I have been examining if the "Tea Party" supported candidates will make a Conscious Conservative difference once they enter office. So far, I have examined Senators Ron Johnson, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Jim DeMint, Jerry Moran and PatToomey.
Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma chose not to attend the Senate Tea Party Caucus meeting and appears like he may be distancing himself from the Tea Party movement. However, he did appear to have some Tea Party support during the 2010 election. Let's see how he looks from a Conscious Conservative perspective.
Senator Coburn has served both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, which gives him a record to examine. According to http://www.govtrack.us/, Senator Coburn is a "far-right Republican" and appears to be much more conservative than other Senators. I looked at his record to see if there is a basis for this ranking. A check of many of his votes on http://www.ontheissues.org/ reveals that he voted along standard Republican lines. He appears to lean Conscious Conservative on many economic issues, voting for lower federal deficits and against bailouts. However, he did vote for TARP when it was a Republican bill, which makes his credentials suspect. He appears to lean Liberal/Socialist on social issues, voting to let the government interfere with what happens in businesses, schools, medical offices and homes across the country.
It appears that Senator Coburn will do little to lean the Senate in a Conscious Conservative direction. There may be some hope if he is influenced by others with a more Conscious Conservative bent but since he is senior to many of these individuals, there is little hope.
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