Posted on 08/21/2008 2:21:23 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has been given an evening speaking slot at the Republican National Convention and will focus his remarks on wasteful government spending and earmarks, his office said Thursday.
Coburn, who, like GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), is a vocal opponent of pork barrel spending, will address the convention on Tuesday night.
Giving the Oklahoma senator a coveted evening slot will highlight McCain’s commitment to curbing wasteful spending and is seen as a nod to fiscal conservative voters fed up with the deficit spending that occurred during Republican control of Congress and continues under the Democratic majority.
Inviting the pugnacious junior senator from Oklahoma onto the podium also shows a willingness to ruffle fellow Republicans’ feathers. Coburn is notorious for attacking the pet projects of fellow Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle, no matter how powerful they are and for stymieing the legislative process by placing holds on bills.
Right before the recess, Coburn blocked passage of a raft of bills with broad bipartisan support. He objected to the measures because, he said, they were laden with pork and he thought they should be thoroughly and publicly debated.
Coburn’s speech will no doubt highlight his pork-busting plight.
“Although the program has not been finalized, his remarks will likely focus on earmarks, wasteful spending and the need for real reform in Washington,” said his spokesman, John Hart.
Hart also explained that Coburn was invited to speak early in the convention-planning process but wasn’t listed on the initial schedule because he has a family wedding that week and was working to resolve scheduling conflicts.
Good, the GOP needs a good slap in the face.
I hope he doesn’t get booed by some in the crowd.. altho some in the crowd deserve a boo themselves for their pork predilection.
Unfortunately, even cutting all earmarks and porkbarrel spending will only dent the deficit let alone the national debt. I hope he hammers the party over its lust for spending.
I hear ya, the hole that has been dug is massive.
I guess that means the third rail words “entitlement program reform” will be pretty much off limits as well.
I really like what Coburn is doing, but he needs to look at the big picture. Start openly questioning why there is a federal Department of Education, Housing, etc and other big government programs. Bills that contain funding for Planned Parenthood or the NEA should be blocked. I think the time is ripe to have a discussion on this instead of focusing on the little stuff.
This is who I’d like to see as VP if he wasn’t so valuable in the Senate.
A conservative is going to speak at the GOP convention? I thought it was a Christie Todd event.
You WANT Change!!! Cancel the stupid convention. Stay home, log onto your computer and simulcast. Save the stupid airfare and hotel expenses and the cost of multiple hookers! Same old crap time after time. Doesn’t any Republican think outside the box????
well at least one real Republican will speak.
$3 trillion + from a supposedly conservative administration with a Republican Congress (for a time). I don’t recognize this party. This only supports the notion that we have a one party system.
BTW I like the picture of Al Gore on your homepage.
haha
I saw a political cartoon with 2 people holding up a drunken sailor saying “Quick, get him to the ship before he starts spending like a Sober Bush!”
So true... unfortunately.
There were more earmarks in 2005 than from 1991 to 1999 combined. In 2007, there was a dramatic decrease in projects as a result of a year-long continuing resolution. Under the Democratic Congress, earmarks have shot back up to the second-highest level in recent history.
Number of Pork Projects, or Budget Earmarks, 1991–2008
Thank you!
I’m glad someone is supporting the notion that we have to go after the big debt-reducing stuff as well as the corrupt little stuff.
I wish that other fellar, Inhofe was speaking too ,, but they wouldn’t want to offend aRnie and Bloomberg...
Thanks re: the gore pics..
I usually rotate stuff in and out,he looks so.. so full of himself, I kept him there for awhile. ;-)
And they talk about us being the fascists. Haha, of course they don’t understand that fascism is a left wing ideology, but what the heck.
Please, details mess with liberals mindsets. It is amazing what the GoP has allowed to creep into its tent.
This may actually get me to turn in to this debacle for a night.
Of course, I’ll change the channel once Doctor Tom is done. I have no desire to watch RINOs On Parade.
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