The Republican Party lost seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate because it had lost track of its fiscally conservative principles, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said Wednesday night during a speech in the Kay Spiritual Life Center.
During the AU College Republicans-sponsored event, Coburn also spoke about the current economic crisis and congressional earmarks, which he said contributed to the Republicans' losses.
"The one thing this country does not tolerate is hypocrites," he said. "That's what you have in large measure in a lot of elected leaders inside the Republicans in Congress. And that has to change."
Coburn said he would support legislation to require a balanced federal budget and a cutback on earmarks.
"All the problems with ethics and corruption in Congress ... every one of them is associated with an earmark," he said.
AU College Republicans President Luke Kraus said he agreed with what Coburn said at the event.
"He's absolutely right that Republicans have failed in recent elections because they are not standing behind their conservative principles - they've grown the size of government tremendously and they haven't fought for what's best for the American people," Kraus said in an e-mail.
Coburn said he was willing to work with senators from both parties on important issues.
"I can work with any liberal who is intellectually honest," he said.
He also said he did not care if Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., decided to caucus with the Republicans instead of the Democrats. Lieberman, the Democrats' vice presidential nominee in the 2000 presidential election, lost his party's nomination for his Senate seat in 2006 but later won the general election as an independent candidate. He supported Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in this year's presidential election and spoke at this year's Republican National Convention. Since President-elect Barack Obama won the election earlier this month, pundits and politicians have speculated on Lieberman's future within the Democratic Party.
"I'd just as soon not have him on our team," Coburn said. "He's the third-biggest spender in Congress."
Alica Bachledova, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs who attended the event, said she did not agree with Coburn.
"I think to be successful in politics and get your message across, you need to bend," she said. "He's very picky about who he's willing to work with."
Coburn also discussed the current economic situation and explained why he voted for the recent $700 billion economic bailout.
"If you don't do something to loosen [the economy] up, what it's going to do is it's going to get worse," he said. "We have to go into the deeper water for a while to get back to the shore."
Kraus said in an e-mail he was unsure if he agreed with Coburn's vote on the bailout but felt Coburn justified his vote.
"I thought his explanation was very reasonable - that the alternative, in his view, would have led to massive unemployment and a worsening economy," Kraus said in the e-mail.
Sam Hagedorn, a freshman in SPA and a member of the AU College Democrats, said he liked what Coburn said.
"He stands by his beliefs and he lets you know where the stands," Hagedorn said. "There's no doubletalk in his policies. I think that's something everyone in Washington can look at and respect."
Despite the GOP's losses in this election cycle, Coburn said he thinks they will eventually regain control.
"There's always another election," he said.
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