In 2008, Rep. Kern insisted that fellow Oklahomans—our sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, cousins, and our friends—who happen to be gay or lesbian are a bigger threat to our country than terrorism. These comments set off a national firestorm that brought terrible attention to our state—and according to the Greater OKC Chamber, impacted Oklahoma City’s ability to attract jobs to the region.
Last Saturday (August 7, 2010), Rep. Kern spoke at a conference called “Wake Up, America!” on the subject of “Taking a Stand Against Liberals.” Late this week, a campaign supporter brought me audio of Rep. Kern’s presentation, and it’s fair to say there was no discussion of issues in her 45 minute talk. Nothing about how she can help small businesses create jobs; nothing about how to ensure access to quality education for the next generation of Oklahomans; nothing about investing in our transportation infrastructure so we can be assured our roads and bridges are safe, and maybe even find new ways to help people get around our city and region. Nope. There was no talk about building a brighter future for Oklahoma.
However, there was a significant amount of time in her presentation defending her 2008 comments about homosexuality and terrorism. She stood by those comments, and indicated that when she made those comments, she was “talking to a group of Republican activists telling them about a group of homosexual millionaires who for years have been working secretly to change the society of America--the political side of America--so that there will be freedom and equality for everyone."
Your contribution of $15, $25, or $50 today will help ensure that we can continue to get our message out that Rep. Kern is bad for business, and that the voters can choose a representative who will focus on building a brighter future for Oklahoma by focusing on the real issues facing Oklahoma.