Randy Krehbiel
Tulsa World
Say this for T.W. Shannon: He took Tuesday’s Senate primary defeat with grace. In his concession speech, he asked his supporters to get behind James Lankford and said he will do whatever Lankford asks of him.
“This campaign is over, but the the cause remains. The fight continues,” he said.
“It is incumbent upon us to rally behind Rep. Lankford, our Republican nominee, so that we can take back our country.”
Shannon and Lankford both employed the “take back our country” line Tuesday night. They both attacked Majority Leader Harry Reid. It is understandable that the minority party wants to become the majority party, but the fact is the outcome of this particular race will have little bearing on who controls the next Senate.
Whether the leadership is Republican or Democrat, Lankford’s victory lessens the likelihood that individuals and organizations flying the tea party colors will have the same influence. Lankford is no fan of those claiming to be national spokesmen and women for the tea party movement. As Lankford said after his victory, it has always been debatable how much those folks really represent the true activists.
“You’re talking about the great oxymoron when you’re talking about the ‘national tea party,'” Lankford told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd. “There is no such thing as a national tea party. It’s grass roots or it’s nothing.”
