One-Man Gridlock: Meet Tom Coburn, Senate's 'Dr. No'

[question everything]

(What is it about men OB-GYN who decide to get into politics and turn complete pricks? Ron Paul and that Hager who was blocking Plan B and now Coburn)


The Wall Street Journal

One-Man Gridlock: Meet Tom Coburn, Senate's 'Dr. No'
Oklahoma Conservative Specializes in the 'Hold'; Stopping 90 Bills in 2007
By SARAH LUECK
December 21, 2007; Page A1

(snip)

Stopping stuff is Sen. Coburn's specialty. In a Congress that has had trouble passing even the simplest legislation, Sen. Coburn, who proudly wears the nickname "Dr. No,'' is a one-man gridlock machine. This year, the senator, who indeed is a medical doctor, single-handedly blocked or slowed more than 90 bills, driving lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to distraction. He blocked a ban on genetic discrimination by health insurers. He thwarted a bill to set up a program to track patients with Lou Gehrig's disease. Also nixed: an effort to promote safe Internet use by children and a resolution to honor the late environmentalist Rachel Carson on the 100th anniversary of her birth. A bill that would authorize government mapping of the ocean floor and coastal areas? No way. One that would require more data collection on the availability and quality of broadband service? Uh-uh. If Dr. Coburn had his way, there would be no new funding for a Justice Department office to investigate unsolved Civil Rights-era killings, no promotion of wild-land firefighter safety.

(snip)

Dr. Coburn's weapon of choice is the "hold," a procedural maneuver that allows a single senator to prevent a bill from being passed quickly without a roll-call vote or floor debate. Until a rule change this year, senators could keep their holds secret, and they usually did. Dr. Coburn notifies colleagues about his intentions... John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat and 2004 presidential nominee, had several bills blocked by Sen. Coburn this year. One would help military veterans and reservists with small businesses. Dr. Coburn said it duplicated another program. Another would expand government-backed venture-capital investment in small business. "I can't imagine the government can be good at it," Dr. Coburn said.

(snip)

In February, after the Democrats took over, Dr. Coburn wrote to his colleagues, warning of his intention to block fast-track passage unless his "common-sense principles" were met, which included: New programs can't duplicate existing ones, and new spending should be offset with other cuts... This month, Dr. Coburn sent out a letter encouraging senators to talk to him about legislation they wanted to complete. That had some Democrats muttering about a "tyranny of one." Last week, Senate Democrats took to the floor complaining about Republican tactics, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called "obstruction on steroids." They pointed to the lack of action in several areas stymied by Dr. Coburn, including the Lou Gehrig bill.

(snip)

Dr. Coburn says he isn't to blame for slow progress. Democrats used too much floor time debating the Iraq war, he says, and tried to move too many bills on the fast track. He notes he didn't try to stop the spending bill, the only legislation Congress technically must pass in order to keep the government running. As Congress wound down, Dr. No started to act a bit like Dr. Maybe. After winning some changes, he agreed to let one of the Kerry bills pass. Dr. Coburn dropped objections to giving the Federal Housing Administration leeway to insure more troubled mortgages, a key part of the administration's response to the housing crisis. "I lost," Dr. Coburn says. "I decided because of the severity of the problem we face, I can't win that point...but I can at least debate it."


URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119820693514244309.html (subscription)

[malakai2]

1. So now here's an idea

TAKE NOTES and then when you Dem senators find yourselves in the minority some day in the future, YOU do the SAME DAMN THING to protect your principles

-OR-

CHANGE THE RULES to prevent holds from being used in this manner, and to force individual objectors to find at least 40 like-minded individuals in the chamber to block it with a filibuster.