Oklahoma Sen. Don Nickles will NOT run for re-election in 04

This is a great chance for Dems to pick up a senate seat. The Repuke who is most likely to run (Istook) is largely viewed as a boob or idiot not ready for prime time, even by a lot of repukes.


By Chris Casteel
The Oklahoman


Sen. Don Nickles, a Ponca City Republican who rose from obscurity to become one of the most influential U.S. senators in state history, announced Tuesday he will not run next year for a fifth term.

His departure will leave a power vaccuum in the state that some high- profile names -- congressmen Ernest Istook and Brad Carson and Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys _ are eager to fill. The political balance in the U.S. Senate could also be in question.

And he was voted in by the same constituency that you are hoping will not vote in a new boob. I don't see any reason the the people who voted for moron Nickles into office will not do the same next election and install another Repuke moron.

And the Repuke field in this race is going to be strictly B-teamers. Oklahoma also elected a relatively unknown state senator governor in 2002 over Repuke former congressmen Steve Largent who had a 3-1 money advantage so I'm not sure your sweeping generalization is accurate.

...that if we get a seat in Oklahoma in this political climate, we won't need it as we'll already have gotten a significant majority elsewhere. That being said, there's no such thing as too many seats.

Actually in OK we just elected the first Democratic governor in years. This is a state with two major cities, OKC and Tulsa(high repug areas), and the rest is rural/farmland with a lot of yellowdog dems, who are finally getting p.o.'d enough about the economy to go to the voting box.

The retirement of Nickles is old news to anyone here in OK, we've known about it for several months.

The interesting bit is that he will be joining the Clear Channel Communications executive board after his term expires.

...that the yellow dogs turn out. I meant no offense with my post, by the way. I know it's hard to see Oklahoma from Maine!

Thanks for your response!

I have had the same viewpoint for forever. I've had repugs tell me to my face that they've just "cancelled my vote so why bother....."

but hopefully tides are a' changing.

I believe we only have two electoral votes, but hey, you never know when you might need them...


Dean was in Norman, OK on Saturday and spoke to a packed out house. He was on fire.

There are some pissed off people in OK!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: