Murphey's Mindscape - Opinion Series - The Oklahoma State Capital

OPINION: The Allegations Against Danny Williams Are Secret. His Punishment Isn’t.

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: July 27th, 2026 at 04:54 PM

Whatever the facts ultimately show, in the latest “scandal” at the State House of Representatives, District 28 should not lose part of its representation by the sole order of another representative.

OPINION: The State Senate Wildcard Nobody Is Talking About

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: July 7th, 2026 at 04:50 PM

As Oklahomans brace for a return of establishment power in the State Senate, there’s one wildcard factor that could change everything.

OPINION: The Map That Explains Oklahoma’s 2026 Republican Primary

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: June 26th, 2026 at 11:34 AM

The political geography behind the results—and what it tells us about the coming Drummond-Mazzei runoff.

OPINION: Deconstructing the Nastiest Political Attack of the 2026 Campaign Season.

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: June 12th, 2026 at 11:44 AM

In an election cycle that will forever be defined by reaching an all-time low, one ad still manages to stand out.

OPINION: Introducing the One RINO Survivor of The Great Grassroots Gaslighting Gauntlet

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: April 13th, 2026 at 11:33 AM

Have you been the victim of Oklahoma's most shameless politician? If so, The Capital is here to help you recognize your situation and to set you on the road to recovery.

OPINION: Is the Oklahoma Legislature Intoxicated or Just Hungover? And Who’s Paying for It?

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: February 10th, 2026 at 05:48 PM

As a powerful lawmaker jokes about drinking on the floor and lobbyists pick up the "drinks" tab, the Oklahoma Senate Leader sends a dangerous message about speaking out.

OPINION: Happening in Just a Few Days: Your License Data and Oklahoma’s Quiet Surrender to the Surveillance State

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: February 4th, 2026 at 07:26 AM

The behind-the-scenes story as conservatives seek to confront one of the most tricky betrayals of their “Republican” legislators.

OPINION: Gentner Drummond's Next Big Pay Hike and The Great Kyle Hilbert Scam

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: November 20th, 2025 at 09:31 PM

How Gentner Drummond’s Potential Pay Raise Nicely Illustrates One of the Biggest Smoke-and-Mirrors Scams in the Legislature

OPINION: McCall, Drummond, and the DEI Trap That’s Exposing the Oklahoma Establishment

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: November 13th, 2025 at 05:32 PM

How the Ajay Pittman scandal is exposing the virtue signaling of Oklahoma’s establishment politicians.

OPINION: “Orwellian Pablum”: The Day One Legislator Stood Against the Woke Machine in Oklahoma’s Super-Woke Era

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: November 5th, 2025 at 11:34 AM

A state investigation into Ajay Pittman’s finances has reopened one of the darkest chapters in the Oklahoma House of Representatives—when the woke crusaders and race-baiting bullies briefly ruled the day.

OPINION: How Political Cowardice Gave Birth to a Generation of Violence

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: October 30th, 2025 at 12:18 PM

Weak leadership during the rise of “woke” politics has resulted in today's culture of resentment that now manifests as violence. Here's how Oklahoma's politicians did their part.

OPINION: How Kevin Stitt Jinxed the Oklahoma Sooners on the Most Important Football Week of the Year

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: October 20th, 2025 at 08:54 PM

To the superstitious Sooner fan, the awkward video tweeted from Oklahoma’s second-term governor, Kevin Stitt, sent chills: “Uhh-oh, this weekend isn’t going to go the way it should.”

OPINION: The Great Taking and How Tucker Carlson and Kristi Noem May Have Saved Oklahoma From Charles McCall, Chris Kannady and Fedcoin

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: October 15th, 2025 at 06:25 PM

In just 60 seconds the House Rules committee fast tracked Charles McCall's massive 244 Page UCC bill. Had it not been for Tucker and Noem, that legislation was set to legitimize FedCoin.

OPINION: Can Oklahoma Lawmakers Do Their Job and Hold DHS Accountable After Latest DHS Controversy?

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: October 6th, 2025 at 04:47 PM

A new controversy involving Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services is testing whether lawmakers still have the ability to meaningfully oversee the powerful agency. Hint: They don't.

OPINION: How One Brave Candidate Might Have Ended The Plan to Make Every Oklahoma Road a Toll Road

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: September 29th, 2025 at 05:22 PM

Presenting the foremost case study for why it’s important to challenge every single compromised “Republican” incumbent--even when the odds are long.

OPINION: Jim Shaw and The Save Oklahoma Plan: A Plan That Might Save Oklahoma — and the GOP Ballot?

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: September 12th, 2025 at 12:19 PM

Jim Shaw and The Save Oklahoma Plan: A Plan That Might Save Oklahoma — and the GOP Ballot?

OPINION: When Justice Becomes Theater: Gentner Drummond’s Cover for the Politically Connected

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: September 3rd, 2025 at 09:41 AM

Last weeks shocking Ty Burns affair isn’t an isolated failure. It’s the third in a string of extraordinary interventions where the "system" bent over backward to save insiders from accountability.

OPINION: If I Were Campaigning for Lieutenant Governor

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: August 29th, 2025 at 12:26 PM

Were I campaigning for lieutenant governor, I would make myself very clear: Lonnie Paxton has abused the people’s trust, and his days in charge of the Senate are numbered.

OPINION: Scorekeeping, Revenge, and Non-Citizen Commercial Drivers Licenses in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: August 20th, 2025 at 08:07 PM

How one legislator’s fixation on scorekeeping led him to take credit for non-citizen commercial driver’s licenses — an epic self-own.

OPINION: Is Oklahoma Really 50th in Education? The Great WalletHub Self-Own

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: August 11th, 2025 at 06:12 PM

So who exactly is to blame for Oklahoma’s low showing on WalletHub’s latest education listicle?

OPINION: How The Vindication of Ryan Walters Gives Kevin Stitt a Second Chance

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: August 6th, 2025 at 11:29 AM

As a media firestorm unravels, new facts point to vindication for Ryan Walters—and a political reckoning for the governor who empowered his critics.

OPINION: The Cost of Cowardice: When Charles McCall Gave In to the Woke Mob

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: July 24th, 2025 at 11:25 AM

As the super-woke era began, a brave woman stood for young girls. House Speaker Charles McCall stood for himself — and sacrificed her to the woke mob.

OPINION: The Midnight Execution

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: June 9th, 2025 at 12:43 PM

While you slept your legislators carried out a political execution in the dark — and set a dangerous new standard.

OPINION: When “Shall” Becomes “May”: Why the People of Oklahoma Face a Dangerous Four Days Ahead

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: May 26th, 2025 at 04:43 PM

The people of Oklahoma are in grave danger: How Charles McCall’s one-word power grab will hit hard this week.

OPINION: They Tried to Ambush Ryan Walters—Here’s How They Almost Got Away With It

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: May 14th, 2025 at 03:58 PM

While most House Republicans likely had no idea what was happening, leadership tried to sneak through a bombshell amendment—but three sharp lawmakers saw it coming, and a leak saved the day.

OPINION: The Rise of Censorship in The Oklahoma House of Representatives: How the Oklahoma House Is Silencing Its Own

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: April 22nd, 2025 at 05:43 PM

What happens when a state representative tries to warn the public—and gets silenced by the House of Representatives.

OPINION: Something Big is Happening in The Oklahoma House of Representatives

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: April 15th, 2025 at 05:25 PM

Don’t look now, but the first green shoots of independent thought are starting to emerge from the darkness of the Oklahoma Capitol.

OPINION: When the Oklahoma House Fails to Deliberate, the Cow Food Vending Machine and The Bridge to Perpetual Pork Win

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: March 14th, 2025 at 04:26 PM

In the latest example of "These are not serious people," it takes a House Committee just 40 seconds to give eternal life to a new state commission and its approximate six million dollars of annual spend.

OPINION: Introducing the Most Influential Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: January 29th, 2025 at 10:35 AM

He might be in Oklahoma City, but the state has its very own "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

OPINION: Inside the Oklahoma Capitol Swamp’s Attempt to Shut Down the People’s Emissary

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: January 24th, 2025 at 11:43 AM

Jim Shaw wasted no time in bravely taking on the swamp at the Capitol. But Kyle Hilbert, his special counselor Chris Kannady, and the Oklahoma City swamp aren't going to make it easy for him.

OPINION: Courage Is Contagious, and the Oklahoma House of Representatives Has Just Been Infected

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: January 14th, 2025 at 05:42 PM

Seven courageous state representatives have just sent an encouraging signal to the House of Representatives and the entire state of Oklahoma.

OPINION: The Darkest Part of the Night Has Arrived

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: January 9th, 2025 at 11:15 AM

The darkest part of the night has arrived in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, but the saying isn't wrong, the first light of day is just about to appear.

OPINION: My Advice to the New Speaker of the House: Divest the Curse

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: December 12th, 2024 at 04:19 PM

Will the next Speaker become just another picture on the wall of the House Chamber, forever consigned to the purgatory of watching future generations of politicians repeat the same mistakes?

The Assimilation Begins: Oklahoma's New Legislators Face Their First Test

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: November 18th, 2024 at 08:57 PM

A November 21st Oklahoma City fundraising event represents the start of the assimilation process that, for most new lawmakers, will prove "resistance is futile."

These are not serious people

Jason W. Murphey | Posted: May 10th, 2024 at 08:40 PM

How the second generation of Oklahoma's Republican legislative majority has become aimless and without clear purpose.