Tom Coburn March 14, 1948-March 28, 2020

[Borg warner]

Former Senator Tom Coburn, who had been an Obstetrician and an ophthalmologist,  was one of the greatest fiscal conservatives and deficit hawks in congress and was referred to by Democrats as "Dr. No" for his use of technicalities to block federal spending bills. One of the most hard-line fiscal conservatives in first the House and then the Senate, he nonetheless enjoyed the respect and friendship of many Democrats. He was a very principled man and believed that no elected representative should serve more than two terms or would otherwise be corrupted by being in power any longer than two terms. And though he could have easily won re-election to both the congress and the senate, he served only two terms in office in each position.

Anyone who says "All politicians are Crooks" have never followed the career of Tom Coburn. We sure as hell could use more like him.

 What Tom Coburn taught me

 by Timothy P. Carney 

 | March 28, 2020 03:39 PM The Washington Examiner

 

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When I sat down with Tom Coburn in early 2009, I was looking for what we journalists are always looking for in these situations: a hook for a feature, some pull quotes for the magazine, or some angle that will help me tell readers something new about the man.

But I walked out with a new way to see my life and my work.

Coburn, who died this morning of complications from cancer, was a notorious thorn in the side of Republican and Democratic floor leaders in both chambers. The obstetrician first entered politics in 1994, when he won a House seat, while promising to serve only three terms. The 1994 Republican revolution was something of a populist revolt, Congressional term limits were big that year, and Coburn meant it when he said he wanted to come to Washington to change it.

Coburn abided by his pledge (unlike some other Republicans) and left the House after the 2000 election. Then in 2004, he beat the Republican establishment and won a Senate seat. He promised to serve no more than two terms, but when I interviewed him in February 2009, he had not even decided yet on seeking a second. I voiced to him some of the complaints from his ideological allies: We need Coburn in office, he has to seek reelection. Harry Reid or Ted Stevens will never term-limit themselves, so aren’t we ceding the game when our guys do?

He didn’t like these suggestions.

Similarly, I mentioned that other states had two senators bringing home earmarks, and Oklahoma had only one, since Coburn didn't play that game. That’s when Coburn surprised me by telling me his view of his job: When he took the oath of office, he explained, he swore no allegiance to the state of Oklahoma or its people. Instead, his duty was to support and defend the U.S. Constitution. While it was his job to represent the interests, views, and needs of Oklahomans, he was not supposed to favor his constituents over others. This view of the job was the opposite of most senators’ views. It also rubbed a little uncomfortably against my own localist sentiments.

As I pressed him on all of these matters, he explained to me the common principle behind his views.

“It’s the idea of holding the office with an open hand,” he said. I remember this moment precisely. He was leaning forward in his chair and had his hand clenched. And then, he opened it. I swear, I imagined a bird, freed from his grip, now perched on his palm. If it wanted to fly away, or if anyone wanted to grab it, Coburn wouldn’t resist.The people of Oklahoma had given him the job. A few months after this interview, he would ask them to return him to the job — and they did. But he wasn’t going to hang onto the job at any cost. He wasn’t going to compromise his principles. He wasn’t going to bribe his constituents. He was going to do the job, but hold onto it with an open hand.

This is sort of a cheesy poetic image, but it’s also a deeply important idea that has echoes of St. Thomas More. Our would-be statesmen too often hold onto their jobs with an iron grip. What should be a means to an end, a way to serve one's country, becomes an end in itself. I am a journalist and a think tank fellow. I’ve been an author, a television contributor, a freelance columnist, an editor, a public speaker, and more. Since that conversation with Coburn, I’ve tried to hold my jobs with an open hand.

Doing the right thing in this town often requires a willingness to lose much of what you have. Every journalist needs to be willing to write the column that will lose him access — or even his job.Put another way, in order to hold on tight to the things that matter the most, we need to be willing to drop the things that matter less. And we’d be better off if we had more lawmakers willing to lose their job by casting the right vote.

Tom Coburn never lost an election. He left office because he knew that it would bad for him to stay in power too long. Washington was better for the time he served. And the world is worse for his departure today.

Grant to him eternal rest, Lord. Let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace.

Edited March 30, 2020 by Borg warner

[Dric902]

Good man

we need more of his kind

 

.

[Borg warner]

He was also a staunch defender of the Second Amendment and fought aggressively against gun control.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/sen-tom-coburn-biggest-obstacle-gun-control/story?id=18040165

 

[Fog]

Really wish we had a lot more like him.

He fought well and has passed on to his reward.

[Al Czervik]

Godspeed Senator Coburn. ✝️