By Ron McWhirter

In March, two conservative members of the Oklahoma Senate slowed down legislative proceedings on the day of a legislative deadline. Longtime Senator Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) was joined by newly elected Sen. Dusty Deevers (R-Elgin) and participated in what was labeled as a “filibuster.” Several times during the day, Sen. Dahm used debate time to read bills in their entirety – word for word. One bill was over 80 pages long. Dahm and Deevers both asked extensive questions during debate on bills, often taking several minutes at a time to ask their questions. The actions by the pair kept the Senate in session until late in the evening as the midnight deadline to pass legislation approached. The conservative senators were attempting to force the Senate leadership to consider measures authored by conservative members.

In a media briefing during the day, Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City) responded to the actions taken by the pair saying, “I don’t negotiate with terrorists.” He later backpedaled saying, “I’m not calling them terrorists. I’m calling their actions terroristic.” But, Treat conceded that both Dahm and Deevers had acted “according to the rules” of the Senate. The attacks on the pair continued in the days following the deadline with Treat saying, “I probably should have called them toddlers.”

Senator Deevers weighed in on the comments made by Treat. “I had hoped for a higher level of professionalism and decorum rather than resorting to name-calling. Such a leadership style only exposes its own immaturity. Also, it’s important to note that Governor Stitt supported our efforts.”

Senator Dahm responded to Treat’s continued name-calling and the contention that Dahm and Deevers were holding up the process trying to pass “a bunch of crazy bills.” Dahm commented, “Once again, when given the opportunity to speak freely, Senator Treat chose to denigrate fellow members of the Senate.” Dahm continued, “But he also went beyond that, labeling legislation that wasn’t allowed a vote on the Senate floor ‘crazy.’ The job of every senator should be to fight for their constituents, not the lobbyists and special interest groups that fund their campaigns. I would point out that my constituents, Senator Treat’s constituents, and the majority of Oklahomans would not consider these bills crazy. The reality is that my bills would protect the Constitutional rights of the people but won’t give Senator Treat or any of his cronies more money or power, so I can understand why he would see that as ‘crazy’ when compared to his ‘leadership style’ and his focus.”

Dahm provided a list of bills that Senator Treat apparently classified as crazy:

-A bill to prohibit foreign companies from purchasing the rights to Oklahoma’s land, air and water.

-A bill to prohibit hostile governments like China, Russia and Syria from being involved in education institutions in Oklahoma.

-A bill to require public reporting by law enforcement of any property they confiscate using civil asset forfeiture without charging the individual with a crime.

-A bill to require all federal funds to be included in budget numbers.

-A bill to designate places of worship as essential so they cannot be forcibly closed by the government (like we saw during the recent pandemic).

-A bill to ensure those with a medical marijuana license can also legally get a concealed carry permit.

To become eligible for a vote on the Senate floor, each of the bills Dahm listed went through the committee process and received approval from a majority of the committee members. “If I was a legislator in a hellhole state like California, it would be unsurprising if my legislation was considered ‘crazy’ by Senate leadership,” Dahm said. “However, I serve in the Senate of the reddest state in the Union. Our constituents cherish their freedoms and elected us to protect their Constitutional rights. Rights such as the right to self-defense – which my bill would further protect, freedom of religion – which my other bill would protect, or the right to face one’s accuser, to be told of the crime they are accused of, and not have their property stolen by the government – all rights which another one of my bills would have protected – are apparently just too ‘crazy’ for Senator Treat.”

“We must put the people of Oklahoma first,” Dahm said. “Senator Treat can try to spin his comments away, but it just further reveals how out of touch he is with the freedom-loving people of this great state. He doesn’t care about protecting their Constitutional rights, and he actually opposes those of us who will fight to protect those rights. He can call us ‘terroristic’ and ‘toddlers’ all he wants – tyrants like King George probably considered the American patriots crazy toddlers for standing up for the rights of the people as well.”

Senator Dahm, who also serves as chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, is Term-Limited and could not run for reelection this year due to Term-Limits. During his eleven years in the Legislature he has compiled a 95 percent cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index published by the Oklahoma Constitution. Senator Deevers is the newest member of the Senate, having been elected in a Special Election earlier this year. Deevers has not yet been rated, but based upon the positions taken in his campaign, and his voting thus far, he is expected to be among the top conservatives in the Senate. Dahm has seen most of his conservative legislation blocked by the leadership over the years. Deevers did not see a single one of his bills reach the Senate floor.

The contention in the Senate points to a significant problem with the leadership in the Oklahoma Legislature. While both chambers are controlled by Republicans, the leadership (which perhaps reflects the GOP caucuses) are RINOs (Republicans In Name Only). Senator Treat, who is also Term-Limited, has a 66 percent cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index. And, Term-Limited House Speaker Charles McCall (R-Atoka), is no better, with a 62 percent cumulative average. Lest you think that with these two leaders being taken out by term limits provides hope for the future, think again. Republicans have already picked Sen. Greg McCortney (R-Ada) to be the new leader in the Senate. He has a conservative average score of only 53 percent. And, the House Speaker Designate, Rep. Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow), has a 58 percent conservative average.

Ron McWhirter is one of the founders of the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper and serves as the General Manager. He may be contacted at the newspaper email: okconsti@aol.com