Podcast Ep. 50 | Sit-down with the Solicitor General
Summary
Did you know Oklahoma has a Solicitor General? (We didn't.) Do you have any idea what they do? (We definitely didn't.) Join us for an insightful conversation with Oklahoma's Solicitor General, Mithun Mansinghani.
Takeaways
The Solicitor General works for the Attorney General, and is basically responsible for representing the State in cases that are appeals or those concerning matters of constitutionality.
This means that, when necessary, the SG argues for the State before the Oklahoma Supreme Court and possibly even before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The SG can also decide that the State would be better off to hire another attorney to do the courtroom stuff. For example, in a few months the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case from Oklahoma, but because of the importance and far-reaching implications of the case, SG Mansinghani recommended that the State hire someone that has more experience arguing in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
There's a lot of interesting legal stuff in this episode, but I'll be honest - you're probably better off just listening to it rather than me reading it.
Links & Articles We Mentioned
Boom Town by Sam Anderson
538 Politics Election forecast model
Stitt’s Mortgage Firm Failed to Tell Regulators of Past Problems
Many Oklahoma Congressional candidates worth millions, financial disclosures show
Podcast Ep. 49 | Labor Commissioner 101 with Leslie Osborn
Summary
We discuss the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration Project and sit down with Oklahoma Representative and GOP candidate for Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn to find out what, exactly, the position does in our state.
Takeaways
- The restoration project is an enormous undertaking and the craftsmanship of the work is impressive. (See pics below!)
- The Oklahoma Labor Commissioner is responsible for workplace safety and development, which includes working with education & training organizations to educate the next generation of Oklahoma workers.
- Osborn's
- Remember to vote in the primary run-off election on Tuesday, August 28th!
Podcast Ep. 48 | Words Have Meaning (with Daniela Busciglio)
Summary
We're joined by academic linguist and political consultant Daniela Busciglio with DFB Consulting to discuss why words matter and how advocates can use science to help us get our point across more effectively.
Links
During the episode we discussed author George Lakoff, the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), and Daniela mentioned her upcoming training event, which is linked below.
Take-Aways
Daniela explained that messaging has less to do with what you're saying and more to do with how you say it. Facts and figures are helpful for shaping actual policy, but in order to win over the person to whom you're speaking, emotion - especially authentic emotion - is more important. Choose your words carefully, consider how they will be received by the listener, and make sure that you're connecting with them on a human level.
This makes sense with what we've already learned (and shared with you) about how to talk to legislators. Remember that they're just regular people, too, and as such, they are just as easily impacted by genuine, emotional stories that help them connect policy with people. As Daniela said during this interview, it's not enough to just say you support an issue in the abstract. You need to be very specific in what you support and why you support it.
So, rather than saying to your legislators "I care about education and want it to be fully funded," you could say "I'm a mother of two kids in public school, and I'm worried about the quality of the education they're getting. Because of years of cuts to their school's budget, my son has 28 kids in his kindergarten class, and my daughter has 33 in her second grade class. They tell me stories about how loud it is and how they don't have enough books for everyone."
Podcast Ep. 47 | Post-mortem with Senator AJ Griffin
Summary
This week's episode is just a round-up of three quick articles and then a fantastic interview with outgoing state Senator AJ Griffin.
Podcast Ep. 46 | You're in charge while I'm gone (feat. Dana Murphy & Matt Pinnell)
Summary
As the primary run-off nears, we're joined by Republican candidates for Lt. Governor, Dana Murphy and Matt Pinnell, to discuss their perspectives on what that position actually does and their plan for it, should they be elected. Listen below:
Articles Discussed
OKC's development has raised new questions about local homeless
OKC eviction rate is "20th worst" in nation, new program gives free legal help to tenants
Board of Health approves latest, revised medical marijuana rules
Event Reminders
Aug 21: Primary run-off debates for Corporation Commissioner
Aug 24: Primary run-off debate between GOP candidates for State Superintendent of Education
Question of the Week
It was announced this week that SQ798, which would amend the state constitution to allow the Governor and Lt. Governor to run as a single ticket (like the President/Vice President) beginning in 2026. Do you feel this is a good, bad, or something else? Let us know via email or Twitter!
Take-aways
These candidates bring very different skill sets and experiences to the race:
Dana Murphy is from a rural area and has been a Corporation Commissioner for 10 years, working directly with the legislature and other state leaders.
Matt Pinnell is from the Tulsa area and is a small business owner, but has worked for the Republican party at both the state and national level.
We'll let yo u listen to both interviews and form your own opinions on the candidates' positions.
Reminder that these are just the candidates in the Republican primary run-off for this position. We hope to have the Democratic nominee, Anastasia Pittman, join us on the podcast soon so that you can hear her thoughts on these same questions.
Podcast Ep. 45 | Carpathians, Kardashians, and Cardassians
News Round-Up
For recreational marijuana in Oklahoma, November vote might be too early
New Energy Index indicates continued strong growth for Oklahoma oil and gas industry
Take-Aways
First of all, you probably should know the difference between Carpathians, Kardashians, and Cardassians.
And here's the article we discussed about the actor who played Vigo the Carpathian in Ghostbusters 2.
Despite the behavior of some of the folks at the top, most rank-and-file employees at the Oklahoma State Department of Health do really great (and important) work. During this episode we mentioned that Oklahoma has a high teen birth rate as well as high rates of STDs such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. To help reduce all those things, OSDH is now able to distribute free condoms to organizations who request them, and all you have to do to request them is send them an email.
Beyond that, this week was primarily a discussion of the articles listed above.
Oh, and we announced our Let's Fix This Election Watch Party on November 6th! Details are on our website and our Facebook page.
Podcast Ep. 44 | Reefer Madness Continues, plus an interview with state auditor Gary Jones
Summary
We discuss the bizarre things that happened this week in Oklahoma's medical marijuana saga, and then we speak with State Auditor Gary Jones to learn about the role of that position in our state government. At the end, a surprise edition of Pruitt Watch!
News Round-Up
- SQ 788 lawsuits to follow district court path
- Medical marijuana rule changes clearly the result of lobbying effort
- Investigators accuse former health department lawyer of emailing herself threats over medical marijuana
- Ethics Commission And Gov. Fallin Will Square Off In Court Over Funding
- Oklahoma Women Find Common Ground In Unease With Political Parties And Education Issues
- With Low Turnout, Should Oklahoma Kill the Primary Runoff?
Take-Aways
- Let's start with our ongoing timeline of events related to SQ788, as we now know them:
- June 26: The measure passed with 57% of the vote. Subsequently, the State Board of Health published and began accepting public comments on a set of proposed rules to guide the medical marijuana industry.
- July 7: Julie Ezell, general counsel for the State Department of Health, has a text message conversation with Chelsea Church, who is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Board of Pharmacy, in which it appears that Church offered Ezell a higher-paying job at the Board of Pharmacy if Ezell would recommend a rule that all medical marijuana dispensaries must be managed by an in-house pharmacist. (The public would not learn of these messages until July 19th.)
- July 8: Julie Ezell creates an email account made to look like a pro-medical marijuana activist and begins emailing fake threats to herself.
- July 10: Board of Health meeting, passes previously-discussed rules along with two additional, previously unannounced rules: (1) ban smokable marijuana and (2) require a pharmacist to be on-site at every dispensary. Both of these motions passed on a 5-4 vote. During the meeting, Ezell told the board that she did not believe those rules were legal and advised against passage.
- July 11: Governor Fallin approved the rules as they were passed.
- July 12: Speaker McCall and Pro Tem Treat issued joint statement saying they would establish a "working group" of legislators next month to look at the issues. House Democrats call for special session to address the issues.
- July 13: Two lawsuits filed against the Governor, legislature, and Board of Health, alleging that the five members of the BoH had a secret meeting prior to the full board meeting, which was in violation of the Open Meeting Act. Julie Ezell resigns as general counsel for OSDH, but that is not made public until July 17th.
- July 16: Attorney General Mike Hunter announces his office will review the rules passed by the Board of Health.
- July 17: It is publicly announced that Julie Ezell resigned. It is also made publicly known that she is charged with two felonies and one misdemeanor related to her fake emails and reporting false threats.
- July 18: Attorney General Mike Hunter advises the Board of Health to amend the rules they passed on July 10th.
- July 19: NonDoc publishes texts messages between Ezell and Church. Senate Democrats call for a special session to address the medical marijuana issue.
- Interview with State Auditor & Inspector Gary Jones:
- Jones shared lots of insights into what the State Auditor does, how his office responds to requests for audits, the state of the state economy, and, of course, the ongoing debacle at the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
- Pruitt Watch - A court has blocked Scott Pruitt's final act as head of the EPA. Still making news, even though after he resigned.
Closing
- There are still slots available for our August 10th tour of the Capitol Restoration Project. Tickets are free, just sign up online.
- Want to sponsor the podcast or support Let's Fix This in general? Great, follow those links and do it!
Podcast: A Doctor, a Lawyer, and a Therapist Walk Into a Bar
Summary
In this episode, Scott (a doctor) and Andy (a therapist) have an unusually candid discussion about SQ788 (medical marijuana), ridiculous voter outrage, and how the issue is playing out in Oklahoma. (The lawyer couldn't make it.) Also, a brief "Pruitt Watch" segment.
News Round-Up
- Rule Change Conceals Statewide Candidates’ Personal Finances
- Coalition pushes changes to Oklahoma medical marijuana law
- Recreational Marijuana Petition Halfway Toward Goal
- Scott Pruitt, Fallen E.P.A. Chief, May Rise Again in Oklahom
Take-aways
- Quick recap of SQ788:
- On June 26th, the measure passed with 57% of the vote.
- Governor Fallin initially said she'd likely call a special session to deal with the issue, but then backed off and said she would not call it, leaving it up to the State Board of Health.
- The State Board of Health published a set of proposed rules to guide the medical marijuana industry and accepted public comment on those rules.
- Then, during the BoH meeting, there were motions to recommend two additional, previously unannounced rules: (1) ban smokable marijuana and (2) require a pharmacist to be on-site at every dispensary. Both motions passed on a 5-4 vote, and Governor Fallin approved the rules the very next day.
- Big public outcry, as you might expect.
- Speaker McCall and Pro Tem Treat issued joint statement saying they would establish a "working group" of legislators next month to look at the issues.
- On 7/13, two lawsuits were filed against the Governor, legislature, and Board of Health, alleging that the five members of the BoH had a secret meeting prior to the full board meeting, which was in violation of the Open Meetings Act.
- During the episode, Scott speaks from his personal perspective and that of a medical doctor; Andy speaks from his personal perspective. Andy argues that the some of the issues that upset supporters are misguided and distract from the larger, more pressing legal issues. Scott argues that the rules attempt to treat medical marijuana like an actual medication and people don't like that. Both Andy & Scott agree that the real issue is that SQ788 supporters actually want full recreational marijuana and therein lies the rub.
- Pruitt Watch - Have we seen the last of Scott Pruitt in politics? (Spoiler: probably not.)
Closing
- There are still slots available for our August 10th tour of the Capitol Restoration Project. Tickets are free, just sign up online.
- Want to sponsor the podcast or support Let's Fix This in general? Great, follow those links and do it!