Rep. Josh Brecheen laughs fondly when he thinks about his former boss’ reputation of blocking bills in the Senate.
“I can tell you that he was a taxpayer champion,” he says. “He was willing to take the heat. If something looked like, who could be against that? Dr. Coburn.”
Tom Coburn, known as Dr. No on the Hill for his stubbornness and medical degree, placed so many holds in the Senate that his staff would often get daily updates on new bills, Brecheen says. The freshman Republican from Oklahoma worked for Coburn for six years, starting with his 2004 Senate campaign and staying on his district staff until 2010, when he left to run for office himself.
