Former GOP Senator Trashes Party’s Presidential Field: ‘Scares Me To Death,’ ‘#NotReadyForPrimetime’

[Panich52]

ThinkProgress

Former GOP Senator Trashes Party’s Presidential Field: ‘Scares Me To Death,’ ‘Not Ready For Primetime’

Regardless of their actual feelings, politicians tend to praise their colleagues in public as a matter of decorum, especially those in the same political party.

That’s why it was so surprising when former Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), who served 10 years in the Senate and 6 years in the House of Representatives before retiring in January 2015, offered up candidly negative comments about the 2016 Republican presidential field.
In an interview with conservative commentator Andrew Wilkow last week, Coburn trashed nearly every GOPer running for president, calling them “not ready for primetime,” lacking “integrity,” not “capable,” and saying he wouldn’t support one of them even if he won the nomination. Wilkow acknowledged the impact of Coburn’s words, noting that “once you retire, you can speak your mind in a way that might be different than if you were still sitting in the Senate.”
Listen to the interview, with the relevant portion beginning at 5:43:

(couldn't copy link. No flash player. Article continues w/ text of comments

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[peacebird]

1. Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark....

[immoderate]

2. They are just not wacko enough for Tom Coburn!

--imm

[dlwickham]

3. I was thinking the same thing

[Reter]

4. For all the wrong reasons

On Rand Paul: “Scares me to death on international foreign policy. Know him well, very smart. Think he was totally wrong on NSA. Didn’t speak truthfully about what was actually the facts. Would not vote for him for president.”

[RiverNoord]

20. Criticizing the only thing that any of the Republican

loonies have actually got right. Of course, there are about a thousand reasons not to vote for that particular loony, but that's not one of them. Bizarro land...

[SunSeeker]

5. So the whole GOP field "lacks integrity"?

Last edited Wed Jun 10, 2015, 03:12 AM - Edit history (1)

Wow, for once I agree with that douchebag.

[DFW]

6. They would scare me to death, too, IF one of them won the election

So far, I don't see that happening, even with Koch money, a corrupt Supreme Court majority, and corrupt Republicans lending their nominee a "helping hand" like Jeb did in 2000 or Blackwell did in 2004.

The only things that could make that happen (beyond the Republicans nominating a capable, articulate, sane person, none of which are yet running) would be stupidity on our part. If the primary candidates tear each other up fighting for the nomination, that could do it, but I think Martin, Bernie and Hillary are all above that--they are not DU. Or if too many Democrats stay home because our nominee is a socialist/is a corporatist/is a technocrat/eats broccoli on Thursdays/whatever excuse in is vogue this week.

[Gloria]

19. Yes, the stupidity factor worries me

The DeBlasio affair really bothers me. A simple "I'm neutral, so I won't be going to the Hillary rally" would have been better than injecting his comments that will be later used by thr GOP if they can. When I expressed concern about supporters morphing into Nader-like undermining, I was accused of "smearing"...I honestly hadn't noticed I was in a Bernie Group, but that shouldn't mean you can't express an observation recalling past situations .Any group has a core has members thst can go that way, but I don't think a comment about staying neutral should be met with hostility. It gave me a bad feeling....

My goal is to win the election. I will support any Dem against the abusive GOP. But the incipient prickliness and purity bit and accusatios in the apparently sacred Bernie group is making me uneasy and my gut is sending me signald that I could be turned off if it starts getting nasty even if the canddates act better. Bernie knows this for sure, but DeBlasio mixed it up. If he wanted to endorse, then endorse, but what he did before a planned rally rhat will apparently link back to FDR was pretty stupid.

[rexcat]

7. No one is going to listen to Colburn...

outside of the Republican Party. He did not bash all of the candidates. He likes Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina and really likes Mike Huckabee: “Possibility. Good guy, well-rounded. Could fit in the middle and could attract votes from both sides.” Really???? All he did was blather right wing bullshit.

All of the republican candidates or potential candidates for POTUS are scary! Any of these asshats will destroy what is left of this country.

[Chellee]

8. What!?!

Mike Huckabee is the middle!?!

He could attract votes from both sides!?!

Great googley-moogley. This man needs to be heavily medicated. That is delusional on an epic scale.

He thinks Huckabee is middle of the road...

[Volaris]

9. The Huckster (like St. Ronnie before him)

is not middle of the road. He's the guy who can SELL IT as middle of the way, knowing the whole time it's Rat Poison.
Because who are you gonna listen to? god, or math?

Mike Huckabee is a smart person for Dumb People

[Arkana]

12. Eh, Huck's got a few problems Ronnie didn't have.

He can't really sell it convincingly, because he's operating in an environment where everything he says is recorded and can be played back at a moment's notice.

He's also a little too pro-environment and the business types don't like dealing with true believers like Huck.

[Volaris]

13. All true comments.

It would be interesting to get him baited into an "we have been tasked by God with being caretakers of creation" type argument with someone like Scott Walker, who has been paid to just not give a fuck about things like trees.

As long as their unquestioning stupid can be leashed to a good cause , I sort of don't mind it as much as some other people. It's when it's left to make its own decisions that I have a problem with it lol

[rexcat]

10. With comments like Coburn's concerning Huckabee...

he completely loses his credibility!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

11. Let's not go celebrating any time soon. Coburn was just as wacky.

[swilton]

14. Takes one to know one Tom

[trusty elf]

15. ....

[img][/img]

[Betty Karlson]

16. That picture is priceless.

Thanks for the laugh.

[cannabis_flower]

17. I like it but..

I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

[IHateTheGOP]

18. Finally, reality from a republican

[IHateTheGOP]

21. Damn right

I can foresee the United States turning into Nazi Germany if these wacko righties take over the whole government. I know the Nazi term gets thrown about a lot, especially by the right (projection) but one only needs to study the way the Nazis took over and their philosophy to see that I am just telling it like it is.