That "hard" vote Coburn was planning on making Dems take with his "no Viagra for sex offenders" amendment? It's so blatantly a political ploy that he doesn't even have that ban in his own health reform proposal.
While such a provision may seem uncontroversial, Coburn is sending a clear partisan message: Democrats can either vote for his amendment, which would delay and possibly derail the reconciliation bill by sending it back to the House, or get attacked for wanting to give Viagra to rapists and child molesters.
Furthermore, the Viagra amendment is noticeably absent from Coburn's own health care bill, the Patients' Choice Act, which suggests that his concern about sexual offenders is disingenuous. (On a related note, Coburn voted against Sen. Al Franken's anti-rape provision in the defense appropriations bill last year).
Democrats have a response, anyway, to blunt this amendment.
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) plans to announce this afternoon that he plans to offer legislation that would resemble an amendment by Republican Tom Coburn that would prohibit coverage of Viagra for child molesters and rapists.
Since Coburn announced the amendment last night, Democrats have cringed at having to oppose such an amendment since they want to keep the reconciliation bill free of any changes so they can send the measure swiftly to President Barack Obama’s desk for his signature.
But Bennet – who faces a tough primary fight in Colorado this year - may have found a way to help shield Democrats from the political attacks that would almost certainly ensue from opposing such measures.
I, for one, welcome the discussion of male genitalia in our Congress. It will be a refreshing change to have the policy scalpel focused on men's naughty bits, for a change.