With politicians and pledges, a grain of salt is advisable
WHAT’S a pledge worth? When made by a politician, the answer is … it depends. It’s a safe bet that when seeking election, former state Sens. Ralph Shortey, Bryce Marlatt and Kyle Loveless and former Rep. Dan Kirby all vowed to uphold the Republican boilerplate issues of strong family values and moral character. They’re now former lawmakers because they failed to follow through — each resigned amid allegations ranging from embezzlement of campaign funds to engaging in child prostitution.
When he ran for Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District in 2012, Rep. Markwayne Mullin pledged that if elected, he would serve no more than three terms in the U.S. House. Mullin changed his mind earlier this year and now plans to seek a fourth term.
Mullin, R-Westville, explained that he didn’t know much about politics when he made the pledge and that he feels he can make a positive difference by staying in Washington. The decision earned him considerable scorn from some conservatives including former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, who blamed “the arrogance of power.”
“When a man’s word doesn’t mean anything, nothing else matters,” said Coburn, who honored a term limit pledge after winning election to the U.S. House in the 1990s, then left the Senate two years before the end of his second term, which he had vowed would be his last.
The issue of political promises is extant as it relates to a special session of the Legislature. Gov. Mary Fallin called the session to address a $215 million hole in the budget created by a tobacco cessation “fee” approved by lawmakers in May but declared invalid by the state Supreme Court.
Fallin is asking, among other things, for approval of a $1.50-per-pack cigarette tax to get the state on its way to collecting the revenue that would have been generated by the fee. Yet she previously signed a pledge to constituents that she wouldn’t sign any tax increases.
The governor’s not alone. As The Oklahoman’s Dale Denwalt reported Sunday, 17 Republican House members and six GOP senators also signed the “taxpayer protection” pledge produced by Americans for Tax Reform, a national advocacy group led by Grover Norquist.
At least one of those House members, Rep. Earl Sears of Bartlesville, says he might decide to vote for a tax increase — in addition to the cigarette tax, lawmakers are considering boosting the tax rate on motor fuel and “luxury” services.
“Oklahoma comes first instead of my pledge,” said Sears, who voted for the cessation fee. Sears also doesn’t face re-election; his 12-year term is up next year.
Others who signed the pledge include Rep. Leslie Osborn, R-Mustang, who during the 2017 session became a leading voice for the tobacco tax and other revenue-generating proposals sought by Fallin.
It’s worth noting that the biggest roadblock to getting the cigarette tax approved hasn’t been no-newtax Republicans but House Democrats, who usually can’t wait to increase taxes but have blocked this one as part of political gamesmanship.
The wise course, generally speaking, is to take any political pledge with a grain of salt. Changing realities can prompt a change of heart. Ultimately, voters get decide how offended they are when that happens.