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| Rep. Mike O'neal, R-Enid |
OKLAHOMA CITY (OP) –
House Republican leaders say they
are “pleased” with the GOP’s
installation of a double standard in
the House chamber at the Capitol.
Provided by the Oklahoma
Republican Party, the standard
allows GOP lawmakers to hurl criticism
upon their Democratic counterparts
without making themselves
open to similar attacks.
For example, the standard
allows Republicans to bemoan the
legal problems of Oklahoma insurance
commissioner Carroll Fisher
while at the same time ignoring
charges of sexual battery pending
against Rep. Mike O’Neal, R-Enid.
Under the operation of the
standard, Democrats who attempt
to hide legislation under shell bills
or floor substitutes are guilty of trying
to deceive the people. Similar
bait-and-switch tactics with
Republicans, such as replacing a
premarital testing bill with a gay
marriage ban, are exempt from
such accusations.
The standard also comes
equipped with a “good old boy”
attack mechanism, which allows
House Republicans to whine about
how the Democrats are slaves to
wealthy special interests without a
hint of irony.
The standard is based off a
similar program in place at the federal
level, which allows Republican
congressmen to denounce huge
government deficits unless they are
produced by a GOP administration.