Imagine the Republicans in Washington took their Big Boy Pills this and decided to behave with the decorum the Senate deserved. You might get something along the lines of Tom Coburn repeatedly defending the President and writing him letters of encouragement:
"I try to write him about every week or two," Coburn said of Obama. "Write him a note, encourage him. No one has a tougher job than he does."
The two last spoke when Obama called Coburn last week to offer condolences on the passing of his mother."We came into the Senate together, and I just have a lot of admiration for him," Coburn said of Obama. "I'm 180 degrees from him on policy on most issues. But I think he's a wonderful man."
COBURN: On January 1st, 2009, the national debt was $10.6 trillion. It now stands at $12.1 trillion. That's not President Obama's fault, so don't confuse this with a partisan attack. My attack is on the Senate, and on the Congress.
[...]In January 2009, the unemployment rate was 7.6%, today it's 10%. That's not President Obama's fault either. That's our fault, it the members' of Congress fault.
Watch:
Of course this comes a day after he suggests people pray someone can't make the vote - and although I don't personally believe he directed that prayer at an ailing Robert Byrd, some do, and the case can surely be made that his comments were in poor taste even if they carried no direct malice.
Has the Grinch's heart grown? Naaah. I think this simply signals a strategy the GOP will take in the coming 2010 elections. Obama's still pretty popular and has been attacked so profusely it's starting to make the GOP look petty. Seems they'll play nice guy towards the President (in words, not actions, of course) while his approval ratings remain relatively high and instead place the blame on the libruls in Congress.
They can't be too nice to Obama or their base will oust them in primaries - and they can't be too ugly to Obama or they won't win anyone sane or moderate in a general election. Congressional approval ratings are always low, so this strategy makes some sense for them. Too bad they don't have any ideas on the economy, health care reform, defense spending, war, environmental policy or jobs growth to carry them through the mid-terms.
OK. That being the case, let's RENAME the senate "the House of Lords".
one things for sure, the congress on the dem side is comprised of many caucus's, very diverse. this was never more apparent than the morning the dem women lined up to open the health care floor bill and the republicans started that childish "i object". on one side there was a large gathering of women of all ages and colors, and on the other a bunch of WHITE men! finally republicans tried to throw a woman or two in the mix to object, but the image is forever imprinted. are there any black republican congressional reps? i know that clown diaz bellart or whatever his name is from florida, but all he does is blather about how cuba was run and how dems are like castro, so he's not a serious consideration or a minority. now the senate really is a bunch of old WHITE men in the republican camp, but so are the dems, they just have a few more women. after all, obama was the ONLY black senator, and burris to my knowledge who took his place is now the lone wolf black man. no black women, very few women. but getting rid of that institution would be impossible, they have to have a bank roll to be a member of that "good ol' boy network. he who pays, has the says. so he who pays, stays. what a shame.
Tom Coburn must really think highly of himself. Does anyone truly believe that Barack Obama gives two shits about what Tom Coburn thinks, or whether he offers the president encouraging words?
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Actually, he probably does. Senator Obama counted Tom Coburn as one of his best friends when they worked in the Senate together.
What kind of constitutional amendment would we have to pass to eliminate the United State Senate ALTOGETHER? Since we can only "un-elect" one-third every six years, this might be our best strategy.
Now before you say "this guy's crazy".......think about it. The House of Representatives would probably support it. It saves a LOT of money...100 senators AND their overpaid, lazy, friends and family members OFF the gov't payroll.
Hey, it's a better idea than seceeding from the union.
art i also sent coburn an email encouraging him to stop practicing medicine until he seeks appropriate treatment for his mental health condition. because praying for anyone's misfortune would be mean, doing so as a sitting united states senator and on the floor of senate chamber, that's past mean, beyond evil. CRAZY!
Tom Coburn must really think highly of himself. Does anyone truly believe that Barack Obama gives two shits about what Tom Coburn thinks, or whether he offers the president encouraging words?
Though not a constituent, I faxed Coburn a letter last night, expressing my personal outrage that any senator would publicly call for prayers that would bring misfortune to another senator. Do we need any more proof of how immoral and utterly despicable the GOP has become?