Kevin Stitt

[[File:Kevin Stitt 2020.jpg|thumb|165px|I love the smell of [[Bullshit|bullStitt]] in the morning.]]
{{uspolitics}}{{cquote|He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot.|||{{w|Groucho Marx}}}}{{cquote|You will know exactly where the buck stops: at my desk.|||Stitt during his 2019 State of the State speech. These same words would come back to bite him in the ass following the Swadley's Bar-B-Q scandal.<ref>[https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2022/05/04/political-ad-blames-oklahoma-gov-kevin-stitt-swadleys-foggy-bottom-scandal/9631977002/ Dark money group launches TV ad blaming Gov. Kevin Stitt for Swadley's scandal] by Nolan Clay (May 4, 2022) ''The Oklahoman''.</ref>}}
'''John Kevin Stitt''' (born December 28, 1972) is the current [[Republican]] Governor of [[Oklahoma]] since 2018. Prior to becoming governor he worked exclusively in the private sector, serving as a co-founder and former Chairman and CEO of Gateway Mortgage Group. He won reelection in 2022 after somehow making a governor election in Oklahoma competitive.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/2022-election/results/oklahoma/statewide-offices/ Oklahoma Governor election results], ''Politico''</ref>

If you thought [[Mary Fallin]] was a terrible governor, then you ain't seen nothin' yet. What makes Stitt even worse than his predecessor is that, not only did he not have any prior experience holding political office before running for governor, but ''hadn't even voted in a statewide election since 1999''.<ref>[https://oklahomawatch.org/2018/06/18/political-newcomer-in-governors-race-has-short-voting-record/ Political Newcomer in Governor’s Race Has Scarce Voting Record] by Paul Monies (June 18, 2018; Updated August 10, 2020) ''Oklahoma Watch''.</ref><ref>[https://tulsaworld.com/news/gubernatorial-hopeful-stitt-hasnt-voted-in-races-for-governor-since-at-least-1999/article_5022e226-40ef-56dd-a452-7c4eac2422d6.html Gubernatorial hopeful Stitt hasn't voted in races for governor since at least 1999: Analysis shows he hasn’t cast a ballot for governor since registering in 1999] by Barbara Hoberock & Curtis Killman (Jun 19, 2018; Updated Jan 27, 2021) ''Tulsa World''.</ref>

Stitt is basically a [[Donald Trump]] clone. He's just as dumb, just as [[racist]], and just as corrupt. Poor Oklahoma really can't catch a break.

==Governor of Oklahoma==
===Abortion===
Under Stitt, Oklahoma now has the most restrictive [[abortion]] policies in the entire country;<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 May 2022 |title=Oklahoma GOP governor signs one of nation's strictest abortion bills into law |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/25/politics/oklahoma-abortion-ban-hb-4327-signed-governor-stitt/index.html}}</ref> performing an abortion in Oklahoma is now punishable by either 10 years in prison and/or a $100,000 fine, with exceptions for medical emergencies but none for [[rape]] or [[incest]].<ref>{{Cite web |author=Paul LeBlanc and Veronica Stracqualursi |title=Oklahoma governor signs near-total ban on abortion into law |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/12/politics/oklahoma-abortion-ban-kevin-stitt/index.html |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=CNN}}</ref> {{wpl|Abortion in Saudi Arabia|Saudi Arabia}} would've had less harsh abortion restrictions, since it had exceptions for rape and incest.

In May 2022, Stitt signed into law a less restrictive bill allowing exceptions for rape and incest but adding the [[Texas]]-style [[vigilante]] provision, House Bill 4327, "banning abortions from the stage of 'fertilization' and allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers who 'knowingly' perform or induce an abortion 'on a [[pregnant]] woman.'"<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Neil |first=Tyler |date=2022-05-25 |title=Oklahoma abortion law protecting life from conception to face legal challenge from Planned Parenthood |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/oklahoma-abortion-law-conception-legal-challenge-planned-parenthood |access-date=2022-05-26 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/22/texas-abortion-law-vigilante-loophole-supreme-court/ The Texas abortion ban created a ‘vigilante’ loophole. Both parties are rushing to take advantage. After the Supreme Court allowed the Texas bill to take effect, at least 35 copycat laws on a variety of hot-button issues have been filed around the country] by Kimberly Kindy & Alice Crites (February 22, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

===Climate change===
{{main|Global warming}}
Stitt has been pretty quiet in regards to how he feels about climate change, but in 2022 he came out of the woodwork to call the [[Biden]] Administration's stance on climate change as part of a "left-leaning agenda". [[Conspiracy theory]] much?

===COVID-19===
{{main|COVID-19 pandemic}}
Stitt's handling of the COVID pandemic has been bad. Oklahoma's pandemic restrictions have been lax; Stitt refused to issue a [[face mask]] mandate and promoted [[hydroxychloroquine]] as a [[vaccine]] alternative.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Oklahoma trying to return its $2m stockpile of hydroxychloroquine|url=https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/oklahoma-trying-to-return-its-2m-stockpile-of-hydroxychloroquine/|access-date=2021-01-27|website=The Frontier|language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Ironically]], Stitt became the first U.S. governor to be diagnosed with COVID-19 after testing positive in July 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oklahoma's Kevin Stitt is the first governor to test positive for the coronavirus|website=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/15/oklahoma-kevin-stitt-coronavirus/|access-date=2020-09-30}}</ref>

===Corruption===
In 2022, Stitt became embroiled with a scandal with Swadley's Bar-B-Q. The restaurant and the state Tourism and Recreation Department are currently at the center of allegations of fraud and the misuse of taxpayers' funds for the company to install and operate Foggy Bottom Kitchens in state parks. 

===Culture war===
{{main|Culture war}}
On May 7, 2021, Stitt signed a bill prohibiting the teaching of [[critical race theory]] or its [[gender]] equivalent in public schools.<ref name=":1">{{cite web | last1=Forman | first1=Carmen | title=Stitt signs controversial bill limiting race, gender curriculum in schools | url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2021/05/07/oklahoma-gov-stitt-signs-bill-censoring-race-gender-school-curriculum/4989720001/ | date=May 7, 2021 | work=The Oklahoman | access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last1=Polus | first1=Sarah | title=Oklahoma governor signs bill that prevents schools from teaching critical race theory | url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/552451-oklahoma-governor-signs-bill-that-prevents-schools-from-teaching | date=May 7, 2021 | work=The Hill | access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref> Stitt's invocation of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] when signing the bill probably caused King's grave to become a laboratory [[centrifuge]].

In November, Stitt issued an executive order that prohibited [[transgender]] individuals from changing the gender on their birth certificates. In 2022, Stitt signed a bill into law that prohibited [[nonbinary gender]] markers on birth certificates. Stitt said that "people are created by [[God]] to be male or female. There is no such thing as nonbinary sex." God was apparently too embarrassed about the well-documented intersex conditions on farm animals, Northern cardinals, and so many more animals. Transgender people criticized Stitt's actions, saying it was difficult for trans individuals to navigate life when their official documents do not match their gender identity.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Okla. stakes out new battleground on LGBTQ rights: Birth certificates |language=en-US |work=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/30/oklahoma-birth-certificate-ban-nonbinary/ |access-date=2022-04-30 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

On May 25, 2022, Stitt signed a bill into law that will require students at public charter schools and [[public schools]] to use locker rooms and bathrooms that match the gender listed on their birth certificate.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Andy Rose and Paul LeBlanc |title=Oklahoma GOP governor signs anti-transgender bathroom bill into law |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/25/politics/oklahoma-anti-transgender-bathroom-law-signed-stitt/index.html |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=CNN}}</ref>

===Donald Trump===
Trump endorsed him and Stitt likewise is a vocal Trump supporter, having spoken at several Trump rallies held in Oklahoma.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/404429-trump-endorses-kevin-stitt-in-oklahoma-governors-race| title=Trump endorses Kevin Stitt in Oklahoma governor's race| date=August 30, 2018| access-date=October 16, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016164903/https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/404429-trump-endorses-kevin-stitt-in-oklahoma-governors-race| archive-date=October 16, 2018| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Education===
Stitt supports [[school choice]] but doesn’t support expanding vouchers beyond those already in place. He has said school consolidation should be left up to local school boards.

===Guns===
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Stitt is a [[gun nut]]. A member of the [[National Rifle Association]], he has stated in the past that he is willing to fight for his [[Second Amendment]] rights.

The first law he signed after taking office permitted anyone 21 or older, or 18 if a member or veteran of the [[United States Armed Forces]], to carry a firearm without obtaining a permit or completing training.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/constitutional-carry-becomes-first-legislation-signed-into-law-by-gov/article_1c943003-1eca-542e-8d71-cfab83d93328.html|title='Constitutional carry' becomes first legislation signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt|last=Hoberock|first=Barbara|date=February 27, 2019}}</ref> Stitt also signed HB2010, which expands the places a firearm may be carried to include municipal zoos and parks, regardless of size, as long as it is concealed.<ref>[http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=484186 Oklahoma Firearms Act of 1971 Amendments Act]</ref>

===Healthcare===
Stitt opposes [[Obamacare]] and expansion of [[Medicaid]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Rowley |first=D. Sean |date=May 17, 2019 |title=Stitt not supportive of Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/index/103205 |work=Cherokee Phoenix}}</ref>

===Religion===
Unsurprisingly, Stitt is a [[Christian]] whose father was a minister. He has claimed that [[God]] called on him to run for governor during a worship service at First Moore Baptist Church.<ref>Troxtell, Adam (January 15, 2019). "[https://www.normantranscript.com/news/government/stitt-says-god-called-him-to-run-for-governor-at-prayer-service/article_49cf5fdf-0eb0-5c59-b90c-57bb189ade23.html Stitt says God called him to run for governor at prayer service]." ''The Norman Transcript''</ref>

===Taxes===
{{main|Tax}}
Stitt opposes tax increases and said he wouldn’t have signed a House bill which funded teacher pay raises. However, he said he didn’t support the recall petition to rescind the taxes. 

Stitt signed a pledge from Oklahoma Taxpayers Unite! that, among other things, proposes shifting taxes away from sales, income, corporate and gross production taxes toward consumption taxes. He has said rising revenues and greater efficiency in government, rather than tax increases, would be sufficient to meet the state’s budgetary needs.

===Tribal relations===
Stitt has proven that he is ''not'' a friend of the [[Native American]] tribes in Oklahoma, which is a bit [[ironic]] considering that he is a member of the Cherokee Nation and is, in fact, the first tribally enrolled [[Native American]] to serve as governor of a U.S. state.<ref>{{cite web|title=Only one state makes history with election of first Native governor|url=https://www.indianz.com/News/2018/11/07/only-one-state-makes-history-with-electi.asp|access-date=March 18, 2021|publisher=Indianz.com}}</ref> He had made moves to erode the tribes' autonomy over their land, going so far as to veto a bill that would have enabled cooperation between Oklahoma and tribal law enforcement agencies in the wake of ''{{wpl|McGirt v. Oklahoma||'',}} the [[US Supreme Court]] decision recognizing tribal sovereignty over large amounts of tribal land within Oklahoma.<ref>[https://www.ocpathink.org/post/mcgirt-repercussions-lead-to-stitt-veto McGirt repercussions lead to Stitt veto] by Ray Carter (May 12, 2022) ''Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs''.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Mary Fallin]], his predecessor
* [[Jim Inhofe]], former Senator from Oklahoma

==References==
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[[Category:Alternative medicine promoters]]
[[Category:Anti-abortion activists]]
[[Category:Anti-vaccination movement]]
[[Category:Atheophobia]]
[[Category:Baptists]]
[[Category:Business]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Creationists]]
[[Category:Culture wars]]
[[Category:Fundamentalists]]
[[Category:Global warming denialists]]
[[Category:Government incompetence]]
[[Category:Gun nuts]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]
[[Category:Internalized discrimination]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Native Americans]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Right-wing activists]]
[[Category:Shysters]]
[[Category:Transphobes]]
[[Category:United States Governors]]
[[Category:We're on a mission from God]]

Categories: Alternative medicine promoters, Anti-abortion activists, Anti-vaccination movement, Atheophobia, Baptists, Business, Conspiracy theorists, Creationists, Culture wars, Fundamentalists, Global warming denialists, Government incompetence, Gun nuts, Homophobes, Internalized discrimination, Living people, Native Americans, Pseudoscience promoters, Racists, Right-wing activists, Shysters, Transphobes, United States Governors, We're on a mission from God