OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Kevin Stitt is urging Oklahomans to “be better at disagreeing” when it comes to controversial political issues or different beliefs.
At an event organized by the National Governors Association’s Disagree Better initiative, the Republican governor urged Oklahomans to engage in civilized political discussions.
Stitt is vice chairman of the NGA and spoke on two panels at Wednesday’s event at the Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum in parallel with his Better conversations Initiative that provides Oklahomans with tools to engage in conversations about sensitive or controversial issues.
The national Disagree Better InitiativeLaunched in 2022 by former Utah Governor Spencer Cox’s NGA Chairman, the organization aims to help Americans overcome differences on sensitive issues in the United States
Avoiding hateful rhetoric and listening during political conversations were key themes at the summit, which was attended by politicians and higher education representatives. Panel discussions focused on topics such as talking to people from all political camps, free speech on campus and dealing with faith.
In a conversation with Rep. Suzanne Schreiber (D-Tulsa), Stitt said it was important to create a model for how policy should be discussed across party lines.
“We may have differences of opinion among ourselves, but we don’t have to do it out of hatred and we can argue,” Stitt said.
The two politicians from Oklahoma, for example, disagreed about a controversial Immigration law and the topic of school choice.
Schreiber said both were cases where she thought the legislature could have benefited from such discussions.
But both sides agreed on the role of social media in promoting hateful rhetoric in political conversations.
“The most important thing is to really sit down and let go of the assumptions you have about someone with a D or R label,” Schreiber said. “Be curious and find out where they’re coming from.”
Allyson Shortle, an associate professor of political science at the University of Oklahoma, said Wednesday’s summit won’t solve all the problems at once, but it is a starting point for Oklahoma.
Shortle said events like the Disagree Better Summit demonstrated a growing aversion to hateful rhetoric in political discussions.
“I think we can see in a state like Oklahoma a lot of divisive rhetoric from a few, but also a real willingness by most people to reject those messages. Yet they feel like the atmosphere has turned into a hostile one because of those few loud voices,” Shortle said.
She said many state parliamentarians and Stitt had shown that they were not prepared to engage in a dialogue that was “too negative” and that the summit would encourage more positive political discussions.
“Ultimately, for democracy to work and for local and state politics to work, there has to be more trust. And no one is going to trust each other if we call each other heathens or, well, evildoers,” Shortle said.
Stitt was one of four Republican governors who attended the National Governor’s Association conference in July. The governors of Utah, Wyoming and Virginia also participated. A total of 13 governors participated, the other nine governors were Democrats.
Cox, then NGA chairman, appealed to the country’s governors at the summer meeting not to destroy the NGA institution in view of the low participation of his colleagues.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis, who currently serves as chairman of the NGA, said at the July meeting that the Disagree Better initiative is “an important reminder to all of our fellow Americans that there is a healthier and more productive way to deal with conflicting opinions.”
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