Tom Coburn Defends Nancy Pelosi, Criticizes Fox News

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not been getting a lot of praise from Republicans lately, especially after she helped shepherd the passage of health care reform bill.

But in a recent town hall meeting Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) offered some kind words for her, saying "she's a nice lady." Coburn added that although he and the Speaker differ on policy issues, she's a "good person."

Perhaps even more stunning than Coburn's conciliatory words for Pelosi was his criticism of Fox News.

"What we have to have is make sure we have a debate in this country so that you can see what's going on and make a determination yourself," he said, adding: "So don't catch yourself being biased by Fox News that somebody is no good. The people in Washington are good. They just don't know what they don't know."

Coburn made his remarks at a town hall meeting in Oklahoma. They were recorded by radio station KGOU in Norman, Okla.

Comments

[RobbyRob]

08:43 AM on 04/08/2010

Vote that old RINO out!

[Mike169]

12:31 PM on 04/08/2010

LOL-yeah if you can't say anything rotten about a Dem then keep your mouth shut!

[1dogs2]

08:14 AM on 04/08/2010

Unfortunately, Sen. Coburn cancelled out whatever good his comments might have done by accusing Rachel Maddow yesterday of "emotional" attacks on him. If Coburn actually wants civil discourse in this country, he's going to have to develop a thicker skin. Maddow's reporting is fact-based. If he doesn't like what she says, he has only to provide evidence that contradicts her factual accounts of his conduct. She would be delighted to have him on her show to dispute her account. Unlike the trash at Fox, she actually allows her guests to speak without interrupting them. She does, however, call them on their lies.

How about Senator? Why don't you go on her show and explain that you don't live in housing subsidized by a secretive religious entity?

[blinkthink]

05:04 PM on 04/08/2010

Rachel will address Mr. Coburn at length tonite-can't wait.

[liberalbug]

08:47 PM on 04/07/2010

Explanation and retraction to Rush/Beck in 5,4,3....

[WakeUp2021]

08:07 PM on 04/07/2010

What happens when you go to a cross burning and the grand wizard says, "Wait! Is it me or is this a little racist?"
- - -
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/01/09/bush-on-jobs-the-worst-track-record-on-record/tab/article/

[GaryG1]

07:40 PM on 04/07/2010

A ray of sunshine emerges from the violent storms of the Republican Party. Congratulations!

Gary Garrison

[Mike169]

12:32 PM on 04/08/2010

I guess.

[joshmcdonald]

07:38 PM on 04/07/2010

I constantly remind people of this very thing: This isn't about good and evil. We are all Americans, we just disagree.

If only I could actually believe that the majority of GOP elected officials felt this way...unfortunately, there are far too many examples of them saying hateful things to buy it.

[Rodney Thorn]

07:25 PM on 04/07/2010

Without renting space inside Senator Coburn's head, it's impossible to know whether he's being sincere, or beginning to wake up to how destructive an counterproductive Republican obstructionism has been, and is shifting gears simply out of tactics. So I will reserve judgment.

His statements being commented upon here are an improvement. If it's a genuine shift grounded upon a sincere desire to improve our political climate, then he must continue very consistently on this better path. We who wanted health care reform, development of clean energy, a winding down of our overseas wars, action on global warming, improvements in the social safety net and a commitment to better educating our citizens will welcome his participation.

But the old Tom Coburn, who has loudly proclaimed global warming to be a great hoax (ignoring the overwhelming scientific consensus on the topic), or who has held up unemployment benefits extensions because of a hissy fit over how they should be paid for, or who resisted health care reform, has to go.

Two thousand years ago Saul of Tarsus persecuted Christians. Then after seeing a vision, he changed course and became the Saint Paul, minister to many small churches and author of many books now included in the New Testament. Change can happen, and I won't rule it out in Senator Coburn's case. But my belief in it depends upon his future performance over many, many months.

[dwedge]

07:17 PM on 04/07/2010

I doubt if I would ever agree with Tom Coburn on any issue, but he should be commended for his defense of Nancy Pelosi before his own supporters. People like Bachman would just egg them on for political gain. When you read about people being arrested for making threats on these pages it should be obvious to everyone that some of the rhetoric has gotten way out of control. Where do people get the idea that their freedom is threatened by a Health Care BIll when they know nothing of its contents? It seems that the art of debate has been neglected by our Senators and Congressmen, It should not be necessary for a Senator to have to explain that his opponent is not a bad person. Unfortunately, that is the state of our current political discourse. Maybe all politicians should learn that they cannot afford to pander to the "crazies".

[David01]

06:59 PM on 04/07/2010

The GOP will be trying to sound moderate for this election cycle. You'll hear more of this kind of stuff.

[blinkthink]

05:16 PM on 04/08/2010

I was just about to say the same thing, David. The GOP is going to sound alot nicer, but do the same awful things.
Coburn acts civil, but holds up unemployment out of concern for the deficit. People lose flood insurance. What a hero-NOT.
Watch how fast the deficit gets gob smacked when it comes to the Estate Tax cuts for the rich, which the Senate must act on before the end of the year OR the taxes will revert to the pre-Bush levels!

[ThatGuyisaGirl]

06:20 PM on 04/07/2010

"The people in Washington are good. They just don't know what they don't know."

I'd love to believe you, Coburn. But, see, I watch people like Boehner and Cantor and I don't buy it, I simply don't buy it. These D.C. folk you refer to, yas got some really bad apples in there.

[no-to-neocons]

05:23 PM on 04/07/2010

Looks like the dog is finding out its tail has been wagging him. Could this be the beginning of the Republican wake up call? Could they be going back to the Party of Lincoln instead of the party of Reagan? God I hope so. The Republican party USE to be a good party, before the neo-cons took them over in the late 70's. You used to be able to work with them on very important issues and get things done. I really hope they return to the party that they used to be. Democrats can do it by themselves but it would be nice to have the Republicans involved. They used to have some really good ideas, but they have turned their backs on those ideas just to make political points, Look up their ideas for the health care reform they laid out in 92 and tell me where their ideas and those that Pres. Obama signed into Law. There are maybe 2 or 3 things that are different. I really hope the Party of Lincoln is on the rebound and the party of Reagan is on its way out.

[4evryoung]

04:37 PM on 04/07/2010

Sorry to see you go, Tom.

[cinesimon]

04:29 PM on 04/07/2010

Apparently the right wing think that TWO people on ONE channel - Olberman and Maddow - makes the ENTIRE media left wing - and also makes Fox justifiable with their 15 hard right ranters, their panic-stricken 'news' broadcasts, their treasonous nonsense, their end of the world paranoia, their 'we are now under a communist dictatorship' rhetoric.

Statistics and reality are obviously not your strong point, people like 'VeryFairMOR'...

[capt ayhab]

04:13 PM on 04/07/2010

Bravo Senator/Dr. Coburn. Bravo indeed sir.

Even though I am not a republican But he made me feel proud to be from Oklahoma.
Email The Senator and tell him what you think of his great action.

http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Home.Home

[David01]

07:00 PM on 04/07/2010

He's full of hooey. His remarks are totally insincere. He's a habitual liar.

[Arjala]

03:46 PM on 04/07/2010

There are known knowns and there are unknown knowns.