Local Gasoline price in St. Louis (9/16/08)

As what is customary in the public/crisis relations business, news you want to keep low key is provided to the press on a late Friday afternoon - usually after 2pm. This is about when we learned that former Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Denise Bode was trading the chief con meister job at the Clean Skies Foundation for a similar position with the American Wind Energy Association. No doubt a tool of wind entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens.   Read more: (WSJ: Pickens’s Investors Ask for Exit)

With the fall of natural gas prices; Aubrey McClendon’s Chesapeake Energy holdings liquidated due to margin calls; and with cutbacks in “non essential expenditures,” the handwriting was plainly on the wall that the CSF gig for Bode was just about up. We got to hand it to these people, they are nothing but tenacious. T. Boone was on NBC’s Meet the Press yesterday still pitching his “plan,” even with gasoline at prices we haven’t seen in over a year!

It was a very bad night for the political masterminds at Chesapeake Energy.

State Rep. Randy Terrill, who has bitch-slapped the company more times than a New Jersey pimp, completed his dominance of the organization as he easily won re-election to the House of Representatives, where he is the Chairman of the House Revenue and Tax Committee.

If that wasn’t enough, Chesapeake lost their boy, appointed Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth.

Despite the contrivance of the state’s two largest daily newspapers and the riches provided by the companies whose water he carried, Roth went down to defeat at the hands of Republican Dana Murphy. Murphy’s win confounded even the best of pollsters, most of whom believed Roth would win comfortably.

Consultant to Pat Hall and his cohort Mike Turpen, who are on the Chesapeake payroll, were chief strategists for Roth, and are being ridiculed for taking what seemed to be a sure win and turning into a defeat.

Now all eyes are on Murphy to see how she will treat Chesapeake, who bankrolled the vile and vicious attacks leveled on her created by their consultants. “She needs to paddle their butt. They’ll be crawling on the belly to her with cash, and everybody’s watching to see if she puts them in their place, or if she sells out, one corporation insider tells OKPNS. And observers say another big funder has something to fear: AT&T, since it is widely rumored that a Bob Anthony-Dana Murphy alliance is a certainly.

OKPNS 10/13/08 Pucker Up Time for Chesapeake Twins Jeff Cloud & Jim Roth

You need to know why your rates are going up, and why you are getting stuck with millions of dollars in legal bills. You don’t have to believe us, and you don’t have to worry about if the candidates are telling the truth – you can find out for yourself.

ITEM #1 – You paid for $1,123,280.62 for outside lawyers.

The Corporation Commission has almost as many government attorneys as the Attorney General’s office. So why are you paying this much in legal fees? For two reasons: to pay off political supporters and to cover up their own misconduct.

PAYING OFF POLITICAL CONTRIBUTORS

When you look at the contribution reports for Cloud and Roth you will find major contributions from oil and gas attorneys. Here’s the deal – they give $5000 to the Commissioners campaigns, and they get $100,000 or more in taxpayer funded legal fees. Great for them, expensive for you.

COVER UPS

There are two major taxpayer lawsuits that have exposed just how our Corporation Commissioners have been using your tax dollars to buy political support. Here is what a “taxpayer’s lawsuit” is all about. The founders of Oklahoma wanted a check on political power and corruption. If citizens believe elected officials misused taxpayer’s money and if the lawmakers did it knowing they were doing it (ignorance is a defense) then a taxpayers lawsuit holds the elected officials personally accountable.

“Your” commissioners are using your tax dollars to pay for their defense. That’s just wrong. Look, we hate frivolous lawsuits as much as you do, and we can all be sued, and if it is a groundless lawsuit, then the people who file it have to pay the legal fees of those who were sued (it’s called loser pays). So there is a real risk for filing a taxpayer’s lawsuit.

But instead of being like you or me who has to defend yourself against a lawsuit, your Corporation Commission voted to use your money to defend themselves against their own corruption. So what is the lawsuit about? $3.2 Million illegally paid to Phillips Petroleum as part of the Petroleum Storage Tank Program.

Here’s what the suit says: Jeff Cloud and others paid $3.2 million to Phillips even though they knew that it wasn’t authorized. The commission staff said it was wrong, but because of political pressure and cronyism the Commission did it anyway.

The only way to hold the elected officials accountable was for some very courageous citizens to risk hundreds of thousands of their own dollars to file suit. A local judge whose husband is a lobbyist initially dismissed the case, BUT the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that there is merit to the case and they ordered the judge to hear the case. That doesn’t happen very often.

When you look at the court case you realize that this is a serious rip-off of you and the State Supreme Court agreed that this is serious. Guess what? If you send Cloud and Roth back to the Commission, they will continue to use your tax dollars to defend themselves.

Item #2 Illegal Firings and Porn

WHY ARE YOUR TAX DOLLARS BEING USED TO DEFEND PORN USE ON STATE COMPUTERS?

The Corporation Commission fired the head of computer division because she complained that top staff of the Commission was using state computers to look at porn. The commission tried to force her to stop enforcing the law that keeps us from paying for porn use by state employees.

When you look at her lawsuit for wrongful termination, you will see a sick attempt to defend what these staffers were looking at. (Charles Gray was the author of the bill that made it illegal for state employees to be going to pornographic web sites with state computers - HB 1048 in 1996).

Because the Corporation Commission investigator took the approach of “boys will be boys” and defended the Administrative Law Judge who was visiting pornographic web sites, we got stuck with another expensive lawsuit and settlement.

Where is the outrage from any of our sitting Corporation Commissioners? This was a no brainer. You dismiss the person who violated the law and protect the people who run the computer system – but our good-old-boy Commissioners blew it and cost you money once again.

IT JUST GETS WORSE

Those of us who remember the last time the FBI investigated the Corporation Commission can recall the open bribes offered to officials in both political parties. Now the whole process has gotten more sophisticated because now our officials are being rewarded with campaign contributions.

Commissioner Roth supports Chesapeake Energies opposition to a clean coal plant – and he gets over a $100,000 from the natural gas companies employees to run his campaign.

Commissioner Cloud has secret fundraisers with AT&T executives in Texas and it gets caught on tape. Then it starts coming out that Cloud signs were being distributed at corporate offices to employees.

It just looks like it is time to clean house again.

Who’s paying for all the TV spots flooding the airwaves right now? Why do we expect that officials whose campaigns are financed by the people they regulate would support the rate payers?

And finally the whole sick system perpetuates itself by using your tax dollars to defend individual Commissioners who should answer for their own misdeeds. You don’t have to be a victim and you don’t have to continue business as usual. We have two incumbents running and two reformed minded opponents. In this election, we can get real reform over the commission, but the choice is yours.

Supporting documents:

Corporation Commission Settlement pdf

EEOC Complaint pdf

Corporation Commission Legal Costs pdf

Taxpayer Lawsuits pdf

Related:

Video: Jeff Cloud Gets Caught!

Is the energy giant in trouble?

Hat tip:millicentroberts

Video: Chesapeake Investigation Part 2 

We read it, but we can’t believe it.

Jeff Cloud, the incumbent Corporation Commissioner seeking re-election for another six-year term, has been a favorite topic for OKPNS because he’s so, well, entertaining.

We’ve documented his penchants for, shall we say, a lax work ethic. And we’ve criticized him for cozying up to apostate Republicans and trying to leverage his position into a high-paying, low workload position with a company he regulates as a commissioner. Cloud’s done pretty well for himself serving in a variety of jobs that he gained for being a trusted aid to folks like J.C. Watts, Kirk Humphries and Frank Keating. But then he lost track of his conservative roots and began voting with Jim Roth to screw ratepayers.

For most of the campaign, Cloud has led in the polls. But now, the heat has been turned up, and it appears Cloud is trying hard to blow his lead over Democrat challenger Charles Gray. The wheels began to come off when Gray’s sleuthing caught a frantic Cloud getting caught passing the hat at an AT&T fundraising event for Cloud in Dallas recently, and the video has been a hit on OKPNS and on YouTube. In response, Cloud has just plain freaked-out.

In a state with such mental giants as Senators Harry Coates, it’s difficult to imagine what we’re about to announce: Jeff Cloud must be the dumbest Republican politician in Oklahoma.

Okay, be seated before you read this: Cloud went on the Gwin Faulconer-Lippert show on KTOK in Oklahoma City Sunday night and announced that THERE WAS NO FUNDRAISER! That’s right, he denied it happened. No, we’re not kidding: see for yourself. And he goes on to say that the video is a doctored-up version of a basement tape concocted by the mad doctor, Charles Gray. That’s right, it never happened, it’s all camera tricks!!! You know, like the Bigfoot tape and the doctored-up Zapruder film.

But there’s more: Cloud goes on to say he doesn’t take money from those he regulates. That’s right. And the mouthed that roared doesn’t stop there with the insanity. He goes on to say he hadn’t seen Gray on the campaign trail, when virtually everybody familiar with politics knows Gray has been caring for his wife, former state legislator and current Oklahoma County District Judge Twyla Mason Gray as she recovers from several major surgeries resulting from her decades-long battle with breast cancer.

Several sources tell OKPNS that Gray has dropped a bundle on TV time for the last 7 days, and Cloud has been caught unprepared for the charges. So in a fit of pique, Cloud goes on the radio and lies about a fundraiser and about the money he’s taking from those he regulates. Not happy with that fine piece of strategy, he opens the doors to more criticism by insulting women, cancer survivors and care givers.

But all may not be lost for Mr. Jeff Cloud. Remember, it would take follow up by the capitol press corps to make this story grow legs, and of course, we all know how inquisitive that group of “journalists” are, don’t we?

Related:

Examiner.com: Roth Gets Free Ride On “Flashpoint” Program

“Your Vote Counts” Video: The countdown is on to election day  “[Cloud’s] voting record frankly isn’t much different than Jim Roth’s.” - Rep. Terrill

It’s official: the energy meltdown has exceeded the abilities of the rather mediocre abilities of the governor and legislature.

Who called BS on the Pickens/Chesapeake con jobs? The Oklahoma Political News Service!

From the Wall Street Journal:

“I’ll get it back.”

By Gregory Zuckerman

About half of the investors in T. Boone Pickens’s energy-oriented equity hedge fund have asked to withdraw their money on the heels of losses of about 60% this year, according to people close to the matter. Mr. Pickens and his investment firm have lost $2 billion since peaking in late June, Mr. Pickens said Sunday on the CBS program “60 Minutes.”

His fund, BP Capital, will have about between $400 million and $500 million after expected withdrawals. It started the year with about $2 billion. A few weeks ago, Mr. Pickens moved the fund almost entirely into cash to help ride out the volatility in the energy patch, according to people close to the matter.

Mr. Pickens is expected to personally hold about 20% of the fund after the withdrawals, or about $100 million, after he does some selling along with his investors. He has lost an estimated $400 million or so in his funds this year.

The hedge fund has been hurt by the recent plunge in energy prices and tumbles in energy stocks. Mr. Pickens wouldn’t comment. Read more…

Related:

OKPNS: When Con Artists Go Bad (10/01/08)

OKPNS: “Sold Out Tour” Start This Week (9/2/08)

OKPNS: UPDATE: We Told You So, Again and Again (8/13/08)

OKPNS: If CNG is the Answer, It Must be a Really Stupid Question! (8/12/08)

OKPNS: Dumb and Dumber Part 2 (9/6/07)

The Corporation Commission races are heating up and the mudslinging has started. Is any of it true, and does anyone care?  Hat tip: NEWS9YourVoteCounts

EXCLUSIVE: Commissioner Jim Roth Arrested for DUI in ‘95; Resolution of Case a Mystery

 Just shows you that all the money in the world can’t defeat a man of the people!

Survey USA:

In an election for Oklahoma state House of Representatives in Oklahoma’s 53rd legislative District today, Republican incumbent Randy Terrill defeats Democrat Troy Green 56% to 39%, according to this latest exclusive KFOR-TV poll conducted by SurveyUSA. Read more…

Related:

OKPNS FLASHACK (April 8, 2008)

EXCLUSIVE: Candid Emails Reveal Depths of 1804 Repeal Conspiracy; Ambush Planned for Rep. Terrill

“Flashpoint will be having Randy Terrill and Harry Coates on this Sunday. If anyone wants to give Mike some fodder, please send to me.” Susan Turpen

“In fact I think we should get together with Harry [Sen. Coates] if he has time and discuss not even really getting into a debate with Randy but merely pointing to the need to move more cautiously.“

“I suppose lastly I might ask him [Terrill] about his family tree”

Tom Price Jr. - Sr. VP Chesapeake Energy Corporation

“Am I crazy, it is 10:30 and I have had lots of wine but I really like this argument!” Otie Ann Fried - Fried Kilpatrick Guinn Consulting

Read more…

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it and eventually they will believe it,”

Adolf Hitler

 OKPNS 10/13/08 Pucker Up Time for Chesapeake Twins

For politicians, especially those caught red-handed doing something wrong or immoral, lying has become the standard practice; that and releasing bad news on late Friday afternoon.The hottest races in Oklahoma are the two corporation commissioner races. Democrat Jim Roth, who was appointed to serve the remainder of Denise Bode’s term, faces Republican Dana Murphy. In the other race, incumbent Jeff Cloud, the RINO Republican whose inadequacies have been chronicled here numerous times, faces former state legislator Charles Gray for the 6-year seat.

What makes these races so fascinating? First, incumbents Roth and Cloud should be doing much better in the polls based upon their massive war chests. Up until the incumbents’ ads began airing, most polls showed the races very close. In the wake of his TV blitz, Cloud has opened up a 15 point lead over Gray according to TV Poll, and Roth has only pulled even with Murphy. Insiders believe Gray and Murphy will have mass media presence before election day, which means the current poll snapshots will see considerable movement in the next two weeks.

Two weeks is an eternity in an election, and as public interest in the race heats up, the regulatory philosophy of the two men could come in to sharp relief. Gray says he won’t take money from those he regulates, while Cloud appears to regard those he regulates as a sort of piggy bank. It’s a fascinating moral quandary for Cloud, whose slack work ethic is legendary, but if Gray doesn’t raise the cash to buy mass media, one wonders if we’re not headed toward another Gary Jones versus Jeff McMahan situation in which the public never knows of the transgressions of the incumbent because the press doesn’t care and the challenger can’t buy enough time to inform. Regardless, if Gray raises the cash, and the press shows even a slight interest in this race, it will be a very, very close race.

For his part, observers say Roth has raised more money than any candidate in corporation commission history, yet he cannot shake Murphy, who lost to Cloud in the Republican Primary for Cloud’s seat 6 years ago. With the collapse of his patron’s fortune, it just may be that Roth is so tainted that he can never get to 50%, and given the expected McCain blowout in Oklahoma, Roth appears primed for upset

Second, in a frightening development for the Roth-Cloud ticket, it appears the voters are at least partially linking the job performance of Roth and Cloud. Except for their sell-out votes, they couldn’t be more different. Roth is an energetic, openly gay liberal Democrat managed by a hapless assortment (the Chesapeake clowns; former Democrat party chair Pat Hall, the consultant to crooks Jeff McMahan and Steve Phipps; and of course, the the circus clown of Oklahoma politics, Mike Turpen), and Cloud is a Republican family man with ties to conservatives and a well-known lazy streak.

There’s one area where they resemble conjoined twins: they vote alike, especially when it comes to screwing the consumers and padding the pockets of the multi-millionaires, billionaires and former billionaires who own them. Roth is mounting a defense by going on the offense. Roth’s lack of private sector experience and his shady past has been well documented. His flair for melodrama is almost comical, but he pulls it off with a straight face. Is ability, and need, to fashion the big untruth far surpasses Cloud’s ability in that regard. But the Roth campaign can feel the heat: anybody watching Roth flee the interview at the University of Oklahoma recently saw a frightened man, and one only had to see a few moments of that phony and comical NewsOK propaganda piece to see a gifted and skilled thespian artfully pulling off a charade.

As for Cloud, his ads are predictably listless, bland drivel that lack the audacity of Roth’s but, unlike the dramatic Roth, Cloud’s ads do not attempt to spin the reality of how he’s voted or his own corporate sell-out reputation.

When former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerry was asked in the 1992 campaign if Bill Clinton was a good liar, he responded, “No, he’s an incredibly good liar.” The two incumbents, whether they like it or not, are joined at the hip in defending their foolish and anti-intellectual decisions and the misery they’ve visited on the people who put them there instead of guarding against those who bought them when they got there. If these races become high-profile, the incumbents will be doomed. If not, the incumbents’ war chests, or the lack of major funding for Murphy and Gray, will most likely spell the difference.

Related:

Video: “Your Vote Counts” Focus Points: “Problems in the oil patch”