Posted on 05/02/2005 1:42:42 PM PDT by HJH207
Dr. Tom Coburn, a U.S. senator from Oklahoma for less than four months, last week was up to old tricks he started playing in the House a decade ago. He was making colleagues' lives miserable by exposing wasteful, unnecessary spending that is supposed to stay hidden. The Senate establishment, like its House counterpart, has retaliated by bringing ethics charges against the obstetrician-senator for going home to Muskogee, Okla., to deliver babies.
In a legislative body where members spend much of their time off the Senate floor begging for money, it is worthy of Kafka that the only pending ethical proceeding involves Coburn's concept of the citizen-legislator. Unless the rules are changed, Coburn must either break his campaign pledge of continuing baby deliveries or leave the Senate.
His early departure from the Senate would occasion rejoicing there, as he showed April 20. Not observing a freshman senator's customary silent period, he proposed reducing the $592 million for a new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad provided by the emergency supplemental appropriations bill. Coburn argued that because only $106 million could be spent over the next two years, ''we are going to have $486 million hanging out there that will be rescinded and spent on something else.'' Instead of settling for the usual voice vote, Coburn insisted on a roll call (which he lost by only 54-45).
The Oklahoma GOP establishment thought it was finished with Coburn when he fulfilled his term-limit pledge and left Congress after three terms, ending in 2000. His subsequent memoir showed his contempt for Capitol Hill mores. When a Senate seat opened for the 2004 election, Coburn withstood vicious attacks in both the Republican primary and general election campaign.
On Dec. 2, a Senate staffer handed Sen.-elect Coburn's chief-of-staff a letter signed by Sen. George Voinovich, the Senate Ethics Committee's GOP chairman, and Sen. Harry Reid, then the panel's ranking Democrat. The letter ordered Coburn to stop practicing medicine.
The staffer was no stranger to Coburn: Robert L. Walker, staff director of the Senate Ethics Committee. He held the same post for the House Ethics Committee the year after it made the same demand in 1998. House rules were not as firm, and the ethics panel backed down in 1998 when Coburn made clear he would quit Congress before he quit medicine. But Senate rules prohibit ''substantial'' outside income.
During six years in the House, Coburn's campaign against pork-barrel spending made him anathema to Republican leaders. He planned a lower profile in the Senate, but the ethics complaint made that impossible. He also had an agenda ensuring him more attention than ordinary freshmen: bringing free market principles to health care, oversight of federal programs (as chairman of the Federal Financial Management Subcommittee) and assaulting congressional pork. For the first time since Phil Gramm left the Senate, Sen. John McCain had an anti-pork partner.
In the April 20 debate on the supplemental appropriations bill, Coburn was the only senator to support McCain against Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who was mandating that a $40 million project go to a ''Philadelphia-based company.'' ''I believe this is the wrong way we should be doing things,'' Coburn told the Senate. ''We need to stop. Our future depends on the integrity of a budgeting and appropriations process that is not based on politics but is based on having the future best will for our country.''
It is hard to exaggerate how much Coburn's rhetoric riles pork-loving colleagues, explaining the absurd ethics proceeding against him. In answering charges that he is a part-time senator, Coburn wrote constituents that he will continue to ''devote at least 60-70 hours per week to my Senate duties.'' Other senators spend as much time as Coburn back home but mainly for fund-raising. They are not stopped from padding their bankrolls with book royalties, farm income and investments.
With little chance Voinovich will bury the complaint in the Ethics Committee, Coburn can hope that the Senate Rules Committee under Chairman Trent Lott will save the Senate from embarrassment by amending the rule. What is sure is that Tom Coburn will neither yield nor shut up.
If the smarmy Senate goes after Doctor Tom with this, they had better get rid of JOhnny Feckless Kerry for worse abuse of his responsiblities to 'be at the Senate for debate and votes'. But of course, the 'Sinators' are hypocrites and will ignore democrat neglect of duties.
There has to be more than this for them to press ethics charges. I am guessing there are two sides to this and I would like to hear both.
Yeah, he hasn't quite caught on to being a "compassionate conservative" yet.
No that was me.
No that was me.
Unfortunately not. Tom Coburn is not a Sam Rayburn type of legislator. I believe the quote is "To get along is to go along." I thought that is what Free Republic is all about a citizen legislator!
Every time I read a story about Tom Coburn, I'm even happier that I voted for him as my Senator and he won.
THANKS FOR THE HELP!!
bttt
BTW, regarding Voinivich, last week, right before the Senators left for recess, they had a vote on the Budget Resolution---
Voinivich was one of only 2 senators to vote AGAINST it, because it actually cut some money out of 15 programs so that we could reduce the deficit!!! (DeWine was the other)
I got a (mass) email a few weeks ago from Pat Toomey from the club and it said something like "wouldn't you like to see this guy run for president", or..... well i don't want to mischaracterize it... but it gave the impression they were supporting pence and then the club's blog started citing Mike Pence stories a lot and then Stephan Moore, ex pres, said this in a Washingotn Post article:
"Mike is charismatic. He's articulate, but he's not shrill or mean the way some conservatives can be," said Stephen Moore, former president of the Club for Growth, a conservative political action committee. "I think a lot of us are looking around and saying, 'Who is the next great conservative hero? Where is the next Ronald Reagan in our party?' . . . The Study Committee has close to 100 members now. That's a high water mark. So it means that all legislation that passes Congress is going to have go through Mike Pence."
The Club strikes very early, thats one of the reasons I like them so much - they really make a difference. Recall they endorsed Gov Owens like 3-4 months ago. I read a few other news stories here and there that tell me they are most likely fully behind and supporting mike pence for pres. Perhaps there hasn't been an offical anouncment yet, I couldn't find one.
I tried to find some of these, but was unable to and I deleted that old email. Sorry, I hate it when people say things on here and can't back it up with solid evidence, but i guess thats what i kind of did in this case. :)
I believe the expression is "Go along to get along".
Is this the same guy who favors the death penalty for abortionists and the adoption of Old Testament law?
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I think a lot of stuff he's said has been taken out of context, but yea I think he is pretty radical on some social issues. This is a shame because he's the only dang senator who has it right on just about every single other issue. In other words, he's actually (gasp!) serious about stopping socialism in this country. THAT is my top priority and I'll take the other stuff with a grain of salt.
Excellent point, It really doesn't seem fair to the patient. I don't think he's thought this out very much. Last time I checked being as senator is a full time job. A lot is expected from them and if I were a resident of Oklahoma I would be a little peeved that his attention was not focused solely on working for Oklahoma. I hope he realizes this and gets back to being a full time senator.
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