Carrot and stick political method
Here’s how to win an election in Tulsa – stand up and say you are a conservative and that you are a faithful member of some church.
Once these conservatives get elected, or sometimes before, they are approached by people of special interest. These gadflies have two approaches – the carrot and the stick.
They usually start with the carrot. “Here’s what we can do for you..” they say. It might be an innocent contribution to an election campaign. It might be a job for a relative. In some cases, it might be information that leads to a windfall or it might be a cash bribe. If that sounds extreme, look at the recent payoff scandal in the Public Works Department.
For those elected officials who have enough backbone to say no to these incentives, they trot out a stick.
This can take many forms. The elected officials could be ostracized and (Heaven forbid) not invited to elite Christmas or cocktail parties. They may not be asked to join the “club.”
If further steps are needed to bring about obedient votes, someone will gin up a negative news story about the elected official or his family or business. A former associate may file a frivolous lawsuit that will get a lot more news coverage than it deserves.
The daily newspaper will run a poll (see “lazy journalism”) that shows the official is not popular in an effort to slow campaign contributions.
This pressure usually works in Tulsa. The official who stands up to the stick and carrot is rare. These kind of people should be filing for city office in July.
The odds are, though, that only a small handful will make it.