It was bad enough when Oklahoma Senate candidate and former House Rep. Tom Coburn (R) announced he wants to execute physicians for performing a legal medical procedure.
“I favor the death penalty,” Coburn said, “for abortionists and other people who take life.”
And it wasn’t much better when we learned that the Gun Owners of America — the group for weapons enthusiasts who find the National Rifle Association too timid — had thrown its enthusiastic support behind Coburn.
But if there’s any doubt that Bush’s man in Oklahoma is a little out of the mainstream, there’s always Coburn’s opinions about gay people, which John Aravosis noted today.
Last year to the Rogers County Republicans he said, “… The gay community has infiltrated the very centers of power in every area across this country, and they wield extreme power. … That agenda is the greatest threat to our freedom that we face today. Why do you think we see the rationalization for abortion and multiple sexual partners? That’s a gay agenda.”
It’s worth noting that, unlike the eugenicist who won a GOP congressional primary in Tennessee, Coburn is a Republican senator-to-be in good standing, despite his radical approach to public policy.
As Aravosis noted:
He’s the Republican Senate candidate from Oklahoma. He’s also the man George W. Bush picked to head his presidential AIDS commission. Yes, this anti-gay nutjob was picked by our fearless leader to help decimate the government’s attack on the AIDS epidemic.
He was also the overwhelming choice of Republican primary voters in Oklahoma two weeks ago.
Former three-term representative Tom Coburn won the Republican nomination Tuesday for the seat of Sen. Don Nickles (R), trouncing a popular Oklahoma politician after a bruising and expensive campaign marked by allegations of back stabbing and shady land deals.
[…]
With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Coburn had 60 percent of the vote in a three-way race for the GOP nomination. Former Oklahoma City mayor Kirk Humphreys was second with 25 percent.
So, what are Coburn’s chances of getting elected and giving Rick “Man on Dog” Santorum a run for his money as the chamber’s nuttiest right-winger? It’s going to be close. A Tulsa World poll conducted before the recent Oklahoma primary showed Rep. Brad Carson, a moderate Dem, barely leading Coburn in the general election, 42% to 39%. Stay tuned.