Obama Names Republicans He'll Work With

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama often says he will be a candidate that will bring both parties together and Saturday he named a few of the Republicans he would reach out to if elected.


Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., delivers his speech during a campaign stop at Florida A&M University, Friday, Aug. 24, 2007, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)


"There are some very capable Republicans who I have a great deal of respect for," Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press. "The opportunities are there to create a more effective relationship between parties."

Among the Republicans he would seek help from are Sens. Richard Lugar of Indiana, John Warner of Virginia and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Obama said.

"On foreign policy I've worked very closely with Dick Lugar," Obama said. "I consider him one of my best friends in the Senate. He's someone I would actively seek counsel and advice from when it came to foreign policy."


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070825/D8R89VJG0.html

[Colobo]

1. Good for him. He has allies everywhere,

[DemKR]

2. Coburn?

He must be crazy. DINO alert

[Purveyor]

6. Indeed, he could have left Coburn off his list... n/t

[Pirate Smile]

14. Obama and Coburn cosponsored the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act .

"Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFAT Act) of 2006." The heart of that legislation, co-sponsored by Obama and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) in the Senate and signed into law last year by President Bush, is the creation of a free, searchable website that will list every recipient of every federal award."

Calling All Presidential Candidates: Who Will Stand Up and Be Transparent?
Meet the only three would-be chief execs who will dare to tell you how the government spends your money.

Nick Gillespie | August 24, 2007

Presidential aspirants Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) don't agree on very much.

When it comes to immigration, stem-cell research, abortion, health care, trade--you name it, basically--these three get along about as well as Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin, and George Steinbrenner did during the Yankees' legendarily fractious 1977 season.

But they alone among would-be White House occupants have signed a trans-partisan initiative that has the potential to radically transform not just the presidency but the way the federal government does business. Obama, Brownback, and Paul have all signed The Oath of Presidential Transparency, a pledge to follow through on two actions.

First, signatories agree to conduct "THE most transparent Administration in American history--a lofty, laudable, far-reaching goal. This oath signals that whether it's earmarks, directives, or ongoing management of taxpayer expenditures, the goal of transparency will be evident throughout all policy making aspects of your Administration."

Second, signatories commit their presidential administrations "to full and robust implementation of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFAT Act) of 2006." The heart of that legislation, co-sponsored by Obama and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) in the Senate and signed into law last year by President Bush, is the creation of a free, searchable website that will list every recipient of every federal award.

Regardless of ideology or partisan affiliation, this is something that every American--with the possible exception of lawmakers who prefer to shroud their activities out of guilt, shame, fear, or some combination of the same--can get behind. Estimated to cost a relatively measly $15 million between now and 2011, the searchable database will give watchdog groups, government reformers, and regular citizens unprecedented amounts of information about where taxpayer dollars are going and how their elected representatives are behaving.

http://reason.com/news/show/122132.html

[nick303]

17. Can someone tell me what the problem with Coburn is?

He is probably the one Republican in Congress I agree with.

[sandnsea]

18. You agree with Coburn??

On what? Creationism? Forced sterilization? Opposition to all abortion? Continuing the war? The earth is 6000 years old?

There isn't a heck of a lot to agree with this guy on.

[nick303]

27. I was thinking more about the main thing he is known for

Curbing wasteful spending. I did not know he believed in those other things.

Edited to add: I did read up more on his outlook on social issues, which is rather abysmal.

[Trajan]

3. As a Union Supporter ......

I have always respected you for your stands on behalf of working people ....

And while I deeply respect Edwards and would vote for him in a nanosecond, I would also vote for Obama ...

In fact; most ALL of us WILL be voting for one, the other, or yet another .... and that is CERTAIN ...

So given this: why would you ruin your decent persona with cheap ad hominem attacks ? ..... Obama is a decent fellow, and deserves better than that ....

My brothers are republicans ..... I disagree with them, but I still love them ..... The mere fact that Obama says he knows some he can work with is a sign of pragmatism .... NOT a coddling of the enemy, which I suppose is the gist of this thread ....

Honestly: This is beneath you .....

Your excellent union threads won't feel quite the same anymore ..... and I probably regret that more than you ....

Tis a pity ..... Ad Hominem Attacks are so cheap ....

[benh57]

4. ?

Who are you talking to? I don't see any attacks in the OP.

[Trajan]

5. ???????

Well then by all means: explain the primary and secondary ideas promoted by this thread ....

Give us all a personal description of what this story conveys, and what significant impacts these points hold for us .....

[Omaha Steve]

8. This is only a post of LBN, it is not my opinion

I hold Senator Obama in high regard. IF he wins the nomination, I will vote for him period. I posted the news for all to see. This gives us a chance to compare notes before talking the weekend news over at the water cooler Monday. Again I simply posted a story for discussion and dissection, it is not my opinion or by-line.

[Trajan]

21. Well ..... Tossing out such bombs ....

while exhibiting the Edwards avatar gives the impression of a political vendetta ....

Not that there are any political vendettas here in DU or anything like that ......

(*chokes*)

I will give you the benefit of the doubt, and receive your excellent threads with a typical and common solidarity ....

Thanks for the reasonable response, Brother Steve .... A rare commodity these next few months .....

[napi21]

7. Nice try Barack! Warner is retiring! Kugar's 75 and probably

won't be hanging around the Senate much longer. That leaves Coburn, and lots of Pubs don't like HIM!

I guess you're trying to show people how you would bring people together, but I son't see it working.

[wordpix]

9. hey, I know a few good repubs except when on the subject of *

Then we either can't talk about BushCo or it's an argument.

[dogfacedboy]

25. I've got a Republican pal who can't seem to get past one point.

When the subject of how screwed up Bush is raises it's head, he says, "Bush is the President one way or another; for better or worse." The bizarre part is when he looks like he's choking on a brick whenever he says it.

[illinoisprogressive]

10. Coburn helped him get reforms through the republican senate

[papau]

13. Only Colburn/Obama bill I know of is the attempt to pass a public database of gov grants/contracts

Obama co-sponsored with some GOP a small (20 million) bill that traded an expansion of a really small program (5 million) for some small business tax cuts which did pass -

but I do not recall a bill passed via Obama/Colburn cooperation.

[leaninglib]

11. Barack can look forward to working with the forty-five-per-centers in the Senate.

On the other hand, Hillary already has ALL sides of the rail "greased."

(And Bill Richardson is loving life...!!!)

[OKNancy]

12. Coburn? Crazy nutbag Coburn?

Obama will never get my vote if he considers Coburn someone he could work with.

http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=6982097

The latest in a string of Coburn idiocies:

http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=6982097

Coburn blocks bill addressing veterans care
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Citing a concern over the Second Amendment rights of veterans, U.S. Senator Tom Coburn has placed a hold on a bill that calls for the development of a program to address the group's high suicide rates.

Aaron Cooper, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Republican, says Coburn's primary concern with the bill is that information that veterans might provide during mental health screenings could be shared among agencies.

Cooper says that information could be used to infringe upon the rights of veterans to own guns.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

15. AMERICA NEEDS A HARD LEFT, NO MORE MIDDLE GROUND

AND I BELEIVED YOUR RHETORIC...FOOL

[SayWhatYo]

20. Most the country fits somewhere in the middle, if I'm not mistaken.

in some cases slightly to the left and in others slighty to the right.

[kenfrequed]

16. WHAT COULD YOU HAVE BEEN THINKING??!!!

At this time in American history the last thing most democrats, liberals, and progressives wnated to hear was a list of the republicans you would be willing to work with.

This is the kind on nonsense I came to expect from Hillary.

[toughboy]

19. That would mean a big NO to Obama.

I've posted in the 'The Obama I know thread". This is not cool in any sense of the word.

[Darth_Kitten]

22. the democratic base gets shafted again.......

How come republicans never want to reach out to democrats?

Oh, right, democrats have to prove they aren't an extreme out of touch group of lefty harpies. Gotcha. :sarcasm:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

23. Ay-ay-ay, this is NOT the time to be working WITH Republicans

When will these candidates get it through their Beltway-addled heads that by saying that Republicans are cool, they give the voters another excuse not to vote for Democrats? :banghead:

Working with Richard Lugar, huh?

That explains his disturbing statements about foreign policy.

[obiwan]

24. Can you say PRAGMATISM? I knew you could.

To work with somebody is not necessarily an admission that you agree with their point of view. It IS an admission that you must govern BOTHthe blue and the red.

[MissMillie]

26. if I'm not mistaken

Kennedy often "works" with the other side. I think more often than not when he sponsors a bill, he has a co-sponsor who is republican. Many argue that this is what makes him so effective at getting legislation passed.

Even the most liberal know that a united front is what gets things done.

[Honeycombe8]

28. I agree. I don't want a Bush-Left to take over...someone who thinks he has a

"mandate" if 51% of the country votes for him, and who makes decisions based solely on the wants and needs of the far-left.

What the far-left needs and wants is valid...but the country consists of mainly people in the middle, some on the right, and the right-extremists, too.

If the next President governs from the far-left, he/she will be a one term Prez, and the next President is likely to come from the opposing side.

[fujiyama]

29. No big deal here

Sure we have a majority and of course, the first step to getting any legislation through is working with members of our party - and then look for support outside.

However, getting bipartisan sponsorship on most bills is fairly typical. And yes, Coburn is batshit crazy, but good Democrats often can find common ground with even the worst of republicans on various issues. Hell, I believe Kerry worked with Santorum on one or two occasions on a bill.