| A Democrat challenger is spending out-of-state money on an attempt to make Jim Inhofe look like Joe Biden (senile & frail). The campaign videos flash a graph of 'missed votes in the US Senate. There are 3 spikes (2012, 2013, & 2014) where Inhofe appears to have been gone during senate votes for perhaps a month or more. Oklahomans recall during the middle of the past decade, Inhofe would report to town hall & political meetings back in his home state, that he was taking on a very rigorous set of assignments in foreign affairs & defense committee matters. This was in the Benghazi era, and the aftermath of Obama's 'Arab Spring' revolutions. Inhofe told Oklahomans that he was focusing on our defense readiness, terror threats, and military needs in various theaters of war. Since congress is tasked with funding the military and our strategic foreign aid, Inhofe would compare his own research with the claims made by the Obama administration. It's what's called 'watchdog' duties of congress. Especially when the other party occupies the executive branch. |  Inhofe & congressional colleagues consult with African leaders regarding growing terrorist activities in the region. Inhofe made countless trips to African & middle east nations as part of his heavy list of committee assignments. |
Let's look at some charts..
A hit piece campaign video suggests that a bumbling Jim Inhofe has missed a massive amount of votes & maybe spent time in Joe Biden's basement. Our research shows that Inhofe was doing foreign military oversight & foreign affairs fact-finding trips.
This screen capture of a flashed chart from a Democrat campaign commercial shows what purports to be Jim Inhofe's percent of missed senate votes. At times Inhofe missed more than 30% of accumulative votes. This was when the Democrats controlled the senate and Obama occupied the executive branch. Since Inhofe didn't face re election during the 2012 cycle, He volunteered to do more fact-finding missions during the fall. His work served to establish the facts, and hold the Obama administration accountable for foreign policy fallout in fragile democracies.
Let's pull up the 2013 voting in the senate. Inhofe had the 2nd best participation rank, even while missing more than half the votes recorded. Why, because they were all procedural votes with less than 10 senators in the room. YEAR | MONTHS | TL. Votes | Cast | Participation | Percentile - govtrack 2013 Jul-Sep 43 5 11.6% 99th (best) 2013 Oct-Dec 80 27 33.8% 99th (best) |
Ballotpedia lists these as Jim Inhofe's senate committee assignments during the middle of the last decade.
Inhofe held a number of key leadership roles in the senate in the past decade. Especially during the 2013-14 timeframe. Armed Services became a massive task, especially in the Readiness & Management Support subcommittee. Inhofe's leadership in these committees positioned him to assume the chairmanship of the Armed Forces Committee, when John McCain passed away.
The Subcommittee work on military personnel was also a huge load, and Inhofe insisted on first-hand interviews with our forces in the theaters of war and our overall global readiness. |
Editor's note: I stood by Jim Inhofe at a Tulsa community meeting, last March. He was as sharp & engaged as when I interacted with him in the 1980s and 90s. He was spry as he trotted up the steps to the auditorium stage and briskly walked to the podium. He rapidly detailed a vast array of senate issues and particularly focused on military & foreign affairs. He told the hundreds of assembled Tulsans about matters they would never have known from media coverage.
He may be the most physically fit 85 year old I've ever met. I had my doubts about any 85 year old seeking another term. I too, have images of a geriatric Strom Thurmond serving as a senator at 94 years old.
But that Saturday morning in early March, I was fully convinced that Inhofe is no Strom Thurmond. He is no Joe Biden. He's still very engaged & effective, and has never had more influence in the senate than he does now.
He may be the most physically fit 85 year old I've ever met. I had my doubts about any 85 year old seeking another term. I too, have images of a geriatric Strom Thurmond serving as a senator at 94 years old.
But that Saturday morning in early March, I was fully convinced that Inhofe is no Strom Thurmond. He is no Joe Biden. He's still very engaged & effective, and has never had more influence in the senate than he does now.
