore without warning signs, but it was repaired a few weeks after the first, and he was back to work at the Senate soon thereafter.

"About 6 million people in the United States are living with a brain aneurysm," said Dr. Marc Siegel, an internist and FOX News medical contributor.

The yearly rate of rupture is about 1 in 10,000 people, Siegel said, and almost half will die as a result of the rupture.

Click here to read more from Siegel on aneurysms.

"There are two ways to fix an aneurysm when it is detected early," Marin said.

One way is to surgically open the brain and secure the aneurysm at its base with a metal clip.

The second and more desirable way is to pack the aneurysm with small, flexible wire coils that are inserted into the aneurysm using a catheter, which is inserted through the groin, Marin said.

Often, even if a person catches the aneurysm early and the doctors have a chance to treat it, the person can still be left with stroke-like side effects. This was not the case with Biden.

Biden Discusses Aneurysms - From: CBS News

From: CBS NEWS

August 30, 2008, 9:06 PM
Biden Discusses Aneurysms
Posted by Maria Gavrilovic

From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

(DUBLIN, Ohio) Joe Biden, who attended the memorial service for Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones today, talked about his own bout with aneurysms that nearly killed him 20 years ago. "When mine burst fortunately as described to me by the neurosurgeon it ricocheted off my skull instead of into my brain,” Biden explained, “If it had been the other way around I'd be a….”

Biden seemed to be particularly affected by Tubbs Jones’ death, because it was a stark reminder of what could have happened to him. “I know it sounds corny, it almost sounds maudlin, but you know here she was one day walking around just like I was the next day,” he said adding, “I woke up four hours later on the floor with a hemorrhage. In her case the same thing happened only she never made it back."

Explaining the severity of aneurysms, Biden said that neurosurgeons can “either fix or they don’t.” “If they fix it it's fixed. If they don't they don't there's not much in between it's not like cancer or heart disease or something, but it was kinda poignant."

Obama attended the memorial service in Cleveland with Biden and the Clintons. “What struck me most about Stephanie was how, even after a decade in Congress, she was so utterly unaffected by the ways of Washington. She was still a home girl,” Obama said at the service.

Both Obama and Biden spent time with Tubbs Jones nearly a month ago.

Sen. Tom Coburn lays out Sen. Harry Reid Omnibus: BY THE NUMBERS

(More details given by Coburn in the article including, "Largest Earmark in Congressional History"...CLICK HERE TO READ MORE)
REID OMNIBUS: BY THE NUMBERS
0 – Provisions increasing the American energy supply
$3.83 – Average cost for a gallon of gas
9 – Percentage of Americans who approve of Congress
13 -- Average number of injuries caused to human caused by captive chimps in the U.S. every year
35 – Bills included in the omnibus
36 – New government programs
43 – Required reports to Congress from agencies and other entities
398 – Pages of legislative text
855 – Bills passed by secret without debate, amendments, or votes this Congress
$5 million – Earmark for a museum in Poland
$12 Million – Earmark for a greenhouse in Maryland
$17 million -- Funding to protect Americans from injuries resulting from chimps and other non-human primates
111 Million – Households in America worried about gas prices
$1.5 Billion – Earmark for the DC Metro ($2,066 per rider)
$10 Billion – Total cost to taxpayers

Is THIS what they mean by, "Chicago Politics"?

CNN Special Investigations Unit runs this story on Sen. Obama's under-handed maneuvering to cause all opponents running against him for State Senate, including the incumbent, to not be qualified to run against him, over simple technicalities such as scrutinizing the signatures required to be gathered, in order to have one's name on the ballot. Richard M. Daly and David Axelrod are identified, by Chicago Tribune Columnist John Kass, as being the individuals behind this Chicago political machine.

Bailing On Our Principles - Mike Huckabee Goes OFF! Rips Congress, Including Republicans, HARD! Gives Suggestions, Too.

September 23, 2008 - 08:01 PM

Bailing On Our Principles

by Mike Huckabee

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Frankly, I’m disappointed and disgusted with my own Republican party as I watch them attempt to strong-arm a bailout of some of America’s biggest corporations by asking the taxpayers to suck up the staggering results of the hubris, greed, and arrogance of those who sought to make a quick buck by throwing the dice. They lost, but want the rest of us to cover their bets so they won’t be effected in their lavish lifestyles as they figure out how to spend their tens of millions and in some cases, hundreds of millions in bonuses and compensation which was their reward for not only sinking their companies, but basically doing the same to the entire American economy.

It’s especially disconcerting to see the very people who pilloried me during the Presidential campaign for being a “populist” and not “understanding Wall Street” to now line up like thirsty dogs at the Washington, D. C. water dish, otherwise known as Congress, and plead for help. I thought these guys were the smartest people in America! I thought that taxpayers like you and I were similar to the people at the U. N. who have no translator speaking into their headset - that we just needed to trust those that I called the power bunch in the “Wall Street to Washington axis of power.”

The idea of a government bailout in which we’d entrust $700 billion to one man without Congressional oversight or accountability is absurd. My party or not, that is insanity and I believe unconstitutional.

Will there be far-reaching consequences without some intervention? Probably, but we honestly don’t know since we’ve really never seen this level of greed and stupidity all rolled into one massive move. But may I suggest that letting “Uncle Sugar” step in and bail out the billionaires who made the mess will be far worse and will start a long line of companies and individuals who will demand the same of the government---which last time I checked means that they will be demanding it out of YOU and ME. This is not money that Congress is risking from THEIR pockets or future, but ours. Many if not most of us have already experienced lost value on our homes, retirement accounts, and pensions. Now they’d like for us to assume some further risks so they won’t have to.

What happened to the “free market” idea? Is that only our view when we WIN and when we LOSE, we ask the government to come in and take away the pain?

If you are a small business owner, is this the way it works at your place? When you have a bad month, a bad year, or face having to close, can you go up to Congress and get them to write YOU a fat check to take away your risk?

Some of what contributed to this disaster is too much government in the form of Sarbanes/Oxley. Some is due to the tax structure that created the hunger for companies to “game” the system. Some is the common sense that was ignored like loaning money to people who can’t pay it back.

Wall Street has become Las Vegas east, but at least in Vegas, people KNOW they are gambling and they don’t expect the government to cover their losses at the tables. In Wall Street, they do. And the American taxpayer burdens the responsibility.

If Congress wants to do something, here are some suggestions:

1. Eliminate ALL capital gains taxes and taxes on savings and dividends right now. Free up the capital and encourage investment. This is the kind of economic stimulus the Fair Tax would bring and if Congress is going to lose money, let them lose it with lower taxes, not with public dollar bailouts of private market mistakes.

2. Repeal Sarbanes/Oxley. It has failed. It was supposed to prevent this. It didn’t. Kill it.

3. Demand that the executives who steered their ships into the ground be forced to pay back the losses of their companies. Of course, they can’t, so let them work and give back to the government and they can live like the people they put on the streets or kept there. It makes no sense to put them in jail—that’s just more they will cost you and me. I’d rather them go out and earn money—just not get to keep so much of it this time. I’m not talking about limiting CEO salaries---just those of the people who now are up in Washington begging for help because they ruined their companies.

Attempts by Democrats and Republicans to blame each other is nonsense. They are both guilty and ought to own up and admit it. They all lived off big campaign contributions and the swill of the lobbyists who strong armed them into permission to steal. Enough of blame. Fix it!

This would be a start. If we don’t hold these guys responsible, we are all finished.

Permalink: http://www.huckpac.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=1899


Editor: This is the not the 1st time that Huckabee has mentioned his disdain for Sarbanes-Oxley. The blog, eyeon08.com, had reported the following in August, 2007 from a Huckabee Blogger's Conference Call:

http://www.eyeon08.com/2007/08/31/huckabee-blogger-conference-call/

I asked about his economic populism and why economic conservatives should support him. The response:

"I am supported by the true economic conservatives. … I believe that risk ought to be rewarded. .. The attacks come from special interest groups who have an interest in protecting a certain segment. … One of the reasons that I support the Fair Tax is that it doesn’t pick winners and losers. … When we have reforms on tax policy, it ought not be good for a few CEOs and hedge fund managers .. but for everybody. … Hedge fund managers make 2200 times what the average worker makes. … Hundreds of millions of dollars in instant profit… As a Christian, not just an economic issue, but a moral issue. When you have real success, you share it with the people who helped you. … That’s the difference between capitalism and greed. … A President has to show the moral leadership of the country, not just policy leadership. … Get rid of most if not all of Sarbanes-Oxley. … The basic way that the rules have been written to favor a few. … You have a tax policy that encourages boards a huge tax incentive to give a huge salary to the CEO."

Tulsa County GOP Bar-B-Que

Save the Date!

Saturday, October 4, 11:30am-2:30pm

Please come!

Tulsa County GOP

Bar-B-Que

at

Joe & Carol McGraw's

"The Barn"

10900 South Louisville Avenue

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Family Entertainment

Silent & Live Auction

$10 per person/$20 per family

Sponsorships available:

Contact Frazier Henke, 918.481.3808

To contribute auction Items:

Contact Connie Pearson, 918.869.0319

We Need to Know More About Biden's Health By Steven Lomazow, M.D.

From: George Mason's University's History News Network (HNN) - CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE.

8-25-08
We Need to Know More About Biden's Health
By Steven Lomazow, M.D.

Dr. Lomazow, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is working on a book about FDR's health problems. Click here for his blog.

The headline, from the Associated Press, May 4, 1988, read: "Biden Resting After Surgery For Second Brain Aneurysm." The story flashed the details around the world:

Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. underwent surgery today to correct an aneurysm in an artery that supplies blood to the right side of the brain, a spokesman for the Walter Reed Army Medical Center said. The spokesman, Peter Esker, said Senator Biden was awake, resting comfortably and talking with his family after the operation, his second this year to correct an aneurysm. An aneurysm is a ballooning of an artery. The 4 1/2-hour procedure was similar to that performed Feb. 12 on the left side of Mr. Biden's brain. Under the procedure, a surgeon using a microscope pinches the aneurysm with a clip, bringing the walls of the artery together. The clip remains in the patient. Mr. Esker said there are no signs of any other aneurysms, adding that the second was much smaller than the first.

Once again, the remarkable run of neurological disease in prominent political figures has come to the forefront. The potentially fatal consequences of a ruptured brain aneurysm were recently underscored by the untimely and wholly unexpected death of Congresswomen Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Fortunately, for the newly-named Democratic vice-presidential nominee, his prognosis is excellent but, once again, because of the gravity and importance of the position he is aspiring to obtain, special circumstances supervene.

Senator Biden did not return to the Senate until September 8th, seven months after the initial diagnosis, after suffering a pulmonary embolus (blood clot in the lungs), requiring another surgery between his two brain operations. (New York Times, September 8, 1988)

Seven previous vice presidents have died in office, the next to last being the obscure Garret A. Hobart of New Jersey, who would likely have become president upon the assassination of William McKinley had he not succumbed to illness during McKinley's prior term.

There is little dispute that the present holder of the office, Dick Cheney, has medical problems of a cardiac nature that precluded a candidacy to succeed George H.W. Bush.

Vice-Presidents of the United States Who Died In Office

George Clinton, April 20, 1812
Elbridge Gerry, November 23, 1814
William R. King, April 18, 1853
Henry Wilson, November 22, 1875
Thomas A. Hendricks, November 25, 1885
Garret A. Hobart, November 21, 1899
James S. Sherman, October 30, 1912

Joe Biden's two cerebral aneurysm repairs appear to have been entirely successful and those areas are essentially better than new. The issue here is an assurance to the voting public that the man who is a heartbeat away from the most powerful office on earth has the best possible chance of surviving his term. Patients with a history of brain aneurysms can sometimes develop new ones.In this case, the answer can be obtained easily and without risk. A CT Angiogram of the cerebral blood vessels can (and should) be performed prior to the election (if the clip is metallic, an MRI is precluded).

OCTOBER SURPRISE? Will Sen. Biden, citing health concerns (aneurysms), step down for Sen. Clinton? Snopes.com is on it.

Update: Status at Snopes has been changed to: False
Claim: Joe Biden is planning to step down from the vice-presidential slot on the Democratic ticket in favor of Hillary Clinton.

Status: Undetermined.

Example: [Collected via e-mail, September 2008]

On or about October 5th, Biden will excuse himself from the ticket, citing health problems, and he will be replaced by Hillary. This is timed to occur after the VP debate on 10/2.

There have been talks all weekend about how to proceed with this info. Generally, the feeling is that we should all go ahead and get it out there to as many blog sites and personal email lists as is possible. I have
already seen a few short blurbs about this - the 'health problem' cited in those articles was aneurysm. Probably many of you have heard the same rumblings.

However, at this point, with this inside info from the DNC, it looks like this Obama strategy will be a go. Therefore, it seems that the best strategy is to get out in front of this Obama maneuver, spell it out in detail, and thereby expose it for the grand manipulation that it is.

So, let's start mixing this one up and cut the Obamites off at the pass - send this info out to as many people as you can - post about it on websites and blogs - etc.

Origins: Rumors about changes in vice-presidential candidates have already popped up at times in recent presidential elections. In 2004 an Internet-circulated rumor claimed that President George W. Bush was planning to dump Dick Cheney and choose a different running mate; and immediately after Senator John McCain announced that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was his choice for the vice-presidential slot on the 2008 Republican ticket, even the mainstream press was reporting some vague rumblings that she might quickly be dropped in favor of a different candidate.

Now yet another rumor of this category has appeared, claiming that Senator Joe Biden will cite health concerns as a reason for stepping down as the vice-presidential candidate on the 2008 Democratic ticket, to be replaced by Senator Hillary Clinton. The dates cited for the announcement of Biden's resignation are variously reported to be "early October," "after the VP debate," "October 2nd," or "October 5th."

It's difficult to definitively prove a negative, but rumors of Biden's replacement as a VP candidate seem to be nothing more than e-mail chatter at this point, and reports of Biden's health issues in the press appear to be mostly biographical mentions that he was hospitalized in 1988 after suffering from two brain aneurysms. No presidential candidate has switched running mates in the middle of a campaign since George McGovern replaced Thomas Eagleton with Sargent Shriver just 18 days after the 1972 Democratic convention (Eagleton stepped down when reports surfaced that he had previously been hospitalized for nervous exhaustion and received electroshock therapy), with disastrous results: McGovern lost in an electoral landslide. A strategy of calculatedly springing a change of running mates on the public just before an election carries the danger of proving a double-edged sword: Whatever boost Barack Obama's campaign might conceivably gain by swapping Joe Biden for Hillary Clinton just a month before the general election might also be more than offset by criticism that such a last-minute switch demonstrated poor decision-making ability and was indicative of a weak and vacillating presidential candidate.

Last updated: 18 September 2008

Sen. Biden even gives a mention that Hillary may have been a better pick for VP than him.


Rush Limbaugh gives mention to this possibility on Fox News Channel's On the Record with Greta Van Susteren:

Nice blogging account of the Oklahoma Delegation to the GOP Convention in St. Paul

From Steve Fair and Jason Reese of The Oklahoma Gazette:

http://www.okgazette.com/Default.aspx?p=13021

Gov. Huckabee, Dick Morris, Sean Hannity, and Neal Boortz have Roundtable Discussion together

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS INTERESTING DISCUSSION
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1569844379/bctid1797754087

Boortz states that his wife, during the convention, kept saying of Gov. Huckabee, "That's the president I want!"

Hannity states that Gov. Huckabee is, "...my man".

They play, "Word Association", and one of the terms is, "President Huckabee" (which gets a big applause from the Atlanta, GA crowd).

Morris: "Pretty good."

Boortz: "Fair Tax."

Hannity: "A man who would bring honor and decency to the White House."

Huckabee: "Vice-President Hannity!" (Lots of laughs, to which, Huckabee and Hannity do a fist-bump)

In a discussion about the FairTax, Hannity states, "Neal and Huckabee are way ahead of their time."

After encouraging Oklahoma delegates to support Sen. McCain, 2 of 6 Huckabee Delegates (released) cast votes for Ron Paul (a microphone miscue ensued)

Oklahoma's Ron Paul supporters upset by roll call; said they won't sit with delegation tonight

From: NewsOK.com

Thu September 4, 2008

By Michael McNutt
Capitol Bureau

ST. PAUL, MINN. – Ron Paul supporters in Oklahoman’s Republican National Convention delegation remain disappointed today because no one heard the U.S. House member from Texas receive two of Oklahoma’s votes.

The microphone was cut off Wednesday night before U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, could announce the Oklahoma delegation’s vote.

All but two of Oklahoma’s 41 delegates voted for Republican Party nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain. Delegates Paul Clayton of McAlester and Robert Demarest of Talihina voted for Paul, who had sought the GOP presidential nomination.

Oklahoma’s vote was announced in the Xcel Energy Center as all 41 votes going to McCain. Inhofe tried to get the attention of convention organizers so he could correct the mistake and announce the correct tally.

Convention workers eventually said that couldn’t be done, possibly because the convention was running late. It was about 11 p.m. when it was Oklahoma’s turn to announce its vote in the second round. Several states including Oklahoma abstained on the first round so that McCain’s home state of Arizona could announce the vote that would allow him to receive the nomination. Then the roll call resumed with the states that had abstained going in alphabetical order.

Convention officials assured Oklahoma’s delegation that the official convention record would show McCain getting 39 votes and Paul getting two.

"In our eyes that will be very little," Demarest said today from the Minneapolis hotel where Oklahoma's delegates are staying. People who watch a video of the convention will Oklahoma’s tally announced as all 41 votes going to McCain.

Frustrated, Demarest and his wife, Cheryl, ripped the Oklahoma patches off their blue blazers – part of the Oklahoma GOP’s uniform - and said they were done with Oklahoma’s Republican delegation. They said they will not sit with the Oklahoma delegates during tonight’s convention.

Demarest said today he and his wife plan to walk around the convention and talk with other delegates.

The Demarests, Clayton and several other Paul supporters met with Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Gary Jones Wednesday night after they returned to their hotel for an hour or so, and then the Paul supporters discussed the incident until about 4 this morning.

Paul didn’t receive any delegates during Oklahoma’s presidential primary in February, but he picked up the two delegate votes when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won six votes, released his delegates. The other four Huckabee delegates joined with the 32 delegates won by McCain. Three state party officials who are delegates supported McCain as well.

"I’m disappointed," Demarest said.

Demarest and other Paul supporters talked with Inhofe, and they said Inhofe isn’t to blame. Their disappointment is directed toward convention officials.

"It may have been an innocent mistake," Demarest said. "But to go through the time and expense just to lose what we deserve is quite disappointing, as well as the fact that we have to go home and explain it to the people who supported us."

UPDATE: Here's video of the microphone miscue.

Huckabee frees delegates, supports McCain

From: NewsOK.com

Tue May 6, 2008

Former Arkansas Gov. and GOP presidential contender Mike Huckabee has released the Oklahoma delegates he won during the state's presidential primary this year.

Huckabee encouraged the six delegates he won to vote for Republican presumptive presidential nominee John McCain, said Gary Jones, the chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party.

Jones said Monday he has contacted Huckabee's delegates and "all but one” of them said they would vote for McCain.

The other delegate is going to vote for U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who is continuing his presidential bid despite dropping out of recent primaries.

If that holds true, 40 of Oklahoma's 41 GOP votes to be cast during the Republican National Convention in September will be for McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona, Jones said. Paul, who did not win a delegate during Oklahoma's Feb. 5 presidential primary, would get one vote.

McCain earned 23 delegates for winning Oklahoma's primary, and nine other delegates for winning three congressional districts.

Huckabee finished second in the primary, but earned six delegates for winning two congressional districts.

Oklahoma has three additional delegates — Jones and two national committee members — who are committed to McCain.

Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau

McCain Events in Oklahoma

This is the result of running the search within a 100 mile radius of a Tulsa zip code, however you can get results closer to home by inputting your own zip code. CLICK HERE TO USE THE EVENT SEARCH TOOL: http://www.johnmccain.com/McCainNation/Find.aspx?zip=74133&dist=100

TYPE	DATE	TIME	EVENT	LOCATION	GO
	Sep. 20	11:00 am to 12:00 pm	Robin LaButti's Event ...	Tulsa, OK
	Sep. 25	7:30 pm to 8:30 pm	Shelley Partridge's Event Please come to my event watch the debate and to talk about John McCain ...	Fayetteville, AR
	Sep. 26	6:30 pm to 9:30 pm	Tulsa Young Republican's Debate Watching Event Join fellow Tulsa Young Republicans to watch the first Presidential De ...	Tulsa, OK
	Sep. 26	7:00 pm to 10:00 pm	Debra Wimpee's Debate Watching Event Join us to watch the first Presidential Debate on September 26th betwe ...	Broken Arrow, OK
	Sep. 26	7:00 pm to 10:00 pm	Elissa Edwards's Debate Watching Event Join us to watch the first Presidential Debate on September 26th betwe ...	Fayetteville, AR
	Sep. 26	7:30 pm to 8:30 pm	Angela Perry's Debate Watching Event Join us to watch the first Presidential Debate on September 26th betwe ...	Tulsa, OK
	Sep. 26	7:30 pm to 9:30 pm	Holly Gideon's Debate Watching Event Join us to watch the first Presidential Debate on September 26th betwe ...	Broken Arrow, OK
	Sep. 26	7:30 pm to 8:30 pm	teresa jeffries's Debate Watching Event Join us to watch the first Presidential Debate on September 26th betwe ...	Broken Arrow, OK
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Gov. Huckabee addresses National Conference of Editorial Writers

Arkansas Business News Story

Huckabee Defends McCain Over Economy Comments
By The Associated Press
9/18/2008 8:36:11 AM

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ Mike Huckabee says criticism of Republican presidential nominee John McCain over his remarks that the economy's "fundamentals" remain strong is as silly as trying to paint Democrat Barack Obama as sexist.

"It's nonsense. If that's the best argument they've got, they're in real trouble," the former GOP presidential candidate told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "That's like trying to say Obama's 'lipstick on a pig' comment was substantive, and that's just as silly."

Obama has called McCain out of touch on economic issues for proclaiming that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong."

Republicans, however, have tried to say Obama was slurring vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin when Obama call McCain's call for change in Washington "lipstick on a pig," days after Palin made a lipstick joke at the Republican convention. In a post on his political action committee's blog and as a commentator on Fox News Channel, Huckabee has said he doesn't believe Obama was referring to Palin.

The former Arkansas governor addressed members of the National Conference of Editorial Writers at the group's convention in Little Rock.

Huckabee, who dropped out of the race in March after McCain won enough delegates to claim the party's nomination, said that he was working on a "provocative" book about his failed presidential bid, to be released in November.

"It's going to give a lot of insight on what happened behind the scenes and not only behind the debate stage, but also in the conservative movement and the Republican primaries," Huckabee said.

Huckabee also defended McCain's campaign for not making Palin available for many public interviews since the Alaska governor was tapped as McCain's running mate.

"I think the McCain campaign wanted to make sure she was ready for the onslaught of having 75 people yell questions at her and that would be a pretty different experience for an Alaska governor to be throw into," he said. "I don't think it means she can't handle it. I think she's shown so far she can hold her own."