Jena Nelson may have Stephanie Bice right where she wants her
Sunday interview reveals incumbent to be running away from her challenger
A long time ago, I gave Stephanie Bice, Oklahoma’s 5th District congresswoman some credit.
It had been a year since Donald Trump encouraged the throngs to storm the Capitol, Joe Biden was president and not yet sleepy and everybody figured the nation was done with the horrible orange wonder.
Bice played both sides that anniversary day, but at least she said …
“The events of Jan. 6, 2021 are not a reflection of who we are as a country. The breach of the U.S. Capitol building and subsequent violence that occurred undermine the very foundation of our democracy.”
… before saying:
“I empathize with those whose frustrations with the electoral process remain unresolved. Executive and judicial branches in certain states acted in an unconstitutional manner by implementing changes to state election laws.”
She was trying to thread a needle and still she said more than senators James Lankford and Jim Inhofe and house members Kevin Hern, Markwayne Mullin, Frank Lucas and Tom Cole.
Combined.
Bice, though, miscalculated, not accounting for Trump’s second act, nor his wish to hold U.S. taxpayers up for $1.8 billion he believes the U.S. Treasury should pay him and others investigated, charged and convicted in various courts of law following the insurrection, to say nothing of he and his family being forever protected from IRS audit.
We know this, because Bice was asked precisely about that so-called anti-weaponization fund on KFOR’s Flashpoint two days ago.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” she said. “I think there’s other ways to be able to make sure that people that could … potentially … had issues with the way that they were charged with these crimes could be compensated.”
So, all these years later, after once saying the actions occurred on Jan. 6, 2021 undermined “the very foundation of our democracy,” she has pulled a 180 … Because even though it may not be necessary to steal $1.8 billion from the American people and give it to violent perpetrators who’ve since been pardoned by Trump, it’s not necessary only because there are other ways to compensate them?
To which, I can only say, is she #%!@$%# kidding.
I’d love to see Jena Nelson, running against Bice for her seat, find a way to make an issue of it, because when a U.S. House member essentially says …
“Yeah, violent offenders who took part in the storming of the capitol, who horribly injured police and who were prepared to hang the Vice President of the United States, they should receive real compensation for the prosecutions they later suffered, just maybe not the way Donald Trump wants to hand it to them.”
… it ought to be scandalous, unthinkable and disqualifying.
I’m just not sure voters would latch on.
Perhaps they, like “Flashpoint” host Kevin Ogle, who’s yet to meet a difficult follow-up he’s willing to ask, would not quite grasp all the moving parts of the issue and Bice’s answer. But maybe Nelson can make it work. She’s a skilled politician, good on the stump, unafraid and fluent in the sarcasm required to getting a point like that across.
Yet, if she can’t quite do it, it’s not like Bice didn’t open herself up to other items in which she appeared utterly ridiculous because that’s what happens when you’re running scared.
Let’s go over a few.
Affordability?
One way to make products not become more expensive is to not raise taxes on them, but that’s what tariffs are and, get this, Bice defended them during her Sunday appearance.
“President Trump is actually trying to level the playing field,” she said, as though that gets her and other Republicans off the hook for supporting them when the whole world knows tariffs raise prices and the cost comes out of the pockets of the consumers whose nation imposes them.
“Yes, there were some challenges with it. Yes, we’re fixing that, but it was actually in the best interest of this nation to be able to negotiate those tariffs,” Bice said.
It was actually in the best interests of Oklahomans to see prices rise on everyday products, and that was before invading Iran and propping up prices at the pump, too?
Great, Stephanie. Thanks.
Come to think of it, has Bice come out against the war with Iran, or does she think it’s all good, no matter the price at the pump?
Stephanie Bice, state champion of higher prices?
Yeah, that’s fair.
Health care cuts?
Medicaid cuts?
Stealing the health and financial security of hard-working Oklahomans?
A result of the oxymoronic “One Big Beautiful Bill,” our state is projected to lose $6.7 billion in Medicaid reimbursements and, according to the Oklahoma Hospital Association, endure a $3.1 billion hit to hospitals in the 5th District.
But that’s not putting Oklahomans in a health care bind, argued Bice, that’s Republicans actually saving health care.
Pretend I’m saying this next word in the voice of Scooby Doo.
WHAT?
“When we made those changes in the big beautiful bill, what we were doing is actually shoring up programs,” Bice said, “because there are people that are on the programs that shouldn’t be.”
I swear to God, Republicans have been arguing they’re targeting fraud and abuse every time they make regular Americans’ and Oklahomans’ lives more difficult since the beginning of time.
It’s obscene, it’s always been obscene and Stephanie Bice is all about it, believing hurting Oklahomans is fine and dandy as long as she can spout some song and dance about it being the opposite.
Stephanie Bice, killer of Oklahomans health care and willing to lie about why.
It’s bad enough Bice refuses to hold in-person town halls with voters where she’d be bound to face tougher questions than anything lobbed last Sunday morning, and that she’s thus-far refused to debate Nelson. It’s also a tell she’s running on nothing but the wish to keep the perks of her job, and why should anybody vote for a candidate like that?
Like Mike Mazzei, Bice has so little to say.
She just happens to be more skilled at sounding like she does.
Here’s a classic voters should see right through.
On debate possibilities, Bice said, “We’ll have to see. That was thrown at me a couple days ago. You know, we’ll wait and see.”
Embarrassing.
Perhaps Nelson can shame her into a debate, but it’s clear Bice wants to avoid it. She’ll play prevent defense as long as she can, because that’s the plan when you’ve nothing to say.
Not to mention, the idea a debate was “thrown at me a couple days ago” is unserious and asinine.
The moment both parties begin thinking about a general election debate is the moment each knows they’ve won their party’s candidacy.
If you’re way ahead, you stay away. If you know you’ll lose, you try to stay away. If not showing is more risky than losing, you begrudgingly appear. Bice has known this forever and the way things are going, door No. 3 may be where she lands.
“We’ll wait and see,” is a giveaway she fears getting into the ring with an opponent who knows what she believes in, which is more than Bice can say about herself.
It’s all so clear.
Nelson’s challenge is to make it clear, which she’s wholly equipped to do. But the x-factor is reach. How many voters can be made to see her make it clear?
Here’s hoping it’s enough.