By Richard Engle

While sitting in for Charlie Meadows at a recent meeting of the Oklahoma Conservative PAC, I commented to a candidate for State Senate that his non-committal and non-specific answer to one of the questions on our survey was "Fallin-esque." The assembled roared in laughter as they all immediately recognized the resemblance to the Congresswoman's standard line when questioned on matters of public policy.

I didn't intend to coin a new term, it was just so typical of what we hear from her. My experiences with Mary Fallin go back to when she was new to the State House and speaking to the Central Oklahoma Young Republicans (moderated by its Chair of the time -- Kevin Calvey) where she spoke in glowing terms of favoring "good things" and being opposed to "bad things." Even then we couldn't get a decisive answer from her. I specifically remember one Young Republican asking her about Senator Don Nickles plan to allow for Medical Savings Accounts. This was during the Clinton Health Care drive. Mary had no difficulty predicting that her audience expected her to oppose the plans of the President and she did so with no reservations. Her reply regarding Senator Nickles' idea was as lacking in resolve as just about everything I have heard from her in the years to come. She told us that she was "looking into it."

It seems that Mary Fallin expects to join the list of Republican politicians who are handed their party's nomination on the GOP silver platter, and that may well happen. She has to the date of this writing announced absolutely no specific plans or policies in her race for Governor. What will she do as Governor -- if elected? I am confident that she will favor things she sees as "good" and oppose those that are clear to her to be "bad." I'm just not certain that her definitions of "good" and "bad" match my own.

I thought the bailout was bad. Mary Fallin seemed to agree with me -- at first she voted against a comparatively modest bailout proposal. To push the thing through, the "powers that be" in Congress decided to add massive pork to the bailout, and only then did Mary determine that the bailout was "good."

While I disagree wholeheartedly with those members of Congress that felt the bailout (TARP) was vital, I respect their vote for the proposal as originally made. It is those members of Congress who had to be bought off with pork that I just can't respect. Bailout was bad, Bailout plus pork was not better -- it was much worse! Mary voted for the bailout with the pork after opposing it without the pork. It seems that the pork spending made it palatable to her. It's the pork spending that makes her unacceptable to me.

Not to worry, she promises "No more bailouts." Of course she won't be there to do anything about it. Her promise is based on the popular opinion in Oklahoma. I don't believe it has to do with any moral fortitude on her part. Mary Fallin's infidelity toward her constituents must not be rewarded by a further level of confidence by the voters. Fool us once, shame on you, Mary. Fool us twice, shame on us, the voters.

Is it a one time event? No, sadly instead it reveals the ever typical Mary Fallin. She says what she can predict will please her audience even if it contradicts what is said to another audience. At one point she spoke to a group of how the Obama stimulus created no jobs, then days later spoke glowingly of how the Obama stimulus created jobs in Oklahoma. The Democrat National Committee has prepared to pounce on her in the general election over that one. They relish the opportunity to face her in November. They see how weak she has campaigned for the nomination and expect to see the same in the General Election. They see that she has no plans for her administration and intend to interpret that as a lack of discernable leadership. And, they see how she can speak out of both sides of her mouth.

I know that many are predicting a Republican rout in every race. Beware, such was predicted for Congressman Steve Largent eight years ago. The similarities are worrisome; the differences are even more worrisome. Largent was steadfast in his conservative policies, he had a strong agenda for Oklahoma, and he was consistently honest. Yet, a weak campaign on his part lead to losing a race that was thought to be "in the bag."

Republicans in Oklahoma may follow the habit of crowning an "heir apparent" as done regarding Congressman Largent at a state level and with Bob Dole at the national. Oops, they both lost. We don't want our nominee to lose, be it the consistent conservative leader - Senator Randy Brogdon or the unreliable, non-leader - Representative Mary Fallin. Whoever we nominate will be better than Drew Edmondson or Jari Askins. With a Republican majority in the legislature it can be expected that Mary Fallin would sign the "good" bills they give her, and would join them in condemning the "bad" bills the Democrats propose.

For those with a moral difficulty supporting the double minded statements from Mary Fallin, perhaps we should mercifully resurrect a version of a famous statement from former Texas Governor Ann Richards. Poor Mary, she can't help it, she was born with a forked tongue in her mouth!

Richard Engle is the Vice President of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC), President of BellWest America and lives on a farm south of Mustang, OK. He may be reached 405-789-9350 or by email at: engle@flash.net