Got your tax rebate? Send some love to a real Dem!

It's a really exciting time to be a Democrat. Texas is turning purple. Colorado is, too. And what's the matter with Kansas? Turns out, not so much.

What do these states have in common? As an Okie, they're my neighbors! And Oklahoma has an opportunity this season to elect a real progressive Democrat to fill the seat of America's dumbest Senator, Jack Jim Inhofe.

Of course, as a country we're still suffering the effects of Republican misrule. For one example, you need look no further than your own mailbox. Chances are you've already received, or will soon receive, your tax rebate.

This is a Republican's idea of fixing the economy. I don't think I have to tell you that it's nothing more than a Band-Aid on the compound fracture that is the American economy. Hell, by the time that check reaches you, the dollars in it will be worth less than when they were sent!

But sometimes you can make the best of a bad situation. Oklahoma State Senator Andrew Rice is a Kossack. He believes in GLBT rights and protecting the environment. And he wants to do something for uninsured Oklahomans -- the state is currently 49th in access to health care.

Inhofe is even against sending aide to the veterans of the war he helped support! Rice is against this war, and wants to ensure that soldiers and veterans receive their full benefits and he will fight to improve the veterans' health care system so that no deserving soldier is denied treatment.

He also voted against the Fair Pay Act, casting his vote in favor of employers who discriminate against women and minorities.

There are a wealth of reasons to support someone voting against someone who is such a political relic -- even among his Republican peers. He believes climate change is a myth -- an issue even Newt Gingrich has come around on.

Now you might be thinking, "OK, so Rice isn't a Bush Dog Democrat. That's great. But this is Oklahoma. He doesn't stand a chance!"

It's true that Oklahoma isn't at the top of the list when it comes to easy Democratic "gets" this election season, but here's a few things you might not know about my state.

For one thing, we've got an extremely popular Democratic governor in Brad Henry, who has done great things for education funding and teacher pay.

For another, Inhofe has never been that popular here. He was ranked 86th in popularity among America's 100 senators in November 2006. And since then, things have not improved for incumbent Republicans -- they've gotten a hell of a lot worse.

And Rice can help make things a lot better, not just for Okies, but for Americans. He wants our state to invest in green technologies, particularly wind and switchgrass ethanol.

He's had a remarkably good fundraising quarter for someone in his position, so let's keep the ball rolling here.

I know nobody enjoys getting nagged at in diaries like this, but Sen. Rice gives you quite a bit of bang for your donation dollar. Imagine someone like him replacing someone like Inhofe! What a symbol of democratic change in this country's Midwest.

So if you've had a recent windfall in your checkbook, please consider forking over a few bucks to the Senator's ActBlue account. Read more about the man himself right here.