A real downside to the media’s current "All China Flu All the Time" saturation is it means coverage of other worthy events is overlooked. It happened last week when former Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn died from complications during his long-term battle with prostate cancer.
A reasonable comeback would be that politicians die all the time and what makes Coburn so special? The answer is easy. Dr. Tom Coburn was elected to both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, but he never became a politician.
What do we mean by that?
When Coburn first ran for the House in 1994 one of this central campaign promises was to only serve three terms. Coburn felt the Founders of the country didn’t intend for us to be ruled by a permanent political class, which is why he put a self–imposed limit on his service.
When his three terms were up, Coburn declined to run for reelection and went back to Muskogee, Oklahmo and his medical practice.
Coburn was a private citizen who volunteered for public service — and then left.
Muskogee’s current member of the U.S. House is Markwayne Mullin.
When he ran for Congress Mullin also pledged to serve only three terms. At the end of his third term Mullin announced he was breaking his promise to voters and would run for re–election. According to The Oklahoman, Mullin said his betrayal was "a sign of personal growth."
We agree. Mullin grew in D.C. and became a professional politician.
Coburn ran for the Senate in 2004 and again promised only to serve two terms. Coburn’s term limits pledge — and worse, the fact he honored his promise — made him an outsider in Washington.
The fact he held both parties accountable for waste didn’t help either.
As the Associated Press (AP) put it, "Coburn frequently criticized the growth of the federal deficit and what he said was excessive government spending endorsed by politicians from both political parties.”
The petty insiders who run the Senate were so angry with Coburn the "ethics committee" tried to prevent the doctor from delivering babies when he was back home in Oklahoma. Coburn ignored the backstabbers and said his services were free and he made nothing personally.
Score: Swamp Zero. Babies 4,000 plus.
During our current China Flu spending–palooza a Coburn proposal from 2011 would have come in handy. AP again, "During debate over the debt ceiling in the summer of 2011, Coburn was part of a bipartisan 'Gang of Six' senators who supported an alternative plan to cut the deficit by almost $4 trillion over the next decade through budget cuts and increased revenue through changes to the tax code."
Needless to say, it didn’t pass. The only constituency for reducing spending is among taxpayers. It doesn’t exist in the halls of Congress.
Coburn didn’t give in to pressure to go-along-to-get-along.
He told CBS's "60 Minutes," "I see them make decisions every day that benefit their career, rather than the country. And that’s what’s so sickening about Washington. To me, it’s about our future. It’s not about the politicians. And we’ve switched things around where now it’s about the politicians and not the future of the country."
His statement is even more accurate today.
Tom Coburn and his example in office will be missed.
He was a man of honor, integrity, consistency, and friendship.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian’s Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!)." Read more of Michael Shannon's reports — Go Here Now.
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