Kudos for Coburn

Senator Tom, that is, from Oklahoma. Why the kudos?

Let's first go back to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which, should your memory be short, demolished much of the eastern seaboard last fall, especially around New York and New Jersey. Federal aid was needed, but Coburn held it up for months citing the need for holdbacks. Or in plain English, the budget was a fixed sum and if we were to spend some of it on one unexpected place, we needed to cut it someplace else to make up the dollars spent. We needed to hold some back. You know, cut something unnecessary like food stamps or Medicare. The holdbacks issue delayed payments for rebuilding so long that many businesses along the shore whose economic year is compressed into a few summer months won't be able to rebuild in time. Think of it as a double whammy.

Now, we have the EF5 tornado that hit Moore, in Coburn's home state. Again federal aid is needed. And guess what? Again Coburn says sure, just as soon as we figure out what the holdbacks are going to be to balance the unexpected expense. So kudos to Coburn for being consistent, an equal opportunity asshole.

I wonder how many of his constituents properly appreciate him for that?