No, I don’t mean Alan Keyes, who isn’t to be taken seriously; I mean Oklahoma’s Republican Senate candidate Tom Coburn, who should be taken very seriously.
Coburn’s over-the-top rhetoric continued its absurd trajectory last week, calling lawmakers in the state capital “a bunch of crapheads in Oklahoma City.”
I realize that the GOP’s approach to political discourse is at an all-time low, but this is getting silly.
This story, of course, follows a recent incident in which Coburn called his campaign “a battle of good versus evil.” Which followed an incident in which Coburn expressed his support for executing physicians who who perform abortions. Which followed an incident in which Coburn said he believes gays have “infiltrated the very centers of power in every area across this country” and represent “the greatest threat to our freedom that we face today.”
In a close race like this one, these controversies, which Coburn is obviously bringing upon himself, may very well make a difference between winning and losing.
Even Oklahoma City’s Daily Oklahoman, a conservative newspaper, seems to have had enough with Coburn’s campaign style.
“We wouldn’t agree with [Democratic Rep. Brad] Carson on all issues, and certainly his record during his four years in Congress is open to scrutiny. . . . But we’re pressed to think of a time when Carson embarrassed either his district in particular or Oklahoma in general,” the newspaper stated. “Coburn should curb the self-righteousness and concentrate on what he would do if elected to represent Oklahoma.”
The GOP establishment, meanwhile, is getting a little nervous.
[T]wo Republican strategists, who asked that their names not be used so that they could speak freely, said that Carson is in a good position to pull ahead. The second-term House member is considered a moderate, and he is part Cherokee, which means something in Oklahoma, where the Native American voting block has become increasingly influential.
Indeed, last week the NRSC detailed where it would be investing resources for the final two months and the Oklahoma race was slated to get less than expected. One has to wonder if the GOP’s internal polling shows Carson pulling ahead.
Oklahoma is a conservative state in which Bush will win by a wide margin, while the empty Senate seat in question is being vacated by one of the chamber’s most conservative members (Don Nickles). Given the circumstances, this wouldn’t seem like a possible Dem pick-up opportunity, but then again, who knew we’d be so lucky to have a lunatic as the GOP nominee?