Redstate

Don't take a party's word when a lawsuit is on the line.

I haven't been following the Coburn story at all, but that quote could hardly be seen as "denigrat[ing] residents of Oklahmoa City". When he said "crapheads" it should be clear to anyone he was talking about legislators or others in power.

Please. Comparing Howard Dean and Tom Coburn is simply ridiculous. One of these things is not like the other.

If you mean that they are both unskilled campaigners who make gaffes because they say what they mean, I definitely agree with you.  And I find it admirable that you are giving him the benefit of the doubt.  I think Dean got a short of the stick (and I think it would have been more intellectually honest of Dems to nominate him).  However, running for President and making these gaffes is fatal.  Running as a Republican in Oklahoma and portraying yourself as a straight-shooter, non-politician may just work.

I don't buy the sterilization story, but I haven't researched it enough.  At worst it was a misunderstanding that would still be malpractice (but hardly Nazi-esque as commenters on my Coburn site have been fond of saying).

Your point about impressions being more important than reality is valid and worrisome for us Coburn supporters.  Nevertheless, the main argument in the race has been established already.  Carson = brings home the bacon; Coburn = Wants to stop the bacon from going to anyone's home.  It's an interesting debate on the purpose of a representative and since both are socially and fiscally conservative, their governing philosophy is the only major difference.  

1. What you're reading through OK's left-of-the-state media filter is almost always going to paint Coburn in the worst possible light.  It happened all during his congressional service, it happened throughout the primary, and it's happening again now.  It hasn't hurt him once yet at the voting booth.  Remember that these are the same papers that badmouthed Don Nickles continually, even as he was winning with more than 60% of the vote.
   
2. On the American Indians comment - forgetting the fact that Coburn's wife is Cherokee (which alone should make anyone pause at the "racism!" cries of Indian leaders), this is one of the biggest legal scams in Oklahoma's history - as most people from the state are well aware - and Coburn's right to raise valid questions about whether there ought to be a limit to the extraordinary amount of federal aid and benefits, and that such aid should be "a legitimate discussion for taxpayers."
   
3. On the issue of the lawsuit, the nurse present at the time completely backs up Coburn's account. The Coburn camp released a statement 9/16 from Sherri Yaussey, a registered nurse who was present when Plummer, then Angela Rosson, received medical care in 10/90:

Yaussey: "It was determined that she had a ruptured pregnancy and needed surgery to stop the hemorrhaging. I specifically remember the patient wanted her tubes tied. She begged Dr. Coburn to tie her tubes. In our urgency to get her to surgery, a written consent for the tubal ligation was not signed but that did not change the fact that the patient wanted to have her tubes tied. After surgery, I had occasion to visit the patient in her room. She was sitting up in bed and pale. Her statement to me was one of relief that she was glad that she wouldn't be able to have any more children." Yaussey "also gave a deposition at the time of the original court case."

You know, occasionally in the context of saving someone's life (as Ms. Rosson has acknowledged), paperwork may not get done right.

to see people repeating my behavior, but you're in reflexive denial if you think a relatively sympathetic post by me about perception of a candidate is an attempt to convince you that perception is real. I've been down this road - I even raised $40,000 for Howard Dean via my blog, so I've some experience here.

Perceptions matter, especially when it's the candidate who is driving them (and blaming the media is therapeutic, but ultimately counter-productive; you need to fix the perception rather than whine about your guy not getting a fair shake).

It seems to be hurting Coburn already - Carson 42, Coburn 35, from a Republican polling outfit.

Please don't make excuses for your candidate's outburst on the Cherokee - "my wife is Indian" is as weak as "I have friends who are black" when it comes to try and defending a statement that clearly, the Cherokee Nation themselves feel are offensive.

Glad to hear the nurse backs up the account - but it was Coburn's responsibility to cover his liability by securing written consent. Even if the burse is a credible witness, her statement doesn't free Coburn of the liability. Can you seriously defend a doctor who carries out ANY kind of procedure - especially irreversible serious ones like sterilization - without written authorization? Even the best possible spin on these events makes Coburn look wildly irresponsible and probably unfit to practice.

This is all about public perception of a volatile man who has done himself zero favors when confronted. The fact that a Republican poll shows him taking damage suggests that the problem is real.

And I've watched it before - I've tried to defend a good man who nevertheless remains to this day painted as a hippie maniac on par with Dennis "stop the mind control lasers" Kucinich, and unstable as a mad hatter. I too can point to the media and cry foul - the non-event of the Dean Scream being the best justification for bitterness on that score. But teh truth is that my guy needed to tone his image down, he needed to be more upfront that these image problems existed, and he needed to address them directly rather than try and whitewash over them. Coburn needs to learn these lessons if he wants to stay in this game. But right now Coburn looks like the slightly-less-black sheep in Alan Keyes' family.

You want your guy to win? Pay attention to history. I'm not comparing Coburn to Dean to slam him, as you automatically assume. I'm doing so to illustrate the same dynamic I saw at work, first hand. I don't have a dog in that fight.

Of course, Red State sports an advertisement from Keyes too.. my sympathy redoubles.

think about what perception of himself Coburn is cultivating with that statement, regardless of it's factual content or implication.

"Dean Scream"

Glad I can ignore your opinion from here on out.

The main problem for Coburn is he's volatile, controversial, and can't seem to think before he speaks. That's Dean - it's why we loved him, and why we tore our hair out too.

Keep in mind that you are partly defined by what you run against as well. Carson is clean-cut, young, the kind of guy you'd like to see mowing his lawn next to your lot when you're scoping out nice subdivisions. I think that Coburn is going to feel he has no choice but to drag Carson down - expect the race to turn decidely more negative, including a whispering campaign of some sort, against Carson's wholesome image as the desperation mounts.

In the process, the debate which you've been anticipating will get drowned out.

Try listening to someone who's from Oklahoma.

will, of course, support. There were Dean fans like myself arguing that Dean should have ratcheted UP the rhetoric onstage in Iowa after the dean Scream, too.

The poll, however, suggests that not everyone in Oklahoma shares the view that Coburn's statements are perfectly rational or reflect a gravitas suitable for the Senate.

Here's a similar example: Dean's famous remark about "guys with the confederate flag on their pickups". I guarantee you I can defend that comment on its merits. But a nuanced explanantion of what your guys really meant is lost in teh rush to offense that your guy's opponents will seize upon. Heck, you probably yourself are offended by Dean's remark and I doubt you even know what he said without having to look it up. Yet the lingering feeling that "hey he insulted me" remains. If I tried to explain Dean's comment to you the way your link tries to explain Coburn's, you'd have little patience for it.

Anyway, feel free to ognore me on this, nothing I say will have any bearing on Coburn's success one way or another. But I have seen this before, and mine's a sad club to see others join.

ah welll. yay Kerry, I guess.

btw doverspa, I greatly admire the passion you have for your candidate. We are of a kind. Don't lose faith in you rguy, especially if you believe you know him and what he really stands for.

I havent read your Coburn blog heavily, but I havent noticed that much criticism of the Coburn campaign. I'd advise you to try being a more critical voice, especially on issues of perception and media handling. Your critique on the gay rights issue was quite effective, I thought, but you should voice your opinion on HOW the campaign is being run more than just on the issues themselves.

The Dean campaign noticed when we critiqued, all the more so because we were strong supporters - and they listened, too. Trippi signed the review copy of his book he sent me with a reference to my critiques - which I admit were sometimes verging on shrill - so I know that they had an impact.

You really have an opportunity to influence the race and how Coburn wages the campaign. Don't be shy in excercising that power, however slight it may be.

Reading my old archives at dean2004.blogspot.com, I am struck by how humble it all was at the outset. You still have a window of opprtunity to play more than a cheerleader's role.

/end pompous self-important pretensions