I met Gary Richardson for the first time this year and I'm still trying to figure him out. He is running for Oklahoma governor as an independent and, thanks to his ability to fund his on campaign startup with millions of his own, he has gotten further than any other independent in memory. But is he for real? Is he a cunning politician pulling at the populist heartstrings of Okies by playing to knee-jerk anti-authoritarians or his he an honest guy just telling the truth as he sees it? I don't know yet. When I met him my first impression was that he was practical but not an intellectual, concerned about Oklahoma but looking for the easy answers. He gave me his Plan to read, which I did. I'm still looking into the parts of his plan and will be reporting on what I find. Initially, I'm concerned that Richardson didn't do enough research before making decisions in his Plan. I see some sloppyness in his claims about the turnpikes and the state's economy. What I care about even more than what he believes in is how he arrives at his conclusions. Does he make snap decisions on important issues? Does he do his homework? Does he tell people what they want to hear? The worst type of Governor we could have is one that makes decisions without understanding the issues and the implications. I have no tolerance for sloppy research.

Gary Richardson, former Republican, started out with Paula Unruh, Republican consultant, as his campaign manager. That didn't last long before she had either quit or was dismissed. What happened?

Vince Orza (former Republican running as a Democrat for governor) has been aggressively bashing Governor Keating in his debate appearances. Orza has attacked Keating for poor management of the economy among other things. Keating has been consistently pro-business and has been more active in promoting the state and its business environment than any governor in memory. Orza won't win any points bashing Keating on economic development. Orza will need those Republican votes if he gets past the primary next week. Bad move Vince.