Posted on 11/11/2022 7:24:56 PM PST by 11th_VA
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt won a second term Tuesday night, handily defeating state Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, a centrist Democrat who switched parties to challenge the incumbent and put up a tough fight in one the nation’s most conservative states.
While Hofmeister occasionally led the polls in the weeks before the election, the race wasn’t close on Tuesday night. The Associated Press called the race for Stitt, with unofficial results showing the incumbent with 56% of the vote.
“This hard-fought election has proven that Oklahomans with different political perspectives can carve a path built on common sense, respect for one another and working hand-in-hand to get things done,” Hofmeister tweeted. She congratulated Stitt and said she would “work with him in whatever capacity I’m able.
With Stitt’s appointed education secretary Ryan Walters winning the race for state superintendent, the governor has a unified front to push forward on his agenda to create education savings accounts and restrict lessons on race and gender. Stitt’s school choice plan — allowing state education funds to flow directly to families to spend at private schools — became a defining issue in the race. Stitt said parents should be able to escape low-performing schools, and blamed Hofmeister for a lack of improvement during her tenure…
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The only thing that gives me pause about vouchers and school choice is that government money always comes with strings attached. The teachers unions will try to impose all kinds of conditions such as what should be taught, how long the school year should be, what tests would be required, etc. I hope I’m wrong and this leads to greater freedom and innovation in education. The worst thing that happened to this country was having government involved in education.
The local Oklahoma City TV channel had Stitt losing by 4.5 %. He won by 14%. Polls are stupid. Never believe them. However, there was 50 million of dark money that flowed into this election. I am glad they lost and hope they never come back.
“ While Hofmeister occasionally led the polls in the weeks before the election”
I never saw a poll where they didn’t have joy ahead and I kept prety close tabs on this race
We lived in OK for years. I miss it as much as I miss Texas.
Two years ago and again last year he said state finances were in good shape. Sufficient for raises for state employees and to eliminate the state tax on groceries.
I’m still waiting on the grocery tax elimination. I think I’ll be waiting until I die for that one.
You would not if you lived here now. Marijuana, casinos and the McGirt decision have made a mess of most of what was good and very little of that remains. The roads are still bad, the sales taxes are still high, the management is poor and ignorance is rampant.
They did all they could. We got daily mailings bashing Stitt. They were printed on heavy glosy paper, not cheap. They dug every bit of dirt they could, true or not. Innuendo and guilt by association to anything would do. The Indians were right there beside the outside interests of the Oklahoma Coalition or something like that, bashing away.
Stitt allegedly got and acted on bad info on the war he started with the Indians. He should have looked closer and known better than to do what he did. He gave his enemies a lot of ammo and made a lot of new enemies. He is lucky he won ‘cept I don’t think we’ve had a demoncrap governor since the Silver Fox, David Hall... I know better, the last was in ‘11. I also know we have had too many.
If they daily wigwam had their way the whole state would be deamonrat.
Do you see Oklahoma becoming, in some ways, like maybe Oregon?
This is how you do it. The Teachers unions came out hard against Stitt, so Stitt needs to cut their financial throats.
I have long felt that state employees should not be allowed to vote in state offices. It is a conflict of interest.
Not sure of that, perhaps though but I’d say just not yet. I expect more likely the Indians are going to take local control if they can and areas become like a reservation hybrid. McGirt has only begun to work its troubles.
The West of the state has always been sparsely populated by working people who are relatively more prosperous than those in the East that has the bigger population density and many more Indians. The cities will soon overwhelm the rural areas, have already in many instances.
I grew up in Eastern Oklahoma. Until I went to school at OSU I thought the whole state was covered in litter, where front porches are used for junk storage, the front yard is for old cars and people are lazy and on some kind of welfare. The Western part of the state is entirely different.
Oklahoma claims conservative but they are libertarians or anarchists in many cases. The ones around here certainly are. They don’t want any order at all.
The tribes are about as left leaning as one can go and all about trinkets to the sheeple while the big money goes somewhere. They have a lot of money to throw around right now. I keep wondering when they will go broke. The Cherokees have the largest population and run the largest tribal health service in the nation. They even have a medical school in affiliation with OSU and OCOM. Much of the county road work done around here is done with Indian cooperation money. Schools, fire departments, community centers, all get Indian money grants in big splashy ceremonies with showing physically huge checks for rather small amounts of money but it keeps the Chief and his people visible and keeps the sheeple reminded of how good a job they are doing for the Tribe.
The rivalry with Texas is too great so far for the Western part of the state to want to split off. Besides, every county but the metro areas still reliably votes Republican for now.
As for the conservative picture of Oklahoma, the state has had many more deamoncrap governors than Republican ones. You know, the crooked ones like David Hall, the Silver Fox. Carl Albert was Speaker and as hard core deamoncrap as they come. Oklahoma was so corrupt that the counties are not allowed to buy their own equipment. It is bought by the state and leased to the counties. The corruption was moved up the food chain when they investigated and found out how lucrative it was.
Carl Albert, another ELF. Daddy and I would go to the City Cafe in McAlester before work and he would get his usual short-stack and I either oatmeal or eggs and toast if the budget was rich that day. I always got a signal of the current financial conditions. On pay day, when the walking money was new we would go to JM’s Cafe in Eufaula for a Chicken Fried or Hamburger Steak and wonderful cloverleaf soft rolls. Most days we split a big carton of milk, Bache Bread and maybe some cheese. It was so good. Anyway, we were sitting there at the counter having breakfast as the sun came up. There was only one time back then, Standard Time before the Uniform Time Act of 1966; more useless gooberment meddling. Grand Avenue was paved with solid cubic red bricks three or four layers deep. They made a great sound when the cars ran over them; like a continuous rumble strip. Anyway, down the street comes a ‘62 Thunderbird weaving along in front of the Aldridge Hotel. I asked Dad who that was at just after 5 AM. Carl Albert son, Speaker of the House of Representatives. So drunk he can’t hit the ground with both hands and he is headed home. That event was part of the foundations of my being a Republican. I didn’t like drunks.
Excuse my cynicism, it comes from experience. It is probably better I am on the backside of life since most things irritate me now.
Curmudgeons don’t happen, it is not a natural state of being, they are made by events.
No they should, just no unions
Thanks for your detailed reply. I didn’t realize corruption was that bad, not having lived there. The business of a Chief getting his cut of the money, the “little people” don’t get much of anything sure sounds familiar, even if in different places and contexts. That is pretty much the Democrat business model, isn’t it.
I’m glad I lived through the 1980s and early 1990s. I really thought humanity was making progress. Now I see everyone digging through the Ash Heap of History to bring back everything that caused such misery in the 20th century. I don’t know, people just turn to new versions of the same old lies.
too many “educators” in high-paying administrative positions.
oklahoma has 77 counties, with 77 County Superintendants making $100,000+
one has 46 students under his jurisdiction
“ I’m still waiting on the grocery tax elimination.”
Did you not hear him publicly begging the state legislators to eliminate the grocery tax?! He would still sign it today if they would pass it. The legislature controls this tax. You know that, right?
“ The Teachers unions came out hard against Stitt”
Stitt has taken on ALL of the power brokers in the state especially the teachers unions and the Indians and libtards. He has never held office before this current term yet somehow managed to accomplish HUGE things that no other governor of either party has ever done.
No more abortion.
No CRT
No teacher Covid walkout
Constitutional Carry! (Mary fallen refused due her OSBI buddies)
No trannys in sports at any level
Indians paying their fair share on casino taxes
He’s taken on EVERY money grubber in the state
No one before him ever has
He’s the Trump of Oklahoma without the New York attitude
“ McGirt has only begun to work its troubles”
Indians are finding out that dealing with the Feds and the FBI and being under their legal jurisdiction is far WORSE than the way things were. The subject of the suit that caused the ruling was resentenced to a HARSHER Federal sentence. Now we have Feds running alll over the place every time they commit a crime which is pretty darn often if you watch the news. I never realized how many Indians commit crimes till the news started reporting the feds taking over due to Indian status of the perps
Yes, I know that. So what is the problem? Too busy working on bigfoot hunting season legislation and pole fees against the rural coops?
I don’t dislike Stitt but he did not get off to a good start with the Indian wars.
You are correct but MdGirt has turned things upside down and it is all so unnecessary. All for one old pedophile child rapist and a clever snake of a lawyer.
McGirt is the foundation for a constant stream of tribal self-governance assertions according to a Columbia Law article I read, sorry can’t recall the location to cite it. Perhaps it will settle down but it is a handy tool to keep things stirred up just about the time you think they will settle.
The dual judicial, indeed three-way, law and judicial system launched by McGirt is just absurd. We often see Sheriff calls reported in the weekly police blotter that are turned over to Tribal enforcement. At least the calls get a response.
We seldom see the feds involved around here at least I don’t. As for surprised how many crimes are committed by Indians, most are very very low fraction Indians that are just Indianish white trash. The degree of Indian blood to be in the upper decile is hardly any as long as one has that magic hereditary link to a Dawes Registrant. Dawes Registration, another legal fur ball of the day.
And yes, when the feds do prosecute the sentences are often harsher. Ha, ha. If the tribes ever get their act together for an enforcement and judicial system I expect that may change but maybe there is a provision that sentencing must be equivalent to federal, I don’t know. Goodness knows they have thrown enough money at establishing a system. You would think they would have more to show for it by now. Again, covid and lack of “qualified” people are the excuses given for the slow pace.
As for the sentence, I seem to recall McGirt did not get the better adjudication he hoped for. Oops. Not sorry. The very idea that a child rapist was given standing to turn the state on its head instead of just getting a bullet in a vital spot is an insult to justice and the people. I repeat myself I know.
Maybe I’m making too much of all of this but it does seem awfully messed up and unnecessarily so.
I’ve become like Admiral Earnest J. King, very even tempered, just mad all the time. Not a good look I know.
You are right, the 80s and 90s seem to have had a bit of a lid on problems and went pretty smoothly. So did the latter part of the 70s after Vietnam, there was a lull in the action. Back then the campus was a quiet place. Of course I was at OSU after Vietnam and that place was quiet for the most part all through the war.
Of course there were the Clintoon wars and all of the corruption that followed him.
Leadership sets the tone.
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