Coburn: 'We Are Trying To Kill This Bill'

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okl.) acknowledged the obvious on Friday, stating that the goal of his parliamentary shenanigans and the Republican Party as a whole is to "kill" the Senate's health care bill.

Appearing on a conference call with reporters organized by the Republican National Committee, Coburn said that, in the reverse situation, Democrats would deploy the same procedural tactics -- including demanding that the Senate read all 767 pages of an amendment, such as the single-payer amendment offered by Sen. Bernie Sander (I-VT).

"I don't think we are doing anything they wouldn't do," said the Oklahoma Republican.

But the most telling moment of the call came when a woman named Judith Erickson (spelling may not be accurate), who claimed to be from the RNC, was granted the chance to ask a question and ended up leveling a lengthy anti-Democratic diatribe.

"I have been an international sales director for a number of years and I am well aware of the populations in all these countries that supposedly the radical leftist want to make us mimic," she said. "You got to Scandinavian countries -- they have a few million in population and we are 300 million plus. I don't understand why anyone is even listening to people who say 'Oh, well they have this in other nations.' Excuse me. We are the largest nation that hasn't done this and it is all for good reason. My concern is, why isn't this entire thing being stopped? Just because it looks like right now the Democrats will say, 'OK, we will take out this, this, this and this.' And it is only to put the framework in place of their totalitarian utopia state, which means they are going to control everything and only give it to those who vote Democratically or force people who aren't voting Democratically to become Democrats. I mean it is a whole debacle and it is nothing about health care. Why aren't we just totally killing this bill, end of story?"

Coburn replied without missing a beat.

"Well," he said. "I think it's a good question. First of all, we are trying to kill the bill. But [there are] parliamentary rules... plus they have 60 votes, and in the Senate 60 votes is an absolutely majority and you can do anything you want to do. We have done a fairly good job highlighting the fact that they are going to steal a trillion dollars over the next ten years from Medicare."

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Comments

[rf-hawaii]

01:51 PM on 01/04/2010

The Republican prime directive: Every man for himself. Selfishness is a virtue.

[purplejesus]

12:55 PM on 12/21/2009

of course you are thats all you do. Party of NO strikes again

[medic628]

12:09 PM on 12/21/2009

Doctor? Christian? Human? Evolved? What wonderful example of a representative of the greatest country on earth?

[HitnMyths]

11:47 AM on 12/21/2009

The Good and Gentle Doctor Coburn left out the part where he says "We will kill or pray for the death of anyone that aids us in the killing of this bill.Moohoohahahahaha!"

[LBA7895]

11:43 AM on 12/21/2009

Americans need to realize why the Republican Party needs to fight to the death against this Bill. If it passes and is a success, Democrats can campaign against the Republicans as "the party of No", who opposed helping 30 million people get health care insurance. That, plus 30 million new Democrat voters will further marginalize the Republican Party, perhaps for more than a generation.

Remember, Republicans were unanimously opposed to Social Security, Medicare, Voting Rights, Medicaid, the Great Society, etc. that benefitted Middle Class folks at the expense of Big Business.

It is reasonable to ask why the Republican Party has been against the best interests of the average American for the past 60+ years.

[rf-hawaii]

01:55 PM on 01/04/2010

Because selfishness is a virtue to Republicans.

Sounds crazy, but it's absolutely true.

[zest]

11:41 AM on 12/21/2009

There is something very bad buried deep within Sen. Coburn.

[MacGregor57]

11:34 PM on 12/20/2009

I have unidentified new life forms growing in my fridge that impress me more than Cobun. And the green fuzzy stuff looks better than Cobun's hairpiece.

[rbrown5518]

01:17 PM on 12/20/2009

***"People are dying, cost are rising, bankrupcy destroying families, due to a strangle whole the very rich insurance companies have on the US economy and the good senator in a moment of clarity says ...

1. "We are trying to kill the bill"
2. And as a follow-up.... "I don't think we are doing anything they wouldn't do" or they did it first!

There are only 18% of the pop in Okl who don't have health insurance but they are poor and don't vote! ((right)) because"...government OF- BY-and FOR the people, shall not perish from the earth."

What happen to the rep. mantra "COUNTRY FIRST"

[dans5843]

11:06 AM on 12/20/2009

Colburn why are you trying to killl health care in the US

And

Gay People in Urganda?

[GranE]

10:51 AM on 12/20/2009

Senator Coburn must have more interest in a healthcare bill than the health of Americans. Muscogee, Ok. had a population of 38,310 in 2000. Of those 38% were over 45. Median income:$26,418. It is 61% white, 12% are Native American and have access to their own health facilities. 19% are below the poverty line. They have 3 hospitals, a VA hospital, 2 surgery centers and 1 rehab facility. All these facilities for a population of approximately 40,000 people? Who owns all of those local facilities?

Who pays for insurance with a median income of $26,418? Who subsidizes these facilities?

[lvdragonlady]

10:37 AM on 12/20/2009

NO what you are doing is destroying America and her people.
Be wary of poor losers America, they only care about their party and themselves they care NOTHING about you.

[rf-hawaii]

01:59 PM on 01/04/2010

It's more than poor losers. Their true mission is showing and has never changed.

They're getting back to basics.

Selfishness rules. Anyone that fails was meant to fail and deserves no help from others.

[ezgoingal]

09:35 AM on 12/20/2009

This is a M/U/S/T read for all who think that "opinion" of t/r/a/s/h/i/n/g the current health bill is wiser. Really, take the time.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/16/815063/-Arianna-Huffington,-White-Privilege,-NihilismHealth-Reform

[rf-hawaii]

02:20 PM on 01/04/2010

A very important post.

Everyone should read the article.

[ezgoingal]

09:34 AM on 12/20/2009

This is a M/U/S/T read for all who think that "opinion" of t/r/a/s/h/i/n/g the current health bill is wiser. Really, take the time. Then ask yourselves who side is she truly on?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/16/815063/-Arianna-Huffington,-White-Privilege,-NihilismHealth-Reform

[ezgoingal]

09:33 AM on 12/20/2009

This is a M/U/S/T read for all who think that "opinion" of t/r/a/s/h/i/n/g the current health bill is wiser. Really, take the time. Then ask yourselves who side is she truly on?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/16/815063/-Arianna-Huffington,-White-Privilege,-NihilismHealth-Reform

[Nonamnesiac]

09:02 AM on 12/20/2009

The really funny thing about all this is the Republicans are not attempting to defeat this Bill. They are attempting to appear as if they are trying to defeat this Bill. The Republicans are just as bribed by the Big Pharma drug pushers and the health insurers as Obama and the Democrats of both Houses. However the drug pushers and the health insurers know if this Bill appeared at all bi-partisan it could not have been as anti-middle class and pro drug-pusher and health insurer as the Senate Bill is.

What we're seeing is an orchestrated effort to make it appear the Republicans oppose this so it looks as if 60 Senate Dems are required to pass something like this or it would get even worse. That's impossible. If any of the bribed Democrats or even the bribed Independent Socialist Bernie Sanders actually would oppose it and join the Republican so-called filibuster, we would magically see as many Republicans as necessary suddenly bolt the party and vote for it. The right Democrat/left Democrat thing is also scripted so bribed liberals can appear reasonable when they cave in because bribed conservative Dems are caving in.

Even funnier, the drug pushers and health insurers would not be dismayed if the House Bill passed also. Congress passed two pro drug pusher, pro health insurer Bills, and although the health insurers and drug pushers prefer the Senate Bill, they'd be willing to accept the despicable House Bill also.

[Mike McDonough]

10:18 AM on 12/20/2009

You are categorically wrong with an absurd conspiracy theory. Republicans oppose Obama, and everything he intends to do. Democrats not failing to pass this bill would be the Waterloo they are salivating over. They only have something to lose if it passes.

[Nonamnesiac]

02:44 PM on 12/20/2009

The Republicans are in a win/win. If it doesn't pass they can claim they stopped a Bill that is opposed by more than 60% of the American public. If the Bill passes, they can blame the Democrats for the havoc it will wreak on health care -- passed over their votes against it. The Republicans have many more cards they can play if they really wanted to see the Bill fail, but they won't play them. The real winners here are the drug pushers and the health insurers. They win if the Senate Bill passes and they win if the House Bill passes. The Democrats win personally because they will individually get huge campaign contributions and lucrative work after they are defeated or retire from the health insurers and drug pushers. The American people are the real losers regardless of which health care Bilk passes.