Brad Carson in Coburn-Carson debate

On Budget & Economy: Rid waste & fraud and close loopholes to balance the budget

A: First, we have to keep the problem in perspective. As a percentage of our GDP, the budget deficit this year is not what it was in the 1980s and early 1990s. We’ve had some extraordinary events happen in the recent years, but that’s not to say we shouldn’t get ourselves back on a path toward fiscal solvency. I release a detailed plan to do just this. We have about $50 billion in various forms of waste, fraud and abuse that prudent management from the Senate and the House and its oversight could eliminate. There are corporate loopholes that are exploited every day to avoid lawful taxation about $250 billion a year. I’ve also proposed eliminating unnecessary and outdated government agencies, things like the Council on Environmental Quality, the Export-Import Bank. Those proposals, combined with the amount you would save on interest on the national debt with that, would move us probably close to fiscal balance.

On Homeland Security: Coburn voted against efforts to crack down on terrorism

COBERN: I support Bush’s policy. I would have voted for the Patriot Act. That’s the kind of campaign we’re seeing run. It’s a campaign of half-truths and spin. We’ve seen it throughout. We don’t talk about the real issues that are important to Oklahoma. What we do is we talk about undermining people’s character and making untrue statements.

On Tax Reform: Opposed to rolling back the top bracket tax cut

A: I’m opposed to that. I was a strong support of the income tax rate cuts when they came through Congress. I broke with my party to do that. The amount of revenue that rollback could raise is relatively insignificant. It is foolish policy and it’s something I have consistently opposed on the campaign trail and during my time in Congress.

On War & Peace: Success in Iraq is critical to our future

A: I disagree. I supported Bush and the resolution when it came through Congress. I believe that our success in Iraq is critical to our future, and I believe that, if anything, we should be more vigorous in destroying the sanctuaries that terrorists have carved out for themselves in the Sunni triangle there.