The end of the Edmondson name in Oklahoma politics
Drew Edmondson ended his political career last night, also likely marking the end of a 57-year period of Edmondsons to serve in elected office in Oklahoma. He narrowly lost the Democratic Party nomination for governor to Lt. Gov. Jari Askins. Edmondson said he will finish his current term as Attorney General and will not seek another political office.
I camped out at the Edmondson election-night watch party in Oklahoma City and took some photographs for this photo essay of the night:
Edmondson was a young assistant district attorney in Muskogee County in 1982 when I first met him. I was also fortunate to meet and write news stories then about his father, former U.S. Congressman Ed Edmondson (the brother to the late J. Howard Edmondson, former governor of Oklahoma).
In an era of TV sound-bite politics, Drew Edmondson is a bit old school. His oratory always reminded me of the Little Giant of Little Dixie, Speaker of the House Carl Albert, with his masterful choice of words delivered with vigor. I don’t know that Carl would have been so successful in today’s world. We seem to look for warm and fuzzy platitudes from our candidates. TV spots with flags waving in the background are more the norm than are stump speeches.
Maybe that is also why Edmondson fell about 1,500 votes short of getting the party nomination. He might have been tough enough to do the job — as his campaign signs said — but he came across as perhaps too tough or too weathered (meaning past his prime) to be the “new guy” in the governor’s mansion.
Actually, the “new guy” in the governor’s mansion will be a gal — either Askins or Republican nominee Mary Fallin. As one gal friend texted me last night (saying I was at the wrong watch party), “It’s a chick night”.
I took another Amtrak trip to Fort Worth on Saturday for some street photography at the National Day of the Cowboy. The Fort Worth Stockyards is a good place for seeing (and photographing) some interesting people and places. I appreciate Ken Rager and his Central Tech photography class allowing me to tag along with them on their field trip.
I have been scanning and going through archive images, including our trip to Italy in 2006. I will post some of the photographs taken, most of which no one as seen other than me. Until now.
We spent a day in Cortona, in Tuscany. Cortona is the tourist location of the region, but don’t let that keep you from seeing it if you ever travel that way. It’s a classic Medieval city atop one of the hills overlooking the valley in the Arezzo area.
The image above is of one of Cortona’s many churches, the Santa Maria Nuova, built in 1554. Which means it’s pretty “new” by local standards.
Found this little guy waiting for mom to return with lunch.
Shot in a bush in brother Greg’s driveway in the greater metropolitan Medicine Park, Oklahoma. Have you noticed I seem to be photographing a lot of babies and small children these days?
After photographing a few weddings I have come to the conclusion they are a real pain in the ass. Not my cup of tea, for the most part, unless there are extenuating circumstances (i.e., I know the bride and groom really well, friends, family, etc.).
But this video is yet another reason I avoid them: they’re hazardous.
One thing I always enjoy photographing is a rodeo. I’m not a cowboy, horse guy or chuck wagon chef. But, the physical risk and drama to which rodeo participants subject themselves makes for good photographs. It’s like playing football with a one or two ton beast.
These were shot last Friday night at the Hinton, Oklahoma Rodeo.
Well, at least you now know how powerful Photoshop CS 5 can be!
As you will see if you go to the above link, the Economist Magazine removed two people from the image of President Obama on the Gulf beach to illustrate the White House battle with BP over the oil spill mess.
The Economist editors said the extra folks in the picture would be too confusing. But, let’s just call that baloney and get to the point. Photoshopping out the extra people makes the photograph more visually interesting because it isolates the figure of the President and adds the element of emotion that the Economist editors want you to think had nothing to do with their editorial decision.
Regardless of whether that violated journalistic ethics (which it probably does), it is what made the photo more powerful and illustrative of the “Obama v BP” cover headline.
Spent the evening in Hinton at the rodeo grounds. Some cowboys took some tough tumbles, but all walked away under (mostly) their own power. Then rain came — and I was outta there!
