What does everyone think of Brad Henry?

[RummyTheDummy]

I'm scared of some of the answers this question may get, but curious just the same.

[RoyGBiv]

1. Indifferent

I'm still undecided really. I go so used to Keating sticking his face in front of cameras every chance he got that it's taken me some time to get used to the idea of having to look for the governor again. A few months ago I determined I would refuse to read the Daily Disappointment until after November, so I'm getting my OK news from the Tulsa World, which I don't get every day. I pick up my OK news from the radio and internet sites, and I'm just not seeing a lot about Henry.

I don't know what he's up to beyond what he says, which makes me fear he's all talk and no action. He seemed to base a lot of his campaign on the lottery question. Where is he now on that? Anyway, I like some of his ideas on education and wanting to improve the system. But, to be perfectly honest, I can't tell that he's had a great deal of influence beyond the teacher salary thing and some insurance issue I've not followed closely. Maybe I've just been paying too much attention to national issues lately, and he's crossed under my radar.

[RummyTheDummy]

2. I like him but.......

He's rarely seen or heard from. It's a major departure from Keating who never shied away from publicity. In some ways, I think he feels like he has to lay low because he's a Dem in an heavily Repug state.

As far as the lottery goes, I wrote an email to Henry's office in Feb. and received a really prompt snail mail response saying the lottery will be on the ballot this Novemeber. I'm sure the fundies will be out in force. I'll be voting for it. I wish there were better options, but almost all of the 38 states that have lotteries are better able to fund their public schools than we are.

[RoyGBiv]

6. Snail Mail/Lottery

Odd. I wonder why they'd send out a snail mail reply to an e-mail. Seems like a waste of money.

I'm sort of ambivalent about the lottery unless it actually does what it's designed to do, with the money going into the educational system. I'm going to have to read the bill, and if there are any loopholes in it that would allow the money to go into the general fund, I may have a battle with myself.

[yelladawg]

3. Oh this is too much

Let's see. A gov who wins a three dog race by less than 7,000 votes. Goes to the Democratic State convention, is 45 minutes late for his speech, and opens with this statement to a convention center filled with yelladog Democrats:

"I will be a bi-partisan governor."

[RoyGBiv]

4. And?

I'm not sure how to interpret your comments or how they relate to the message to which you responded.

[RummyTheDummy]

5. I'm not sure either

His response was a non sequitur as well. But I'll take a stab anyway. It appears he believes a Dem CAN survive politically in Oklahoma by running to the left of someone like Ralph Nader or Jerry Brown.

Must not be from around these parts.

[yelladawg]

8. Does Mike Synar ring a bell?

Synar was a liberal's liberal.

My point about the Gov. was that he made a speech about working with repugs to a group of hard core Democrats. The word around Oklahoma City, look for a Democrat to beat the "Forest Gump of Shawnee" in the Democratic primary in 2006.

[RummyTheDummy]

9. Synar has been gone for almost 10 years now

And it was more than 20 years since he was first elected. A lot has changed since then.

Haven't heard a thing about anyone taking on Henry. Of course I don't run in the state party circles. I find them more like PTA-Church Social gossip meetings. Lots of belly aching, but not a lot gets done.

I'll support our governor until he's out of office, I'll leave the commiserating over Largent losing to you.

[RoyGBiv]

10. Synar

Synar was also regularly pounded in the pages of the Oklahoman and by his Republican colleagues in the House. He would have had an immense amount of trouble running for anything other than as a Rep from District 2, a region that probably has more yellow dogs in it than anywhere else in OK.

And even he lost his seat eventually, in part for supposedly being too liberal. So, again, I'm not sure how the previous argument applies to the current situation.

[RoyGBiv]

11. Gump

The only time I've ever heard Henry referred to in such a manner is when I've heard right-wing commentators complain about him.

[guitar man]

7. I guess he's ok

Like everybody else,I wonder where he is sometimes. He surely seems to be a one issue gov. with the lottery thing and that dissapoints me a little. Keating spent so much time browbeating this state into passing that fucking right-to-starve law,now that we have a Dem gov. I would like to see him at least come out and TRY something mildly progressive.

Frankly,I think he was surprised to win the election. I know I didn't think he had a chance in hell.

[melv]

12. reverend

I listened to his state of the state speech on NPR earlier this year. He sounded like a preacher talking to his flock.

[bratcatinok]

13. I'm new to Oklahoma politics

so what is the right-to-starve law?

I see the Governor's wife on television more than I actually see him. I know he's proposing a tax hike on cigarettes and he either has or is about to sign into law the law which places products like Sudafed behind pharmacy counters.

[RoyGBiv]

14. Right-to-Starve

Right-to-Starve = the so-called Right-to-Work law.

It's a union busting law.

[bratcatinok]

16. Thanks for the explanation.

If I was working, I wouldn't have noticed the difference since Texas (where I'm from) has been a right to work state for a long time.

[Route66Kid]

15. This Governor is strictly business.

Thus far he has not offended anyone. He is trying to be true to his word and practice what he preached about being inclusive and bipartisan. Sometimes I wonder if he can really be all things to all people.

Living in Shawnee I do know that Gov. Henry is a trial lawyer by trade. My current employer knows him and his wife, Kim, on a personal level. The big issue for my employer is the forthcoming tort reform legislation. Knowing the governor is a trial lawyer I'm not sure how much actual tort reform he will approve or how much he will be in favor of limiting John Q. Public's access to the courts. I would think any legislation he would sign would be more insurance reform than tort reform for that reason.

I believe overall the jury is still out on Governor Henry.

[yelladawg]

17. Henry quote

"The state legislature needs more lawyers" "Lawyers understand how to read bills and the process of the government"

So much for us dumb non-lawyer types.

[Route66Kid]

18. He does have a point.

Why do you think a law degree requires four years of post-graduate study? It takes nearly that long just to learn to read the fine print and convoluted wording in all the state statutes.

That is why the most state legislatures, especially ours, are made up mostly of lawyers.

[RedEarth]

19. Compared to Keating he's wonderful

And compared to what Largent might have done to our state, Henry is outstanding. Even though he has maintained somewhat of a low profile, overall, I think he has done a good job, especially regarding education. Furthermore, I hope the lottery passes, since I think it could have a positive impact on education.

[mgarretson]

20. solid, if uninspiring...

Henry seems to be a good guy with our best interests at heart... I think he's definately better than Keating... and certainly better than Steve Largent, but he doesn't seem all too inspiring... It'll be interesting to see if he can escape the "milk toast" moniker.