Maverick vs. Chameleon: Oklahoma's Senate race presents one of the most clear-cut contests between a principled conservative and an opportunistic liberal with a covert radical agenda.

"One word tends to appear over and over in descriptions of Tom Coburn--'maverick.'" So began a description of U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Tom Coburn in a September 24 profile on PBS' "Online NewsHour" Vote 2004 series.

"The family physician and former businessman has a reputation for speaking his mind," the PBS sketch noted. It continued: "During the six years he represented Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Coburn was adamant in his anti-abortion stance, attaching anti-abortion riders to appropriations bills. He also founded and served as co-chairman of the congressional Family Caucus, a group of about 60 members of the House."

The PBS profile further noted:

Coburn held the 2nd District seat --the same one currently held by his senatorial opponent Brad Carson from 1995-2001. He was the first Republican to hold the seat for consecutive terms in this rural and Democratic district, and he retired when he said he would, after three terms. Elected in the Republican revolution of 1994, he helped lead a revolt against its chief architect and then-GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich....

   While in Congress, Coburn declined
   his government pension and
   health care benefits and supported
   legislation to limit perks to all members
   of Congress.... Coburn was also
   known as a budget hawk.

Oklahoma's senatorial race between Coburn and his Democratic opponent Brad Carson is one of the most hotly contested and crucially important Senate contests nationwide, concerning far more than partisan control of the upper house of Congress. The Coburn-Carson race presents one of the clearest choices between a principled advocate of limited, constitutional government and a slick, liberal-left proponent of Big Government masquerading as a conservative. On virtually every major issue--taxes, trade, abortion, homosexual unions, gun rights, federal regulations, immigration, health care, spending, national defense, and energy--Tom Coburn and Brad Carson come down on opposite sides. However, whereas Tom Coburn--whether in or out of office--openly stands on his record, and is unafraid of opposing his own party's leadership on matters of principle, Brad Carson runs from his record and plays the political chameleon.

Carson, a Clinton Democrat, knows that Oklahoma has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1990 and that in 2000 George W. Bush won the state in a landslide, taking 60 percent of the vote. He also knows that his liberal-left record is way out of step with the state's conservative, religious voters. Thus, Carson has taken great pains to distance himself from his party's leadership and to craft a false conservative image.

On the campaign trail, Carson frequently tells voters: "I'm a Christian; I'm a Baptist." (President Clinton and Vice President Gore both made the same claim.) His ads feature a photo of him shaking hands with President Bush, and he frequently assures his audiences with the quip that most Democrats in Washington "think I'm a Republican half the time."

"Brad Carson is an amazingly clever, very deceptive, smooth-talking politician," says Dr. Mike Ritze, a prominent Tulsa-area physician and longtime activist in Oklahoma's Republican Party politics. "You'd think from his campaign speeches and commercials that he's 'Mr. Conservative,'" Dr. Ritze told THE NEW AMERICAN, "but he's the most liberal member of Oklahoma's Congressional delegation. If he wins a six-year Senate seat, he'll be even more dangerous than he has been in the House because he won't have to face the voters every two years. He'll be able to drop his pretenses and push hard for all of his left-wing causes."

Striking Contrasts

Where do former Rep. Tom Coburn and current Rep. Brad Carson stand on the issues? Fortunately for voters, both men have congressional voting records to compare. During his last term in office, the 106th Congress, Rep. Coburn earned an 85 percent rating on THE NEW AMERICAN'S Conservative Index. Rep. Carson, on the other hand, after taking over Tom Coburn's House seat, turned in a dismal cumulative score of 38 percent for the 107th Congress and 39 percent for the current Congress. The following thumbnail comparison of Carson and Coburn on some current burning issues illustrates the conspicuous differences between the two candidates.

Abortion" Mr. Carson has cast multiple votes in the House to provide federal funds for abortion. Dr. Coburn, on the other hand, effectively has used his expertise as a physician/obstetrician to educate his fellow congressmen on pro-life issues and to lead the battle for the rights of unborn children. During his tenure in Congress, Dr. Coburn authored and supported a host of bills to reduce, restrict, and end abortion.

Immigration: "The economy will benefit if amnesty is given to these [illegal] immigrants," Rep. Brad Carson told the Daily Oklahoman on July 23, 2001. Carson has voted repeatedly against legislation aimed at stopping federal benefits to illegal aliens and curbing the ongoing alien. invasion. Conversely, Dr. Coburn asserts that "illegal immigration poses serious economic and national security risks to the nation. Tolerating illegal immigration, undermines the rule of law, encourage,. more illegal immigration, displaces American workers, causes wage depression for American workers, and allows terrorism enter the country." While in Congress, he cast numerous votes to protect our borders and consistently opposed amnesty.

Trade: Brad Carson voted for "fast track" trade authority, as well as "most favored nation" (MFN) trade status for Communist China. He also voted for the "Free Trade Agreements" with Chile and Singapore. Tom Coburn voted against NAFTA and MFN for China and cosponsored legislation to withdraw U.S. participation in the World Trade Organization.

Coburn has stated that he will vote against the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

Civilian disarmament: Rep. Carson tries to appeal to Oklahoma's strong pro-gun voter bloc with favorable references to the NRA and TV ads showing him in the field carrying a shotgun. To further burnish his pro-Second Amendment image, he regularly resorts to a clever line about owning "more guns than I need, but less than I want." But Carson's policy director Blaine Greteman is so anti-gun that he has gone so far as to call for a ban on all handguns.

Mr. Greteman wrote in the Oklahoma State University newspaper that Americans "should not have the right to assault weapons or handguns. That's right, I said (gasp) handguns .... People who continue to mistakenly believe they need a gun for protection can still have shotguns--which are far more protective than handguns." Like a number of other liberal politicians, Carson has avoided casting votes that would be suicidal in pro-gun Oklahoma, but he has managed to get the highest rating of any member of the Oklahoma delegation from the militantly anti-gun Brady Campaign. Former Rep. Coburn voted consistently to roll back existing federal legislation infringing on the Second Amendment and has pledged to continue the fight in the Senate.

Homosexual agenda: According to MSNBC, "Carson assured a woman in Cordell [Oklahoma] who asked him about same-sex marriage that he supported a constitutional amendment to outlaw it." However, his record shows strong support for advancing the homosexual agenda. He has voted to subsidize same-sex "domestic partnerships" and to fund a lesbian/gay center in New York City. He was a major financial contributor to the political campaign of Brad Hoylman, a homosexual militant who is president of the Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats. He received the highest rating of any member of Oklahoma's congressional delegation from the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest homosexual advocacy group.

The influential Washington Blade, a Washington, D.C., homosexual newspaper, referenced Carson's support of homosexuals, saying: "We have a real chance, for example, to elect a Democratic senator from Oklahoma if Congressman Brad Carson runs." The newspaper warned activists against pressuring Carson to expose his pro-homosexual position to Oklahoma's conservative voters: "We should help Carson and others craft a message to the people of Oklahoma and other states that will help their election, and not push these supporters into public positions that will end their chances of election."

By contrast, Rep. Coburn voted for the Defense of Marriage Act (passed in 1996) and opposed taxpayer-funded "domestic partnerships."

Spending: During his first term in Congress, Brad Carson earned an "F" (26 percent) and a "Big Spender" label from the National Taxpayers Union (NTU). In his second term, Carson improved ever so slightly, earning a 27 percent, which got him out of the "F" and into the "D" category by one point. By contrast, Coburn regularly earned "A" ratings from NTU and other taxpayer groups. As MSNBC has noted, "Coburn offers conservatives a perfect mix: a hard-core traditionalist, outspoken in opposing abortion, and a fiscal hawk who fought bitterly with the GOP leadership over pork-barrel outlays when he served in the House."

The Coburn vs. Carson Senate race is shaping up to be one of the most important congressional contests of the 2004 campaign season. The victor in this race will hold a key vote in many upcoming battles concerning judicial appointments, treaties, and legislation affecting virtually all areas of our lives.