By Robert Barron, Staff Writer
This election will be the first time Chris Schaffler votes.
The 18-year-old Enid man is excited about the upcoming presidential election and plans to vote for Democrat Barack Obama.
“I’ve listened to all the speeches and the commercials, and Obama seems like a guy who can get behind what he says.” Schaffler said.
Schaffler attended a Democrat rally sponsored by the Garfield County Democratic party from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Government Springs Park. A crowd of about 100 people sat and listened to music, interrupted occasionally by political speeches. Speakers included Ivan Holmes, executive director of the Oklahoma Democratic party, Hugh Rice, father of U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Rice, and Frankie Robbins, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives.
Democrat state House of Representatives candidate Pierce Jones was represented at the rally. A group selling Obama signs, buttons and bumper stickers were down to only a few yard signs and bumper stickers.
Holmes said the Obama national campaign told him the state party did not have to do anything; they would handle the campaign. However, hundreds of people began calling the state Democratic headquarters wanting signs, so he bought 3,000 and was out in three days. Each time he bought more signs, they were out in just a few days.
He told the crowd of supporters Sunday television advertising by the Democrat party discussing health care and gas prices were popular and that registrations have increased, particularly among those under age 35.
“McCain has moved his office out of Michigan, which means he has conceded that state to Obama. Obama will carry a lot of other states too. It will be close,” he said.
An Obama rally in Oklahoma City had more than 1,000 people pre-registered, Holmes said.
“I don’t know what that means, except that people are excited,” he said.
Holmes concedes Obama will not carry Oklahoma, but he and the Democratic party concentrating on state House and Senate races.
Hugh Rice, father of Senate candidate Andrew Rice, said his son has a good reputation in the state Legislature as someone who can work with both parties to pass bipartisan legislation, which he thinks is important.
“The situation in Washington is where is it so partisan they don’t get it done,” he said.
Rice gave two examples, social security and immigration, which he said were both federal issues. There has been no social security legislation passed because everyone is fighting for an ideology.
Immigration has had no legislation for the same reasons, Rice said.
“The only time Congress acted in a bipartisan manner is when they approved the financial bailout package. It took a crisis for them to act together,” he said.
He also said everyone thinks the environmental problems need to be addressed except Sen. Jim Inhofe, his son’s opponent.
Holmes said this year people should vote Democrat for three reasons. The last Democrat who was in office took care of the economy. Holmes, a retired teacher, said he has lost half his retirement in the last eight years.
Second, Holmes said America needs to get out of the Iraq War.
“We are losing people and money and we never did find any weapons of mass destruction,” he said.
The third reason is health care. Holmes said nearly half of America has no health care. He is chairman of the state Lupus Foundation and said there are people with lupus in the state who have no insurance.
