Tom Cotton (R. AR) so wants to gut this lady's Social Security.
So it sounds like the GOP is starting to have second thoughts about their big star candidate of the 2014 election cycle:
http://www.usnews.com/...
Republicans from Washington to Little Rock are privately distressed that Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., – a candidate once hailed as their most talented U.S. Senate recruit of the cycle – has lost his luster in his challenge to second-term Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor.
The overarching problem: While Cotton’s resume is sparkling, his persona is flat. He speaks with authority, but lacks warmth. His wooden delivery is more often academic, lacking an everyday, common touch that’s still essential in a place with slightly less than 3 million people, the smallest state in the south. His slender frame and boyish haircut makes him look even younger than his 37 years, a trait Democrats are attempting to subtly exploit as they portray Cotton as a bit too overeager as he seeks a promotion after just a single term in the House. He's a smash hit with the conservative commentariat class in Washington, but remains a largely unknown quantity to the everyday Arkansan.
“He talks like he’s at a dinner party at Bill Kristol’s house. There’s things I like about that, but that’s not the way you want to talk when running around Little Rock,” says one Beltway Republican operative closely following the race who has become measurably less confident about Cotton’s chances.
Some lament, when it matters most, Cotton is not even showing up. The freshman representative missed the Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival in his own district in June, a celebration attended by an estimated 30,000 that has become a marquee opportunity for political candidates to showcase their grinning, gripping and backslapping. Pryor rode in the parade, posed for pictures with ladies in tomato-cut aprons and spoke at a luncheon. When it came time for the candidates to compete in the fast-paced tomato eating contest, Cotton was nowhere to be found. Instead, The Nation reported Cotton was at a political event in California with the Koch Brothers, the libertarian-minded billionaires who have been villainized by Democrats for devoting their fortune to conservative causes and candidates. - U.S. News, 7/8/14
The rest of the article is worth a read. It's not that difficult to see why the GOP is nervous about Cotton. He's an extremist hell bent on robbing Seniors of their Social Security and Medicare and constantly votes against federal disaster relief aid. Keep in mind, Arkansas was hit by tornados this year so I'm sure Arkansas voters are keeping that in mind. Plus Cotton is an idiot when it comes to attacking Senator Mark Pryor (D. AR):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said in an interview broadcast Tuesday that Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) believes "faith is something that only happens at 11 o'clock on Sunday mornings," triggering criticism and a call for an apology from Pryor's campaign.
Cotton's remark came as he was praising the Supreme Court's ruling that some employers don't have to cover certain contraceptives for employees as required under the federal health-care law.
"It's just another example of how Obamacare infringes on the liberties of all Arkansans," Cotton told KNWA. "Barack Obama and Mark Pryor think that faith is something that only happens at 11 o'clock on Sunday mornings. That's when we worship. But faith is what we live every single day. And the government shouldn't infringe on the rights of religious liberty."
Pryor's spokesman called on Cotton to apologize. In a statement, Pryor argued that Cotton's remarks were unwarranted.
“I’m disappointed in Congressman Cotton’s deeply personal attack on me,” the senator said in the Wednesday statement. “He and I may disagree on issues, but for him to question my faith is out of bounds. From a young age I have never shied away from talking about the importance of God in my life, and it’s my Christian faith that gives me comfort and guidance to be a steady voice for Arkansas in the Senate.”
When asked for a reaction, Cotton's campaign passed along a statement from Cotton calling Pryor a "man of faith" but not backing down from his comments. - Washington Post, 7/2/14
Cotton looks tough on the outside but he's really a weak candidate and he keeps on attacking Pryor on this
http://www.baxterbulletin.com/...
"The biggest single issue is Barack Obama and his agenda," said Cotton, a freshman congressman. "A vote for Mark Pryor is a vote for Barack Obama. He's voted with Obama 90 percent of the time, he cast the decisive vote for Obamacare — he stands by him loyally."
Cotton says he has worked to protect Arkansans from the "Obama agenda" and noted, should he wrestle the Senate seat from Pyor during November's general election, he'll be a "check and balance" against the president's policies.
Cotton was then asked what specific issues comprised the "Obama agenda."
"Well, Obamacare is the single biggest issue," said Cotton, who earned Arkansas' 4th congressional district seat in the 2012 election.. "And, Obamacare, we now know, was sold on a mountain of lies.
"The president said if you like your plan, you can keep it. Not true. The president said it's going to reduce costs for a typical family by $2,500 a year. Not true. Arkansans are facing higher costs." - The Baxter Bulletin, 7/4/14
And of course groups like AFP and Club for Growth have been spending a lot on attack ads against Pryor but even that's not enough:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/...
Television ads have relentlessly attacked Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor for more than a year, and not even his famous name is off limits. Says a little girl in a spot set at a spelling bee, it’s spelled “O-B-A-M-A.”
In a state where Democrats have become an endangered species in the past decade, the televised onslaught ought to have long since laid flat the Senate incumbent perhaps most vulnerable come November.
And yet you’d hardly know it from how at ease Pryor is among the crowd at Bradley County’s annual Pink Tomato Festival. To a warning from supporter Sam Wherry, who said he fears House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s loss has recharged tea party conservatives, “they’re really going to come after you now,” Pryor replied: “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Work off-the-air is what’s keeping Pryor alive. He’s shown a remarkable personal touch with voters who are comfortable with his family name, for decades a powerful political brand in Arkansas. And his aggressive effort to counter televised attacks by emphasizing his independent political style has him still standing in a race few outside the state expect he can win. - The Commercial Appeal, 7/7/14
Pryor has been campaigning hard and will use everything he can to defeat Cotton:
http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/...
Sen. Mark Pryor is deploying a potent weapon in Arkansas this week in his campaign against Rep. Tom Cotton: His father and mother.
The Democratic incumbent announced that former governor and senator David Pryor – who remains popular in Arkansas 17 years after his retirement — and his mother, Barbara, will make their first campaign swing of the 2014 race. The younger Pryor’s campaign unabashedly calls David and Barbara Pryor “masters of Arkansas’ retail political culture.”
The Arkansas Senate race is one of the must-watch contests that could determine which party controls power next year . The younger Pryor and Cotton have traded places all year in public opinion polling, with the Republican currently leading the incumbent by an average of 2.3 percentage points in recent surveys compiled by RealClearPolitics.
David Pryor, now 79, was known for keeping a sign on his desk that read “Arkansas comes first” when he served in the U.S. Senate from 1979 to 1997. Mark Pryor has adopted the same motto in his two terms in the Senate.
“For Mark, it’s always about what’s best for Arkansas, especially when it comes to protecting Medicare and Social Security for our seniors and education for our children,” the elder Pryor said in a statement. - USA Today, 7/7/14
This is a tough race for sure but it's one we can hold onto. Cotton is an extremist who must be defeated and we need to make sure our base gets out to the polls. Click here to donate and get involved with Pryor's re-election campaign:
http://pryorforsenate.com/