Transcript Staff Writer
Former Gov. David Walters on Friday urged fellow Oklahoma Democrats to "please quit fighting on Republican terms" and focus instead on wiser spending and choosing candidates who will choose principles over pressure.
The Oklahoma governor from 1991 to 1995 was guest speaker of the Tyner Cornbread and Beans luncheon sponsored by the Cleveland County Democratic Club. Walters now heads an Oklahoma City-based company that conducts international trades of business equipment, but he has remained active in politics.
Walters said Democrats need to stop worrying about issues like right to work and tort reform ? to which a woman in the audience asked, "Why?" ? and work instead "to recapture the reform mantle." The reform he discussed most regards government spending.
Oklahoma has a $10 billion budget when federal funds are factored in, he said, of which hundreds of millions of dollars could be diverted from powerful lobbies to greater investment in areas ranging from alternative energy to education.
He specified utility companies, saying they don't do enough to foster and encourage use of alternative energy and blasting the state for exporting natural gas while importing coal from Wyo-ming.
"It's not because we have evil leaders or because we have stupid leaders," Walters said. "It's because there are very strong special interests that protect these anomalies in our state. The solution is to look into the eyes of candidates coming here and select that candidate that has just enough kamikaze in him, but is a skilled politician."
Walters also discussed the national political scene, predicting Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York will easily win the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 and that Republicans ultimately will choose a moderate like former secretary of state Colin Powell or Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
"I think Hillary will show more and more dominance as time goes on, and Republicans will put someone on their ticket who will appeal to independents and even part of our base," he said.
Walters criticized the evangelical Christian appeasement for nominating Harriet Miers onto the U.S. Supreme Court by quoting a New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.
"Imagine," Walters said in repeating the column, "if you read the president of Iraq justified the appointment of an Iraqi Supreme Court justice by telling Iraqis, 'Don't pay attention to his lack of legal expertise. Pay attention to the fact he is a Muslim fundamentalist and prays at a Saudi-funded Wahhabi mosque.'"
Walters summarized his point by saying President "Bush says we have to stop these religious fundamentalist extremists while he's trying to move our nation in the direction of religious fundamental extremism."
James S. Tyree 366-3539 jtyree@normantranscript.com
