WASHINGTON (CNN) – In a symbolic gesture toward more civil political discourse, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer and Republican Sen. Tom Coburn said Sunday that they will sit together at the upcoming State of the Union address.
Appearing on the NBC program "Meet the Press," Schumer and Coburn called for political debate based on issues and ideology, rather than motives and personal attacks, in the aftermath of the Tucson, Arizona, shootings last week that killed six people and critically injured a Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
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(CNN) - Republican incumbent Sen. Tom Coburn has won his bid for re-election to a second term as Oklahoma senator, CNN projects, beating out Democratic nominee Jim Rogers. Projections are based on CNN analysis of exit poll data.
(CNN) - Conservative Republican senators, led by Jim DeMint of South Carolina, are warning all other senators they will block any attempts to slip controversial legislation through the Senate in the final hours before the upcoming recess, unless they sign off on it first.
"What happens is at the end of a session, crap gets out of here that nobody knows what's in it and we're not going to do it anymore," Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn told CNN.
At issue are last minute requests from senators from both parties to get legislation cleared by unanimous consent, an often-used time saving parliamentary procedure that allows measures to pass without a recorded vote. As a recess approaches, it's common for dozens of measures to pass by UC, as the procedure is known on Capitol Hill.
Washington (CNN) - The New Hampshire Republican hoping to keep an open Senate seat in GOP hands picked up the endorsement of another out of state conservative on Friday.
Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma announced his support for Kelly Ayotte, the former New Hampshire Attorney General who also has the backing of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
"I look forward to having Kelly Ayotte join us in the Senate next year to help defend the Constitution's limitations on federal power and to fight for the fiscal survival of our country," Coburn said in a statement. "She has the experience, the commitment and the integrity to be a strong force for reducing spending, protecting freedom and making government effective yet manageable."
(CNN) - Newt Gingrich's camp refused to respond Monday to some sharp words spoken by fellow Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, just days after the Oklahoma senator said Gingrich is the "last person I'd vote for" during a town hall meeting.
"I'm not going to respond to that," Gingrich spokesman Rick Tyler told CNN.
Coburn ripped GOP heavyweight Newt Gingrich on Friday and took a shot at the possible 2012 contender's politics and his personal life.
"[Gingrich is] a super-smart man," Coburn said at a town hall meeting in Wagoner, Oklahoma, but added, "he's the last person I'd vote for president of the United States."
Washington (CNN) - Monkeys on cocaine. New windows for a closed visitor's center. Modern dance as a tool for software development.
A report released Tuesday by conservative Sens. Tom Coburn and John McCain cited these and 97 other projects as leading examples of misguided or wasteful spending under the Obama administration's $862 billion economic stimulus bill.
Titled "Summertime Blues," the report is the third by the two senators targeting projects that they say fail to meet the job-creation goal of spending under the Recovery Act of 2009.
The report highlights the extraordinary "waste and mismanagement" of taxpayer dollars, said McCain, R-Arizona. The stimulus plan "was supposed to create jobs. It does not."
Washington (CNN) – Monkeys on cocaine. New windows for a closed visitor's center. Modern dance as a tool for software development.
A report released Tuesday by conservative Sens. Tom Coburn and John McCain cited these and 97 other projects as leading examples of misguided or wasteful spending under the Obama administration's $862 billion economic stimulus bill.
Titled "Summertime Blues," the report is the third by the two senators targeting projects that they say fail to meet the job-creation goal of spending under the Recovery Act of 2009.
The report highlights the extraordinary "waste and mismanagement" of taxpayer dollars, said McCain, R-Arizona. The stimulus plan "was supposed to create jobs. It does not."
(Updated at 12:10 p.m. ET)
Washington (CNN) - A respected conservative senator, who is often critical of the Obama administration, declined Monday to criticize the administration's pressuring BP to establish a $20 billion escrow fund to help victims of the oil spill.
At the same time, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, declined to criticize Rush Limbaugh for his insistence that the administration's pressure on BP amounted to a "shakedown."
Coburn spoke to CNN Chief National Correspondent John King during an interview that aired on John King, USA.
Coburn was asked about Limbaugh's repeating that the $20 billion fund was a "shakedown." The conservative talk-radio host took aim at Republican leaders for rushing to demand that Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, retract his controversial apology to BP CEO Tony Hayward during last week's congressional hearing.
(CNN) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - a lightning rod among opponents of the recent health care legislation - is being defended by an unlikely source: Conservative Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn.
Coburn is a fierce opponent of the health care bill but told participants at a recent town hall in his home state that Pelosi is a "nice lady" who deserves to be treated with civility.
"Come on now, she is a nice - how many of you all have met her?" Coburn said to groans from the crowd. "She is a nice person. Let me give you a little lesson here, I hope you will listen to me. Just because somebody disagrees with you doesn't mean they aren't a good person."
The comments, first reported by Capitol News Connection and recorded by local NPR station KGOU, strike a markedly different tone than that adopted by the Republican National Committee, which posted a large "Fire Pelosi" banner on its Web site last month and pictured the House Speaker amidst balls of fire.
Coburn spokesman John Hart confirmed the comments and said he believed they came during a March 31 event in Oklahoma City.
In the same town-hall, Coburn reiterated his opposition to the health care legislation but warned town-hall attendees to be wary of information they receive about the bill on 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. "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."
(CNN) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - a lightning rod among opponents of the recent health care legislation - is being defended by an unlikely source: Conservative Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn.
Coburn is a fierce opponent of the health care bill but told participants at a recent town hall in his home state that Pelosi is a "nice lady" who deserves to be treated with civility.
"Come on now, she is a nice - how many of you all have met her?" Coburn said to groans from the crowd. "She is a nice person. Let me give you a little lesson here, I hope you will listen to me. Just because somebody disagrees with you doesn't mean they aren't a good person."
The comments, first reported by Capitol News Connection and recorded by local NPR station KGOU, strike a markedly different tone than that adopted by the Republican National Committee, which posted a large "Fire Pelosi" banner on its Web site last month and pictured the House Speaker amidst balls of fire.
Coburn spokesman John Hart confirmed the comments and said he believed they came during a March 31 event in Oklahoma City.
In the same town-hall, Coburn reiterated his opposition to the health care legislation but warned town-hall attendees to be wary of information they receive about the bill on 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. "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."
From CNN Politics
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