Republicans do a rare good thing, Stitt vetoes it because he hates Drummond and his pettiness knows no bounds
It really is funny.
Here in Oklahoma, the three most prominent politicians, all Republicans, can’t stand one another.
State superintendent Ryan Walters can’t stand governor Kevin Stitt and attorney general Gentner Drummond, Drummond can’t stand Stitt or Walters and Stitt no longer has use for Walters and really can’t stand Drummond.
What a party.
Though it’s kind of gross every time Drummond makes a show of appearing to be Donald Trump’s No. 1 fan, like maybe he’ll combust into flames next time he does it, each time there’s disagreement between any two of the three, if Drummond’s involved, he’s always right and the other one’s full of it.
Stitt’s only right when taking on Walters and Walters is always wrong every second of every day about everything ever.
Glad we straightened that out.
The latest skirmish is between Stitt and Drummond and like every other time the two have been at odds, Drummond’s right again.
This time, though, there’s a twist, because the overwhelming majority of Republican legislators are on Drummond’s side, too, putting them in position to create rare good law while highlighting Stitt’s absolute pettiness at the same time.
Here’s the deal:
House Bill 2163 makes all kinds of sense, would be terrific policy benefiting all Oklahomans just as long as we have an attorney general in favor of transparency and the rule of law, which might not be forever, though we can hope.
It’s the kind of bill that pleases the masses and makes shady politicians nervous and what’s better than that?
What is it?
Allow me now to call upon Oklahoma Voice’s Barbara Hoberock, who began her story about it, dropping Tuesday, like this:
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s veto of a bill that would provide Oklahomans more recourse in pursuing open records has drawn the ire of the state’s attorney general.
Stitt vetoed House Bill 2163 that would have formally created a Public Access Counselor Unit in Drummond’s office and a deadline-laden process to help those seeking public records. The measure would allow for a person to request a review from the access counselor, who will then determine if the denial violated state law and advise the public body.
The government body must then promptly and reasonably comply.
“Oklahomans have several effective tools to ensure transparency and accountability in government,” Stitt’s veto message said. “Public records laws and the courts provide a neutral, fair process to review and resolve disputes over access to information. This bill bypasses that process and concentrates too much power in one office.”
Attorney General Gentner Drummond criticized the veto, saying Stitt didn’t want him to have increased authority and the ability to hold the governor and his “failed political appointees” accountable for not following the law.
About that …
One, you know how when your bank makes a mistake, your doctor bills you in error, your insurance company can’t find the thing they told you to send them you sent them a month ago already?
It’s the worst, and it’s the worst because they never find the error, you do, and they never jump through the hoops to fix it, you do.
Well, here’s a bill that makes it somebody’s job to be your advocate, to get answers you can’t get yourself, the answers you’re legally entitled to in the first place.
It’s great for media, yes, which seeks to keep you informed through such requests, but it’s essential for individuals, too, who have the same equal right to the same information.
It makes so much sense.
Stitt vetoed it because rotten politicians do all sorts of bad things.
He also vetoed it because for all the good things he purports to be, transparent isn’t one of them and even if it were, even if he loved the bill on the merits, what he really can’t do is hand anything to the attorney general’s office, because he hates the attorney general, even though a “public access counselor unit” makes more sense there than anywhere else.
Two, Stitt all but said exactly that with his ridiculous veto explanation.
Let’s see that again:
“Oklahomans have several effective tools to ensure transparency and accountability in government. Public records laws and the courts provide a neutral, fair process to review and resolve disputes over access to information. This bill bypasses that process and concentrates too much power in one office.”
Public records laws?
Would those be the laws elected politicians routinely fail to abide when not wanting their dirty laundry aired, or just not wanting something embarrassing coming to light or just like sticking it to the requestor because it’s their brand to be an angry ass hole, isn’t that right Ryan Walters?
The laws exist, but they’re routinely abused by those seeking to keep in the dark what’s supposed to be the people’s business.
The courts, really?
By the time something like that’s decided in court, the information is old, the requestor’s moved on, the waiting game created by those refusing to be forthcoming has already done its damage.
You know politicians have no clue and no defense when all they offer is pablum they don’t believe in themselves and that’s just what Stitt did with that quote.
Such a peach.
It concentrates too much power in one office?
More power, perhaps, in the attorney general’s office, but only to keep shady stuff from not happening, only to make certain information that’s supposed to be shared is shared.
If you’re on the level, you love the bill.
If you’re corrupt, you hate it.
What’s the problem?
Three, and this is the good stuff, Oklahoma house members voted 80-9 in favor of HB 2163 and the senate voted 40-5.
I don’t quite understand why, but overriding Stitt’s veto on this particular bill, rather than requiring a two-thirds majority, requires a three-fourths majority.
Still, I’ve done the math and the house passed it with 89.9 percent of the vote and the senate with 88.9 percent.
The only things in the way of an override are not wanting to hand the governor a political loss and not wanting to piss him off and the latter of those makes little sense because Stitt can’t possibly retaliate against 90 percent of his party’s legislators because he’s bound to need them again and again going forward.
So, the bill becomes law via override or Republicans, yet again, refuse to pass good law even when they’re all for it.
Flip a coin.
What can we be sure about?
Stitt’s not interested in the public interest, only his own.
Again.
What a guy.
Stitt is a bitch.
This was hard to read because it is well written about a real, scary problem.