Tulsa Beacon Loses Four of Five Endorsements

Tulsa's self-proclaimed "Family Newspaper," the weekly Tulsa Beacon, bravely advised its readers on five "key decisions" in yesterday's election.

Unfortunately for the Beacon and its readers, the paper lost four of these five.

Let's review, shall we?

1. The presidential campaign was a no-brainer at the Beacon, which had no use for the "tax-and spend" Obama and stuck with the lackluster McCain and his conservative but vapid sidekick, Sarah Palin. The Beacon's advice prevailed in Oklahoma, but it failed nationwide by a sizable margin.

2. The Tulsa County Commission race was also a no-brainer at the Beacon. Conservative (and long-time John Bircher) Sally Bell was the anti-tax choice of course, since her opponent, Karen Keith, was "hand picked by the power brokers" and will surely raise everyone's taxes just like Obama. This endorsement didn't even fly in Tulsa County, another blow for the Beacon's editorial clout.

3. On the Fix the Streets tax package, the Beacon—as always—was against it. Of course. All taxes are Satanic, the paper seemed to suggest. The Beacon urged a Big No vote. The people thought otherwise and voted yes. The Beacon lost.

4. The Beacon pushed for a new voice in the Oklahoma Senate. They promoted Christian conservative Gary Casey. He lost to Tom Adelson. The Beacon lost too. Again.

5. The Beacon wins one: It supported the Republican against the gay Democrat for the Corporation Commission. So let's give the paper this one, which was always a steep hill to climb in Oklahoma, which is notoriously homophobic (Does Sally Kern ring a bell?).

The Tulsa Beacon's record on November 4: Four strikes and one hit—ouch! This isn't exactly a potent editorial voice.