Dr. No?
- Posted by ryan on July 28th, 2008 filed in Policy/Politics
I’m simply livid at the hero treatment the press is giving Tom Coburn, a crazed, ego-maniacal, anti-democratic grandstanding buffoon. You’d think that one self-important man placing himself above the will of the overwhelming majority of Americans would be cause for full-throated criticism, if not outright rage. Instead, we get these “even-handed” pieces that allow Coburn to cast himself as a lone warrior against all of profligate Washington.
Well fuck that. As a Washingtonian, I can always count on having voters from elsewhere overrule the collective will of my city, even on issues concerning Washington alone. Having the supposed prerogatives of Oklahomans (half of them, anyway) imposed on America against the will of the majority while the press farts out lazy stories Coburn will gladly send to his constituents is harder to stomach still.
The man thinks he knows better than the duly elected representatives of a considerable majority of the American population. That’s contemptible. A responsible press might ask him why seems not to believe in the democratic process.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:54 am
you tell ‘em, ryan!
July 29th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Amen.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Remember when Republicans were crying about allowing an “up-or-down” vote on Bush’s Judicial nominees. About how undemocratic it was to allow the minority to stop the will of the majority. Ah, hypocrisy.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
They got their up or down vote yesterday - and lost. That’s the point - Coburn stops bills that would otherwise sail through with no debate or votes at all. He simply says, look if we are going to spend billions of dollars, lets debate the merits and then vote. Probably two-thirds of the bills that pass the senate are never voted on. How scary is that??? And a billion dollars for the Metro - he’s right - let riders pay or local taxpayers pay - not taxpayers from all 50 states. Metro is a local responsibility not a national one.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Don’t be such an ass.
You and all the rest of the blogosphere try to make it seem like his holds are killing bills, or at least delaying them indefinitely. That’s not the case. A hold simply requires that debate be held. There’s absolutely nothing undemocratic about insisting that his fellow representatives actually consider and formally debate, even for a few moments, important legislation.
And please, save us the plaintive plea that this has something to do with “collegiality.” If Coburn were insisting that the chamber seriously consider and debate some other pieces of legislation that you vehemently disagree with– like, I don’t know, say, the Patriot Act– rather than rush it through, you’d be singing a very different tune.
[Side note: would I be much happier if he acknowledged the unjustly unequal status of the residents of the District of Columbia in our system, and if supported public transport funds for my hometown at the level it deserves? Absolutely. But those issues are not the same as the issue of the legitimacy of his holds.]
July 29th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Please don’t come here peddling crap arguments. They got an up or down vote yesterday, and a majority voted in favor of the bill. Federal Metro funding is absolutely justified. Not only does Metro directly contribute to the successful operation of the government and the enjoyment of the national capital by tourists, but it’s also a regular old transportation system. Like, say, highways, which enjoy massive federal funding.
Why should debate be held on items with which the majority overwhelmingly agrees? How long should they sit there and discuss the fact that pretty much everybody except Coburn thinks something is a good idea? Coburn doesn’t want debate, he wants concessions, and he’s willing to abuse Senate rules–rules I oppose in all circumstances–to undermine the will of the majority.
It’s fundamentally anti-democratic, and you two should be embarrassed to support it.
July 29th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Those are both long reaches. Gov’t employees pay their own metro fares as well as tourists. That should remain the status quo. May taxes already pay for the beltway, shouldn’t have to pay for the subway too.
Debate should be held because it’s my taxdollars. Overwhemlingly? They got 52 votes out of the 60 needed. That’s underwhelming.
The senate’s “Unanimous Consent” procedural tool is what is fundamentally undemocratic. Look into it. Coburn uses one procedural tool to block another procedural tool. Logrolling 35 bills together to buy enough votes to overcome the procedure is fundmentally undemocratic. Thankfully someone stopped it this year and saved the taxpayers of our republic a little bit of money. Now about social security insolvency….
July 29th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
The American public pays for rural construction and infrastructure projects in Oklahoma and elsewhere, far more than anyone in those districts would ever be able to pay for anything at all. And yet it’s when the regions with the most people producing the most economic value for the entire country ask for some help that they don’t want to be bothered.
Nevermind that the amount of economic development that would be caused by this project (not just in greater Washington but around the country) would far outweigh the amount of federal money payed in. I guess federally funded projects should really only be intended to keep people in the suburbs and beyond.
Now, about that occupation….
July 30th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
In this thread one writer references a “what if” Coburn tied up The Patriot Act with a “hold.” As a member of the House, Coburn voted against The Patriot Act and is on record justifying his vote by not wanting to delay The Rapture. No kidding! I like his vote. I’m not sure I like his reasons. But hey, the guy’s so crazy you can count on him to piss off everyone, everyone except enough of my fellow Oklahomans to get him tossed out of congress. Sigh. My state is humiliated by its senators so regularly, it almost turns full circle and becomes a source of pride. Yet, pride is a sin, so maybe Dr. Tom Coburn should resign from the senate so his constituents don’t become too sinful.