Re-elect Republican Senator Tom Coburn.

That’s right.  I said it.  Vote for a Republican.  Even one I often disagree with.

You know why? 

Because Tom Coburn has shown the courage of his convictions to not allow his constituents to be misled, or operate under false assumptions regarding misinformation that Fox News regularly feeds it’s viewers.  Nor have them be deluded into believing that Nancy Pelosi is somehow loathsome merely because she is the Democratic Speaker of the House.

In a recent Town Hall meeting back in his home state of Oklahoma, Senator Coburn summarily dismissed a statement by one of his supporters that you could be put in jail for not buying health insurance under President Obama’s newly-passed Health Care Reform Bill, and openly criticized Fox News for its irresponsible dissemination of this kind of nonsense to it’s viewers:

 “The intention is not to put any one in jail. That makes for good TV news on FOX but that isn’t the intention . . . [w]hat we have to have is make sure we have a debate in this country so that you can see what’s going on and make a determination yourself.”

When mentioning Speaker Pelosi by name, the crowd began to hoot and make personal attacks against her.  In response, Senator Coburn admonished his supporters, lecturing them on the finer points of civility by saying this:

“Come on now. She is nice – how many of you all have met her? She’s a nice person . . . [j]ust because somebody disagrees with you doesn’t mean they’re not a good person . . . I’ve been in the senate for five years and I’ve taken a lot of that, because I’ve been on the small side –- both in the Republican Party and the Democrat Party . . . [s]o don’t catch yourself being biased by FOX News that somebody is no good.”

The context of his speech was the current debate over extending unemployment benefits, and his opposition to Speaker Pelosi’s policy of not providing current funding for the proposal – thus increasing the deficit.  Whether you agree with his position on this – and I do not – I respect his willingness to not personalize the issue.

WOW!

A Republican teaching his constituents to think for themselves?  To not take everything they hear or read at face value?  That is both laudable and courageous.  And it earns my respect as much as any Democrat’s position on policies.  Especially in the current political environment.  Senator Coburn seems less interested in pandering to Fox News’ liberal use of the most common form of invalid argumentation:  Argument Ad Hominem, otherwise known as attacking the speaker instead of addressing the issue.  

Under the rules of formal debate, it is an unacceptable technique designed to appeal to emotion rather than logic.  In other words, Coburn correctly is calling out Fox News for it’s unconscionable attempts to persuade its viewers with labels and shameful lies, rather than with valid facts and reasoning.

Argument Ad Hominem is the most misused form of argumentation in American politics – and one that when elevated to irrational and vicious proportions, can lead to violence.  Simply put, if you do not agree with one of my arguments, address it directly.  Do not try and divert attention to my politics by attacking me personally, insinuating or saying that I am a Socialist, or a Liberal, or a lawyer.  That does not make my argument any less valid, and in fact, completely invalidates your response.

In the legal arena, there is an old saying:

“If you don’t have a case, abuse the witness.”

RIGHT, FOX NEWS?