Please note: The following editorial is of the opinion of the author and may or may not reflect the opinions of KHTS Radio/Hometown Station or our news coverage.

It’s a public relations nightmare for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) as it launches yet another smear campaign. While officially the OCPA prefers policy influence over public admonishment, it has come out swinging as it whitewashes its actions. Due to its use of partisan smear tactics, the OCPA is losing more legitimacy as one of Oklahoma’s far right conservative forces.

The Courts Get Involved

In a move similar to that of a domestic abuse victim, a state representative’s wife filed papers in court for protection but dropped the request for a restraining order against the OCPA less than a month later.

Records show a member of the OCPA sent threatening text messages to a state representative’s wife. The contents of the text messages have never been revealed. However, the messages had to have been serious enough to warrant seeking out a restraining order.

In a statement, the OCPA sought distance between members’ private lives and what they do in their capacity for the OCPA. They officially don’t condone the actions listed in the texts and maintain their work for Oklahoma citizens as a justified reaction to wokeness.

OCPA files complaint with the Oklahoma Bar Association

In a not-so-surprising move, the OCPA took its smear campaign to social media with an announcement of a complaint filed against the state representative with the Oklahoma Bar Association. (JULY 8 2022 Tweet – Files a bar complaint against MOORE re VPO issue).

Despite distancing itself from its own employee who sent inappropriate text messages, the mere mention of the action evokes a reaction to the smear campaign, even if the Oklahoma Bar dismisses the complaints. Although crying wolf may work in the short term, the OCPA continues losing statewide legitimacy as social media platforms catch on.

Oklahoma GOP makes a hard right turn

The OCPA is a private conservative think tank with influential ties to the Oklahoma Republican Party. But its recent use of social media as a smear campaign tool might be a gap bridged too far across state government policy enactment and bullying. Has it turned the tables with its own “cancel culture” based on personal grudges?

Although the restraining order was dropped, the OCPA continues its bullying tactics and smear campaigns with negative press. This move is the typical GOP tactic of looking at the hand over here, not the one behind my back.

Threatening texts are a serious matter, one which the OBI certainly cares about as it investigates the incident. Meanwhile, the OCPA and the Oklahoma State Representative might well remember the reasoning behind Governor Keating’s resignation from the OCPA Board of Directors.

No love lost between Governor Keating and the OCPA

Governor Keating’s resignation from the OCPA Board of Directors illustrates the turn to the right many state governments must navigate. In a public statement, Keating called out the OCPA for not communicating with him about a private party request.

While the incident at the heart of the current smear campaign may just be a simple distraction tactic to avoid legal trouble, the smear campaigns waged against a duly elected state representative is a bridge too far. The smear campaigns show how far the OCPA has swayed from its original mission as a policy advisor and creator.

Please note: This editorial is of the opinion of the author and may or may not reflect the opinions of KHTS Radio/Hometown Station or our news coverage.