Episode 21

21 - Time to Panic, or Time to Take a Breath?

Whether you're talking about politics in Oklahoma or nationally, it seems to be a time of confrontation, hysteria, or despair - depending on your political tribe. In this episode, Emily and James run down a variety of political news that have people talking in Oklahoma and across the nation.

In Oklahoma, primary elections saw a Texas millionaire waste a lot of money in an unsuccessful bid to unseat U.S. Rep Tom Cole (OK CD-4). Also, the OK Supreme Court strikes down an attempt to create a publicly-funded Catholic Charter school. State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters responds by mandating that all public schools will teach the Bible (as a historical document) and that all public school classrooms will have a Bible in them.

Nationally, Democrats have had a rough couple of weeks. President Joe Biden had a disastrous debate performance, which has led to open calls for him to drop out of the race. President Biden has responded defiantly, saying he is the best candidate to face former President Donald Trump in November. Meanwhile the Supreme Court released (as is its custom at the end of its term) released a slew of cases in which it gave a partial victory to abortion rights advocates, said states are permitted to deny individuals who have restraining orders against them to purchase or own firearms, that former presidents do have some immunity for "official acts," and that the courts will no longer give deference to government agencies when interpreting whether a law passed by Congress authorizes certain rules or regulations created by the agency, but not expressly authorized by Congress.

Along the way, Emily and James move in and out of agreement on various topics, and have a lively discussion of some of the important political events occurring over the last few weeks.

For more information on the race for Oklahoma's 4th Congressional District, read this: https://nondoc.com/2024/06/18/tom-cole-beats-paul-bondar-oklahoma-4th-congressional-district/

To find out more about the OK Supreme Court's rejection of plans to create a religious charter school, go here: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/25/oklahoma-high-court-rejects-religious-charter-school-contract-00164843

To read more about OK State Superintendent Ryan Walters' mandate that all Oklahoma public schools teach "the role the Bible played in American history," click here: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/oklahoma-education-head-discusses-why-hes-mandating-public-schools-teach-the-bible

To read about President Biden's debate performance and the political fallout of it, go here: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/04/biden-trump-debate-polling-00166590

To read the most recent opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court, click here: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/slipopinion/23

For more information on Dr. Emily Stacey, click here: https://www.rose.edu/staff/social-sciences-department/stacey-emily/

For more information on Professor James Davenport, click here: https://www.rose.edu/staff/social-sciences-department/davenport-james/

Not My Generation is recorded and produced by Possibilities, Inc. You can learn more about Possibilities, Inc. here: https://www.possibilitiesinc.org/

You can follow Not My Generation on X (Twitter) at @NMGpodcast and on Facebook at Not My Generation Podcast. You can also email us at NotMyGeneration@raider.rose.edu.

The views expressed here are solely the views of the hosts and their guests and do not represent the views of Rose State College, its administration, faculty, or students.

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Dr. Emily Stacey

Emily Stacey is a Political Science professor and Program Coordinator for Political Science at Rose State College. Dr. Stacey has the privilege of coordinating events, including the Great Debate panel series, Liberal Arts and Sciences colloquia, and the Political Science book club. Dr. Stacey was honored as a DaVinci Institute Fellow in 2023, an award given for innovative teaching in higher education. She successfully completed her dissertation defense in November 2016, and formally graduated with her doctorate in July 2017 from Swansea University (Wales, UK). Emily’s dissertation research focuses on the necessity of bureaucratization in contemporary social movements, namely those using digital technologies to mobilize and sustain dissent. She has participated in the Digital Methods Initiative at the University of Amsterdam (2013) and Oxford University’s Internet Institute Summer Doctoral Program (2014).



Emily has published multiple works thus far, Combatting Internet-Enabled Terrorism (2017), which focuses on the use of digital technologies and the internet by terror organizations, with emphasis on the Islamic State. Nationalism, Social Movements, and Activism in Contemporary Society was published in 2018, and analyzes the rising tide of nationalist politics around the world, with emphasis on U.S. politics (the rise of the Tea Party, election of Donald Trump and juxtaposing that against the Black Lives Matter movement). Emily’s most recent work (2023) focuses on deglobalization and the shifting world order. You can follow Emily on Twitter at: @politikphd.
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James Davenport

James Davenport is the Associate Dean for Social Sciences and a professor of political science at Rose State College. He is a two-time recipient of the Oklahoma Political Science Association's (OPSA) "Teacher of the Year" award and a recipient of OPSA's "Excellence in Public Service" award. He has also earned the Rose State College "Excellence in Teaching" award. He earned the "Excellence in Public Service" Award from the OPSA in 2023.
James brings practical experience in politics to his academic training as a political scientist. He has worked for a member of Congress, a county commissioner, a public opinion research firm, and owned a public relations and campaign consulting firm. In addition, he has also be the host of a radio talk show.
In 2023, James founded the Center for Civic Engagement, which fosters positive conversations on challenging issues and builds bridges of communication between the academic community, policy makers, and the general public.
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