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Politics

Why was Mary Fallin on the stage during the Fiesta Bowl trophy presentation?

10:00 AM EST on January 9, 2012

Last week, lots of readers asked us about Governor Fallin's appearance on the stage of the Fiesta Bowl Championship Trophy presentation. They asked questions like "Why was she in Arizona watching a football game?" or "Did the state pay for her trip?." They also made general statements like "I'd wager she invited herself up on stage" and "I hope Mary Fallin being on stage is making you hard right now."

Anyway, because we are awesome and have too much time on our hands, we emailed the Governor's office to find out exactly why Ms. Fallin was front and center while Mike Gundy accepted a golden football stuffed with tortilla chips.

Here's the exchange:

Me:
"Out of curiosity, can you let me know why Mary Fallin was on the stage at the Fiesta Bowl? Was she there on state business? If not, did she pay her own way?

Governor's Office:
"Yes, the Governor was on official state business touring several five-star resorts in the Flagstaff area. It is the Governor's hopes that Job Creators will build a new five-star resort in the Grand Lake area, which will bring hundreds of new jobs to Oklahoma families in Northeastern Oklahoma. And since Oklahoma State just happened to be playing during her visit, she decided to catch the catch the game."

Okay, that's not the real response, but it would have been cool if it was. Here's the real email from the Governor's office:

Governor's Office:
"The governor was there to represent the state (as other governors have done) and to support OSU, of which both she and the first gentleman are alumni."

"She took the state plane to Arizona. Tickets, lodging, meals etc were not paid for by the state."

"She was invited to stand on the stage after the game by the Fiesta Bowl Committee."

Yeah, her trip may have cost the taxpayers and the First Gentlemen a little bit of money, but who cares, she's our governor and governors do things like go to bowl games to represent their state. If you ask me, the bigger question is why anyone would want to watch an OSU trophy presentation? That's about as depressing as a Relay for Life walk. The thought of it makes me want to vomit and then eat my vomit like a gorilla at the zoo while you watch.

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