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WILL COBURN HOLD ON?
This article about Senator Tom Coburn captures a truly antidemocratic moment in the U.S. Senate, as party leaders bring to the floor a "Tomnibus" bill of some 35 pieces of legislation that the good Senator from Oklahoma is personally holding up. Senate customs that allow small groups of senators to hold up legislation have been used much more successfully by Republicans than than Democrats in recent years, but getting into a procedural battle about eliminating them wouldn't be a good use of time with so little legislative time left before campaign season.
On the other hand, it may be that the only way to force these bills through is to make Coburn actually filibuster them -- and I'm confident that the Oklahoman would relish getting a good ten hours of floor time to talk about whatever he pleases. It'll be interesting to see how Harry Reid handles this one (the Times seems pessimistic about his chances for success) since it will be a preview of his ability to handle obstructionist Senators in 2009.
--Tim Fernholz
COMMENTS (5)
Senator Coburn is nuts. This is a man who campaigned against rampant homosexuality in the bathrooms of high schools and middle schools across Oklahoma and promised to stamp it out.
I am glad I am not blessed to have Coburn and Inhofe as my senators. . . .
Posted by: Anonymous | July 28, 2008 10:53 AM
I don't claim to be a Senate rules expert, so can anyone explain to me how ONE Senator in the MINORITY FUCKING PARTY can hold up a whole flotilla of noncontroversial legislation, yet Democratic Senators Dodd and Feingold can't stop a bill greatly expanding to federal government's power to monitor its citizens without a warrant?
A more cynical person might come to the conclusion that the two-party system in this country is a sham designed to fool Americans into thinking they have a choice when it comes to actions their government decide to take.
Posted by: brewmn | July 28, 2008 11:29 AM
"but getting into a procedural battle about eliminating them wouldn't be a good use of time with so little legislative time left before campaign season."
Actually it's as good a time as any since the less a minority (of one) can hold things up in the Senate, the better for the majority -- i.e. us -- come January
Posted by: leo | July 28, 2008 11:55 AM
According to Senator Coburn, about 94% of the bill that pass do so without a vote of any kind.
Now that may be appropriate for naming a post office or public park, but the Senator's problem with much of these bills is that they are serious spending bills with serious money and laden with lots and lots of pork and he believes that they should be debated and voted upon.
Say it ain't so.
Posted by: El Viajero | July 28, 2008 12:56 PM
"but the Senator's problem with much of these bills is that they are serious spending bills with serious money and laden with lots and lots of pork and he believes that they should be debated and voted upon."
Funny, it doesn't seem the Senator had a problem with theses ame bills when the Republicans wer in the majority, you lying hack.
Posted by: brewmn | July 28, 2008 2:25 PM