Tom Coburn and The Tale of Two Senate Seats

I'll be back to read...on the run. Thanks for your comments at my place.

Excellent piece. I believe that if conservatives would participate in the elections and not get discouraged so easily when perfection is not attained, that the GOP would move to the right, and we could eventually have a more conservative GOP. However, since the Republican Party can't count on the conservative base, it is moving to the left to attract Reagan democrats and independents.

Remember, conservatives gave up on the Newt Congress, because they didn't accomplish everything in two years, and we lost conservative seats in 1996 and have continued to lose conservative seats ever since. So now what we have left are RINOs.

though part of why conservatives got fed up with Newts congress is after a great start, quiteanumber of them began to drift leftwards, to compromise where they promised not to, and to back off on the things they claimed to stand for. It is by standing on conservative principles that you attract new people tot he conservative fold, not by becoming democrat lite.

Coburn is not the model you think he is. Just this week, he caved to the left and passed the PEPFAR legislation, which sends tens of Billions of dollars in foreign aid to Africa.

Politicians are not principled. They must be watched like hawks. We need to excercise much more vigilance and extreme skepticism when dealing with and discussing individual politicians. We tend to be too easily impressed.

I looked up the senate record, and indeed you are right, Coburn supported this bill. In researching the bill, it does appear to contradict his stand on earmarks. I have written to him and await a response. I still consider his leadership on the Reid omnibus bill to be important, but as you say, this would be a very disappointing cave in if it is so. If Iget a reply from him, I will let you know what he says.