As is usually the case, Wednesday night’s Oklahoma gubernatorial debate featured its fair share of political spin, distortions, rehearsed sound bites, accusations, and straight-up falsehoods from both candidates.
That being said, one rare moment of actual honesty occurred when Governor Kevin Stitt, perhaps unintentionally, revealed that his goal to make Oklahoma a Top 10 State – one of the branding centerpieces of his 2018 and 2022 campaigns – is nothing more than unachievable aspirational bullshit.
Check this out:
Wow. Did anyone else notice Kevin’s nose shrink a little bit when he said that? I think I even heard a few audible gasps and howls from the audience, and the sound of Carly Atchison choking on a Swadley’s BBQ rib bone!
Seriously, that’s just wild! Ever since he announced his run for Governor, Kevin’s claimed that he believes Oklahoma is a Top 10 state, and he’s the one person who could make it so.
In fact, it’s something he brought up in the very first question when I interviewed him back in 2018 for a Lost Ogle Q&A:
After Kevin was elected, one of his first acts as Governor was to make a fancy Oklahoma Top 10 logo...
Know what would be fun? Filing an open records request to see how much state time and money was spent to make a logo to promote something that was nothing more than an unachievable aspirational goal?
As we know, Kevin always talk about how he wants to make Oklahoma a Top 10 state in this and that and everything in between. Hell, just a few months ago, he launched his very own Oklahoma Top 10 news channel.
Now that we know making Oklahoma a Top 10 State is unachievable, maybe his staff should re-work that logo to look a little less like OAN and a little more like The Onion.
Although it was weird to hear Kevin Stitt honestly admit that Oklahoma will never be a Top 10 state in things outside of teen pregnancy, childhood obesity, and women in prison, it was refreshing to hear him being honest for once. Maybe this is part of a new trend? On Monday, expect him to reveal that his first four years as Governor was abject, scandal-ridden failure, but that you should still vote for him because he’s a rich white man.
Anyway, now that we know the OK Top 10 movement was nothing more than marketing BS, I wonder if Kevin will announce a more achievable goal. You know, like making Oklahoma a Top 40 State!
Not only is that a bit more achievable and equally catchy, but he could rif on Casey Kasum’s old America Top 40 radio show. Who wouldn’t want to see Kevin handle weekly “Request and Dedication,” and count down all of our state’s hottest successes and failures each week?
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised,
