Family Doctor.
Independent Voice.
Citizen Legislator.
Tom Coburn.
Coburn For Senate 2010
P.O. Box 977
Muskogee, OK 74402
918-684-4308
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Coburn different kind of political cat - 7/10/04
Coburn different kind of political cat
Associated Press
July 10, 2004, Saturday, BC cycle
By RON JENKINS, Associated Press Writer
DATELINE: OKLAHOMA CITY
Former Congressman Tom Coburn relishes his reputation as a political maverick in his
return to active politics as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.
"I'm an American first and a Republican third or fourth," Coburn said in an interview
with The Associated Press as he blamed "career politics" for most of the nation's woes,
condemned pork barrel spending and outlined a plan to cut the nation's medical care
costs.
His medical plan included allowing lower-cost drugs to be reimported from Canada,
vowing to "bust up" what he says in a noncompetitive pharmaceutical market.
The 56-year-old Muskogee doctor set himself apart from other candidates. "My desire is
not to be a U.S. senator. My desire is to change the Senate," he said.
Also running for the GOP nomination are former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk
Humphreys, Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony and Jay Richard Hunt, a political
newcomer. U.S. Rep. Brad Carson heads up a five-candidate Democratic field.
Coburn is traditional conservative, opposing abortion except in rare cases to save the life
of the mother and advocating tax cuts and limited government.
On the death penalty, he said: "I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people
who take life."
He said he performed two abortions to save the lives of mothers who had congenital heart
disease, but opposes the procedure in cases of rape.
"Under the mores we live under today, my lineage wouldn't exist," Coburn said,
explaining that his great-grandmother was raped by a territorial sheriff.
Coburn cemented his maverick persona when he led an attempt to oust Republican House
Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997, before leaving Congress in keeping with his pledge to
serve only three terms.
He bucked the GOP establishment again by getting i nto the Senate race after many
prominent Republican leaders, including U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., got behind
Humphreys' candidacy.
He said he had kind words for his GOP opponents, saying Humphreys had "great
leadership qualities" and Anthony was "super smart."
But Coburn said he believed there would be "great differences on how we would vote and
how we would interact in Washington."
"Washington plays hard ball and the first thing, if you go along, get along, you're going to
be counted on to go along and get along ... and I'm not going to check with Jim Inhofe on
how I vote. I'm going to check with what I know is right and what I think the Constitution
says and does it fit with the moral code that I follow."
Coburn said Medicare and Social Security have gotten into sad fiscal shape because
Congress members are more interested in getting re-elected than making tough choices to
change those systems.
"I believe we can fulfill our obligations and change the programs and not saddle our
children with a debt they can't handle," he said.
But Coburn said only Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan is even talking
about fixing those problems out of fear that they will be demagogued for advocating
cutting benefits.
Even the White House, he said, is in an election mode. "As a matter of fact, the White
House and Congress actually worsened the Medicare program with a Medicare drug bill."
He said he is for term limits more than ever before, railing against pork barrel spending,
the influence of special interests and saying a "corrupt" process exists in highway funding
where incumbent congressmen get pet projects that are not necessarily what is best for
the state.
He said he was opposed to spending on special "pork" projects for states unless there is a
surplus. "The oath that people in Congress take isn't to bring back pork to their state. The
oath they take is to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution," he said.
On the Tar Creek issue, Coburn was highly critical of the millions of dollars that have
been spent without accomplishing a cleanup of the Superfund Site.
"The government has failed to do its job at Tar Creek, period. So let's do what is in the
best interests of the kids. What we have to do is figure out what that is. If it's to move
them out, I'll move them out."
Coburn's plan to attack rising medical costs includes an emphasis on prevention.
Cutting down on diabetes by using less sugar and controlling weight could save billions
of dollars in the next 20 years, he said.
He said more money could be saved if people took over-the-counter drugs that reduce the
risk of getting colon cancer.
Coburn said lawsuit reform is needed to stem rising malpractice insurance rates and the
tendency of doctors to order unnecessary tests to protect themselves. He also advocates
health savings accounts.
Besides bringing competition to the pharmaceutical marketplace, he supports creating a
competitive environment in medicine.
"The guys who do the worst job in heart bypass get paid the same as the guys who do the
best job. Why's that?"
He called for incentives to create "centers of excellence" where surgeries and other
medical procedures can be performed at a fraction of the current cost.
Coburn says he may become a committee chairman if he is in the Senate for two terms,
which is his self-imposed limit. But he says that is not his goal.
"I want to change the U.S. Senate and I will bet you, with powerful, courageous and bold
leadership, I can have just as much impact as any chairman."
"And by challenging the status quo, you can have people follow a lead on what's best for
the country - not what's best for their party and not what's best for their political career."
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