December 21, 2009

Tom Coburn's prayer.

"What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can't make the vote tonight. That's what they ought to pray."

Yikes. And everyone knew he was talking about Byrd:
It was difficult to escape the conclusion that Coburn was referring to the 92-year-old, wheelchair-bound Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.) who has been in and out of hospitals and lay at home ailing. It would not be easy for Byrd to get out of bed in the wee hours with deep snow on the ground and ice on the roads -- but without his vote, Democrats wouldn't have the 60 they needed.
Clearly, God made the final call, and He came through for the Democrats. All glory to the government, which, I trust will take care of us until the Death Panel Lord Almighty says it's time to go.

32 comments:

Palladian said...

Dear God,

I pray that nobody can make the vote tonight, on either side.

Love, Evan


verification word: twerso. I wish twerso.

vbspurs said...

And here I thought it was brain cancer which killed Ted Kennedy.

Cheers,
Victoria

Chip Ahoy said...

Must ... resist ... Photoshop.

I'm visualizing Dems carrying in a corpse and causing it to vote, in the style of Weekend at Bernie's.

I've seen obsession many times but I've never seen anything even remote to this -- selling their own mothers, their progeny and their careers all at once to satisfy the obsession. I can only hope it's the death of them one way or another.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Ugh.
Politicians are weird people.

The GOP would do itself a favor by ditching this overt-religious weirdness.

Still, the idea that a 92 year old senator(D) and former KKKer must be rolled in to cast a vote at 1 AM -- is more than weird.

What a mess of fools.

Scott said...

Tom Coburn's sentiments are ugly. He shouldn't debase himself or his party by using such Democratic rhetoric.

SteveR said...

The swift action of the Mass legislature to reverse the anti-Romney appointing a replacement for John Kerry special election rule has allowed Reid to avoid wheeling in Teddy.

hdhouse said...

Patriots show up (read up on Caesar Rodney sometime) and the rest howl at the moon (Oklahoma has produced Inhofe and Coburn...nuf said)

jbeuks said...

Oh, for heaven's sake, Coburn wasn't praying for the death of anyone, much less for the death of Sen Byrd specifically. Remember that D.C. was hit over the weekend with the largest December snowfall in its recorded history. All he was saying was that he hoped at least one Dem. senator would be unable to make it to the Capitol because of the weather.
Political discourse in this country has gotten crude enough without making unfounded accusations that your opponents hope for the death of your supporters!

Palladian said...

Coburn didn't actually pray. He just suggested that people pray.

Elliott A said...

The first president Johnson was saved from conviction in his impeachment trial by a senator, dying, carried in on a stretcher. It seemed romantic in that instance.

hombre said...

I doubt that Coburn would be disappointed if Durbin, Nelson, Dodd, etc., missed the vote for some non-catastrophic reason. The Byrd bit is just uncharitable politicking.

Besides, when did being dead or incapacitated ever stop a Democrat from voting?

OhioAnne said...

Sorry, given the weather in DC and the nature of Senators to contribute to the size of their carbon footprint with frequent and unnecessary air travel, assuming Coburn must have meant Byrd (and only Byrd) is just that - an assumption.

Given that Millbank was the author of that quote you can add "partisian" to "assumption".

I'm Full of Soup said...

America will be better off after the Dems & Obama sign this bill.

Because the Dems & Obama will also be signing their own [political] death warrants.

Mian said...

Tell me, when Byrd does pass on --as we all must-- do you think they'll bury him in his robe and pointy hat?

Unknown said...

Coburn is one of the few real patriots in Congress (DeMint and Bachmann being two more). He fought the spending under Dubya and is doing the same here. Anybody who accuses him of being partisan doesn't know the man's history.

Chip Ahoy said...

Must ... resist ... Photoshop.

I'm visualizing Dems carrying in a corpse and causing it to vote, in the style of Weekend at Bernie's.


Maybe the poles for the traffic signs can double as buoys (you had to see the movie).

John Stodder said...

I was thinking about what's going to happen next.

Assuming the bill is passed and signed, do the Republicans base their 2010 campaign on the goal of a veto-proof majority to repeal it? If they threw in some of the other dreck from Congress '09 into this omnibus repeal appeal they might find a surprising amount of success.

In terms of available legislative seats, achieving such a goal is unlikely, but the sense of urgency around the attempt justifies a galvanizing type of campaign -- a mirror image of the netroots enthusiasm that helped get Obama elected.

"Repeal Obama" is kind of catchy. And it goes to what the electorate seems to want. I don't think it's nearly enough motivation to get people to vote on the theme of "Don't let them have 60 again." It's what's been done this year that is at issue. The public has not yet been asked to vote on this kind of sweeping takeover of health care. But it's only an effective referendum if the proposed outcome is actual repeal, not just sand in the gears of implementation.

P.S. Coburn's stupid comment is comment-bait-deluxe. I wouldn't be surprised if the next time he sees Arianna Huffington he doesn't say, "Hope you liked my Christmas, er, Winter Solstice gift."

Ned said...

So what IF that's what he meant...Byrd would long be dead...swept out the door ...if uhbuhma care was in effect...

Freeman Hunt said...

Silly. He was obviously talking about the snow, not Byrd.

Freeman Hunt said...

Don't worry, no one would wish ill on the KKK Level 47 Grand Master Dragontail Wizard Crypt Keeper. He stands as a great testament to Democratic tolerance. I mean, where else can you find a sitting Senator still using the n-word?

AllenS said...

As long as we're talking about God, I'd like to take this occasion to personally thank God for inventing shrimp and shrimp cocktail sauce. You the man.

Bart Hall (Kansas, USA) said...

If this bill, or something close, becomes law we will in many ways have crossed the Rubicon. Jacta alia est. The far left cannot move a single Senator. Conservatives cannot move a single Senator.

Legislation of unbelievable social and economic impact appears on the verge of being rammed through by a Washington-based elite absolutely uninterested in the will of the people, who by at least 3:2 absolutely hate this bill and the people shoving it down our collective throats.

Every other piece of landmark legislation in America has had broad social consensus behind it and solid bi-partisan support in Congress. Not so this time. America is about to be pushed into its latest time of reckoning, because power-hungry idealogues are forcing through what amounts to an un-repealable, but unsustainable, entitlement program.

At this point I do not see how it all can end without absolutely appalling violence. America’s new self-appointed nobility are unlikely to halt their grasp for power until they are piled into the 21st century equivalent of tumbrels. Very sad.

We probably have but one more chance at the ballot box in 10 months or so. If parasites continue to outnumber the producers when voting, the only remaining recourse is not the ballot box, or the soap box, but the ammo box. I pray we never arrive at that point.

Remember, democracy is not the opposite of totalitarian: they answer two completely different questions -- who has power, and how much power do they have.

A totalitarian democracy is what arises when parasites outnumber producers.

jag said...

@ hdhouse---as an Oklahoman, I offer an apology for Inhofe, who is nuts, but not Coburn. He is ruled by a very clear political philosophy. And, really, was Coburn's comment worse than New York's senator calling a flight attendant a bitch?

Firehand said...

I don't apologize for Inhofe or Coburn either one: they're both doing what the voters elected them to do.

And I love the way Coburn said it would be the answer to a prayer for someone to not be able to be there, stopping the vote, and that somehow morphs into it was difficult to escape the conclusion; that says more about the idiots pushing this than about Coburn.

Beth said...

KKK Level 47 Grand Master Dragontail Wizard Crypt Keeper.

Freeman, you crack me up!

I'll copy and paste that one, if you don't mind. I never know when I might run into David Duke on Bourbon Street.

Freeman Hunt said...

I'll copy and paste that one, if you don't mind. I never know when I might run into David Duke on Bourbon Street.

Please do. And be sure to include to him my coldest regards.

Franco said...

If he were on the plan he's voting for, he'd be dead already.

It's not as though Byrd must remain in the Senate at 92. There is this concept called "retirement" that many people have to leave their jobs whether they like it or not.

Simon Kenton said...

Blogger info said...

So what IF that's what he meant...Byrd would long be dead...swept out the door ...if uhbuhma care was in effect...

>>>>>>>>>

I have to contradict you. Congress exempted itself from this bill. President Obama, when directly asked if he and his family would be covered by it, failed twice to answer. What's shit for the geese....

victoria said...

Why anyone would ever listen to anything Coburn says is ridiculous. He is a homophobe and mysoginist of the first order and is the least tolerant man in the senate. This does not surprise me. It seems strange that a man who has such reverence for "life" can wish a man death. Did it to the homosexuals, and now the oldsters. Watch out, we middle aged people are next.


Vicki from Pasadena

hdhouse said...

jag said...
@ hdhouse---as an Oklahoman, I offer an apology for Inhofe, who is nuts, but not Coburn. He is ruled by a very clear political philosophy. And, really, was Coburn's comment worse than New York's senator calling a flight attendant a bitch?"

I don't really care what Coburn said. As an old Okie myself for a few years and having worked on behalf of Inhofe when he ran for mayor (my mistake...shoot me please), my comment centered on the this duo and coburn particularly being both lighter than air and certifiable.

hdhouse said...

Firehand said...
I don't apologize for Inhofe or Coburn either one: they're both doing what the voters elected them to do."

did the OKIE voters elect them to be dumb and stupid in public?

David said...

"And, really, was Coburn's comment worse than New York's senator calling a flight attendant a bitch?"

Schumer is a jerk but he didn't say "Kill the Bitch."

Coburn usually has interesting stuff to say. But this was just stupid.

Firehand said...

No, house, we voted for them to stand up for things. Like against the globular warmering "We must control carbon!" bullcrap, and this socialized medicine scheme.

Or do you actually consider the head of the Senate talking about how 'bribery is how we get things done' and referring to anyone opposing the scheme as morally equivalent to slavers to be a level of 'intelligence' to aspire to?