Getting soft on politicians? Not on your life.
It’s just that Oklahoma State Senator Randy Brogdon is nothing like a run-of-the-mill politician. He’s a freedom fighter.
I first met Randy Brogdon, years ago, at a conference on controlling government spending (before fear of government spending and debt had reached today’s epic proportions). At the end of the event, each person had an opportunity to speak. Not surprisingly, many had unkind words for politicians. But one gentleman stood up and encouraged folks not to simply bash politicians.
“After all,” he said, “Randy Brogdon is a politician. And he’s part of the solution, not the problem!”
Next it was my turn. I explained simply: “Randy Brogdon is not a politician.”
Sure, Brogdon has been a state senator in Oklahoma for two terms and before that he was on the city council and later mayor of Owasso, Oklahoma, a Tulsa suburb. And now Sen. Brogdon is running for Governor of Oklahoma.
Still, he doesn’t think or act like a politician. One notices this obvious reality within about eight seconds of meeting him. He’s thoughtful, knowledgeable about how the private, productive sector of the economy works (having started several successful small businesses), and he has something not found in the DNA of politicians: The courage of his convictions.
Politicians, as they constantly (if inadvertently) remind us, possess neither courage nor convictions.
When it comes to standing up for what’s right and what’s constitutional — two things that are connected in Sen. Brogdon’s mind — there may not be an equal anywhere in the country. It seems every time I hear of a bold legislative move in Oklahoma, there stands Randy Brogdon as the sponsor: