It’s time to update Kevin Stitt’s long and growing list of gubernatorial blunders!
On Friday afternoon, we broke the news that Kevin Stitt had appointed Melissa Crabtree – a Hallmarky gold level Essential Oils dealer from Enid who’s leading the town’s anti-mask fight – to the Oklahoma State School Board. The move, coupled with the sudden dismissal of Boardmember Kurt Bollenbach, shocked and stunned those within the Oklahoma public education system, with many of them first learning about it via this website.
Just 72 hours after all of that went down, and while facing a barrage of criticism from all sides of the political aisle, Kevin Stitt announced yesterday that he’s now rescinded Melissa’s appointment at her request, diffusing the entire situation like an Essential Oil evaporating into the air.
Here’s his statement about the ordeal:
I spoke with Melissa Crabtree today and she requested that I rescind her appointment to the Oklahoma State Board of Education.
I was extremely disappointed to see how many were so quick to judge her without taking the time to personally speak to her.
Hey, I may not have personally spoken to Melissa, but at least I spent 30 minutes going through all the whacko right-wing propaganda and disinformation stuff she shared on Facebook, which is about 30-minutes more than Kevin Stitt’s people did.
Seriously, do they not creep on people’s social media pages before doing this stuff? I may not be a successful businessman who’s banned from doing business in Georgia, but I’ve found you learn way more about a person by night-stalking social media profiles than you do “personally speaking” to them while they kiss you ass during a job interview.
Here’s more:
Ms. Crabtree is a loving mother and wife, and her public school teaching experience and work with special needs children would have been valuable assets to our state.
However, it’s become clear that Democrats and unions only value the voices of teachers when they are willing to fall in line with their political agendas.
That being said, I respect her decision and will rescind her nomination. We will reopen the search process and identify a new appointee as soon as possible.
He’s blaming Democrats and unions for his stupid appointment not working out? I know he has to blame some boogie man to save a little face, but I’d probably point the finger at the novice political rube who nominated an unqualified anti-masker “Alternative Facts” type to serve on the State School Board without running it by anybody in their party.
Here’s what Crabtree had to say about the whole ordeal.
“I am grateful to Governor Stitt for nominating me to serve on the Oklahoma State Board of Education and it is a tremendous honor to be considered. However, after careful consideration, I have determined that this is not the right opportunity for me to serve my state.” – Melissa Crabtree
Although she was likely asked to step down, that’s a smart move by Melisa. When she first received the appointment, she was probably unaware that she was nothing but a political pawn in Kevin Stitt’s war against public education. Stepping down now will avoid controversy, and give her more time to focus on fighting mask mandates, spreading false information on social media, and sharing homeschool tips with other people who want to destroy public education. Plus, she’ll be able to sell more Essential Oil. I’ve heard December is a busy time of the year.
Good work TLO and all the other “Enemies of the People “. But I don’t think she was a “pawn”. I think she was all in on the war against public education. 6 or 7 kids (who can keep count) and not one went to public school.
Not a pawn. More like a rook.
Gee, would never accuse Stitt or Ms. Crabtree of having a political agenda. Classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Rocketing toward dystopia.
We’re already there. Oklahoma is but a microcosm of the national situation, too. Just look at today’s news of Biden announcing a cabinet seat dedicated to ‘reaching out to conservatives’. Like, nobody wants that, nobody thinks that’s a good idea, don’t do that. Try reaching out to progressives for *once*.
You mean Mrs. Crabtree cannot rescind her own appointment? This alone should tell us something.
Sure. It’s the Democrats’ fault because they wield SO MUCH power in this state.
“However, it’s become clear that Democrats and unions only value the voices of teachers when they are willing to fall in line with their political agendas.” It’s really rich that Stitt would say that after saying he dismissed Kurt Bollenbach because Kurt’s views weren’t in line with Stitt’s.
Poor little snowflake. Hims didn’t get his way, so he throws a fit.
Just like his “daddy” Donald.
What a circus! This is what you get when you elect a man who fashioned his entire political career on the Trump model. If only we would follow suit and make him a one-termer, but this is Oklahoma. This effing state. Four more years. Sigh.
I could have seen appointing a homeschool parent to the Board since it’s going to be mostly virtual schooling with parents as teachers for awhile, but that whole anti mask crap is nuts. Essential oils? Might as well be Arbonne, Plexus or Scentsy. Just a tainted cherry on the whole crap sundae.
And what is going on in Enid? Why is the news always there nowadays? The inmates are running the prison, and them inmates is crazy! Time to check the water for critters.
It’s good to hear that Democrats and unions (especially teachers’ unions) still have this much power in Oklahoma. Who knew? The State House is something like 82-19 Republican, the Senate 39-9. And Stitt is afraid of a little blowback from the other side? What a wimp!
I have thought that Ms. Crabtree might choose to back out. But being an object of ridicule hasn’t bothered her before now – anti-mask and pro-essential oil? So much for Stitt’s insistence on “personal responsibility.”
Ms. Crabtree’s appointment shows how deeply Stitt needs to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find appointees who “think the way we do and to encourage all the things we are talking about.”
.
My new favorite quote: “It tires me to talk to rich men. You expect a man of millions, the head of a great industry, to be a man worth hearing; but as a rule they don’t know anything outside their own business.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Think about that the next time you vote for a “successful businessman.”
The corollary to the quote, which the trust-busting TR — a Republican — knew full well was that most of those rich men got that way by gaming the system. Putting them in charge of government makes henhouse foxes jealous.
Not my circus, not my monkey.
The Stitt Administration has been a dumpster fire riding on top of a train wreck. He is a dumpster fire on top of the train wreck that he is creating in Oklahoma. For some reason the fringe right in Oklahoma flock to him like some sort of a pied piper and will march off cliffs to serve their master Stitt.
If you would take all of Donald Trumps bad qualities and put it in an Oklahoman, you would have Kevin “Jethro” Stitt. He played the union boogie man card referring to the teacher’s union. I guess nobody told him that didn’t work during the teachers walkout either. I’m surprised he didn’t somehow work in Nancy Pelosi, as being another force that got another unqualified pick shot down.
I also feel sorry for Melissa Crabtree, not only for his misguided beliefs, but this is America, you can have your beliefs. She is pawn, and Stitt convinced her she would be fighting the good fight with the appointment. However it appears that the only qualification Stitt was looking for was someone to make sure there was no mask mandate in schools.
If this is how Stitt ran his “successful” business I understand why many states didn’t allow his company to operate in their states. It’s also pretty pathetic that Stitt has spent so much time undermining another elected official, Joy Hofmeister. For some reason he is doing everything he can to undermine her with his board picks. It’s almost as if she is a Democrat or turned down a date with him back in middle school.
The real question is just how much worse will things get. Sadly I’m afraid the craziness of Stitt is only going to increase. I mean they brought in a new Chief of Staff to reign him in. Guess they didn’t look at his “Porkchop Payne” moniker when they vetted him.
Governor Stitt appears to only want to govern for the real right wing wackos in the state. Problem is even these real wackos are smart enough to know he is even more extreme than they are.
Perhaps they should get Stitt involved in another project, maybe designing the new license tag and get some adults to take care of important matters. Problem is now the state House and Senate bozos are starting to look intelligent.
“I was extremely disappointed to see how many were so quick to judge her without taking the time to personally speak to her.”
How many people ever get to “personally” speak to governor appointee’s? What the public gets is the chance to review the person’s work record/political record/news accounts/public statements-not a chance to get to speak with them personally AFTER they been appointed. It really sounds like Mr. Stitt should have spoken with her and gotten to know her a little better before appointing her.
His constant “nothing in my fault-I got bad advice-things changed-the ball hit a rock-the sun got in my eye………” is getting alarming. By now he should at least have some idea how the office works-which he needs to know before he can change what he thinks needs to be changed. He blames the Democrats and unions for doing what he and his staff should have done-vetted a candidate, rather than trusting his “gut Instinct”——–that sounds like someone else?
There are very few leaders around, especially in politics, because sometimes you have to admit you mistakes. When you make the final decision on something you have to own it and can’t pass the buck. It looks like Kevin Stitt’s ran his “successful business” in the take credit for other peoples good ideas, and blame and fire those who gave bad advice.
Works in a dictatorship, or a private business, doesn’t in the American form of government. Voters picked the wrong guy, best to replace him when his contract is up, stuck with him until then. Maybe there is a better person who will step up and run. They too will have faults, their human, but hopefully not as bad as Stitt.
He can and has done a lot of damage but the state will survive, there have been other really, really bad Governors. He has made a lot more bad decisions in a short amount of time. Good chance he will will be the new low bar in bad Governors outshining even Mary Fallin. He does have a couple more years to make even bigger blunders before re-election time.
Sadly his “best” just might be in the near future. Perhaps the Legislature should mandate that the Governor be required to take the Covid Vaccine. Like front line medical personnel the state needs to know the Governor is protected, as we know the once you had it, you have immunity is not accurate.
As a personal choice semi anti-vaxxer he might decide it is time to step aside to spend more time with his family.
Stitt is wrong. As a Republican voter myself ever since I was able to vote around 1970, as soon as I heard of this appointment and took some time to check out her qualifications, I immediately contacted my state senator to oppose her confirmation. The SBOE needs people who are dedicated to PUBLIC EDUCATION and not people who have private or home schooling as part of their agenda. And blaming the Dem’s for shooting down this nomination seems to ignore the fact that the guy he dismissed happened to be a republican himself. Just one that didn’t toe the line the governor wanted him to.
As a life long union member (and still one) and a voting member of the Democratic Party since 1973, you’re welcome. Easiest ridding of an undesirable applicant for the State Board Of Education I’ve ever done. Now Jethro, we need to talk about your cabinet members.
I had heard a rumor that Stitt was tasked to selected her so that she would not run for the Ward 3 city of Enid commissioner spot she opened up with her recall.
Then she found out she could not hold two offices and dropped out of Stitts Board of Education.
We shall see today if that holds any water if she files for the Ward 3 race
She did not file. Another of her anti mask, anti covid goon squad did file though for the Enid council seat though. In response to Dani, we are not all crackpots up her in Enid, there are some of us fighting the nonsense.