The Coburn Sucker Punch May Not Work Too Well With Oprah

Oprah has millions of viewers emailing their Senators to ask for passage of S. 1738, the Combating Child Exploitation Act... one of the bills that Coburn has held hostage (along with the ALS Registry Act) with his hold tactic.


From The Hill

Senator No is facing his toughest foe, Senator O
By Alexander Bolton
Posted: 09/15/08 08:07 PM [ET]

...Coburn initially blocked it because it would have authorized nearly a billion dollars over eight years to fund a law enforcement crackdown on child exploitation. Coburn has insisted that new government programs be offset with spending cuts, a budget-saving device Biden’s bill lacked. Coburn now wants Biden’s revised proposal paired with Republican legislation that would give law enforcement greater access to the online records of suspected sexual predators.

He questioned Winfrey’s political objectivity.“I’m concerned that Oprah’s program only highlighted one half of the solution – the half supported by the presidential ticket she has endorsed. While I support the right of celebrities to use their platforms to advance partisan goals, Oprah’s viewers deserve to know all of the facts,” Coburn said in a statement.

Reid bundled the Biden bill with nearly 35 other bills that Coburn has used Senate rules to block into a package known as the Coburn omnibus. Reid fell eight votes short of moving the package through the Senate in July. In a surprise, Reid’s aides have told fellow Democrats he will try again this week — a mere six weeks after Coburn successfully blocked it previously.

Coburn has threatened procedural tactics to block dozens of relatively non-controversial bills during the 110th Congress.The strategy has proven effective because Democratic leaders are not willing to waste days of floor time filing motions to proceed and holding votes to cut off debate to pass bills that have little national name recognition but are nevertheless very important to smaller constituencies. ...

Now is the time for us to follow Oprah's lead and let our Senators know that there is another important issue that needs action now ... S. 1382 The ALS Registry Act... or pass it as part of the package S. 3297 The Advancing America's Priorities Act. Here is Oprah's Call to Action.

Oprah is getting the Senate's attention about one of the important items that Coburn has single-handedly stymied. Your two Senators need to be reminded that there is another important item -- The ALS Registry Act -- that needs our national attention, too. Coburn doesn't always know best, and this is America, not Coburn's personal fiefdom. Please write your Senators today!

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Senators, please pass S. 3297 NOW!
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