Deevers said his actions shed light on Senate flaws

OKLAHOMA CITY — Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, responded Monday to recent comments made by Senator Greg Treat, shedding light on systemic flaws within the Senate and advocating for reform. In a candid statement, Deevers challenged the status quo and called for a more equitable representation for all citizens.

During his weekly press conference last Thursday, Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat labeled Deevers and Sen. Nathan Dahm as “terrorists” because they filibustered the Senate over leadership’s choice to consider bills submitted by rank-and-file members and suppress the voice of other districts. Treat asserted that he “does not negotiate with terrorists.” However, in a subsequent exchange with a reporter, Treat clarified that he meant their “actions were terroristic.”

While the term “terrorist” typically evokes images of lawlessness, fear, and mass casualties, Treat conceded that both Dahm and Deevers had acted “according to the rules” of the Senate.

The recent filibuster, which kept the Senate in session until after 10:00 p.m., prompted questions about its cause. Deevers explained, “I’ll put it plainly, as I did with a ranking colleague frustrated that his bill, to which he had dedicated many hours, would not be heard on the floor. I understand his frustration. I, too, dedicated many hours to writing and submitting bills for my constituents, yet none of them were even heard in committee. Meanwhile, many of the bills from that ranking colleague received consideration both in committee and on the Senate floor. When I asked him if he could think of anyone else who might be frustrated that their bills were not heard, he instantly understood why we decided to filibuster.”

Deevers then shared a thought-provoking parable to illustrate the flaws in our state Senate system. “Imagine a grand banquet table,” he said. “Some diners feast on the choicest meats, while others are fed scraps. Another group is fed crumbs, and another is left starving, denied even crumbs. Now, let’s not see these diners as the forty-eight senators, but rather as the constituents of each district. Some constituents suffer because leadership stifles their senators’ voices, not allowing their bills to be heard.”

Explaining the parable, Deevers said, “The power-centralizing rules and artificially imposed norms of the Senate are not created to give equal representation for all the citizens of each district; all equally deserving a seat at the table.” He likened the status quo to “a system designed to serve only those at the very top while pitting all the other senators against each other rather than addressing the underlying problems.” He urged his colleagues to recognize that their frustration should not lie with each other but with the dysfunctional system of rules and norms itself.

“The current rules create a hierarchy of unhealthy competition and divisiveness in a culture of fear where the senators getting scraps fight against the senators getting crumbs and those starving. That’s why some of the senators were upset with Senator Dahm and I. They thought we were going to starve them from their meals instead of pointing their finger at the disordered system.”

Drawing a powerful analogy, Deevers highlighted the phenomenon of Stockholm Syndrome. “Senators getting scraps and crumbs,” he said, “even learn to thank those in power for meager rations while those in power dine without restraint.”

Deevers called for a reevaluation of Senate rules and procedures, advocating for a “Golden Rule” package that prioritizes the equality of all constituents. “Let us work toward a system that truly serves the people of Oklahoma by treating others the way we want to be treated,” he urged. “Let us turn the ladder on its side. Let us welcome all forty-eight Senate districts to the table. Let us represent the people with transparency and accountability. Let us not be like the people whose rulers lord their authority over them; rather, let us serve one another with glad equality as we seek to obey God, uphold our oaths, and represent our people. We can do better.”