Posted on 10/21/2008 5:35:34 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Facing several angry constituents at a town hall meeting, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn defended his vote for the economic rescue plan by saying Monday it was critical to restart the country’s flow of credit. Advertisement
Failure to pass the $700 billion bailout could have had dire consequences, Coburn said, predicting unemployment rates would have skyrocketed without the move.
"I would vote that way again and again because the innocent in our society shouldn’t be paying for all these mistakes,” said Coburn, R-Muskogee.
Those who disagreed with Coburn’s vote said they are concerned the Wall Street bailout is an unacceptable federal intrusion into private business and that it is too costly for taxpayers.
Coburn told the approximately 70 who showed up for his meeting at Langston University’s Oklahoma City campus that he could have "looked good in Oklahoma” by voting against the bailout.
"My judgment is that it was the best thing I knew to do for our country at the time,” Coburn said.
Coburn blamed the economic mess largely on Congress not paying close attention to home lending practices of quasiindependent mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Asked how he gets along with Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, Coburn, an Oklahoma co-chairman for Republican presidential nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain, said he and Obama are "good friends.”
"He’s got a lot of guts, a lot of courage and he’s a pretty good listener,” he said of Obama. "My hope is that he’s not the president because I don’t think he’s quite prepared yet.”
His constituents should kick his butt over it.
YES...THATS THE TICKET!
I really appreciated his call. He said my letter made a real impact in his office and on him.
I didn’t say someone should vote against Coburn. (He’s not even running this year)
How?
Are the dems running for reelection taking a hit on the bailout too? Or just the republicans
Frankly, I don’t know what is worst; voting for a person who is a socialist or voting for a person who won’t stand up to socialism.
The innocent like all those people who paid their mortgages on time, don't carry a boat load of debt, and are footing the bill for the bail out...those innocent people Mr. Coburn?
Very, very bad. Dr. Coburn got this one wrong. There was only a 50-50 chance he was going to run again in 2010, and this may be the tipping point that he retires.
Why would he not run again?
How what?
..the primaries is where we can get what we want...
if you're going to vote for Mccain/Palin, we should also vote in the Pubs...we need to get our foot in the door....
I can proudly say that I never liked the Bushes.....especially the senior.....but I've had to support him because the alternative?....yikes....
Though I disagree with this vote, overall he’s still better than almost all of the Senate.
How did it make an impact?
Isn’t Coburn the guy what was saying how unconstitutional it was, but that he was voting for it because it needed to be done?
If so get him out. I don’t care what his party affiliation is.
I also quoted a sentence from the bailout bill, then the 5th plank of the communist manifesto and there was basically no difference.
And I told him that I didn't vote for someone to go to Washington to "reach across the aisle" unless it was to smack a lib, but not to get along or compromise but to fight for our conservative values.
The ballot box will not solve the problem in Washington.
Pitchforks and torches.
Yes. Incumbent Tom Latham (IA-4th District) has a RAT challenger (Becky Greenwald) who said that she would have voted for the bailout. Latham voted against it...twice. He is calling her “Bailout Becky.”
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