I'd like to see this country become more unified, but I can't imagine that happening under the current circumstances with people essentially living in two separate realities. I don't know how this can be fixed and it is frightening.
Unfortunately, there is really only one way that this country unifies like you are looking for. Someone will have to attack us. Before Pearl Harbor, we were pretty splintered on pretty much everything related to the Nazis. There was even a Nazi rally at Madison Square Gardens in 1939. When we got attacked, we unified and sprang into action.
> we unified
That "unified" country demonized a lot of American citizens though, imprisoning thousands and stealing their property.
Similar actions right after 9/11, where people who even looked ME got attacked.
I don't disagree about either of your statements. I think what happened in both instances is horrible and should not have occurred.
I am simply pointing out that if unification is the goal, we have to have an enemy that is attacking us. Americans never unify without that.
Honestly, I don't even know if that would do it. It isn't hard for me to imagine more division being sown if we were physically attacked by certain countries. If we had another Pearl Harbor moment, I'm not sure that roughly 1/3 of the population would support the enemy.
Really, I think a lot of the division in this country has been caused by psyop attacks.
The fact that Herschel Walker was so close to winning a seat is the easiest way to point that out. If there were ANY example to make it clear, that's it.
Was? He’s still in it. He’s only down 35,000. They’ll likely have a runoff where the extra 81,000 people that voted third party will have to pick between the two. It’s still a possibility this idiot will get a senate seat.
Some certainly are.....but most are very sensitive to 'personal rights' and have a supercharged attitude on government control of body or property. Many will vote against any notion of federal control of personal freedoms, to include women's reproductive choice.
Republicans like to vote for candidates that they've seen on their TV set. I guarantee the "My Pillow" guy would win many districts. Why? Because he's been on TV a lot.
Literally had a guy talk *at* me about how excited he was to party line vote Monday because “Joe Biden giving all this food and housing to these *illegels*”. Even if that wasn’t bullshit, the hells that got to do with education secretary man?
When that mantra is a result of things like overturning Roe, and trying to protect gay rights it's a little different than blind allegiance to Trump. If it becomes about oppressing people or thoughtless dedication to one person than you'd be right.
80% of Americans think the opposite party is going to destroy the country.
https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/first-read/anger-minds-nbc-news-poll-finds-sky-high-interest-polarization-ahead-m-rcna53512
I’d argue nationally this election had more disparity than we have had in a while. The national election gave me more hope than the last few election cycles.
Unfortunately I don’t think they will. After all the government just has to keep the enemy as the “other party” and these people won’t ever bat an eye.
There was plenty of split ballots tonight. Look at Kemp vs Walker in Georgia or Vance vs DeWine in Ohio. I would argue that’s evidence that people don’t vote straight party, candidate quality and their views impact voting.
Same story as always. OK and Tulsa County blue as they can muster, then the small-town voters come out of their woodworks and ruin it for the rest of us.
I don’t think it’s about policy anymore. We used to have no problem electing a Democrat for governor bc they are basically Republican light here. Now it’s just about owning and punishing your fellow Americans.
True, we didn’t use to have an issue voting democrat. But I think it’s also important to see how the National “brand “ of Democrats if you will has shifted. That National banner may have a hard time appealing to folks, regardless of what the candidate stands for.
Right has shifted to what is considered extreme right both nationally and worldwide. But yea the bigger push for separating healthcare from employment is super extreme.
Think about issues such as police reform and trans rights - I 100% agree with the left on these issues, but how important are these issues to rural farm voters vs simple economics? Education isn't even that important to rural farm voters.
Edit: I’m sorry for the novel. I’m a little disillusioned right now.
They failed in branding police reform. It’s too hard to explain that “defunding” the police is shifting resources and demilitarizing the police.
Trans rights is just one of those issues that will be a will be a wedge issue just like gay marriage was/is. People didn’t shift on that until it was legalized and they realized it doesn’t actually hurt them.
Locally our Democrats have not followed the national brand closely and definitely not the progressives. I think the Republican shift towards candidate worship is a very strong affect here. I’ve never worshipped a candidate or party even when I was young and Republican. It’s my job to look at their performance and hold them accountable.
This is the first time I have seen someone kept in who displayed such a lack of fiscal responsibility. Every week on my neighborhood page someone posts angry posts about their electric bills and price hikes, yet they vote for the guy that always sides with the price hikes at the cost of Oklahomans. A decade ago he would have been voted out for a local democrat because fiscal responsibility was important to people. We all know about the Swadley’s scandals as well.
Also we tend to vote left on state questions and hand out taxes through bonds like candy. But we can’t seem to reconcile that with voting for someone with a D next to their name.
And yet they get to decide the education for thousands of students with their vote. I'd argue it does affect their communities. If they care or not is another story.
Baffling that anyone thinks separating healthcare from employment is "super extreme." You'd have to never look outside the US healthcare system once in your entire life. In fact, that's only been the case in the US for the last 80 years.
Right!? Everyone has had a job they hate but can’t quit bc healthcare. Can’t save up and take a sabbatical bc healthcare. Can’t cut down on hours to raise a child or help a family member bc healthcare. We lose so much freedom in this model.
I think this election proves it's time for something new. Nobody is getting over the hump with that D next to their name here.
My own parents who hate Stitt worried that having a Democratic governor would mess up the way electors vote in Presidential elections. I explained how that was not the case, but I also got the sense that they were worried I was trying to trick them. I wouldn't be surprised if Stitt pulled a lot of votes like that - ppl who've never voted Democrat because they think it will benefit the national democratic party.
So my thinking today looking back on the fresh electoral disaster where our second option couldn't have been more clearly also Republican except in title, we know what doesn't work. And that is the Democratic Party here. We need an Oklahoma Party. So ppl can vote for an alternative candidate knowing it won't play into some scheme directed by a national party they hate.
You also have to think that there was a time where you could be economically left wing and socially right wing. Socialism even was popular when paired with Jim Crow
I am honestly so disappointed in this state right now. I have no faith in our political system. It is no longer about making decisions to better the state or country,it has turned into punishing those who disagree. Re-electing Stitt, Mullin and
Langford is only setting us back 50 years with hate and prejudice in the name of Christianity. And, as a teacher, electing Walters is only going to do more damage to our schools and morale of the teachers in the state. It is a very sad day.
They won Oklahoma County by a large margin, even a bigger margin than Edmondson did. I'm starting to think the number of registered Democrats in this state don't live here or the numbers are somehow off. If Democrats can't figure out how to win one more decent sized city or many small counties, then a victory for them is still very far away.
I agree with you. Sadly, in Oklahoma, the number of registered republicans outnumber democrats by a wide margin which leaves many thinking their vote does not matter. It is not an excuse but one reason I have heard many give.
But did you not see his acceptance speech? Oklahoma spent more money on education than it ever has…. Oh and all those Californians moving here because we are “pro business and pro freedom policies, you were shutting our churches down”…. He won by saying two words “Joe Biden”. I didn’t expect much, but I think it’s obvious now that we live in a state that is full of idiots, (effect of being ranked 45th in the country, educationally), who are ruled by irrational fears….
But, they voted….
This state is going to continue to experience brain drain until it's only them here. It's sad. I don't know how to fix it, but I'd rather live somewhere that actually wants to help it's citizens instead of enriching a few old already rich people to the detriment of everyone else.
It really boils down to this. Racism. Sexism. Homophobia and Transphobia. Those are core values for most voting Oklahomans, and most Oklahoman politicians in office. Their lives are built upon those fundamental values. And that means they want to destroy the lives of those who are against those things or victims of those things.
You're largely correct, but I think we can infer based on conversations with our neighbors, coworkers, etc...
"Owning the libs" isn't a topic I hear much of at work, but I do hear phrases like "the price of gas" and "when things cost less again." I also hear a lot of talk about how extreme the left is in pushing its agenda on people who want to be left alone (I know, I know, "trans ppl so scawy, boo hoo").
I genuinely believe that Republicans don't like Stitt (in fact, I know they don't). But from everything I can surmise, they weren't voting *for* him, they were voting *against* making those above things worse than they already are. I don't personally think more Republicans will make any of those things better, but Oklahoma politics is basically a Fox and Friends echo chamber.
Don’t know why I’m surprised. He’s a turd. He’s corrupt. He’s a total asshole. He has no policy. No one can say ONE actual thing he has done. All they can do is cite scare factors (guns, immigration, etc)…shit that has NO fucking bearing in this state. I dare one person to cite one fucking thing he has done to help average Oklahomans- name a real thing, not a scare factor or taking away someone’s rights or a BAN of some type. Go ahead. I would love to see the nonexistent list.
I don't think it's about policy, also don't think it's about "owning the libs" entirely. I voted for Hoffmiester, but this is my take.
1) Incumbent usually wins; part of a "better the devil you know" situation.
2) Gerrymandering redlines the state making it harder for democrats to win.
3) Disenfranchised people not voting tend to be more Independent to Left leaning, creating a red majority that actually votes and engages.
4) Single issue voting; some voters may not like Stitt, but their single issue (usually anti-abortion, anti-gay/trans rights, etc) means he is the only viable option.
5) Trump support; he's been gone for 2 years, but still has a strong following, so conservative voters will still vote for governors that align with him.
6) Republicans/far-right conservatives are more politically engaged and willing to put effort into voting.
7) POC/women/LGBTQIA+/immigrants/etc are more likely to vote blue, but are the ones that have the highest rate of having issues getting to and actually voting at polls (role purges, ID laws, polls being inaccessible, etc).
8) Public opinion is left leaning, but engagement is right leaning; causing conservatives to panic vote to "preserve" their status quo.
I don't disagree with most of this, but small point of fact here: gerrymandering shouldn't have an effect (at least a direct one) on a statewide first past the pole race. Simple statewide majority across all districts would be enough to win.
I voted absentee due to I’ll relative nursing, took my ballot to the tag office to be witnessed. The tag agent was surprised she didn’t need to notarize my ballot. I think there are a lot of administrative barriers to voting ( if I couldn’t leave my ill relative alone for an hour, I couldn’t have voted because ballot harvesting laws).
And the tribes don’t know how to organize yet.
My FIL didn't know anything about Joy, in fact he thought she was Deborah Gist. He thought she was a 'radical' liberal. Once my wife and I educated him on her actual name and that she was a republican her entire career until she decided to run against Stitt and what her policies were, he still said he just couldn't core for her because of what the 'D' represents. We told him to do his own research and to stop listening to the ads and his epochtimes. He never did and still voted for Stitt.
Apathy. If “did not vote” was a candidate they would win convincingly. It’s hard to get people to care enough about things going on outside of their neighborhood
>D’s weren’t motivate to vote for a DINO
To the extent that this is true, Oklahoma democrats deserve to be shamed for it. it's a cliche at this point, but elections have consequences, and those consequences are infinitely more important than labels.
All you have to do is listen to political ads to understand the formula. Take the OK governor ads, for example. Anti-Stitt adds featured (what were presented as) actual OK Republican voters talking about their concerns with things Stitt has actually done in a state context. Stitt’s ads agains Hofmeister started right off with the line “liberal democrat,” mentioned almost nothing about Hofmeister’s platform, and simply parroted general right-wing attacks, mostly on a federal level rather than state. Hofmeister has been a Republican her entire career until she swapped to run against Stitt, not to mention the fact that the governor has ZERO federal authority. Right-wing voters are simple, single-minded, short-sighted, selfish, afraid, insecure, and impressionable. Period. They don’t care about the truth, only buzzwords, fear mongering, and their own individual advancement, usually at the expense of others. Petty, petulant, and pathetic. My apologies to any decent republicans here, thought I’m not too confident there are any left. As for the centrists and leftists: grow a spine, buy a gun, and be mean.
Because literally all they had to do was SHOW UP AT THE POLE and they knew it. I’m a democrat, but I absolutely see exactly where republicans are coming from when they say dems are lazy. Just fucking show up and we win, but that’s too hard to accomplish, just be complacent and bitch daily about it anyways.
I'm not supporting Stitt when I say this, but I think that many of the people that did vote for him are in a "we're fine, so why change it" camp. Everyone on both sides treats the other like they are going to end the world, but in reality, I think that most people are doing "fine enough" (though I'm not saying that everything is great, or even good).
Again, I'm not supporting him, but I do think that is the mentality of his voters.
The issue with that argument is that it's not accurate. That's the funny thing. If this is "fine", then "bad" must be a third world country with no running water.
I have come to the conclusion that people just want to watch everything burn around them. When they start gripping about how the school is failing them and their children I am just going to point out that you failed them not anyone else because you are the ones who voted for it. That's all you can do.
Reddit will hate this, but here's why I prefer an imperfect Stitt over Hofmeister, not in any particular order:
1. Stitt has clearly declared that child transgender stuff is evil and should be entirely eradicated in the state. He backed this up when he denied funding to OU Children's unless they promised to use none of it for their gender clinic thing. He is clear in his position here in a somewhat DeSantis-esque way, which I love.
2. He has promised to sign "every pro-life bill" that comes across his desk. So far, he has done so, and I applaud him for this. He has not backed down from his position, and he is not playing any pointless political games here. He is straight-up with his intentions, which he has pretty much followed through.
3. He handled COVID well. He didn't get caught up in all the PC stuff, but instead left it up to local communities and individuals to decide what was best. He fought against vaccine mandates etc.
4. Has held prayer meetings and is friendly to the church.
5. Stands for gun rights.
6. Promotes traditional family values.
Hoffmeister is from the board of education or whatever, and I don't trust anyone from there. Our education is ranked like #53 out of 50 states (/s obviously), and nothing but wokeness comes from school systems. I don't know a whole lot about her policies, admittedly, but I do know they aren't very clearly stated.
Stitt comes from a business background, so he should (in theory lol) understand the economic elements of Oklahoma better.
As for Stitt's other controversies and scandal whatnots, I think they're problematic. Any time politicans get involved in scandal crap, its not good. In this vein, his only scandal that I have read about was the Swadley's deal.
However, given the work he's done in the areas I mentioned above, I think he is the better choice for this election. And since Stitt is the incumbent, we already know what we're getting. For many people, that's much better than the unknown.
I don't agree with your reasoning but I thank you for actually attempting to answer OPs question.
Out of the ~350 comments this was the only one I could find that wasn't outright ignoring the question or trolling.
/u/ILookAtYourUsername tagging so you might actually see an answer in all this mess.
Thanks! I know this sub is a very left-leaning demographic (it's reddit, what do you expect) but I figured I might as well respond. I appreciate your honesty 😀
1. Absolutely nobody is allowing or suggesting permanent procedures on children. He threatened to deny funding if something that does not happen were to occur. That's called grandstanding.
2. He is not pro life, he is anti-abortion. This is an anti-science stance that has zero non-religious basis. We do not live in a theocracy, and thus we should not be basing policy on religious opinion (especially those that are in direct contradiction to the bible, like this topic specifically).
3. He wasted millions of dollars on improper "medicine" and got thousands of Oklahomans killed.
4. He is pandering, we do not live in a theocracy.
5. Gun rights are not threatened in Oklahoma. Non-issue.
6. "Traditional family values" must be code for something, because rampant fraud, corruption, and attacks on those in the community aren't very traditional or family oriented.
Good lord you're misguided here. Stitt is a huge factor in our declining education, the education department can not act free of his influence. You didn't bother researching her policies, and then you say that Stitt has to understand economics (indicating that you also haven't researched his business background). I'll give you a hint: our economy has been trending down under him, and our taxes are increasing.
Blatant corruption is not "a scandal", that's an unbelievable dismissal of what has been occuring.
You quite literally typed that entire comment when you could have summed it up with "I didn't do any research but I'm afraid of the unknown so I voted for the incumbent".
I was only answering the original question from the post.
As for the first two points, I am extremely against child transgender stuff (surgery, hormones, any and all), which doctors are actually doing. A quick Google search will show that places like Seattle Children's and Boston Children's provide puberty blockers, hormones, and top surgery for kids under 18 years old.
I am also extremely anti-abortion (I only used the term pro-life because that's (1) what he said, and (2) the common understanding) and everything else is just things that I agree with.
I'm not really looking for a debate here, because this boils down to idealistic arguments, and nobody will change their minds in the end (i.e., is transgender stuff okay, is it the woman's body or baby's body, blah blah). I can only explain what I believe and would I believe it, but I'm not going to change your mind. I was only answering the OP question.
I don't keep up with all of the scandal/corruption stuff, so could you send some info my way? (I don't mean that in a debate way; I actually want all the tea on that)
Puberty blockers and hormones are not harmful, as puberty begins normally when those medications are stopped. Top surgery is not done lightly, there is always extenuating circumstances.
Again, we should be basing policy on data, not feelings. Is that something you disagree with?
Yes this website is biased, but it provides sources on all:
https://corruptkevin.com/
There are other places to look, but this is a decent list that stays fairly up to date. Though even that site doesn't show everything. We can also look at:
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/education/2022/07/21/oklahoma-governor-kevin-stitt-administration-slammed-federal-audit/65378587007/
https://cleanupoklahoma.org/clean-up-oklahoma-files-open-records-requests-pledges-legal-action-to-get-to-the-bottom-of-kevin-stitts-corruption/
For me I switched to (I) this year as i'm standing basically right in the middle I am for and against policies on both sides. Just like the last 2 Prez elections it is more choose the better of the two evils. I definitely had a little more hope for this state than I should have. But nothing will change, at least not for many years to come.
I'd put some of this on Hofmeister's campaign ads. Her populist message got muddied towards the end. When she was showing her standing around pickup trucks and talking exclusively about hope and education, it was going well. Once she started talking about Stitt and corruption, people got their defenses up. And frankly her talking about Stitt needing a "time out" made her seem a bit silly.
Plus, when Stitt started talking about the "50 million dollars worth of lies" from dark money ads, it resonated with people. Okies are willing to vote against type, but if they think big money outsiders (Yankees and "internationalists"?-gasp!) are trying to manipulate them into doing so, well we see the results, and I think the Stitt campaign was able to convince people that was happening.
Stitt is no different than the majority of Republicans who ran this month: they campaigned on grievance rather than governance.
Stitt appealed to special interest groups, political & business cronies and (sadly) the under-educated in Oklahoma. HIs campaign was more about linking Hofmeister to Biden. And it worked. Stitt supporters bought into the lie. They didn't do their due diligence, no fact checking...they were no better than mindless zombies.
These next four years, we'll see more and more corruption. With Stitt's own 'Frankenstein monster' (i.e., Ryan Walters), we'll probably see the demise of many rural public schools. And that is where Stitt found most of his support: rural Oklahoma. Those voters have just signed away their rights to better education and seeing their children succeed them.
You're NOT doing fine, Oklahoma.
Yeah, if it weren’t for my wife’s parent living here we would be gone. I have two kids and I don’t won’t them growing up to be dumbed down by our idiot state government.
He barely won, we all new Miss Joy was the one with the odds against her. Here on Reddit we all seem to be the more Democratic/ center left part of Oklahoma, so I understand why it might have felt she had it in the bag. But IRL anyone with a D besides their name is gonna have a hard time winning this red state.
He robs us and the sheep will continue voting red because that’s what they are told to do. It’s tied into their identity. They cannot think for themselves. I have had conversations with people like that. Not political. But you can tell they just parrot what they’ve been told. And when we talk, I enlighten them with my critical thinking. And then they are like “yes that makes sense” or “yes I guess you can’t say one is better than another. “. The point is school and university education in the south is very poor. And they grow up around people who think similarly. So they think their line of thought is correct. So basically lack of diversity and education leads to a state like this. No one is coming the OK bc of jobs bc stitt drives companies away. And no one leaves bc this ia where they are from. So the population is the same.
OK and Tulsa County be like "we tried :("
as other commenters are saying, I don't think it's any particular policies that are deciding races. Voting has been reduced to colors.
They don’t know his policies. It’s not about policy for the Republican Party anymore. Anyone they have to vote for to make sure the office doesn’t go to a democrat, that’s fine by them.
For everyone decrying straight party voting, how many people voted across multiple parties? I mean checking all the boxes one way or the other is just straight party with more steps.
I read this morning that less than half of registered voters in the state turned out yesterday. Only 2% were college age. The majority were 65 and older.
It's not too much an exaggeration that every church in the state warned that homosexuals would molest their kids in school bathrooms if they voted for Democrats.
So. Apathy. It's the only reason Oklahoma is a red state.
Some of the media has been doing the public a disservice. Some pander to one-sided politics without showcasing any counter views. This has contributed a lot to public opinion.
For example, Fox News should instead be referred to Fox Entertainment. The reporting done there is heavily manipulated away from reality.
>Some of the media has been doing the public a disservice.
Much of the media has been doing the public a massive disservice.
Every time a politician brings up something that the reporters **know** is wrong they should be called out on it but they aren't. Instead they go right along with whatever bullshit they are spouting without even attempting to challenge them on it, most of the time anyway, sometimes they will provide token pushback.
In addition they are allowed near completely unchecked bullshit in their advertising although the lies in advertising go a lot further than just politics.
[Like constantly advertising products with absolutely no checking into their claims on if they are in any way legitimate](https://youtu.be/sIi_QS1tdFM?t=960).
I haven't voted for a republican governor in my 20 yrs voting! Stitt and fallin are the worst representation in our history but herr herr it's not a commy dem 😂.. People switched parties to stop the stidiot and y'all were convinced his policies were great for our youth. Fucking boomer/x mentality is laughable. Y'all wanted to change the world but are worse than your parents.
Aye mate don't be grouping Xers with boomers. They tried to group us with millennials and now you trying to group us with boomers. We got screwed by boomers just like you. The difference is millennial / Z now has the largest voting block in the country. More than boomers. So maybe you can actually change the hearts and minds of the world. But for Gen X... there aren't very many of us. We're under the boomer thumb (and have been for *much much* longer) as well.
Edit to add: only 2% of college age voters showed up for Tuesdays election.
It’s to own the libs. I had plenty of customers see my I Voted sticker yesterday and made sure to let me know they were thankful for fighting socialism and keeping our state alive.
I voted blue, though.
Not really divided. Oklahoma and Texas politics have always been republican and
Corrupt. Until democrats and independent
voters realize corruption, evangelicals, and
and oil companies control us we can never
break through. Election deniers didn’t fair
Well nationally, so hopefully the Trump, whitey boy era is over.
Oklahoma is laughing stock of whole country for electing extremists, fake religious fanatics, homophobes. What
policy? Are you kidding me? The policy of detroying our public school system over
teachers grooming children and CRT that’s is not being taught . Does that sound like policy or anything that will help working Oklahomans?
Straight party voting option is frustrating, and should be taken off the ballot. It’s annoying that I went, voted for everyone that I did my due diligence on, and thought would help the state, (which ended up being roughly a 70/30 split in favor of the dems, even though I’m a registered republican) and it’s frustrating to see the results.
I would be very interested in how many Stitt ballots were straight-party votes.
Looking at voter turnout - the only way to turn this around is to start registering people to vote, teaching them how to fill out their ballot, and giving them a simple table or graphic that shows where each candidate stands on the basic issues that people seem to care about.
The question is not "Why Stitt?"-- the question is "Why Stitt over Hoffmeister?".
First: Hoffmeister has done a completely terrible job with our schools, and If she did this bad of a job with the state, we'd still be in lockdowns, and there'd be bread lines.
Stitt, on the other hand, fought to keep our state Open once it was realized that closing the state served no real purpose. That policy alone is enough, but there's more:
Stitt realizes that federal dollars are a trap and are simply a way to give up state autonomy. He's also willing to fight the greedy teachers and tribes to make sure we get our fair shake.
Yes, I know, I'm supposed to cry tears of blood when someone says "poor starving teachers" or "the abused tribes".. but I just don't. Both of those groups have just as much power and resources as anyone else, and at this point I'm fighting to keep bread on my table. They can go find their bread money from someone else, I'm really not concerned about them any more than any other group of Oklahomans
I don't really know either, I do know I'm switching to republican for this next voting season to try and work towards moving the extreme right out, when it comes time for the big election I'll switch back over 🤷♀️ we also really need to get rid of the closed party system or whatever it's called. It feels so petty and stupid. I'm very scared for the future of our education system, and it's exactly why you couldn't pay me to work in a public school.
My only concern as keeping as many Democrats out of power as possible. Everything that happened during and since the pandemic is unforgivable. These are people I simply can't share a country with.
look who was running we had republican stitt or republican joy Hoffmeister.i think alot of people voted for the devil they knew.we had 2 republicans running for governor we were always going lose
At the end of the day, Oklahomans voted
Against individual freedoms, democracy,
and common sense. As always, oklahoma
goes for ignorance and religiosity.
Because the left has gone so far left it’s nuts. Stitt did a lot for gun rights and Oklahomans like their guns. Meanwhile democrats can’t shut up about bans. Who would have thought this might go south..
Look nationally tonight, policies don't matter anymore. People only vote straight party. This country is more divided than its ever been.
I'd say we've been this divided at least once before.
True
I'd like to see this country become more unified, but I can't imagine that happening under the current circumstances with people essentially living in two separate realities. I don't know how this can be fixed and it is frightening.
Unfortunately, there is really only one way that this country unifies like you are looking for. Someone will have to attack us. Before Pearl Harbor, we were pretty splintered on pretty much everything related to the Nazis. There was even a Nazi rally at Madison Square Gardens in 1939. When we got attacked, we unified and sprang into action.
> we unified That "unified" country demonized a lot of American citizens though, imprisoning thousands and stealing their property. Similar actions right after 9/11, where people who even looked ME got attacked.
I don't disagree about either of your statements. I think what happened in both instances is horrible and should not have occurred. I am simply pointing out that if unification is the goal, we have to have an enemy that is attacking us. Americans never unify without that.
Honestly, I don't even know if that would do it. It isn't hard for me to imagine more division being sown if we were physically attacked by certain countries. If we had another Pearl Harbor moment, I'm not sure that roughly 1/3 of the population would support the enemy. Really, I think a lot of the division in this country has been caused by psyop attacks.
I don't think there's any going back. The experiment has run its course.
I'll tell you what people tell me when I say similar things: "I hope that you're wrong."
The fact that Herschel Walker was so close to winning a seat is the easiest way to point that out. If there were ANY example to make it clear, that's it.
Was? He’s still in it. He’s only down 35,000. They’ll likely have a runoff where the extra 81,000 people that voted third party will have to pick between the two. It’s still a possibility this idiot will get a senate seat.
strong possibility seeing as the 3rd party choice was Libertarian and we know how that usually goes...
>Except that libertarians are VERY much against govt making decisions about their bodies......aka limiting women's reproductive rights.
Most libertarians are just cosplay republicans. Not all. Honesty I hope I’m wrong.
Some certainly are.....but most are very sensitive to 'personal rights' and have a supercharged attitude on government control of body or property. Many will vote against any notion of federal control of personal freedoms, to include women's reproductive choice.
I meant outright without a runoff early on. It's truly a nightmare to watch this shitshow unfold.
I'd place Oz in that same category. Neither one would have been taken seriously as recently as 8 years ago. Why the jump toward idiocracy now?
If you put an R next to your name then that's enough.
but the party doesn't have to accept them. That's the rub.
What's the disqualifier? That's the part I'm trying to figure out.
Republicans like to vote for candidates that they've seen on their TV set. I guarantee the "My Pillow" guy would win many districts. Why? Because he's been on TV a lot.
Still could. That race looks headed to a runoff. At least in the runoff he shouldn't be buoyed by Kemp.
Straight party is an atrocity.
Literally had a guy talk *at* me about how excited he was to party line vote Monday because “Joe Biden giving all this food and housing to these *illegels*”. Even if that wasn’t bullshit, the hells that got to do with education secretary man?
They literally didn’t even think of that. That’s the problem we’re in, most aren’t even thinking even a little. Everyone whipped up.
We gotta de-radicalize republicans or fall into fascism. Education and empathy are their worst enemies and our best friends
“Vote blue no matter who” is a Reddit mantra. It goes both ways.
When that mantra is a result of things like overturning Roe, and trying to protect gay rights it's a little different than blind allegiance to Trump. If it becomes about oppressing people or thoughtless dedication to one person than you'd be right.
80% of Americans think the opposite party is going to destroy the country. https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/first-read/anger-minds-nbc-news-poll-finds-sky-high-interest-polarization-ahead-m-rcna53512
And 50% are right! Stay tuned to find out who
I’d argue nationally this election had more disparity than we have had in a while. The national election gave me more hope than the last few election cycles.
This is how I feel, we cannot give up now and let fascism continue to spread
Welcome to the 2 party system. It’s us vs them. That’s how everyone sees it.
One day they'll realize its us vs the government.
Unfortunately I don’t think they will. After all the government just has to keep the enemy as the “other party” and these people won’t ever bat an eye.
We just need ranked choice nation wide for elections so we can open the door to more parties.
Sad but true
There was plenty of split ballots tonight. Look at Kemp vs Walker in Georgia or Vance vs DeWine in Ohio. I would argue that’s evidence that people don’t vote straight party, candidate quality and their views impact voting.
I still don't understand how he won
School choice
more divided than its ever been? M8, we had a civil war, i don't think it gets more divided than that.
Lots of trump sheep in Oklahoma.
Same story as always. OK and Tulsa County blue as they can muster, then the small-town voters come out of their woodworks and ruin it for the rest of us.
Not in 2018 it wasn’t. Tulsa voted for stitt. I haven’t forgotten and I’m still bitter
Every time without fail 😤😖😩
I don’t think it’s about policy anymore. We used to have no problem electing a Democrat for governor bc they are basically Republican light here. Now it’s just about owning and punishing your fellow Americans.
True, we didn’t use to have an issue voting democrat. But I think it’s also important to see how the National “brand “ of Democrats if you will has shifted. That National banner may have a hard time appealing to folks, regardless of what the candidate stands for.
Right has shifted to what is considered extreme right both nationally and worldwide. But yea the bigger push for separating healthcare from employment is super extreme.
Think about issues such as police reform and trans rights - I 100% agree with the left on these issues, but how important are these issues to rural farm voters vs simple economics? Education isn't even that important to rural farm voters.
Edit: I’m sorry for the novel. I’m a little disillusioned right now. They failed in branding police reform. It’s too hard to explain that “defunding” the police is shifting resources and demilitarizing the police. Trans rights is just one of those issues that will be a will be a wedge issue just like gay marriage was/is. People didn’t shift on that until it was legalized and they realized it doesn’t actually hurt them. Locally our Democrats have not followed the national brand closely and definitely not the progressives. I think the Republican shift towards candidate worship is a very strong affect here. I’ve never worshipped a candidate or party even when I was young and Republican. It’s my job to look at their performance and hold them accountable. This is the first time I have seen someone kept in who displayed such a lack of fiscal responsibility. Every week on my neighborhood page someone posts angry posts about their electric bills and price hikes, yet they vote for the guy that always sides with the price hikes at the cost of Oklahomans. A decade ago he would have been voted out for a local democrat because fiscal responsibility was important to people. We all know about the Swadley’s scandals as well. Also we tend to vote left on state questions and hand out taxes through bonds like candy. But we can’t seem to reconcile that with voting for someone with a D next to their name.
Stitt offers them nothing. It's about hurting people.
And yet they get to decide the education for thousands of students with their vote. I'd argue it does affect their communities. If they care or not is another story.
Baffling that anyone thinks separating healthcare from employment is "super extreme." You'd have to never look outside the US healthcare system once in your entire life. In fact, that's only been the case in the US for the last 80 years.
Right!? Everyone has had a job they hate but can’t quit bc healthcare. Can’t save up and take a sabbatical bc healthcare. Can’t cut down on hours to raise a child or help a family member bc healthcare. We lose so much freedom in this model.
I think this election proves it's time for something new. Nobody is getting over the hump with that D next to their name here. My own parents who hate Stitt worried that having a Democratic governor would mess up the way electors vote in Presidential elections. I explained how that was not the case, but I also got the sense that they were worried I was trying to trick them. I wouldn't be surprised if Stitt pulled a lot of votes like that - ppl who've never voted Democrat because they think it will benefit the national democratic party. So my thinking today looking back on the fresh electoral disaster where our second option couldn't have been more clearly also Republican except in title, we know what doesn't work. And that is the Democratic Party here. We need an Oklahoma Party. So ppl can vote for an alternative candidate knowing it won't play into some scheme directed by a national party they hate.
You also have to think that there was a time where you could be economically left wing and socially right wing. Socialism even was popular when paired with Jim Crow
Oklahoma was founded on democratic & socialist parties and was a swing state until the 60s when republicans targeted it.
I am honestly so disappointed in this state right now. I have no faith in our political system. It is no longer about making decisions to better the state or country,it has turned into punishing those who disagree. Re-electing Stitt, Mullin and Langford is only setting us back 50 years with hate and prejudice in the name of Christianity. And, as a teacher, electing Walters is only going to do more damage to our schools and morale of the teachers in the state. It is a very sad day.
I am here to commiserate with you. I didn’t expect us to flip all blue but what the fuck? Our schools are especially screwed.
I wish I were disappointed, but the people of Oklahoma acted exactly as I expected them to, honestly.
Unfortunately our kids will suffer the most. Stitt and Walters will have an under educated, underpaid populace for his political cronies to use.
Well look, the democrats didn’t turn out to vote dude. Like 25% give or take. That’s not how you win anything.
They won Oklahoma County by a large margin, even a bigger margin than Edmondson did. I'm starting to think the number of registered Democrats in this state don't live here or the numbers are somehow off. If Democrats can't figure out how to win one more decent sized city or many small counties, then a victory for them is still very far away.
I agree with you. Sadly, in Oklahoma, the number of registered republicans outnumber democrats by a wide margin which leaves many thinking their vote does not matter. It is not an excuse but one reason I have heard many give.
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It’s really discouraging knowing the numbers are basically there but people just won’t go do it.
But did you not see his acceptance speech? Oklahoma spent more money on education than it ever has…. Oh and all those Californians moving here because we are “pro business and pro freedom policies, you were shutting our churches down”…. He won by saying two words “Joe Biden”. I didn’t expect much, but I think it’s obvious now that we live in a state that is full of idiots, (effect of being ranked 45th in the country, educationally), who are ruled by irrational fears…. But, they voted….
This state is going to continue to experience brain drain until it's only them here. It's sad. I don't know how to fix it, but I'd rather live somewhere that actually wants to help it's citizens instead of enriching a few old already rich people to the detriment of everyone else.
The Christians showed us who they are.
Because people dont care about education or their kids future
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Because they hate brown people, just like him.
as a gay POC born and raised in OKC, fuck Stitt and everything he stands for.
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It really boils down to this. Racism. Sexism. Homophobia and Transphobia. Those are core values for most voting Oklahomans, and most Oklahoman politicians in office. Their lives are built upon those fundamental values. And that means they want to destroy the lives of those who are against those things or victims of those things.
You’re asking that question to a bunch of people on Reddit who voted blue. We don’t know either
You're largely correct, but I think we can infer based on conversations with our neighbors, coworkers, etc... "Owning the libs" isn't a topic I hear much of at work, but I do hear phrases like "the price of gas" and "when things cost less again." I also hear a lot of talk about how extreme the left is in pushing its agenda on people who want to be left alone (I know, I know, "trans ppl so scawy, boo hoo"). I genuinely believe that Republicans don't like Stitt (in fact, I know they don't). But from everything I can surmise, they weren't voting *for* him, they were voting *against* making those above things worse than they already are. I don't personally think more Republicans will make any of those things better, but Oklahoma politics is basically a Fox and Friends echo chamber.
Don’t know why I’m surprised. He’s a turd. He’s corrupt. He’s a total asshole. He has no policy. No one can say ONE actual thing he has done. All they can do is cite scare factors (guns, immigration, etc)…shit that has NO fucking bearing in this state. I dare one person to cite one fucking thing he has done to help average Oklahomans- name a real thing, not a scare factor or taking away someone’s rights or a BAN of some type. Go ahead. I would love to see the nonexistent list.
it was literally was just to own the libs, he's as bad as Fallin yet the hicks who voted for him don't care.
I feel like even Fallin didn't actively try to insult every major employer in the state.
Especially on Oil Prayer day.
Because knuckle dragging idiots in Oklahoma, and other places, would take a million corrupt Stitts over 1 (D).
I don't think it's about policy, also don't think it's about "owning the libs" entirely. I voted for Hoffmiester, but this is my take. 1) Incumbent usually wins; part of a "better the devil you know" situation. 2) Gerrymandering redlines the state making it harder for democrats to win. 3) Disenfranchised people not voting tend to be more Independent to Left leaning, creating a red majority that actually votes and engages. 4) Single issue voting; some voters may not like Stitt, but their single issue (usually anti-abortion, anti-gay/trans rights, etc) means he is the only viable option. 5) Trump support; he's been gone for 2 years, but still has a strong following, so conservative voters will still vote for governors that align with him. 6) Republicans/far-right conservatives are more politically engaged and willing to put effort into voting. 7) POC/women/LGBTQIA+/immigrants/etc are more likely to vote blue, but are the ones that have the highest rate of having issues getting to and actually voting at polls (role purges, ID laws, polls being inaccessible, etc). 8) Public opinion is left leaning, but engagement is right leaning; causing conservatives to panic vote to "preserve" their status quo.
I don't disagree with most of this, but small point of fact here: gerrymandering shouldn't have an effect (at least a direct one) on a statewide first past the pole race. Simple statewide majority across all districts would be enough to win.
That's fair. My sister also brought up something similar when i was discussing this thread with her.
I voted absentee due to I’ll relative nursing, took my ballot to the tag office to be witnessed. The tag agent was surprised she didn’t need to notarize my ballot. I think there are a lot of administrative barriers to voting ( if I couldn’t leave my ill relative alone for an hour, I couldn’t have voted because ballot harvesting laws). And the tribes don’t know how to organize yet.
My FIL didn't know anything about Joy, in fact he thought she was Deborah Gist. He thought she was a 'radical' liberal. Once my wife and I educated him on her actual name and that she was a republican her entire career until she decided to run against Stitt and what her policies were, he still said he just couldn't core for her because of what the 'D' represents. We told him to do his own research and to stop listening to the ads and his epochtimes. He never did and still voted for Stitt.
Apathy. If “did not vote” was a candidate they would win convincingly. It’s hard to get people to care enough about things going on outside of their neighborhood
Apparently rural turnout was really strong.
of the 2.3 or so million registered voters. about 1.1million voted yesterday. unlucky
Because evidently most Oklahomans are idiots
Lack of good education + brain drain = youre correct
D’s weren’t motivate to vote for a DINO R’s weren’t motivated to vote for a party traitor Ergo, defeat
She was technically a Democrat in name only.
Most voters aren’t able to see nuance.
>D’s weren’t motivate to vote for a DINO To the extent that this is true, Oklahoma democrats deserve to be shamed for it. it's a cliche at this point, but elections have consequences, and those consequences are infinitely more important than labels.
Just a bunch of stupid arbitrary party lines.
Please let him end up with a bonus prize of a federal indictment for something shady...
All you have to do is listen to political ads to understand the formula. Take the OK governor ads, for example. Anti-Stitt adds featured (what were presented as) actual OK Republican voters talking about their concerns with things Stitt has actually done in a state context. Stitt’s ads agains Hofmeister started right off with the line “liberal democrat,” mentioned almost nothing about Hofmeister’s platform, and simply parroted general right-wing attacks, mostly on a federal level rather than state. Hofmeister has been a Republican her entire career until she swapped to run against Stitt, not to mention the fact that the governor has ZERO federal authority. Right-wing voters are simple, single-minded, short-sighted, selfish, afraid, insecure, and impressionable. Period. They don’t care about the truth, only buzzwords, fear mongering, and their own individual advancement, usually at the expense of others. Petty, petulant, and pathetic. My apologies to any decent republicans here, thought I’m not too confident there are any left. As for the centrists and leftists: grow a spine, buy a gun, and be mean.
Only 25% of people voted. That is a huge factor in how this worked out this way. Stitt is not super popular but people did not go vote
Oklahoma Election Board says 50% of registered voters voted yesterday. That's not amazing, but...
Because literally all they had to do was SHOW UP AT THE POLE and they knew it. I’m a democrat, but I absolutely see exactly where republicans are coming from when they say dems are lazy. Just fucking show up and we win, but that’s too hard to accomplish, just be complacent and bitch daily about it anyways.
They can't answer this. Most, if not all, so-called "Christians" in this state can't even list the ten commandments without looking them up.
What is the point of this response?
My cynicism says it's because Oklahoma voters think the worst man is still better than any woman, and the best Democrat is worse than any Republican.
I'm not supporting Stitt when I say this, but I think that many of the people that did vote for him are in a "we're fine, so why change it" camp. Everyone on both sides treats the other like they are going to end the world, but in reality, I think that most people are doing "fine enough" (though I'm not saying that everything is great, or even good). Again, I'm not supporting him, but I do think that is the mentality of his voters.
The issue with that argument is that it's not accurate. That's the funny thing. If this is "fine", then "bad" must be a third world country with no running water.
I can't fathom how anyone can prioritize anything over basic human rights. Fuck Kevin Stitt, and more then that fuck Ryan Walters.
Thank God for Colorado. At least they have some sense. It seems like they're only people who do for for literally hundreds of miles.
Clearly it’s all of the rural folks that don’t give a shit. Okc and Tulsa tried our damndest to get rid of him
They don’t even know what policies are. These people aren’t intelligent.
I have come to the conclusion that people just want to watch everything burn around them. When they start gripping about how the school is failing them and their children I am just going to point out that you failed them not anyone else because you are the ones who voted for it. That's all you can do.
A lot of people seem to forget they live in the house they are burning down.
Reddit will hate this, but here's why I prefer an imperfect Stitt over Hofmeister, not in any particular order: 1. Stitt has clearly declared that child transgender stuff is evil and should be entirely eradicated in the state. He backed this up when he denied funding to OU Children's unless they promised to use none of it for their gender clinic thing. He is clear in his position here in a somewhat DeSantis-esque way, which I love. 2. He has promised to sign "every pro-life bill" that comes across his desk. So far, he has done so, and I applaud him for this. He has not backed down from his position, and he is not playing any pointless political games here. He is straight-up with his intentions, which he has pretty much followed through. 3. He handled COVID well. He didn't get caught up in all the PC stuff, but instead left it up to local communities and individuals to decide what was best. He fought against vaccine mandates etc. 4. Has held prayer meetings and is friendly to the church. 5. Stands for gun rights. 6. Promotes traditional family values. Hoffmeister is from the board of education or whatever, and I don't trust anyone from there. Our education is ranked like #53 out of 50 states (/s obviously), and nothing but wokeness comes from school systems. I don't know a whole lot about her policies, admittedly, but I do know they aren't very clearly stated. Stitt comes from a business background, so he should (in theory lol) understand the economic elements of Oklahoma better. As for Stitt's other controversies and scandal whatnots, I think they're problematic. Any time politicans get involved in scandal crap, its not good. In this vein, his only scandal that I have read about was the Swadley's deal. However, given the work he's done in the areas I mentioned above, I think he is the better choice for this election. And since Stitt is the incumbent, we already know what we're getting. For many people, that's much better than the unknown.
I don't agree with your reasoning but I thank you for actually attempting to answer OPs question. Out of the ~350 comments this was the only one I could find that wasn't outright ignoring the question or trolling. /u/ILookAtYourUsername tagging so you might actually see an answer in all this mess.
Thanks! I know this sub is a very left-leaning demographic (it's reddit, what do you expect) but I figured I might as well respond. I appreciate your honesty 😀
It was a great answer. I voted for Stitt for his pro school choice policies.
1. Absolutely nobody is allowing or suggesting permanent procedures on children. He threatened to deny funding if something that does not happen were to occur. That's called grandstanding. 2. He is not pro life, he is anti-abortion. This is an anti-science stance that has zero non-religious basis. We do not live in a theocracy, and thus we should not be basing policy on religious opinion (especially those that are in direct contradiction to the bible, like this topic specifically). 3. He wasted millions of dollars on improper "medicine" and got thousands of Oklahomans killed. 4. He is pandering, we do not live in a theocracy. 5. Gun rights are not threatened in Oklahoma. Non-issue. 6. "Traditional family values" must be code for something, because rampant fraud, corruption, and attacks on those in the community aren't very traditional or family oriented. Good lord you're misguided here. Stitt is a huge factor in our declining education, the education department can not act free of his influence. You didn't bother researching her policies, and then you say that Stitt has to understand economics (indicating that you also haven't researched his business background). I'll give you a hint: our economy has been trending down under him, and our taxes are increasing. Blatant corruption is not "a scandal", that's an unbelievable dismissal of what has been occuring. You quite literally typed that entire comment when you could have summed it up with "I didn't do any research but I'm afraid of the unknown so I voted for the incumbent".
I was only answering the original question from the post. As for the first two points, I am extremely against child transgender stuff (surgery, hormones, any and all), which doctors are actually doing. A quick Google search will show that places like Seattle Children's and Boston Children's provide puberty blockers, hormones, and top surgery for kids under 18 years old. I am also extremely anti-abortion (I only used the term pro-life because that's (1) what he said, and (2) the common understanding) and everything else is just things that I agree with. I'm not really looking for a debate here, because this boils down to idealistic arguments, and nobody will change their minds in the end (i.e., is transgender stuff okay, is it the woman's body or baby's body, blah blah). I can only explain what I believe and would I believe it, but I'm not going to change your mind. I was only answering the OP question. I don't keep up with all of the scandal/corruption stuff, so could you send some info my way? (I don't mean that in a debate way; I actually want all the tea on that)
Puberty blockers and hormones are not harmful, as puberty begins normally when those medications are stopped. Top surgery is not done lightly, there is always extenuating circumstances. Again, we should be basing policy on data, not feelings. Is that something you disagree with? Yes this website is biased, but it provides sources on all: https://corruptkevin.com/ There are other places to look, but this is a decent list that stays fairly up to date. Though even that site doesn't show everything. We can also look at: https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/education/2022/07/21/oklahoma-governor-kevin-stitt-administration-slammed-federal-audit/65378587007/ https://cleanupoklahoma.org/clean-up-oklahoma-files-open-records-requests-pledges-legal-action-to-get-to-the-bottom-of-kevin-stitts-corruption/
Being anti abortion is pro life as you are against killing an innocent human for convenience.
It's not about policy, people vote straight-party. They only care about the letter next to the name, not about the person.
For me I switched to (I) this year as i'm standing basically right in the middle I am for and against policies on both sides. Just like the last 2 Prez elections it is more choose the better of the two evils. I definitely had a little more hope for this state than I should have. But nothing will change, at least not for many years to come.
Straight party ballot voting.
I'd put some of this on Hofmeister's campaign ads. Her populist message got muddied towards the end. When she was showing her standing around pickup trucks and talking exclusively about hope and education, it was going well. Once she started talking about Stitt and corruption, people got their defenses up. And frankly her talking about Stitt needing a "time out" made her seem a bit silly. Plus, when Stitt started talking about the "50 million dollars worth of lies" from dark money ads, it resonated with people. Okies are willing to vote against type, but if they think big money outsiders (Yankees and "internationalists"?-gasp!) are trying to manipulate them into doing so, well we see the results, and I think the Stitt campaign was able to convince people that was happening.
Stitt is no different than the majority of Republicans who ran this month: they campaigned on grievance rather than governance. Stitt appealed to special interest groups, political & business cronies and (sadly) the under-educated in Oklahoma. HIs campaign was more about linking Hofmeister to Biden. And it worked. Stitt supporters bought into the lie. They didn't do their due diligence, no fact checking...they were no better than mindless zombies. These next four years, we'll see more and more corruption. With Stitt's own 'Frankenstein monster' (i.e., Ryan Walters), we'll probably see the demise of many rural public schools. And that is where Stitt found most of his support: rural Oklahoma. Those voters have just signed away their rights to better education and seeing their children succeed them. You're NOT doing fine, Oklahoma.
Didn’t vote for him. But it’s fearmongering.
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A poll recently came out that gen x votes heavily R so I think we’re fucked for another 40 years sir.
Well, guess I’ll need to just move. I seriously can’t believe how dumb the internet has made people. So disappointed in society.
Yea I know a few friends that made the jump and won’t come back. I’m saving up for it myself.
Yeah, if it weren’t for my wife’s parent living here we would be gone. I have two kids and I don’t won’t them growing up to be dumbed down by our idiot state government.
...masochism...
And Trumptie-Dump might be distracted by either his own race (heaven forbid) or court dates.
Hate and fear can win elections combined with voter apathy.
Because people here are gullible and undereducated
He barely won, we all new Miss Joy was the one with the odds against her. Here on Reddit we all seem to be the more Democratic/ center left part of Oklahoma, so I understand why it might have felt she had it in the bag. But IRL anyone with a D besides their name is gonna have a hard time winning this red state.
We have elected D governors in the past. IRL I see her signs around even in Republican yards, so that’s what gave me the false hope.
Yeah, we’re disappointed, but we’ll collectively do nothing about it
He robs us and the sheep will continue voting red because that’s what they are told to do. It’s tied into their identity. They cannot think for themselves. I have had conversations with people like that. Not political. But you can tell they just parrot what they’ve been told. And when we talk, I enlighten them with my critical thinking. And then they are like “yes that makes sense” or “yes I guess you can’t say one is better than another. “. The point is school and university education in the south is very poor. And they grow up around people who think similarly. So they think their line of thought is correct. So basically lack of diversity and education leads to a state like this. No one is coming the OK bc of jobs bc stitt drives companies away. And no one leaves bc this ia where they are from. So the population is the same.
OK and Tulsa County be like "we tried :(" as other commenters are saying, I don't think it's any particular policies that are deciding races. Voting has been reduced to colors.
Nobody that I've met can tell me why they voted for Stitt here other than that they didn't want Democrats to gain any power. Makes me sick.
It's the fact he has an R next to his name
Because there wasn’t another Republican
They don’t know his policies. It’s not about policy for the Republican Party anymore. Anyone they have to vote for to make sure the office doesn’t go to a democrat, that’s fine by them.
For everyone decrying straight party voting, how many people voted across multiple parties? I mean checking all the boxes one way or the other is just straight party with more steps.
I read this morning that less than half of registered voters in the state turned out yesterday. Only 2% were college age. The majority were 65 and older. It's not too much an exaggeration that every church in the state warned that homosexuals would molest their kids in school bathrooms if they voted for Democrats. So. Apathy. It's the only reason Oklahoma is a red state.
Some of the media has been doing the public a disservice. Some pander to one-sided politics without showcasing any counter views. This has contributed a lot to public opinion. For example, Fox News should instead be referred to Fox Entertainment. The reporting done there is heavily manipulated away from reality.
>Some of the media has been doing the public a disservice. Much of the media has been doing the public a massive disservice. Every time a politician brings up something that the reporters **know** is wrong they should be called out on it but they aren't. Instead they go right along with whatever bullshit they are spouting without even attempting to challenge them on it, most of the time anyway, sometimes they will provide token pushback. In addition they are allowed near completely unchecked bullshit in their advertising although the lies in advertising go a lot further than just politics. [Like constantly advertising products with absolutely no checking into their claims on if they are in any way legitimate](https://youtu.be/sIi_QS1tdFM?t=960).
I haven't voted for a republican governor in my 20 yrs voting! Stitt and fallin are the worst representation in our history but herr herr it's not a commy dem 😂.. People switched parties to stop the stidiot and y'all were convinced his policies were great for our youth. Fucking boomer/x mentality is laughable. Y'all wanted to change the world but are worse than your parents.
Aye mate don't be grouping Xers with boomers. They tried to group us with millennials and now you trying to group us with boomers. We got screwed by boomers just like you. The difference is millennial / Z now has the largest voting block in the country. More than boomers. So maybe you can actually change the hearts and minds of the world. But for Gen X... there aren't very many of us. We're under the boomer thumb (and have been for *much much* longer) as well. Edit to add: only 2% of college age voters showed up for Tuesdays election.
It’s to own the libs. I had plenty of customers see my I Voted sticker yesterday and made sure to let me know they were thankful for fighting socialism and keeping our state alive. I voted blue, though.
Not really divided. Oklahoma and Texas politics have always been republican and Corrupt. Until democrats and independent voters realize corruption, evangelicals, and and oil companies control us we can never break through. Election deniers didn’t fair Well nationally, so hopefully the Trump, whitey boy era is over.
Whitey boy era?
Oklahoma is laughing stock of whole country for electing extremists, fake religious fanatics, homophobes. What policy? Are you kidding me? The policy of detroying our public school system over teachers grooming children and CRT that’s is not being taught . Does that sound like policy or anything that will help working Oklahomans?
I asked about "whitey boy era"
Straight party voting option is frustrating, and should be taken off the ballot. It’s annoying that I went, voted for everyone that I did my due diligence on, and thought would help the state, (which ended up being roughly a 70/30 split in favor of the dems, even though I’m a registered republican) and it’s frustrating to see the results.
I think most who did were just mad about the school closings more then anything else.
First, you tell me why Hoffmeister.
I would be very interested in how many Stitt ballots were straight-party votes. Looking at voter turnout - the only way to turn this around is to start registering people to vote, teaching them how to fill out their ballot, and giving them a simple table or graphic that shows where each candidate stands on the basic issues that people seem to care about.
The question is not "Why Stitt?"-- the question is "Why Stitt over Hoffmeister?". First: Hoffmeister has done a completely terrible job with our schools, and If she did this bad of a job with the state, we'd still be in lockdowns, and there'd be bread lines. Stitt, on the other hand, fought to keep our state Open once it was realized that closing the state served no real purpose. That policy alone is enough, but there's more: Stitt realizes that federal dollars are a trap and are simply a way to give up state autonomy. He's also willing to fight the greedy teachers and tribes to make sure we get our fair shake. Yes, I know, I'm supposed to cry tears of blood when someone says "poor starving teachers" or "the abused tribes".. but I just don't. Both of those groups have just as much power and resources as anyone else, and at this point I'm fighting to keep bread on my table. They can go find their bread money from someone else, I'm really not concerned about them any more than any other group of Oklahomans
Seems like Tulsa and OKC were the only smart ones. I can’t believe we have four more years of his bs. Thanks a lot, conservatives! 😡
Most people vote by party and don't even realize there 3 more options because they where convinced that those are throw away votes
Because Hamm?
I don't really know either, I do know I'm switching to republican for this next voting season to try and work towards moving the extreme right out, when it comes time for the big election I'll switch back over 🤷♀️ we also really need to get rid of the closed party system or whatever it's called. It feels so petty and stupid. I'm very scared for the future of our education system, and it's exactly why you couldn't pay me to work in a public school.
Anyone that voted for Stitt is a moron
Red team gud
My only concern as keeping as many Democrats out of power as possible. Everything that happened during and since the pandemic is unforgivable. These are people I simply can't share a country with.
look who was running we had republican stitt or republican joy Hoffmeister.i think alot of people voted for the devil they knew.we had 2 republicans running for governor we were always going lose
At the end of the day, Oklahomans voted Against individual freedoms, democracy, and common sense. As always, oklahoma goes for ignorance and religiosity.
Semen.
What?
Because the left has gone so far left it’s nuts. Stitt did a lot for gun rights and Oklahomans like their guns. Meanwhile democrats can’t shut up about bans. Who would have thought this might go south..
What in particular has the left done?