After several days of speculation, Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, is giving a public vote of support to National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chair Oklahoma Congressman Tom Cole. Cole, the 4th District representative, had come under fire after yet another special election loss, the latest one last week in Mississippi. Most observers think Cole is being set up for blame by Boehner, who has criticized Cole in the past. "I don't know what Tom Cole is supposed to do about visionless dolts like John Boehner," one Washington insider tells OKPNS.

From The Hill:

“Boehner's leadership has been lacking,” a GOP lobbyist and strategist said.

Boehner last year reportedly called for staffing changes at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), but none happened after NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) refused to make them.

After the party’s devastating loss last week in a Mississippi special election, Boehner did not directly answer the question about whether Cole would stay on at the NRCC. With some of his GOP colleagues calling for quick and decisive action, Boehner lauded a 20-page strategic memo crafted by Rep. Tom Davis (Va.), a former NRCC chairman.

It wasn’t until five days after the Mississippi loss that Boehner provided clarity on whether Cole would be ousted.

“He’s staying,” Boehner said on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on Sunday. “And we know the kind of changes that need to be made in order to help our members and help our candidates go out there and do their best in a very difficult environment.”

Boehner said he met with Cole late last week to discuss those changes, but the minority leader’s office declined to detail them on Monday. Read more...

Labels: Cong. Tom Cole, Congress, Decision '08

Posted at 5/20/2008 10:31:00 AM |

The man tasked with retaking the House of Representatives for Republicans, Oklahoma 4th District Congressman Tom Cole, is on the hot seat after yet another special election loss, but this time after a loss Tuesday night in a Mississippi district President Bush once won by over 25%.

It's no secret that Cole, the National Republican Campaign Committee chair, is disliked by Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, and Boehner sees Cole as the perfect fall guy in the event House Republicans lose significant ground in the November congressional elections. According to reports, the long knives are coming out.

From Politico.com:

The House Republican Conference was rife with rumors of quick fixes. According to one rumor, retiring Rep. Tom Davis (Va.) would replace Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Another had Boehner recruiting a top White House political aide to revamp the NRCC. Neither seemed likely to happen. Both underscored the desperation Republicans felt to do something, anything, to avoid the November disaster that the special election losses seem to portend.

Cole and his top staff at the NRCC were at the center of this quickly churning rumor mill, but the griping also touched Boehner, who spoke privately with his campaign chief Wednesday.

The two leaders, who sparred last fall over operations at the committee, offered contradictory messages about what changes were afoot.

Cole said speculation about his resignation or the firing of NRCC staff amounted to nothing more than a “Washington parlor game.” Boehner, hinting that a shake-up was coming, said Wednesday morning that he expected House Republican leaders would discuss the party’s problems, and what “changes” might need to be made to address them, in a meeting later in the day. Read more...

Labels: Cong. Tom Cole, Congress, Decision '08

Posted at 5/15/2008 10:30:00 AM |

"Somewhere along the way, something changed. Nobody knows for sure who did what."- Sen. Tom Coburn

From ABC News:

Someone - before Congress mandated that earmarks enacted into law be made public, so we're not sure who - someone changed language in the conference report to the 2006 transportation bill that redirected $10 million that had been designated to widen parts of I-75 to instead create the off-ramp.

Problem is the residents of Lee County in Naples, Florida didn't want the off-ramp. The local government didn't want the off-ramp and the local Congressman, Republican Connie Mack, says he didn't request the off-ramp.

It was requested by a local business man - conveniently a political patron of Rep. Don Young, the powerful Alaska Republican that tried so hard to bring you the "Bridge to Nowhere" boondoggle that same year, and the lawmaker who wrote the bill.

Young has not directly admitted requesting the earmark, and despite Mack maintaining he didn't request it either, offering he even worked to have the earmark reversed, there exists a letter from 2006 indicating Mack supported an off-ramp in that location.

Lawmakers put 6,300 earmarks worth $24 billion into what was ultimately signed by President George W. Bush. But only Coconut Road is still causing problems on Capitol Hill.

Republican anti-earmark crusader Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla, wants to appoint a bipartisan, bicameral panel with subpoena power to investigate the matter and he's holding up action on the Senate floor demanding a vote on the proposal.

Senators have spent all week considering a "technical corrections" to the 2005 transportation bill. "Technical corrections" are supposed to dot i's and cross t's overlooked when the bill was originally passed, but Coburn says there should be a full accounting of the taxpayer money that was overlooked too.

Read more..

Labels: Congress, Earmarks, Sen. Tom Coburn

Posted at 4/17/2008 09:18:00 AM |

Labels: Congress, Ernest Istook

Posted at 4/17/2008 09:03:00 AM |

Probably not the best metaphor Congressman Cole could have used to describe how difficult it will be to defeat Congresswoman Fallin:

Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole, chair of the NRCC, shows no concern about the Democrats' fundraising lead. "Most of our freshmen, frankly, are not in vulnerable seats," he says. "They won in an awful year. You couldn't beat Mary Fallin [an Oklahoma Republican] with a baseball bat." Read more...

Labels: Cong. Tom Cole, Congress, Decision '08, Rep. Fallin

Posted at 3/07/2008 02:01:00 PM |

By Ernest Istook

We can't afford Congress. It's driving America's cost-of-living through the roof.

Any tax cut or "economic stimulus" we might get this spring is peanuts compared to how Washington keeps jacking up the price of everything that's important.

By itself, last month's energy bill will make food, cars, gasoline and even light bulbs more expensive. Washington is also the culprit behind high medical bills and health insurance, washing machines that have doubled in price, and our wonderful, more-expensive "lo-flo" toilets that don't flush right.

All this is on top of what red tape already costs us. A 2004 government report admitted that federal regulations cost our economy at least $1.1 trillion each year. That's $3,666 per person, so multiply that by the number of people in your household. And remember that's before the 2007 energy bill. And in addition to taxes.

The new energy laws are a leftist's dream and a supply-sider's nightmare. As 2008 starts, we're paying $3 (often more) for a gallon of gasoline. That's up about a fourth (64 cents) from a year ago. The Heritage Foundation calculates the new energy bill will boost gas prices over $5 a gallon by 2016. Yet rather than let us produce more oil domestically, Congress keeps areas off-limits from drilling that could raise supply and lower prices. Read more...

Labels: Congress, Ernest Istook

Posted at 1/18/2008 09:05:00 AM |

899B. FINDINGS. (3) The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process in the United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens.

From Irons in the Fire:

Just bloody wonderful. Especially since I found out my Rep. Mary Fallin voted for it. I had to find that out at GovTrack(which I now have bookmarked). I also found this:

Oct 23, 2007: This bill passed in the House of Representatives by roll call vote. The vote was held under a suspension of the rules to cut debate short and pass the bill, needing a two-thirds majority. The totals were 404 Ayes, 6 Nays, 22 Present/Not Voting.

When the congresscritters 'suspend rules' to cut debate like this, it's usually not a good thing for us. And yes, I'm telling her what I think of it. Read more...

Related:

Rep. Fallin "never ever wants to fight the war on terror in America."

Labels: Congress, Mary Fallin

Posted at 1/17/2008 08:14:00 AM |

By Mickey Hepner

(The Edmond Sun)

EDMOND — The U.S. Congress wrapped up its 2007 business this week when members headed home for the holidays. Since this is the end of the year, and the end of Congress’ business for the year, this is a natural time for us to evaluate the work of our member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin.

Fallin is now midway through her first term in office after having won election in 2006 with just more than 60 percent of the vote. Previously, she had served three terms as Oklahoma’s lieutenant governor and two terms as a state representative. However, being a member of Congress has required Fallin to consider different issues than those she confronted in her previous roles. Now, after her first year representing us in Washington, we voters should begin to consider whether she is representing us well.

So, this week, we discuss Fallin’s record on four of the most important issues facing this country — the Iraq War, immigration reform, the number of uninsured children and the national debt. Read more...

Rep. Fallin Speaks on Hate Crimes Bill Rep. Fallin Supporting Troop Surge

Labels: Congress, Mary Fallin

Posted at 12/24/2007 03:05:00 PM |

Oklahoma Conservative Specializes in the 'Hold'; Stopping 90 Bills in 2007

By Sarah Lueck

On Tuesday afternoon, when most senators were preparing to leave Washington for the holiday recess, Tom Coburn was declaring his intention to stick around.

"The floor's going to be open," said the 59-year-old Oklahoma Republican. "I'm going to have to be here...to try to stop stuff."

Stopping stuff is Sen. Coburn's specialty. In a Congress that has had trouble passing even the simplest legislation, Sen. Coburn, who proudly wears the nickname "Dr. No,'' is a one-man gridlock machine. This year, the senator, who indeed is a medical doctor, single-handedly blocked or slowed more than 90 bills, driving lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to distraction.

He blocked a ban on genetic discrimination by health insurers. He thwarted a bill to set up a program to track patients with Lou Gehrig's disease. Also nixed: an effort to promote safe Internet use by children and a resolution to honor the late environmentalist Rachel Carson on the 100th anniversary of her birth. Read more...

Labels: Cong. Tom Cole, Congress

Posted at 12/21/2007 10:05:00 AM |

By John Berlau

“How could they have been so stupid?” That’s the million-dollar question being asked as mortgage defaults have increased on loans that carried much more risk then lenders, borrowers, and investors anticipated.

But this question may be overtaken by one with a multibillion -dollar price tag years from now. That may be, “How could our elected representatives have been so stupid?” Despite the valiant efforts of fiscal hawks such as Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.), and several House members in the conservative Republican Study Committee, both bodies of Congress have passed bills to put taxpayers on the hook for more risky loans from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

The Senate’s chief fiscal hawk, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, was so concerned about the effects of both bills on taxpayers and the mortgage market that he put one of his famous “holds” on the Senate legislation to slow down its passage. “This bill only creates more opportunities for borrowers to receive government-backed loans, increasing the liability on American citizens, but not preventing the possibility of delinquency or default,” Coburn said in a statement. Read more...

Labels: Congress, Sen. Tom Coburn

Posted at 12/21/2007 09:00:00 AM |

By Sen. James Inhofe

Special to Roll Call

There is a better way for Congress to legislate. The American people deserve an open and honest debate on the merits of any proposed climate change legislation, especially considering that mandatory carbon cap-and-trade legislation will impose the largest tax increase ever in the U.S. without any measurable climate benefits. Consideration of the Lieberman-Warner bill, The Wall Street Journal reported in a Nov. 5 article, comes at a time when a "winter-heating crisis looms."

The consequences of higher fuel bills for poor Americans can be devastating. High energy bills were cited as one of the two main reasons for homelessness, according to a 2006 survey of Colorado homeless families with children. Because of the significant economic harm imposed on our country by this bill, I joined Sens. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) in requesting a full economic analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Information Administration before we proceed to a vote. Not knowing the extent of the economic damage resulting from this bill before we vote would be irresponsible. Read more...

Labels: Congress, Global Warming, Sen. Inhofe

Posted at 12/04/2007 05:52:00 PM |

By Hon. J.C. Watts I’m proud to call Oklahoma home because my homefolks may just lead the nation in common sense. I give you the following letter to the editor written by Marguerite in Weatherford, Oklahoma, in one of the statewide newspapers. Marguerite noted a story about a U.S. senator who “wants to check out all the ‘big’ televangelists to see if they’re spending donor money correctly. We (the public) donate to whomever we choose and if (the senator) wants to check out anything, it should be congressional spending habits! Our tax dollars are confiscated from us and he wants to make sure we’re getting our money’s worth from free donations? What a crock! Heartland common sense. Kudos to Marguerite. The arrogance of Congress never ceases to amaze me. I’ve yet to see a call for an investigation of Congress when a member of Congress falls, be it financially, morally or otherwise. Not once have I heard of a call for every member of Congress to bring forth their financial statements or campaign statements in response to the actions of one bad apple. I’m a little bit perplexed how Congress is so quick to stick its nose into different places. Televangelists driving expensive cars and living in fabulous homes may seem incompatible to some peoples’ interpretation of the scriptures. But I suspect this is more about Uncle Sam not getting what he perceives is his fair share of the offering plate. This is puzzling for several reasons. These ministries might be misusing parishioners’ tithes or offerings. But while we can all speculate on what is or isn’t going on in the faith world, we don’t need to speculate on what’s happening in financial world. Congress is sticking its nose into speculation of some evangelists’ matters, while everyone in Congress has the facts lying before them regarding the financial shenanigans of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Read more...

Labels: Congress, J.C. Watts, Oral Roberts

Posted at 11/19/2007 07:58:00 AM |

Labels: Cong. Frank Lucas, Congress

Posted at 11/09/2007 03:48:00 PM |

By Jackie Kucinich House Republican leaders called on rank-and-file members Tuesday to step up their contributions to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) or face life in the minority for many cycles to come. During a closed-door meeting, NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) told members that donations to the campaign committee should be a major priority, according to sources in the room. Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (Fla.) said it is normal for leaders to nudge members to part with some of their campaign funds since many have a natural tendency to be stingy. “[Cole] was encouraging members to meet their obligations to the committee, attend dinners and regional events,” he said, adding that it was common to have speeches such as Cole’s when Republicans were in the majority as well. “Members work hard to raise money, and it is a lot harder [in the minority],” he said. “They can get a little tight-fisted.” Read more...

Labels: Cong. Tom Cole, Congress

Posted at 11/08/2007 02:00:00 PM |

By Mike Soraghan Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said Congress’s deficit spending has become a moral issue surpassing abortion because it saddles future generations with massive debt before they’re born. “The greatest moral issue of our time isn’t abortion, it’s robbing our next generation of opportunity,” Coburn told reporters at a breakfast meeting Thursday at the National Press Club. “You’re going to save a child from being aborted so they can be born into a debtor’s prison?” The conservative Republican also criticized his own party, saying voters bounced the GOP from office for their hypocrisy. “It’s not a bad thing power changed last year,” said Coburn, who also criticized President Bush for not doing enough to curb spending. “He hasn’t been the ideal president when it comes to limited federal spending,” Coburn said. Read more... Related: Townhall.com: Coburn Says Spending Eclipses Abortion Concerns Video: Sen. Coburn Awarded for Pro-Family Activism

Labels: Congress, Sen. Tom Coburn

Posted at 11/02/2007 09:17:00 AM |

Lawmakers pushing for the creation of a federal insurance regulator say the country’s banking industry shows that a two-tiered system benefits consumers. “That regulatory competition between state regulators and federal regulators has served consumers quite well,” Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) argued at a policy breakfast hosted by The Hill on Wednesday. On Wednesday, the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), one of the most vocal advocates for the legislation and a sponsor of the breakfast, unveiled a study concluding that an optional federal charter would boost competition and innovation in the insurance industry. Earlier this year, the trade group released a study finding that a federal regulator would generate up to $5.7 billion in savings for the 284 life insurers analyzed. Speaking at the breakfast, ACLI president and former Republican governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating argued that those savings would be passed on to consumers, reducing prices by “an average of 2 percent on each policy.” Read more...

Labels: Congress, Frank Keating

Posted at 10/25/2007 08:50:00 AM |

By Kevin Bogardus and Manu Raju Following in the footsteps of their House counterparts, Senate GOP budget hawks have targeted more Democrats than Republicans in their hunt for earmarks. Based on a review of the amendments filed to the six appropriations bills brought to the Senate floor so far, Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) have targeted 13 specific earmarked projects — nine of which were sponsored solely by Democrats. This includes the successful attack on a high-profile earmark backed by the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). In a vote last week, Coburn won a vote to cut $1 million in funds for a museum detailing the 1969 Woodstock music festival. The request was co-sponsored by Clinton and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). Only three of the 13 earmarks targeted were sponsored exclusively by Republicans. In the House, earmark critic Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and other fiscal conservatives targeted 20 earmarks in the first six spending bills, with only four sponsored exclusively by Republicans. Despite these figures, Coburn insisted his quest to cut spending was not about party but about spending priorities. “We never look at who they are, we look at what it is,” Coburn said. “I’m equally grievous towards both groups that want earmarks.” Read more... Related: The Hill Blog: Coburn’s Awesome Victory for Taxpayers Time Herald-Record: (NY) A senator from Oklahoma has squashed a $1 million earmark to billionaire Alan Gerry's Woodstock-era museum in Bethel. In a rare rebuke of a pet projects, senators, including Democrats, pulled monies last week earmarked by Sen. Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton, and shifted that money to provide health care for pregnant woman and homeless children. "I'm pleased my colleagues took a bold stand... in defense of common sense and rejected the self-interested parochial politics that have disillusioned millions of Americans," said Sen. Tom Coburn, the Republican who organized the effort to kill the earmark, saying public monies shouldn't be given to a private museum backed by a man worth $1.3 billion according to Forbes. "Maybe this is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius for taxpayers." Read more...

Labels: Congress, Sen. Tom Coburn

Posted at 10/24/2007 08:49:00 AM |

U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (L) speaks as Senator Tom Coburn look on during a news conference. Alex Wong / Getty By JAY NEWTON-SMALL Senator Tom Coburn spent a good part of last Wednesday trying to stop the federal government from building bike paths. He wanted to redirect the $12 million allotted for them to shoring up U.S. bridges following the collapse of a highway bridge in Minneapolis that killed 13 people. The amendment failed 80-18. Undeterred, Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, immediately introduced his second amendment of the day: a motion to suspend all earmarks — or pet projects often attached in secret to funding bills — until structural integrity of all U.S. bridges can be verified. There were $2 billion in earmarks in the bill, which, if passed, will fund the Transportation Department next year; the amendment failed 82-14. That same day Senator Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, added his own amendment to suspend a rule that requires the government to use unionized workers to make emergency repairs to bridges, which DeMint says raises the cost by as much as 35%. That amendment also failed, 56-37. Read more... Related: An anonymous Republican Senator, identified by Think Progress as Tom Coburn (R-OK), has placed a secret hold on a law that would restore public access to presidential records. Two other senators were initially suspects but their offices have denied involvement while Coburn’s office has refused comment. The secret hold is part of an attempt to undermine the Democratic bill nullifying Bush’s executive order of 2001 that called for many executive materials to be kept secret “in perpetuity.” (Think Progress and The Dallas Morning News) CQ.com: Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said Thursday he will force a roll-call vote on raising the debt limit.

Labels: Congress, Sen. Tom Coburn

Posted at 9/21/2007 04:47:00 PM |

"I'm hearing more and more frequently a sense of rage with the Democratic leadership in Congress. From failing to stop the war to expanding Bush's wiretapping authority, the swing vote of conservative Democrats in the House are forming an effective conservative majority that is enabling Bush to govern as he wishes." "Bush's Dogs" Jason Altmire, PA-04 John Barrow, GA-12 Melissa Bean, IL-18 Dan Boren, OK-02 Leonard Boswell, IA-03 Alan Boyd, FL-02 Chris Carney, PA-10 Ben Chandler, KY-06 Jim Cooper, TN-05 Jim Costa, CA-20 Bud Cramer, AL-05 Henry Cuellar, TX-28 Lamar Davis, TN-04 Joe Donnelly, IN-02 Chet Edwards, TX-17 Brad Ellsworth, IN-08 Bob Etheridge, NC-02 Bart Gordon, TN-06 Stephanie Herseth, SD Baron Hill, IN-09 Nick Lampson, TX-22 Dan Lipinski, IL-03 Jim Marshall, GA-08 Jim Matheson, UT-02 Mike McIntyre, NC-07 Charlie Melancon, LA-03 Colin Peterson, MN-07 Earl Pomeroy, ND Ciro Rodriguez, TX-23 Mike Ross, AR-04 John Salazar, CO-03 Heath Shuler, NC-11 Vic Snyder, AR-02 Zack Space, OH-18 John Tanner, TN-08 Gene Taylor, MS-04 Tim Walz, MN-01 Charlie Wilson, OH-06 Read more...

Labels: Congress, Iraq War, Rep. Dan Boren

Posted at 8/22/2007 01:44:00 PM |

From The Hill: By Daphne Retter A battle between the offices of Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) over a controversial earmark intensified earlier this month, displaying how debates on Capitol Hill sometimes can turn personal. The senators had been at odds over the matter for much of the summer, but it would reach a new level when John Hart, communications director for Coburn, forwarded a news article detailing his boss’s request for an investigation of a defense contractor. The target of the would-be investigation, 21st Century Systems Inc. (21CSI), employs Patrick Nelson, the son of the centrist senator. Sen. Nelson had requested an earmark for 21CSI, triggering a heated battle between the senators that has raged for weeks. “This will shut that f---er up,” Hart stated in an Aug. 1 e-mail sent from his Senate account to several of his colleagues. “I can’t wait to send an In Case You Missed It to Nebraska press that will be forwarded to a--face.” Read more... Related Huffington Post: "Nasty E-mails Fly As Senate Earmark Battle Gets Personal"

Labels: Congress, Sen. Tom Coburn

Posted at 8/22/2007 12:29:00 PM |