Do you see Oklahoma becoming, in some ways, like maybe Oregon?
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.