Zaid Jilani of Think Progress reports at this hour that Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) believes that weeping women don't deserve help from their government.
Yesterday CNN’s Rick Sanchez aired a segment from a health care town hall where a weeping constituent explained to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) that her husband’s health insurer refuses to cover his treatment for a traumatic brain injury. As the woman continued to cry, Coburn told her that his office would try to assist her individually. But, he added, "the idea that the government is the solution to our problems is an inaccurate, a very inaccurate statement."
You can watch the video on Think Progress' website, from the link above the fold.
So...government isn't the answer, Mr. Senator? Really? Why don't you take the foot out of your mouth and listen to yourself for a second. What you're telling this woman is that you have no interest in helping her out, with ANY problem. You actually believe that whatever problems this poor woman has, well, they must be HER problems because they surely aren't YOUR problems because if they were, Senator Coburn, if her problems were your problems, you'd call for government intervention. Why can't government help the people they govern? This antequated notion that government helps the most by getting out of the way of progress is an insult to fair-minded peoples everywhere. This woman is hurting, Mr. Coburn. She lives in your home state and she's hurting and you're in a position to DO something about it, Senator. Yet all you can do is tell her government can't help her, government isn't the answer.
I say Bullshit.
In a stunning irony, the Senator, talking to the woman afterwards, invited her to make an appointment with his office. Perhaps Senator Tom Coburn doesn't realize this--and maybe we shouldn't tell him--but Senator Coburn WORKS for the government! And he's going to try to help her, even though government isn't the answer?
I have a novel idea for the great Senator Coburn. Hows about this, Senator: Hows about we kick every single government-hating republican out of government! Because, at the end of the day, if you hate government enough to declare that it is ineffective and useless...perhaps you shouldn't be the one steering the damn ship! Just a thought.
UPDATE:
Hope this video works, folks, but again you can watch via think progress link. Enjoy!
UPDATE 2: Via stef, here's a transcript, if it helps:
Woman: Senator Coburn we need help. My husband has traumatic head injury. His insurance will not cover him to eat and drink. And what I need to know is, are you going to help him, where he can eat and drink? We left the nursing home and they told us we're on our own. He left with a feeding tube. I've been working with him, but I'm not a speech pathologist, a professional, that takes six years for a Masters, and I've tried to get him to eat and drink again and it's been so much - (cries)
Coburn: Well I think think personally, yeah we'll help. The first thing we'll do is see what we can do individually to help you, through our office. But the other thing that's missing in this debate is us, as neighbors, helping people that need our help. You know, we've had a - (applause). The idea that the government is a solution to our problems, is an inaccurate, a very inaccurate statement.
