So Tea Party Congressman and neo-con darling Tom Cotton (R. AR), who is running against Senator Mark Pryor (D. AR) next year, is copying Senator Ted Cruz (R. TX) who is copying Rep. Gary Peters (D. MI-14):
http://m.fox16.com/...
Congressman Tom Cotton (R-Dardanelle) announced this morning that he will donate his salary to charity for each day the government remains closed:
"I regret that Senate Democrats would rather keep their special Obamacare exemption than keep the government open. Their decision will cause needless hardship for many Arkansans, including dedicated public servants. Elected leaders shouldn't be treated better than hardworking Arkansans, so I will donate my salary to charity for each day the government is closed." - Fox 16. 10/1/13
Now here's the thing, Tom Cotton doesn't need to worry about a $174,000 salary because he's already wealthy:
http://www.arktimes.com/...
The larger point is that the Harvard-educated former corporate consultant is better situated than the average government worker to endure a shutdown.
His financial statement, filed in June, shows he has a Bank of America checking account holding between $100,000 and $250,000. A checking account.
He also has a Liberty IRA worth $15,000 to $50,000.
And he has ownership in a retirement trust from McKinsey, the uberconsulting firm he left to implement the Club for Growth agenda in Washington. It is valued between $50,000 and $100,000.
Not bad for a 36-year-old man with no spouse to support and no children to feed. And he lists not a single penny in debt. He nominally occupies a rent house in Arkansas, remember. Plus, maybe the conservative Hudson Institute will kick in more $1,000 speaking fees to help tide him over if he feels a pinch. He can surely eat free at fund-raisers thrown for him in Texas or wherever by former Club for Growth executives and the like. - Arkansas Times, 10/1/13
So Cotton isn't worried about the government shutdown affecting him. Too bad he doesn't care about how the shutdown is affecting the very people he needs to win over in next year's election:
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/...
The Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock is closing its permanent exhibits to walk-in visitors because of the federal government shutdown.
Clinton's presidential library is part of the National Archives system and is affected by the partial shutdown that began Tuesday. Officials say permanent exhibits at the library and museum will be closed during the shutdown.
The Clinton center is among several federal facilities closed because of the shutdown. Others affected include Hot Springs National Park, the Fort Smith National Historic Site and the Buffalo National River.
Would-be guests are encouraged to call ahead before visiting any facility with operations linked to federal funds.
Gov. Mike Beebe said Monday that a federal government shutdown would also result in furloughs for some state employees in Arkansas -- as 2,000. Beebe said state officials have been planning over the past several days on how to minimize the impact Arkansas would see from a shutdown, but said he didn't plan on using state money to make up for the loss.
Beebe said that more than 85,000 meals for Arkansas children would not be provided and 2,000 newborn babies would not receive infant formula through the Department of Health's WIC program. Later in the day, his office said the USDA will give the state money to fund WIC program staffing for at least a week. - Arkansas Business, 10/1/13
Like I said before, Tom Cotton might just be the biggest asshole running for the U.S. Senate next year. Now you may not be a big fan of Pryor but at least he's holding strong and sticking with his party:
http://www.politico.com/...
Sens. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Begich of Alaska have consistently voted with their party to reject repeated GOP attempts to chip away at the health care law — reflecting a remarkable level of Democratic unity on the issue.
Not a single Democrat crossed party lines Monday in a Senate vote to reject House-passed provisions that would have, among other things, delayed Obamacare for one year. The cohesion stands in contrast to other divisive issues such as gun control and spending cuts that have led red-state Democrats to split with their colleagues.
But in the CR fight, the calculus is simple: Democrats believe they can safely argue that it’s Republicans who are throwing the government into crisis by making unreasonable demands.
Despite their votes in favor of keeping the president’s signature domestic policy achievement intact, the in-cycle red-state Democrats were hesitant to discuss what kind of effect the Obamacare fight would have on their reelection bids.
When asked about the impact that the shutdown or Obamacare would have on his reelection race, Pryor replied: “I don’t know yet.”
“Let’s just see how it plays out,” he added. - Politico, 10/1/13
And Pryor has been slamming Cotton and his Tea Party colleagues in the House for shutting down the government:
http://www.arkansasmatters.com/...
"The Senate has now passed three responsible measures to keep our government open and our economy growing. Yet, the House has continued with their “my-way-or-the-highway” politics. This confirms what the American people have said all along—that hyper-partisanship in the House will shut down our government and hurt our economy just as it’s turning the corner." - Arkansas Matters, 10/1/13
I for one think we need to make assholes like Cotton pay heavily at the polls next for the government shutdown. If you would like to donate or get involved with Pryor's campaign, you can do so here:
http://pryorforsenate.com/