tribal sovereignty oklahoma governor covid
FILE - In this April 20, 2020, file photo, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks in Oklahoma City. Stitt announced Tuesday, April 21, 2020, he reached a deal with two Native American tribes to increase the state's share of revenue from new casinos, but the governor still remains locked in a legal dispute over gambling with 10 other tribes. Stitt signed new 15-year gaming compacts with the Red Rock, Oklahoma-based Otoe-Missouria Tribe and the Lawton-based Comanche Nation. The compacts still must be ratified by the U.S. Department of the Interior. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki File)
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The Black Wall Street Times

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TULSA, Okla. – The office of Governor Kevin Stitt (R-OK) has released a series of videos criticizing President Biden’s vaccine mandate. The videos, seemingly paid for with taxpayer dollars, splice together speeches from the Governor and the president with dramatic music.

The campaign-style ads depict the governor as “fighting to defend the freedom” of Oklahomans. Both of the videos end with the official state logo flashing across the screen.

“President Biden thinks the majority should get to control the lives of the minority,” reads a caption for one of the videos. “That’s why I’m fighting back to defend our freedom.”

However, in Stitt’s State of the State address earlier this year, he lauded the Republican ‘supermajority’ in the Oklahoma legislature.

“More than 80% of the House and the Senate are now led by conservative Oklahomans,” Governor Stitt said. A few sentences later, the Governor added Republicans would “protect” Oklahomans from “radical liberals”.

Now, it seems, the Governor’s tone is changing.

More than half of the public statements on social media from the Governor’s office in the past week have been about combatting vaccination mandates. None of these posts have encouraged Oklahomans to get the life-saving vaccine.

Stitt’s use of taxpayer money to stymie vaccination efforts comes as cases rise again across the state. According to current data, Oklahoma remains one of the top ten most unvaccinated states in the country. Similarly, Oklahoma also has one of the top ten death rates from COVID-19 nationwide.

While posts about the Governor’s pushback on national vaccination efforts in the last few months are abundant, posts encouraging vaccinations are difficult to find. A cursory review of his social media shows the Governor hasn’t posted a pro-vaccine message in the last 100 days.

Nate Morris moved to the Tulsa area in 2012 and has committed himself to helping build a more equitable and just future for everyone who calls the city home. As a teacher, advocate, community organizer...

3 replies on “Governor Stitt seems to use taxpayer dollars for anti-vaccine mandate vids”

  1. Pingback: Oklahoma governor won't get booster as state ranks #1 for COVID deaths

  2. Sue him for misuse of public funds. Stitt is corrupt to the core and misuses public funds all the time. Meanwhile, his constituents are dying of COVID at atrocious rates, Oklahoma has a higher poverty rate than most of the country, high incarceration rates, atrocious infant and prenatal health rates – and his administration focuses on shoveling taxpayer money to his cronies, attacking tribal nations, punishing our struggling public schools, punitive measures to hurt anyone he and his cronies deem a threat to their power by cracking and packing and gerrymandering votes to prevent us from voting them out of power.

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