Reid takes on obstructionist Coburn: "You cannot negotiate....it's a waste of time."

[Karmadillo]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS229US229&q=obama+coburn+reach+out

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid appears headed for a new showdown with Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican and Senate maverick who has blocked dozens of bills he believes are flawed or should be fully debated before they are passed.

To Reid and other Democrats -- and even some Republicans -- Coburn is a gadfly who routinely delays seemingly noncontroversial bills and who can be an unyielding adversary.

"For those of you who may not know this, you cannot negotiate with Coburn," Reid told reporters earlier this month. "It's something that you learn over the years, that it's a waste of time.''

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Senate procedure allows individual senators to place "holds" on bills. The majority leader -- Reid -- does not have to recognize holds, but by custom they are usually honored. Sixty votes are needed to pass a bill over a senator's objection.

Coburn, a conservative from Muskogee who was an obstetrician, usually has 70 to 80 holds in place at any one time, aide Don Tatro said.

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The bills submitted Tuesday included the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, which would award grants for paralysis research; the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Registry Act, which would establish a national database for victims of Lou Gehrig's Disease; and the Vision Care for Kids Act, which would authorize $65 million over five years in grants for children's eye screening and treatment.

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[AndyA]

1. Coburn is a sick, demented f*ck.

He is an embarrassment to the people of Oklahoma.

He wants to be a Senator and a Doctor. Given the amount of time both take, he cannot do both.

I asked his office who gets the short end of the stick: his constituents, or his patients. They thought my question was out of line. I told them that he couldn't do both at the same time, and they replied that he could.

Oklahoma MUST get rid of Coburn. And Inhofe. Only then will the state begin to grow and prosper as it should. You can't have backwoods ape shit crazy fucks running things and prosper. It just doesn't compute. :(

[BonnieJW]

2. Is anyone running against them?

[AndyA]

3. Coburn isn't up this year, but Inhofe is.

Here's the guy running against Inhofe:

http://www.andrewforoklahoma.com/

He's a pretty good guy, he's taken the time to personally write notes of thanks to people who contribute to his campaign. I would so love to get rid of Inhofe for once and for all. 22 years in the Senate is ENOUGH!