Politics Live: Coburn: Obama Needs to Scrap Stimulus Bill — and Daschle, Too
EmailABC News’ Rick Klein Reports: A big question looming over President Obama’s negotiations with Capitol Hill over the stimulus is whether there’s any changes he can order up that would attract broad bipartisan support.
Sam Donaldson and I interviewed Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., on Politics Live today — and the strong suggestion from this particular senator (one of the leading conservatives in the Senate) was an emphatic no.
Asked what can be done to make it palatable, Coburn responded: “I think it has to be broken down into its parts. If you don’t solve mortgage, the toxic mortgage problem, if you don’t solve the liquidity problem we can spend $2 trillion and it’s not going to accomplish anything for the economy.”
“There’s a couple important points. One is what got us into this problem in the first place and that’s spending money we didn’t have on things we didn’t need. This bill is doing entirely doing that same thing again. There’s very little stimulus in the bill. So I think it has to be broken down. You need look at things that will truly be stimulative. You can forget the rest of it.”
On the politics, Coburn said he is confident that Obama wants bipartisan support: “Yes, I really do think he would like to see that. First of all, he doesn’t want to own this thing all by himself because it’s probably not gonna work. Especially the way it’s outlined today. So what he needs is the cover politically so he can have a bill that has Republican support so when it doesn’t work everyone’s pointing their finger at each other rather than one party taking responsibility for it.”
What would work for him?
“Well I think he could personally make it about half the size of what it is today. It’s not a 900 billion dollar bill Sam. It’s a $1.2 trillion bill because you gotta calculate what the interests costs are gonna be over the next 5 years on this bill. And they haven’t even calculated that.”
And regarding the nomination of former senator Tom Daschle to become secretary of Health and Human Services, Coburn said he’s poised to vote no.
“With this new light shed on his tax problems plus the fact that he failed to report income, consulting income of $83,000, that’s called tax evasion. The question we have to ask, had he not been nominated for this position and not been up for a great job at the White House, would he have ever paid the taxes? And the answer to that is probably no. We have to reestablish character and integrity in the leaders in this government and this doesn’t pass it. It’s going to be a very difficult time for him. And even if he does get confirmed, the American people are gonna reject this. They’re gonna say how can you say you’re gonna create a new standard of openness and awareness and transparency and have two of your key people have problems with the IRS where you and I had we done the same thing we’d be going to jail. “
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This is the first thing the MEDIA has printed that makes any sense. ANd while they are at it they need to SCRAP Obama the biggest mistake American voters made and
Posted by: jane doed | February 2, 2009, 3:57 pm 3:57 pm
totally agree
Posted by: natale from mass. | February 2, 2009, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
“There’s a couple important points. One is what got us into this problem in the first place and that’s spending money we didn’t have on things we didn’t need.
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Yup. Our Greatest Smartest Leader ridiculed his now SoS HRC who proposed the correct solution to use the then $300B to target mortgages and banks, the toxic problems yet to be solved, during the democratic primaries. To get himself selected, PBO, then CBO (candidate), pandered the voters by money giveaways, excuse me, “economic stimulus” – if you still remember the $300 check some of you got one year ago.
You know now the rest of the story; CBO’s “economic stimulus” of 2007/2008 tanked the economy, because had he followed HRC’s solution, the mortgage and banking problems might have been solved, and it was a lot easier, costing much less, to solve two years ago than now.
Now, PBO wants to fulfill his election promise of $1000 for everyone who voted him in, he is giving you another “stimulus”, plus a lot of candies for the fat cats whom his Fighting Dog calls “Wall Street Idiots” and whom PBO invited into his White House for tea.
Posted by: smart guy | February 2, 2009, 4:08 pm 4:08 pm
“We have to reestablish character and integrity in the leaders in this government and this doesn’t pass it.”
This is a good point – after 8 years of Republican rule, it would be nice to reestablish some semblance of integrity to the government.
Posted by: jhw539 | February 2, 2009, 4:10 pm 4:10 pm
Republicans need to just shut up. you were soundly defeated, now let us clean up the mess you left for us.
Posted by: dem in chicago | February 2, 2009, 4:13 pm 4:13 pm
We need to scrap tom Coburn. Dash is a great pick for Healthcare and I’m sick of the stupid ignorant blantanly biased obsturctionist Repubs plastering their bias all over the front page. Take a hike Coburn!
Posted by: eyeon | February 2, 2009, 4:14 pm 4:14 pm
…two of your key people have problems with the IRS where you and I had we done the same thing we’d be going to jail. “
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Hey, Coburn, it’s my line. cats said it first on Jake Tapper’s blog.
Posted by: two cats | February 2, 2009, 4:14 pm 4:14 pm
Tell Tom Coburn to go take a hike. I am sick of the ignorant right wing partisan Repubs plastering their bias all over the front page. Get your sickening bias ourt of my face.
Posted by: eyeon | February 2, 2009, 4:15 pm 4:15 pm
“and have two of your key people have problems with the IRS where you and I had we done the same thing we’d be going to jail.”
Hey ABC, how about doing a little reporting and providing a bit of context to Coburn’s LIE above? The policies and law are quite clear and (in excruciating IRS fashion) documented. There is ZERO indication of any special treatment from the IRS for these guys. None.
Posted by: jhw539 | February 2, 2009, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
I find it ironic that the Republiscum leaders are trying to dictate what goes in to a stimulus plan designed to move the country out of the hole they created. It’s also funny that these punks didn’t do a damn thing to protect the TARP money from being mismanaged. Why are they so high-and-mighty now? Why are they worried about the deficit? Bums…all of them, and the Democrats are jsut as bad for not having enough of a backbone to stand up to them. America is falling down around us and all we get is the same bipartisan crap. We finally have a respectable President. Too bad the rest of Washington is still in it for themselves or their rich friends.
Posted by: algwriter | February 2, 2009, 4:26 pm 4:26 pm
I’m not condoning what Daschle did with his taxes, but every time I hear a GOP leader speak about restoring honesty and integrity to government it sets off my gag reflex. I remember in 2000 Bush ran on a platform of promising to bring honesty and integrity back to the White House. He brought us a culture of unbridled greed, deceit and corruption.
Posted by: hopesprings52 | February 2, 2009, 4:50 pm 4:50 pm
Republicans are fighting just to fight. What ideas they have put forward have been done and not worked.
Democrats in Congress need to get some of the pork out of the bill.
Obama should bring the Congressional leaders to the table; make them start by saying what is right with the bill, back up what they want added with facts and go from there….
Oh and televise the entire thing.
Posted by: Paige | February 2, 2009, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
The US is presently a basket case. Thanks to Republicon MISMANAGEMENT and incompetence.
Clinton left a surplus. Republcons destroyed it; and leave American cumch poorer.
The overwhelming number of Republicons are so obtuse, it is hard to find enough patience for them.
Republicons sat silent while they and their INCOMPETENT leader destroyed American on so many levels.
Now that intelligent and COMPETENT Americans are fixing America, the Republicons only want to close down government or destroy America.
Posted by: Patriot | February 2, 2009, 5:08 pm 5:08 pm
I don’t think we need to pursue an overly broad base of support for this stimulus package. Sure It’s going to be a little messy. I wouldn’t especially bend over backwards for the support of Republicans. Even the most misguided money will find it’s way into the economy and into worthy hands. These guys are just making alot of noise over anything they can use to vote no. Centrism is about doing the correct thing , not the blind pursuit of bipartisanship to far from the correct course of action.
Posted by: bryan | February 2, 2009, 5:46 pm 5:46 pm
FOR ALL YOU WHINERS!!!!
From Obama’s Own Web Site – Ethics Page
Close the Revolving Door on Former and Future Employers: No political appointees in an Obama-Biden administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years.
Tom Daschle….
signed on as a Senior Policy Advisor with the K Street law firm Alston & Bird. Health care interests, including CVS Caremark, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, Abbott Laboratories and HealthSouth, are among the firm’s lobbying clients. The firm was paid $5.8 million between January and September 2008 to represent companies and associations before Congress and the executive branch, with 60 percent of that money coming from the health industry.
CLEARLY HE IS VIOLATING OBAMA’s ETHICS RULES!
Posted by: Mike_C | February 3, 2009, 10:32 am 10:32 am