Running the Good Race

Edit Note:  The following is a personal reflection by a critic turned Republican candidate for Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District.  Battered from pillar-to-post by Leftists critics and having withdrawn from that race before the primary; today Miki Booth is departing by bus to reach the “Restoring Honor” event Saturday in Washington – her effort for love of country continues.

“Some call her the homely Sarah Palin or the wild woman of Wyandotte, but Miki Booth hopes she’ll soon be called Congresswoman as she wants to pony up to DC via Oklahoma’s District 2, while embarrassing the state on a larger stage.”

This is the type of hateful rhetoric I expected when I threw my hat into the political ring.  I was prepared for a whole lot worse since I had already become a controversial figure on the national stage by asking, “Where’s the birth certificate?”  

I didn’t just question Obama’s eligibility to be president, I held up my husband’s and son’s birth certificates from Kapi‵olani hospital on C-SPAN to prove by comparison that the internet copy of Obama’s Certification of Live Birth was a fraud.  My appearance and speech in Nashville at the National TEA Party Convention in February garnered overwhelming support for my candidacy.  People want someone in congress to champion an investigation into Obama’s hidden records (from birth through college to campaign donations).

In January of this year I crossed the threshold of $5,000 in donations and/or expenses and went from “testing the waters” to officially filing for candidacy for Oklahoma’s 2nd District of the U.S. House of Representatives.  I did withdraw from the race prior to the primary in order to endorse and support Dr. Charles Thompson, but I will always hold the title of “former candidate for U.S. House of Representatives” whether I run again or not.

“Why did you run?”
“Was it worth it?”
“How did you do it?”
“How long have you been in politics?”
“Would you ever run again?”

These are some of the questions I’m still asked on almost a daily basis.  The answers to why is far more complicated than the physical act of becoming an actual candidate.  You can find most everything you need to know for filing candidacy on the Federal Election Commission website, fec.org or contacting your party’s state officials for guidance.  Of course I did things the hard way as an Independent having had it with both parties and most recently changed from Republican to no affiliation.  And before I was a Republican I was a Democrat, again for complicated reasons and then back again to the Republican Party where I am today.

The guide on the website answered all the question I had and so I basically got to work assembling a team of friends and supporters, those who asked or encouraged me to run and from there they put together a committee to elect me and filed the “Statement of Organization” (FEC Form 1) and shortly thereafter I filed the other necessary form, “Statement of Candidacy” (FEC Form 2) – all that’s easy enough.  Very shortly the information appeared on the website and tracking my opponents became a daily task.

The most important thing about running for public office is money.  Not only do you need a lot of it, you need to keep close track of where it goes which is why so much emphasis is put on the treasurer and record keeping.  We hired a CPA for impeccable financial records and would do so again.

I didn’t read the guide cover-to-cover, but a lot of what it contains has to do with ethics.  I think that’s why we see so much corruption in Washington.  The career politicians have long forgotten the rules they’re supposed to abide by and made up their own on their way up.  They’ve also forgotten the oath they pledged to support and defend the Constitution.  Forgotten?  How can that be?  They take the oath at the start of each new Congress - the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate.

The current oath was enacted in 1884:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

Take for example Charlie Rangle in his 20th term.  Forty years in congress pledging his loyalty to the Constitution twenty times in front of a public audience yet arguably the most unethical congressman in D.C. and systematically shredding the Constitution and the protection it affords us against a tyrannical government.  

Closer to home, Dan Boren has taken the oath three times yet he voted 98% of the time with his party including all the bailouts and spending bills.  He has the distinction of receiving the most money from oil company donations.  He hasn’t been a representative for the average resident of District 2.  Many of us have a collection of matching form letters if we were lucky enough to receive any kind of response from him at all on any question we asked him.

Early on in my campaign I wrote a letter to Rep. Boren challenging him to a debate and to a marksmanship contest.  Dan Boren is on the board of NRA and although he’s a proponent of the 2nd Amendment for hunting and sport he doesn’t talk about it in the context of the Constitution which many of us believe is our last defense against a tyrannical government; a government of cram down legislation, auto company takeovers, bank bailouts and anti-business agendas led by Dan Boren’s party.

The Constitution clearly gives federal government 18 enumerated powers and that which it does not, are reserved to the States or to the people. As the 10th Amendment states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Campaigning for office is all consuming and I was torn between going to Washington to fight or continue my fight here at home championing FairTax and GOOOH, the plan to replace all 435 members of congress with individuals like myself who believe money and influence should be taken out of the equation to run for office.  Without GOOOH an Independent candidate like me would stand no chance and split the conservative vote.  When it didn’t appear the GOOOH plan would reach the number of participants for implementation in 2010, I changed party and ran as Republican by changing party affiliation on the statement of candidacy (FEC Form 2).

Preparing a business/action plan is the key to success for any endeavor and, as a career businesswoman and former sales director, I began work on just such a plan.  I planned my work and had every intention of working my plan but it seemed like every day, every single day, Obama, his administration or Congress pulled a shenanigan that infringed on our freedom and liberty and I just could not sit still or shut up.

I never wanted to have anything to do with politics. When I was a little girl I looked up the word and the definition that stuck with me was “shrewd.”  I’d always heard and believed you just vote for the less crooked politician and Hawaii had a slew of them influenced by unions and, yes, organized crime.  Half the time I never even voted.

But in 2008, here I was retired in Oklahoma screaming at the TV like so many Americans, angry, frustrated and paying attention to politics for the first time in our lives.  I joined the ranks of TEA party leaders.  My political activism grew and I attended every freedom rally I was able.  Soon I was invited to speak throughout Oklahoma and the three states that adjoin District 2.  The subject that most people wanted to know about is the matter of eligibility and I have the proof that Obama is not only an illegitimate president he is an illegal alien.

Running for office interfered with my efforts to expose Obama and his corrupt administration so I made the decision to bow out and support the candidate I felt would have the best chance of defeating Boren.  I endorsed Charles Thompson, a constitutional conservative, retired military major, small business owner and veterinarian.  We’ve had the opportunity to debate all the candidates and Dr. Thompson far and away is the best person to represent Oklahomans in congress.

I’m back to my role as a vocal critic of Barack Hussein Obama and his team of czars, socialists, communists, tax cheats, crooks, cronies and union thugs - now exposing his Muslim upbringing and Arab/Islamic ties that have infiltrated every aspect of American life.

Lately it seems the Obama facade is beginning to crumble.  It was only a matter of time before their programmed response to the question of eligibility (laugh and move on) would no longer be acceptable.  Would I run in 2012 if Charles Thompson isn’t able to defeat Boren in November?  Yes, in a heartbeat.

I will always appreciate every supporter, every group that provided an opportunity to speak, and to the founding principles of the United States of America for which I am proud to stand.

Sincerely,

Miki Booth