Weekly Opinion Editorial
GAMESMANSHIP
by Steve Fair
Gamesmanship is defined as the ability to outsmart the competition. Gamesmanship was first practiced in
negotiation in Genesis. The serpent used
deceptive tactics to convince Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Synonyms for gamesmanship are artfulness,
cunning, bettering, and cageyness.
Gamesmanship is often considered an asset in politics. If you can outfox or outwit your political
opponent in order to achieve your goal, you are considered an effective politician.
This week, Governor Kevin Stitt vetoed twenty state senate bills as
retribution for the state senate not passing his tax cut and education ideas. The vetoed bills were not related to either
of those two subjects. Stitt did it as a
form of ‘gamesmanship’ to get the attention of the senate. The veto messages the governor attached to each
said: “Oklahomans elected me to advocate on their behalf and fight for the
taxpayer. I take this responsibility seriously
and so I cannot, in good faith, allow another year to go by without cutting
taxes and reforming education.”
Stitt went on to say until the senate passes tax cuts, gives teachers a
raise and pass school choice, he will continue to veto bills that originated in
the senate. Most of the legislation Stitt
vetoed is not legislation he opposes. Speaker
of the House Charles McCall, (R-Atoka) supports the governor’s decision to veto
the senate bills. Clearly Sen. Greg
Treat, Senate President Pro Tempore, doesn’t agree. Three observations:
First, a veto should never be used as a negotiating chip. The Bible says a person’s yea should be yea
and their nay nay. In other words, a man’s
word should be his bond. He shouldn’t use
cunning cagey tactics to get an advantage on his fellow man. By his own admission, Stitt doesn’t oppose the
majority of the bills he vetoed. The
governor clearly misused the power of the veto.
Vetoing these twenty pieces of legislation was nothing more than a
political stunt. That should never be
done by principled elected officials. Elected
officials are charged with working with the other branches of government for
the betterment of citizens. During his
two terms as president, George Washington vetoed only two pieces of legislation. Stitt vetoed ten times that in one day.
Second, this veto stunt will cost Oklahoma taxpayers money. The legislature (House and Senate) will now burn
manhours at taxpayer expense to override vetoes (2/3 majority) on
non-controversial legislation. That is
not a good spend of time for lawmakers. It
is unnecessary double work that risks good legislation not becoming law. Oklahomans didn’t give the GOP super
majorities in both chambers and a Republican governor to create a logjam or to
put on a circus act. They expect them to
work together and get something done.
Stunts and gamesmanship are not what Sooners deserve or expect. If you didn’t know better, you would think
the house, senate and governor were from three different political parties. It is
not a good look for Oklahoma.
Third, Oklahomans do deserve some tax relief. With a $1.2 billion dollar surplus, taxpayers
have overpaid and they need to get some of it back- permanently. The legislature and governor have argued too
long on the details of tax relief. It
needs to get done this session. If taxes
are not cut, voters must hold their elected officials accountable at the next
election.
Stitt and the legislature should try using these three principles in negotiation: (1) Be a good steward of taxpayer dollars and resources, (2) Make ethical decisions on how to negotiate, (3) Recognize that all parties should walk away and not feel like they were cheated. In good negotiations, everyone wins.
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