After a long wait, the Oklahoma politosphere finally took the brisket off the smoker last night as Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and State Public School Superintendent Joy Hofmeister squared off in their one and only gubernatorial debate.
Based on the online reactions I monitored from my perch high above the Oklahoma liberal online echo chamber, it appears the only people who streamed in for the not-locally-televised squabble were a few thousand Joy Hofmeister fans, various members of the local media, and a couple of dozen people around the country who watch C-SPAN.
Although the debate was filled with its fair share of one-liners, gaffes, temper tantrums and technical difficulties, my favorite moment came before the debate event started when an Ogle Mole sent me this pic of a Swadley’s Catering van prominently parked in front of the debate venue...
Yep, it appears that the “world famous” restaurant with “brand power” that’s at the center of the biggest gubernatorial scandal to rock the Oklahoma political world since trailergate was tabbed to provide catering for the gubernatorial debate.
Well, at least that’s what I assume.
I mean, why else would a Swadley’s catering van be parked outside an event venue that was hosting a Gubernatorial debate? Do we think they were providing dinner to the staff at Sushi Neko?
“But Patrick! Couldn’t Brent Swadley have just parked the van there for free advertising? Or maybe he was just there to score some inflated consulting fees, or sell Rococo a $25,000 smoker for $100,000. Don’t assume Brent was there to cater. That’s poor journalism”
I guess that’s true, but…
A) Rococo, one of my favorite local restaurants, specializes in east coast-style seafood and doesn’t need an overpriced smoker.
B) Swadley’s really didn’t need the free advertising outside the debate, because they got plenty during it from Joy Hofmeister!
Although she appeared nervous and a bit flustered at some moments of the debate, she doled out a good share of rehearsed one-liners, including this one…
Ouch. I guess you can say the truth hurts. Based on how he spit into the microphone, you can see that really hurt Stitt’s feelings.
For what it's worth, I have fact-checked Hofmeister's one-liner as true. As a follower of all things Oklahoma, I can’t think of any person outside of Lincoln Riley with a worse BBQ reputation in this state than Kevin Stitt.
Not only did his administration let Brent Swadley bilk taxpayers out of millions and millions of dollars, but they also hand-picked Swadley – the maker of “World Famous” average bbq – to provide food to tourists at state parks (except on Sundays)!
Grifting aside, that shows an unacceptable lack of BBQ taste and awareness and proves the statement "Can't even trust you with BBQ" as 100% true.
Anyway, there were other debate moments that deserve our attention that I’ll try to break down later today. Until then…
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
