Endorsement: Tom Coburn for Senate

My first endorsement of this cycle is for reelecting U.S. Senator Tom Coburn.

I have known "Dr. Tom" for my entire life, and there are few elected officials that I trust as much as Dr. Coburn.

Coburn is a true citizen legislator. He still sees medical patients when he is home in Muskogee every week, even though (due to Senate ethics rules) he can't charge for his services, and lost money last year because of that. As in his time in the U.S. House, Dr. Tom has pledged to term-limit himself - he will only serve two terms in the Senate. Coburn was one of the few House members elected in the 1990's to keep his term limits pledge.

In his term in the Senate, Coburn has worked to make government more transparent and accountable, and to eliminate duplicative government agencies and programs. He was one of the most prominent opponents of President Obama's health care bill, putting forward a conservative alternative that would not have increased government's role in health care, and would have improved health care for all Americans.

Coburn is most well known for his vehement opposition to earmarks, and pork-barrel spending. He has earned the nickname of "Dr. No", and has angered many on both sides of the aisle through his principled stand against uncontrolled spending that is indebting future generations.

He has also thrown the brake on the run-away train known as "Unanimous Consent". More than 90% of Senate legislation is passed without a vote, unless a Senator places a "hold" on the bill. Dr. Coburn has placed an unprecedented amount of holds on legislation that increases spending. This has halted billions of dollars in wasteful spending, and forced the Senate to debate the merits of legislation.

When it comes to the 2nd Amendment, the U.S. Senate has few members who have been as stalwart a defender as Dr. Coburn has been. On pro-life issues, no one has been more faithful.

No candidate or elected official is perfect, and Dr. Coburn is no exception. However, a man of Dr. Coburn's character and conservatism is a rare commodity in the U.S. Senate, or any other elected body.

I wholeheartedly endorse Dr. Tom Coburn for reelection.

You can learn more about Dr. Coburn by visiting his campaign website at www.CoburnForSenate.com. He is also on Twitter, both with his campaign (@CoburnForSenate) and his official Senate office (@TomCoburn). His Facebook page is here.