Well, here we go again!
As I’m sure you’re aware, around 71,800,970 or so Americans allegedly cast their ballots for Donald Trump to be the 47th President of the United States.
Yep, it’s official. Unlike in 2020, Democrats apparently didn’t rig or steal this election. Well, at least not yet. With all the powers and immunity protections the U.S. Supreme Court recently gave the executive branch, Joe Biden has the chance to do the funniest thing ever!
Anyway, while approximately half the country is celebrating like orange-tinted madmen—and the other half wallows in “We have to do this again?!” misery—I thought I’d share some news, notes, and thoughts on last night’s election outcomes…
TRUMP 2: JUDGMENT DAY
Honestly, I don’t have much to add about Trump that hasn’t already been dissected, regurgitated, and repeated on every cable news show, social media feed, and late-night monologue over the last decade.
But I will say this…
Like most of us who are sane, think logically, live in reality, and don’t believe in quack conspiracy theories or religious creation myths, I see through Trump’s veil. He’s nothing more than a diabolical silver-spooned reality-show celebrity conman who’s duped a lot of people, and his election wins are a symptom of our society’s plunge into a full-fledged, pro-wrestling-style idiocracy.
And yeah, that sounds scary.
Trump’s a little unhinged and potentially dangerous, capable of setting our country and world back decades. But if we survived his first term, I figure we can make it through a second.
Probably.
For what it’s worth, and it’s not a lot, I expect Trump’s second term to be like his first: a full-blown, chaotic, shit-show circus. He’ll say plenty of outrageous things, do a lot of outrageous stuff, and hog the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. But his thirst for power and control will likely be checked by his own incompetence and a revived deep-state resistance. Then, cue the blue wave of 2026, an impeachment repeat, and—if history teaches us anything—Trump’s attempt to stay in power once his term is up.
Basically, think of it as a bad movie sequel—another hollow, unnecessary cash grab recycling the same tired plots, but with less charm, intrigue, and originality. Get ready for Grown Ups 2. Not The Empire Strikes Back.
• Does a Trump win mean Ryan Walters or Kevin Stitt is going to Washington?
Ever since he announced his candidacy for State School Superintendent, it’s been obvious that Ryan’s been posturing for a potential gig as U.S. Secretary of Education in the Trump administration.
Now, I don’t know if Ryan has the money, clout, and political connections to snag that job, but he definitely has the dysfunctional, dystopian, and distracting “chaos is a ladder” management style that Trump likes in his appointments. If Walters scores the job, I couldn’t be happier.
Sure, he could do more damage to public education at the federal level, but…
1. Although the Federal Government sets funding and guidelines, actually educating students and managing funds is the state’s responsibility. With Walters out of the way, we might finally have a functioning Department of Education again. That would be cool!
2. The D.C. Swamp will chew Ryan Walters up and spit him out. I doubt that rube could figure out the D.C. subway system, much less its political ecosystem. He’d last about as long in Education as Scott Pruitt did at the EPA.
“Yeah Patrick, but what about Stitt.”
Stitt is rich, white, and right-wing, so I could see him also joining the Trump admin, but he also was an early supporter and endorser of Ron Desantis for President which probably disqualifies him from any cabinet position.
Basically, I’m pretty sure we’re stuck with him for the next two years. Should be fun.
OTHER OKLAHOMA-CENTRIC HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS
• Derplahoman Party Continues to Dominate Bottom 10 State…
It was your typical Oklahoma general election. The Derplahoman Party strengthened its supermajority across federal and state government, winning down-ballot races. Bad news for people who like high-paying jobs, quality public education, and equal rights; great news for folks who love seeing Oklahoma in the bottom 10 of every national ranking.
• Stitt’s attempt to remove Supreme Court Judges narrowly fails
Happy trails to Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger and her signature flair!
She was the lone casualty in Governor Stitt’s holy crusade to pack our Supreme Court with activist Evangelical judges who want to bulldoze the wall dividing church and state, failing to win retention by a razor-thin 49.76% to 50.24% margin. Her colleagues, Noma Gurich and James Edmondson, held on by even slimmer margins of 0.49% and 1.01%, respectively.
This million-dollar Stitt-led campaign to remove one 87-year-old justice has a few outcomes:
1. Stitt gets to appoint another Evangelical activist judge ready to ignore Oklahoma’s constitution and centuries of precedent to advance a Christian Nationalist agenda.
2. Pandora’s Box is open: spending millions to oust Supreme Court Justices—basically turning the judiciary into a political position—is now a real thing, ready to be exploited by dark money groups.
3. Judge Kauger can now retire and spend more time at Paseo art walks.
• Edmond Voters Strike Down Bond Issues
When I picked up my kid from school yesterday, we took a quick trip to Pop’s near Arcadia for a six-pack of exotic root beers and cream sodas. Driving down Rt. 66, I saw at least three yard signs screaming, “Vote No on the Bond Issue and a 14% Property Tax Increase.”
I don’t know how accurate those signs were or if there was more to the issue, but they convinced me the Edmond bond issue was a terrible idea! A 14% increase in property taxes? That’s bonkers. If Edmond needs cash that bad, they should A) introduce their own version of a MAPS tax or B) turn the whole town into a TIF district.
• Confusing State Questions Fails
State Question 833—the proposition that would have allowed for the creation of whatever a Public Infrastructure District is—failed by a 20% margin. I was one of the people who voted “no.”
Not only was this issue above my pay grade—I read three articles on PIDs and still have no clue what they actually do—but it reeked of the ruling class trying to pull a fast one. We’ve already seen TIFs get abused, siphoning off money that should be going to schools or potholes, and this felt like the next trick in the playbook. If developers want to screw us over, they can do it through the legislature and leave us out of their shady state questions.
• Monroe Nichols Becomes First Two-Time Lost Ogle Show Guest to Be Elected Mayor of Tulsa
Let’s end this on a high note! The TLO Show Curse is officially over!
Last night, Monroe Nichols—the former Oklahoma legislator and TU football player—became the first person to break The Lost Ogle Show guest curse and win an election! Granted, I think he only won because I stopped doing the podcast a couple of years ago, but that’s still a notable “first.”
Well, outside of him being the first Black mayor of one of Oklahoma’s two biggest cities. That’s cool, too.
We wish Monroe the best of luck in his new role. It’ll be interesting to see which Hanson brother he taps as Chief of Staff. Hopefully he’ll come on the TLO Show again when I reboot it later this year.
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Anyway, I've written more about this god-awful election than I wanted to.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
