Dear Senator Pryor, win or lose, I'm glad you're trying to show the citizens of Arkansas how dangerous it is when one holds their radical ideology above the needs of real people. I just wanted to let you know I can see you building a pretty nice case about Tom Cotton, I hope you continue to make it more and more airtight, and I hope you're summation of this case, in ads and in debates, is something like the following:
Tom Cotton puts his radical antigovernment beliefs ahead of Arkansas. Mark Pryor puts Arkansas first, partisan politics second. Tom Cotton is endorsed by the extremist group "Club for Growth", which advocates, among other things, for voucherizing Medicare and privatizing Social Security. He's voted for their radical agenda 92% of the time in congress.
In 2 years in congress, Tom Cotton voted twice to raise the social security retirement age to 70, and twice to reduce future social security benefits. But in Tom Cotton's budgets of choice, even if seniors will suffer, at least the wealthiest Americans would get a generous tax break. Tom Cotton voted for his radical beliefs, but against the needs of the people of Arkansas.
In 2 years in congress, Tom Cotton voted twice to raise the Medicare eligibility age, once he tried for 67, once he tried for 70. A nice ad might have a quote from a sympathetic 50 year old: "If Tom Cotton had his way, would I ever be eligible for Medicare, will I ever be eligible to retire and collect Social Security, or will he just keep moving the goal posts?" He also voted twice to turn the guaranteed Medicare benefit into a voucher system. And, he twice voted to reopen the closing Medicare prescription drug donut hole, cut seniors Medicare benefits for vaccinations, and common preventative health care like heart tests and cancer screening. But even if seniors will suffer, at least his budget gives away a massive tax break for the rich. Tom Cotton voted for his radical beliefs, but against Arkansas seniors.
Tom Cotton's voting record is so bad that his lifetime Alliance for Retired Americans voting score is a shockingly low 10%. His National Committee for the Preservation of Social Security and Medicare's vote rating for the last congress was also a terrible 20%.
This year Tom Cotton voted against the farm bill, and rather than own up to the fact that he was putting his radical agenda ahead of Arkansas farmers, tried to blame it on Obama, but that didn't work out so well (insert graphic of several fact checks).
Tom Cotton voted against research funding for the Arkansas Children's Hospital, the only Arkansas congressman to do so. Once again Tom Cotton put his radical antigovernment ideology ahead of what's right for Arkansas.
Tom Cotton voted against disaster relief funding for Hurricane Sandy victims, putting his radical ideology ahead of their needs. How would he vote when Arkansas is the disaster area?
Tom Cotton risked default and worldwide financial chaos (he called it "taking the medicine") by voting against a debt limit increase. Once again, his radical antigoverment beliefs came first.
Tom Cotton voted against the violence against women act. He even voted against the watered down Republican version of the act. Once again, Tom Cotton put his radical antigovernment ideology ahead of the needs of Arkansas women.
Tom Cotton voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would have helped protect women from wage discrimination. Tom Cotton's extremist views about the role of government came first over the needs of Arkansas women.
Tom Cotton voted twice to roll back our medicaid expansion, which would take away health coverage from hundreds of thousands of Arkansans, and cost the state more than 700 million dollars. Yet again, Tom Cotton put his extremist antigovernment ideology ahead of Arkansas.
Mark Pryor voted to close the medicare prescription donut hole, provide funding for preventative health care for seniors. He wrote the Medicare Protection Act to protect Medicare from the dangerous ideologues like Tom Cotton who would harm it. Mark Pryor has a lifetime voting score from the Alliance for Retired Americans of 93%, and voted with the National Committee for the Preservation of Social Security and Medicare 100% of the time in the last congressional session.
Mark Pryor voted for the Medicaid Expansion that has covered hundreds of thousands of Arkansans and will save Arkansas over 700 million dollars. He voted for the Violence Against Women Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. Mark Pryor puts Arkansans first, political ideology second.
Senator Pryor, I hope your closing argument restates and brings together this stark evidence and paints the true picture that is Tom Cotton, extremist ideologue, and Mark Pryor, the practical politician who puts Arkansas first. I hope Arkansas, and the entire country, will see how dangerous a true-believer like Tom Cotton is to the people and the societal ideals we cherish.
p.s.
I'm sure you'll note that in debates and ads, he tries to weasel out of copping to his "extremist belief first" voting record by nitpicking every popular bill he votes against. I hope you'll point out that he should know that no bill is ever perfect, and that the right thing to do isn't to hide behind some trumped up imperfection to excuse a horrible vote, the right thing is to do right by the people of Arkansas, even if the legislation isn't perfect. If he tries to pull the "we can't afford" card on disaster relief, violence against women, whatever, I hope you'll say something like "you say we can't afford to help seniors, women, poor, etc." but you always manage to afford tax cuts for wealthy Americans! And please don't let him get away with the lie of revenue neutral tax cuts (i.e. dynamic scoring or magic pixie dust). How'd that work out in Kansas? Ask him why growth soared under Bill Clinton era tax rates, and bottomed out with massive Bush era tax cuts for the wealthy? Where's the data Mr.Harvard?
p.p.s.
The NCPSSM scorecard is password protected for members, but happy to give out any congressional or senatorial voting scores to interested Kossacks.
