What's Going On With Tom Coburn?

I happened to see Dick Morris' appearance on Sean Hannity's Fox News Channel program Monday night. Morris noted that Tom Coburn, the previously-staunch conservative Republican Senator from Oklahoma, has suddenly changed his stripes.

Morris was referring to Coburn's vote for the Bowles-Simpson's Commissions recommendations, including $1T of new taxes.

What has gotten into Coburn? Morris went on a rant, urging voters to call Coburn and a fellow formerly-conservative Senator whose name I can't recall. All week. Then Morris lamented that both had just been re-elected, meaning they have six years of insularity in which to potentially drift leftward.

Let's hope Coburn just had a brief lapse of sense. I understand that he thinks the whole package offered by the Commission opens spending cut doors on entitlements which were previously locked shut. But I don't think his voting for such enormous tax hikes is justified to get the entitlement changes.

He could have voted against the plan as a bad package, but supported the spending cuts as worthy of inclusion in future legislation.

Come Next January......

While having lunch the other day with another conservative and long-time friend and work colleague, we found ourselves discussing the possibility of the Republicans retaking both the House and the Senate.

One thing was immediately obvious to both of us which, sadly, probably won't happen. We felt that neither John Boehner, currently House Minority Leader, nor Mitch McConnell, currently Senate Minority Leader, should be allowed to assume the position of leader of his chamber, should the GOP take either one back. In Boehner's case, that would mean denying him the post of Speaker of the House.

It seemed relatively simple to my friend and me. Anybody in leadership when the party lost the majority in a chamber can't be allowed to resume leadership if/when they get it back.

Only the 'inside baseball' players in the party's Congressional caucuses would miss the reason for this. That is, if someone is associated with the party's loss of a chamber, it is folly to let him or her resume leadership in what is supposed to be a new period of the party's empowerment.

Most voters are neither hard-core Democrats, nor Republicans. I believe the plurality of voters aren't even registered with either party. Thus, the face of leadership of either party in the House or Senate majority is primarily to those who aren't of the party.

That's why recycling the perennially artificially-tanned Boehner or the inept McConnell would be a big mistake. Why not announce, a priori, that they become the majority party, the Republicans will choose new leaders. They don't even have to suggest any nominees, although Eric Cantor and Tom Coburn are obvious candidates.

Call it the Moses Clause. He never crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

Congressional delegations would be wise to adopt this principle in their own affairs when power changes between the parties in the House or Senate.

Tom Coburn For President?

Stephen Moore wrote an interesting little piece captured in the Wall Street Journal's Notable & Quotable column recently.

Moore noted that Tom Coburn is up for re-election to the Senate from Oklahoma this year, and nobody- in either party- is opposing him!

Moore provided this quote attributed to Coburn about his continuing practice of medicine,

"I want to keep practicing medicine even if I don't make money at it. I'm prouder of being a doctor than a Senator."

Could you possibly imagine Wonderboy saying that about.....community organizing? Or whatever he says he did to earn a living while accomplishing basically nothing in life?

By the way, Coburn lost $11,000 last year practicing medicine in Muskogee, because he no longer charges his patients.

With no opposition whatsoever, Coburn has spent his time helping the Tea Party movement and other Republican candidates around the country. That, of course, is the sort of activity that can pay big dividends on the national scene.

Moore notes that Coburn is being mentioned as a possible GOP presidential contender for 2012. And with Coburn having completed his first Senate term, one could argue he has sufficient knowledge of Washington, without being there so long as to be an insider.

And his medical background provides a sense of intellect, knowledge and determination.

Having seen what one relatively inexperienced president is doing, it's somewhat off-putting to consider nominating and electing another relatively inexperienced politician.

Then, again, Coburn has practiced as a doctor and gotten himself elected to the Senate. These days, with the overwhelming need for a return to limited government, perhaps Coburn is sufficiently experienced for doing that.

Tom Coburn Wants To Know.....

A friend sent me an email this morning alerting me to GOP Senator Tom Coburn's appearance on Joe Scarborough's MSNBC program.

He alluded to a funny line by Coburn which occurs at about 6:15 in this video clip. I won't spoil the fun, except to cue you with the title of this post....