Major Robert Dump
02-14-2006, 18:54
When a Senator informed Tom Coburn his constituents would not allow him to vote affrimative on a measure Coburn put forth, Coburn responded "there is not one mention in the oath [of office] of your state."
At the annual Oklahoma Press Association Conference in OKC yesterday, Senator Coburn said "The country spent 100 million on museums last year, we are in the middle of a major war, we are repairing massive hurricane damage, we have people -- our own citizens -- going without, people who need help, yet last year there were 14,000 earmarks that no one voted on, earmarks that were mostly pork, because if it was really needed it would have been put to a vote, and we'd have passed it. It is shameful. And it's a Republican congress even"
http://coburn.senate.gov/
Meet Tom Coburn, a man who flies in the very face of all you who feel that pandering to "constituents" is necessary to getting elected. A man who stated his intentions in his Senate campaign and each House campaign and is upholding them. A man who served proudly in the House, who upheld his own promise of a self imposed term limit. A man who HAD TO BE TOLD to STOP DELIVERING BABIES FOR FREE FOR POOR PEOPLE because it was a possible violation of some ethics rule that prohibits those serving from continuing their profession (a rule, oddly enough, probably intended for those in energy, investments, law and varoius other professions that are in bed with dirty politicians, and not intended for a obstitricians)
Although no one in the Senate will come right out and say it, this guy is hated. Remember when we were trying to repair a hurrican ravaged coast, meanwhile Alaska is spending millions on a bridge no one will use? And remember Alaskan Senator Stevens banging his fist on national television, saying his state wont be "discriminated" against, saying "over his dead body" and making subtle threats about losing his temper (yes this is the same stevens who attached an ANWAR drilling provision in a military funding bill at christmas that aLmost got the senate called into special sessions)? It was Coburn who sparked that response from Stevens
Don't cry Senator Stevens:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102001931.html
Coburn plans on challenging every earmark. Some people are calling him Senator Trainwreck:
http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/TimChapman/2006/01/26/183818.html
An email to other Senators:
To rein in wasteful spending, Dr. Coburn intends to offer an amendment on every pork project stuffed into appropriations bills this year. There were at least 13,998 earmarked projects contained in last year’s appropriations bills. By way of comparison, the Senate had only 366 roll call votes last year. Needless to say we are beefing up our appropriations staff for this challenge and we have requested that we be given at least 72 hours to review appropriations bills before they are considered.
HE has already tried to pass anti-pork legislation, and it failed:
The U.S. Senate voted 86-13 against three anti-pork spending amendments offered by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK. The Coburn amendments would have repealed $500,000 previously authorized for a sculpture park in Seattle, Washington, $200,000 to build an animal shelter in Westerly, RI, and $200,000 to build a parking lot in Omaha, Nebraska, and re-directed the funds to help pay instead for Hurricane Katrina recovery.
It appears the majority of senators think it is more important to shelter dogs and cats in Rhode Island than people in Louisiana and Mississippi made homeless by Hurricane Katrina.
But now he has a sidekick,
wash times:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060126-115353-4436r.htm
novak:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-1_30_06_RN.html
george will:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/11/AR2006021101024.html
Oklahoma is vastly Democrat. Oklahoma Democrats are often referred to as Dixiecrats, more on the conservative side than typical big city left winger psuedo-intellect. We tend to elect Democrats at governors, but Republicans to Congress. Why is that? Well, to quote Brad Carlson, Coburns opponent in 2004, when Coburn asked Carlson in the debate why he supported Kerry for president, Carlson responded:
"because I'm a joe lieberman type of guy, and in your face, get your faith out there, joe lieberman type of guy." That was his answer. Brilliant.
In other words, give us Democrats who arent asshats, and we will vote them in.
Coburns campaign was a crazy one. He didn't try to outspend Carlson. He recieved federal funds. He said some off the wall things about lesbians and abortion and free press, and talked about God a little more than I liked. To most Dixiecrats none of the formentioned things would really matter, but to me it irked me a little, yet I was pulling for the guy all along. Why? Because of his record in the house, because he was a no-BS straight talker, and because he was not beholden to financial gain through personal endeavors. Oh, sure, he was beholden to certain interest groups, but these are groups that promote BELIEFS and PRINCIPALS, not FINANCIAL GAIN. I'll vote for a Republican with ties to anti-abortion and religious groups far before I'll vote for a Democrat with ties to banks, tobacco, oil, land, electric and restraunt interests.
When it comes down to it, its all about the labels, isn't it. Republican vs Democrat, left vs right. Democrats are tax and spend and Republicans are fiscally responsible..........right, like any of those things are valid anymore. Nothing more than sound bytes we've heard all our lives, maybe some crap grand daddy said all the time so now we repeat it. People lose elections because they "don't have experience" yet the people with the experience are the ones we bitch about when they get in office because they are beholden to party lines instead of right and wrong. McCain was called a Democrat on these boards last presidential election, such a terrible, terrible insult, yet now he's everyones favorite republican. oh how things change...oh how moderates are seen as traitors, and then not as traitors when one realizes the moderates stood their ground as the party liners lept of a cliff. Oh how guys like Coburn shake up the tree, and the worms come crawling out of the apples when they fall.
Tom Coburn calls a turd a turd. I'd vote for him for Governor, I'd vote for him as president, and I'm proud he's representing my state instead of the other salad tossers on Capitol Hill. Now, if we could just do something about Inhofe and Boren.........
At the annual Oklahoma Press Association Conference in OKC yesterday, Senator Coburn said "The country spent 100 million on museums last year, we are in the middle of a major war, we are repairing massive hurricane damage, we have people -- our own citizens -- going without, people who need help, yet last year there were 14,000 earmarks that no one voted on, earmarks that were mostly pork, because if it was really needed it would have been put to a vote, and we'd have passed it. It is shameful. And it's a Republican congress even"
http://coburn.senate.gov/
Meet Tom Coburn, a man who flies in the very face of all you who feel that pandering to "constituents" is necessary to getting elected. A man who stated his intentions in his Senate campaign and each House campaign and is upholding them. A man who served proudly in the House, who upheld his own promise of a self imposed term limit. A man who HAD TO BE TOLD to STOP DELIVERING BABIES FOR FREE FOR POOR PEOPLE because it was a possible violation of some ethics rule that prohibits those serving from continuing their profession (a rule, oddly enough, probably intended for those in energy, investments, law and varoius other professions that are in bed with dirty politicians, and not intended for a obstitricians)
Although no one in the Senate will come right out and say it, this guy is hated. Remember when we were trying to repair a hurrican ravaged coast, meanwhile Alaska is spending millions on a bridge no one will use? And remember Alaskan Senator Stevens banging his fist on national television, saying his state wont be "discriminated" against, saying "over his dead body" and making subtle threats about losing his temper (yes this is the same stevens who attached an ANWAR drilling provision in a military funding bill at christmas that aLmost got the senate called into special sessions)? It was Coburn who sparked that response from Stevens
Don't cry Senator Stevens:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102001931.html
Coburn plans on challenging every earmark. Some people are calling him Senator Trainwreck:
http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/TimChapman/2006/01/26/183818.html
An email to other Senators:
To rein in wasteful spending, Dr. Coburn intends to offer an amendment on every pork project stuffed into appropriations bills this year. There were at least 13,998 earmarked projects contained in last year’s appropriations bills. By way of comparison, the Senate had only 366 roll call votes last year. Needless to say we are beefing up our appropriations staff for this challenge and we have requested that we be given at least 72 hours to review appropriations bills before they are considered.
HE has already tried to pass anti-pork legislation, and it failed:
The U.S. Senate voted 86-13 against three anti-pork spending amendments offered by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK. The Coburn amendments would have repealed $500,000 previously authorized for a sculpture park in Seattle, Washington, $200,000 to build an animal shelter in Westerly, RI, and $200,000 to build a parking lot in Omaha, Nebraska, and re-directed the funds to help pay instead for Hurricane Katrina recovery.
It appears the majority of senators think it is more important to shelter dogs and cats in Rhode Island than people in Louisiana and Mississippi made homeless by Hurricane Katrina.
But now he has a sidekick,
wash times:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060126-115353-4436r.htm
novak:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-1_30_06_RN.html
george will:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/11/AR2006021101024.html
Oklahoma is vastly Democrat. Oklahoma Democrats are often referred to as Dixiecrats, more on the conservative side than typical big city left winger psuedo-intellect. We tend to elect Democrats at governors, but Republicans to Congress. Why is that? Well, to quote Brad Carlson, Coburns opponent in 2004, when Coburn asked Carlson in the debate why he supported Kerry for president, Carlson responded:
"because I'm a joe lieberman type of guy, and in your face, get your faith out there, joe lieberman type of guy." That was his answer. Brilliant.
In other words, give us Democrats who arent asshats, and we will vote them in.
Coburns campaign was a crazy one. He didn't try to outspend Carlson. He recieved federal funds. He said some off the wall things about lesbians and abortion and free press, and talked about God a little more than I liked. To most Dixiecrats none of the formentioned things would really matter, but to me it irked me a little, yet I was pulling for the guy all along. Why? Because of his record in the house, because he was a no-BS straight talker, and because he was not beholden to financial gain through personal endeavors. Oh, sure, he was beholden to certain interest groups, but these are groups that promote BELIEFS and PRINCIPALS, not FINANCIAL GAIN. I'll vote for a Republican with ties to anti-abortion and religious groups far before I'll vote for a Democrat with ties to banks, tobacco, oil, land, electric and restraunt interests.
When it comes down to it, its all about the labels, isn't it. Republican vs Democrat, left vs right. Democrats are tax and spend and Republicans are fiscally responsible..........right, like any of those things are valid anymore. Nothing more than sound bytes we've heard all our lives, maybe some crap grand daddy said all the time so now we repeat it. People lose elections because they "don't have experience" yet the people with the experience are the ones we bitch about when they get in office because they are beholden to party lines instead of right and wrong. McCain was called a Democrat on these boards last presidential election, such a terrible, terrible insult, yet now he's everyones favorite republican. oh how things change...oh how moderates are seen as traitors, and then not as traitors when one realizes the moderates stood their ground as the party liners lept of a cliff. Oh how guys like Coburn shake up the tree, and the worms come crawling out of the apples when they fall.
Tom Coburn calls a turd a turd. I'd vote for him for Governor, I'd vote for him as president, and I'm proud he's representing my state instead of the other salad tossers on Capitol Hill. Now, if we could just do something about Inhofe and Boren.........