Nov 15, 2024 · 24m · american-optimist
From Entrepreneur To Governor: How He's Changing America · Joe Lonsdale
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In this episode of American Optimist, host Joe Lonsdale interviews Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt about applying private-sector entrepreneurial discipline to state government. Governor Stitt discusses his major policy victories, including universal school choice, regulatory deregulation, constitutional spending caps, and standing up to special interest groups.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Joe holds 19.1% of the talking time here. How this is scored →
Joe as informed peer 4.1 Guest teaching 2.1 Guest disagreement 0.4 Joe pushing back 0.0
speaking balance: gold is Joe, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 12:46 Stitt attacks special interest pressure over pension veto override
Stitt passionately denounces police union lobbyists and legislators who pressured the legislature to override his veto of an unsustainable pension expansion.
Hardest push from Joe ▶ 15:36 Joe benchmarks Oklahoma's red-tape rules against TexasIn a very friendly interview, Joe offers constructive comparison by noting Oklahoma's 30-day permit beats Texas's 45-day policy while pressing Stitt on mandatory regulatory sunsetting.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 11:58 Stitt breaks down the private vs public cost of police pensionsStitt provides an actuarial explanation of why guaranteed 75% lifetime pensions capping at $87,000 annually are fiscally impossible in the private sector.
Joe holds their own ▶ 17:28 Joe cites Thomas Jefferson on the philosophical purpose of educationJoe demonstrates deep historical knowledge by explaining Jefferson's foundational argument that public education exists to inoculate citizens against socialist and despotic government overreach.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | Joe as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | Joe pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Lonsdale Introduces Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Joe introduces Governor Stitt at the Cicero Institute awards, highlighting Oklahoma's conservative milestones and Stitt's business pedigree. Stitt warmly recounts building Gateway Mortgage and his philosophy of businessman-led governance in full agreement with the host. | |
| Universal School Choice and Pandemic Education Battles | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Joe asks about fighting ideological battles in education, allowing Stitt to discuss his universal school choice policy and resistance to pandemic school closures. The tone is completely collaborative as Stitt outlines the $7,500 refundable tax credit. | |
| Addressing Homelessness and Faith-Based Community Initiatives | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Joe demonstrates expertise regarding the unaccountable spending of government-funded NGOs on homelessness. Stitt affirms this framing and details his policies banning encampments while funding treatment and church-led community initiatives. | |
| Standing Up to Special Interests: The Police Pension Veto | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Joe inquires about red-state special interests, prompting Stitt to explain the legislative battle over police pensions where he vetoed a hike from 75% to 90%. Stitt educates the room on the actuarial and fiscal ramifications of public pension lobbying. | |
| Slashing Red Tape, Expedited Permitting, and Defunding Bureaucracy | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Joe compares Oklahoma's 30-day permitting rule to Texas's 45-day policy and pitches automatic regulatory sunset clauses. Stitt enthusiastically agrees and recounts his veto of public television funding. | |
| Reforming Higher Education and Expanding Workforce Training | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Joe cites Thomas Jefferson's original vision for public education against state overreach. Stitt explains practical workforce reforms, including forcing Oklahoma's medical school to admit all nursing applicants and establishing an aviation high school. | |
| Constitutional Budget Limits (TABOR) and Post-Term Limit Plans | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Joe asks about second-term priorities and post-governor plans. Stitt details his planned Taxpayer Bill of Rights constitutional amendment, comparing New York and Florida state budgets before confirming he will return to the private sector. |
Statements from this episode (16)
Lonsdale: Oklahoma is the only state where every county backed Trump
“I think you're the only state where every one of your counties voted for President Trump.”
Stitt: Oklahoma increased education funding more in 5 years than prior 25
“We've got we've done tax cuts, done more money into education than any other governor in my first five years, and they did for 25 years before I got there.”
Stitt: One of the few US governors to refuse statewide mask mandates
“And then during COVID I was one of the only governors in the country, by the way, that refused to do a mask mandate statewide.”
Stitt: Tulsa Public Schools remained closed for 355 days
“Tulsa Public Schools was closed for 355 days.”
Stitt: Oklahoma provides families up to $7,500 tax credits for school choice
“Now every single family has up to 7500 dollars of a refundable tax credit. To go to a school of their choice”
Lonsdale: US NGOs receive over $100B in government funding
“In this country, NGOs receive over a hundred billion dollars of funding from governments now. It's actually probably a lot higher than that.”
Stitt: Oklahoma banned public encampments and routed detainees to treatment
“So we banned obviously campments on any kind of public, public public places and then we had to change the law where our police, because a lot of this is mental health, it's addiction, and so our police at first could not, weren't allowed to take anybody excep…”
Stitt: Lobbying money in state capitols is always on the 'yes' side
“Only the money is on the yes side that's going to benefit someone. They're the ones that have the money to hire the lobbyists to go whip up the legislature to get stuff passed.”
Stitt: Oklahoma requires agencies to cut two rules for every new rule
“One of them was, if we're gonna do, if we're gonna promulgate rules, so a rule is from a state agency, right? So if you're gonna add another rule, we want you to go through and scrub the list and get rid of two rules, right? So pretty, pretty easy to do, becau…”
Stitt: Oklahoma business permits are free if not processed within 30 days
“I signed an EO that said that if you don't have a permit done to business within 30 days, it's free.”
Stitt: Executive order banned DEI teaching in Oklahoma universities
“Obviously, I signed an executive order that banned DEI teaching in our universities.”
Stitt: OU Nursing School accepted all 600 applicants after state pressure
“And at the OU Health Science Center, and the President Joe Harris and I got up there, and we proudly announced there were 600 nursing applicants to OU Nursing School, and we accepted all 600.”
Stitt: American Airlines starts Tulsa A&P mechanics at $70k a year
“And the American Airlines executives, I sat in their sea level room with them, and I was asking them these questions, and they said, Governor, do you know what we start an A&P mechanic in Tulsa, Oklahoma for? And I said, what's that? They said, 70,000 a year.”
Stitt: Oklahoma pursues constitutional cap limiting spending growth to inflation
“One of the things we're gonna do is a contract with Oklahoma, and we're gonna roll this out, it's probably, I'm probably spoiling it here for, if it's on TV, if we're recording this, but, ah, it's a contract with Oklahoma that we're gonna get in our Constituti…”