Who is Wallace Collins?

[ChargerAg]

I keep seeing this yard sign all over Norman. I don't get why there is such heavy advertising for him? I haven't seen a single sign from his competitor. How is he motivating so many people to put a yard sign in their yard for him?

[king183]

He's not. Many of those signs on developers' property or empty lots that agree to let candidate put their signs up. I've knocked doors of people who say he comes by and they agree to put up a sign just to get him off their porch--they then agree to put up his opponent's sign. This kind of stuff happens all the time elsewhere.

I've known Wallace for the past decade. He's unfit to be in office. Not only does he have the IQ of a mosquito, he makes up horrendous lies about his opponents. Don't believe me? Check out the Supreme Court Network. He has been sued multiple times and had judgments entered against him for libel. He had to pay one of his opponents something like $80,000 after he was found guilty of libeling the guy.

[kevinpate]

Wallace has had legal issues in the past in a campaign. He's also been bested in an election in his district.
Afterwards, Wallace ran again and won the majority of votes in his district.
He's won election to the house of Representatives a few times, both before and after the libel action mentioned by king183.

I live in an adjoining district, so I've never voted for nor agin him. Whatever his faults may be, it would appear the folks in his
district have, more often than not, liked him more than they liked his various opponents

[Jersey Boss]

Wallace is a tireless campaigner and serves his constitutents well. He is a blue collar worker who reflects the concerns of his supporters. We support him to stand up to the relifious demagogues that have been elected in Bethany, Owasso, and Ponca City.

[king183]

Let's put it this way: he's largest margin of victory was something like 900 votes out of 16,000. IF he wins, he usually wins by about 100-200, within about 1%. He has loyal supporters, god knows why, but he also has a TON of people who despise him. He's the only Norman representative that has this problem. And here's a dirty not-so-secret: the Democrats at the capitol don't like him because he embarrasses them too often. There's a running joke with the Democrat leaders and Republican leaders: "We'll take Sally Kern if you take Wallace Collins." That's just one of many reasons he has passed a single bill since 2006.

[kevinpate]

There's pretty clearly more of a when than an if, at least to date. If memory serves, he's been elected more times than he has not been elected.
As to the margin of victory, winning by 100 votes is winning by 99 folks more than is necessary. If the other party in the district will consistently reach close but no cigar status in their chase of the majority vote, that says as much, if not more, about the other party and its selection process than it does about Rep. Wallace.

Sounds like those who oppose him are actually about a ton or two or more shy of a full load of despise. Maybe they just kinda sort of dislike him a lot.

Were he as horrid as you infer, but he still wins, sure, one could blame the voters or suggest even God is confuzzled, but perhaps it's also an indicator of a poor effort by the opposition, or even possibly a mini referendum on the quality of candidate the R's present to the district. Not my district, I dunno much at all on the various opponents he has faced.
I do tend to have a general level of faith that voters anywhere do not deliberately do themselves in just for grins and giggles.

As for the D party wishing he would go away, he doesn't seem to lack support for running, and it's not like there is a shortage of potential D folk within the district.
When the D party in the area wants to run a fresh face,, they certainly know how to do so.

Support who you choose, assuming that's your district. From a sideline perspective, you seem more interested in trashing Wallace than you are in seeing a different person sit as the Rep. for the district. That's also a choice.

[Jersey Boss]

All good points Kevin. Collins was in a contested primary election in 2008 and won. As far as comparing hin to Kerns, PUHLEEEEZE!. When Wallace shows up on the Daily Show or some other venue due to wacky legislation proposals, a case may be had. A look at his web site indicates he has had a hand in legislation and co authored legislation that is now law. He just does not pass poke in the eye of the federal gov. legislation or make wild statements about social issues. As far as Kings statement about knocking on doors asking why would they put up a yard sign endorsing Wallace, perhaps they were just trying to get King off their porch. In as much Toby Keith has one in his yard as well, I don't see him as someone who just did it to get him to leave. Also if that was the case, why would those folks not remove the sign when he left?

[king183]

Kevin, you'd actually have a better point if you understood the district better. The district is 46% Democrat, 39% Republican, and the rest are Independts; so the fact that he's only winning by 100 votes proves my point. Republican candidates are consistently drawing large numbers of Democrat votes. You are correct that he's probably won due to the faults of his opponents, but it's certainly not because Collins is respected or loved.

I don't live in the district, I just know what a liar and sad man Collins is. The fact that he was sued multiple times for libel and had to pay tens of thousands of dollars for his malicious lies says all we need to know about his character.

It's for this and other embarrassing reasons that the Democrat leadership would love for him to be gone. So, Jersey Boss, take it up with your party's political leaders who make the joke. It's a well-known joke at the capitol. Ask the Democrat leadership what they think about Collins. They'll turn and walk away with a slight grin, if they don't outright blast him.

[Jersey Boss]

King,
Curious as to why if you do not live in the district you have this fascination. Maybe you should go to Ponca City and ask why they would send a man to OKC who thinks the feds were part of the Murrah bombing conspiracy. On one hand you claim the party leaders are behind his candidacy and on the other you claim they will either grin about him or blast him. i think there is more to your story than meets the eye. Accused of libel in a political campaign?? "I am shocked there is gambling going on here Mr. Rick" This district has a history of close elections for that seat, even before Collins entered politics. Show me ANY pol that is not a liar and i will show you one never elected.

[blangtang]

Wallace Collins unseated the up and coming wingnut Thad Balkman a few years back if memory serves. I just remember seeing some 'Thad is Bad for Norman' bumper stickers around that time. Not my district, fwiw.

[kevinpate]

Actually, if he is just taking a tad of 50%, he could be drawing most all the D's, and a handful of Indies, and a few repubs who don't quite cotton to the increasingly social conservative drumbeat. For all I know, the R's are garnering most of the indies, just not enough to put them over the top.

Considering R's have held the seat before, and considering the drawbacks a Collins campaign must deal with anytime he runs, aka the court issues from his past, one could make an argument the R's perhaps just don't care enough about the seat to make a more credible run for it.

His party holds only a plurality in the district. He has past issues, and the R party has a strong grip on the House overall at this time, so they could channel funds to a district race in a big way if they desired to do so.

To me the real Q is not what negative's exist for Collins, It's why on earth isn't the R team able to do anything but stall out at the 1 yard line game after game?

I've met the man a time or four over the years I've lived in the area, but have not really spent any significant time in discussions with him. Past political problems aside, seems a nice enough chap in general terms. That his district elects him is a choice for those voters in my view

Kevin, you'd actually have a better point if you understood the district better. The district is 46% Democrat, 39% Republican, and the rest are Independts; so the fact that he's only winning by 100 votes proves my point. Republican candidates are consistently drawing large numbers of Democrat votes. You are correct that he's probably won due to the faults of his opponents, but it's certainly not because Collins is respected or loved.

I don't live in the district, I just know what a liar and sad man Collins is. The fact that he was sued multiple times for libel and had to pay tens of thousands of dollars for his malicious lies says all we need to know about his character.

It's for this and other embarrassing reasons that the Democrat leadership would love for him to be gone. So, Jersey Boss, take it up with your party's political leaders who make the joke. It's a well-known joke at the capitol. Ask the Democrat leadership what they think about Collins. They'll turn and walk away with a slight grin, if they don't outright blast him.

[king183]

King,
Curious as to why if you do not live in the district you have this fascination. Maybe you should go to Ponca City and ask why they would send a man to OKC who thinks the feds were part of the Murrah bombing conspiracy. On one hand you claim the party leaders are behind his candidacy and on the other you claim they will either grin about him or blast him. i think there is more to your story than meets the eye. Accused of libel in a political campaign?? "I am shocked there is gambling going on here Mr. Rick" This district has a history of close elections for that seat, even before Collins entered politics. Show me ANY pol that is not a liar and i will show you one never elected.

When did I say party leaders were behind him?

As to your curiousity: I've always been interested in why certain districts send idiots and nutcases to the capitol. I don't need to live in a particular district to be "fascinated" by that, do I?

Lastly, it's one thing to be accused of libel. It's quite another to be convicted of it multiple times in a court of law and ordered to pay damages. Show me how many legislators we have that have been convicted of libel, ordered to pay damages, and had to mortgage their home to pay the damages. I only know of one: Wallace Collins. But maybe there are more.

[king183]

To me the real Q is not what negative's exist for Collins, It's why on earth isn't the R team able to do anything but stall out at the 1 yard line game after game?

That's actually a very interesting question and one I don't know the answer to.

I've also met him several times and he's a cordial man. But when it comes to political campaigning he's a complete ass, willing to lie and make stuff up. I won't respect that in any person, especially not in elected officials.

[NickFiggins]

As big a loney toon as Collins is look at Aaron Stiles he said in the transcript that he didn't know he would have to shoot and kill people when he went in the army. Thats the choice hd-45 has and as odd as Wallace is, Aaron is even more unusual. Wallace maybe odd but he is a very hard worker the signs are proof of hard work.