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.