Coburn on Obama’s Victory
President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. Tom Coburn were elected to the U.S. Senate at the same time, in 2004.
At the orientation meetings for incoming senators, Coburn and Obama befriended each other and, not long after, wound up working together on some legislation, including a bill to give taxpayers access on the Internet to certain categories of government spending.
Obama even mentioned Coburn in one of the debates and in televised conversation with an evangelical leader.
Here is what Sen. Coburn, R-Muskogee, said this morning about Obama’s victory and the future of the Republican Party:
“On November 4, the American people had the opportunity to choose between two candidates with the character and temperament to be not just good presidents but great presidents. John McCain ran the best campaign he could in a very difficult environment and he showed the country, once again, with his moving and gracious concession speech, what it means for a statesman and leader to put the interests of
“Barack Obama’s election last night was an historic victory not for any party or ideology but for
“Our president-elect offered an olive branch to Republicans last night to ‘heal the divides that have held back progress.’ We would be wise to accept his offer, roll up our sleeves and work together on areas where we can agree. The unmistakable mandate everyone in public office can take from this election is that it’s time to define a ‘new kind of politics’ with our actions, not just our words. The space between the parties is a vast frontier of consensus and possibility.
“Conservatives should be reassured that our president-elect did not seek an ideological mandate in this election, nor did he receive one. The failure of the Republican Party in this election does not represent the failure of conservatism, but of the big government Republicanism that took over our party in 1996. Had the Republican Party not governed as the party of socialism-lite for the past 12 years, our candidates’ concerns about the excessive spending on the other side would have had more relevance.
“Republican efforts to build a governing majority through spending and earmarks have ended in disgrace. The Republican Party can either restore its identity as the party of limited government or go the way of the Whigs. When Republicans decide to come home to the timeless conservatism present at our founding, the conservatism of Abraham Lincoln – which our president-elect graciously acknowledged last night – and the conservatism of Ronald Reagan that won the Cold War and led to unprecedented prosperity, they know where to find us.”
Cole: House Results Not Catastrophic
Rep. Tom Cole, the Moore Republican who is in charge of the Republican congressional campaign committee, just told reporters on a conference call that he doesn’t expect the GOP to lose as many seats as the worst-case scenarios projected. The losses won’t be in the high 20s or low 30s, he said.
“I don’t see the losses as catastrophic, let alone irreversible,” he said, adding that he thinks the worst days are behind his party.
He said he expects the Republicans, who lost the White House and seats in the House and Senate on Tuesday, will be “a loyal but principled opposition” in Washington. And he said he expects Democrats to “overreach” and for Republicans to pick up seats in 2010.
“They have the intiative now,” he said.
“If (the Democrats) really govern from the center … I think we can find some common ground and move ahead.”
Race for the Reddest?
Will Oklahoma give Sen. John McCain the biggest margin of victory of any state today? And, if so, what does that mean?
On a day that is supposed to be tough for Republicans nationwide, all of Oklahoma’s GOP incumbents in Congress, including Sen. Jim Inhofe, are expected to win (so is the lone Democrat, Rep. Dan Boren).
Does that mean Oklahomans believe Congress is doing a good job — or, at least, that their own reps are? There is that old saying about people believing Congress is made up of a bunch of bums — except their own rep.
Maybe we’ll learn something about how angry the Oklahoma electorate is just by the margins of victory.
Rep. John Sullivan, R-Tulsa, is the only U.S. House member from Oklahoma with an opponent spending a significant amount of money. The other four have opponents who have spent either nothing or very little.
So if the incumbents see their margins drop a lot from 2006 — when, again, there was little general election competition — you might be able to read some protest into that.
Here’s what they got in 2006:
Sullivan — 64 percent
Boren — 73 percent
Rep. Frank Lucas — 67 percent
Rep. Tom Cole — 65 percent
Rep. Mary Fallin — 60 percent
Neither of Oklahoma’s senators was up for reelection in ‘06.
Dan Rather, Steve Carell, McCain and Me
Nearly nine years ago, a friend of my wife’s told her, “Hey I saw Chris on TV last night!”
Thinking I was just spotted in some shot of reporters at a news conference on Capitol Hill, she asked what channel it was on.
“Comedy Central,” her friend said. “He was sleeping on the McCain bus.”
Sure enough, I had been caught by Steve Carell _ now a big star, then a traveling “reporter” for Comedy Central _ taking a nap on Sen. John McCain’s “trailing bus” in late 1999 in New Hampshire.
Look for me exactly one minute into this video:
In point of fact, I had been on the Straight Talk Express earlier that day. I think we boarded about 6:30 a.m. after a long night; there was a Republican debate in New Hampshire the previous night.
So I’m making excuses here about getting some shut-eye. I was running on very little sleep, and I had been rotated off the main bus so some other reporters could sit with McCain and ask questions.
But here’s my Dan Rather story. He was on the bus that morning, too (it was obviously a great day to be traveling with McCain, huh?)
I met Rather first thing that morning, when we all got on the bus.
A little while later, we stopped at a high school for McCain to give a speech. After he gave it, and was working the crowd, I headed back to the bus and, when I got on, Rather and I were the only ones there for a few minutes.
I sat across from him, and he looked at me and said, “So, Daily Oklahoman Washington Bureau, huh?”
“Yep,” I said.
“That’s a great job,” Rather said.
Having just met the man, I didn’t know whether he was messing with me or what. I mean, I think it’s a great job, but did Rather?
“You think so?” I said.
“Sure, I’d love to have that job,” he said.
I was about to call my editors and see if we could offer him something part-time, but McCain and the rest of the gang arrived and I had to get back to work (or sleep, depending on whether you believe me or the video).
It was actually quite a fun and interesting day, as campaign trips go.
I was on the bus when Carell asked the question about pork barrel politics and earmarks. It was hilarious. McCain also recited a poem for Carell, though I can’t for the life of me remember what it was.
I had no idea I’d been caught napping until my wife’s friend told her. And I didn’t even see the clip until a few months ago, when my daughter, who had heard me tell this story, looked on Comedy Central and found it.
And one more admission: As much as I remembered about that day, it surprised me when I saw the video that it was Steve Carell. Even though I was sitting right across from him when he asked McCain those questions, I had no recollection of him when he became popular.
That’s what happens when you get older. Like me and Dan Rather.
