Received this e-mail today from The Arkansas Democratic Party:
On Saturday, Congressman Cotton will be campaigning in Arkansas with Allen West, a notorious former congressman from Florida whose rhetoric is consistently over the top and offensive to most Arkansans.
Even more troubling are the policies behind the rhetoric -- policies that Congressman Cotton continues to support. On Medicare, Social Security, student loans and women’s issues, Cotton and West are hand-in-hand.
Congressman Cotton was the only member of Arkansas’s congressional delegation to vote to make seniors wait for Medicare until they're 70, turn it over to the insurance companies and cut benefits. Cotton voted against both versions of the Violence Against Women Act, and just like Allen West, Cotton opposes affordable student loans.
When you examine Congressman Cotton’s record, it’s not hard to see why Allen West is one of his most vocal supporters.
Allen West on Women
Said Women Have Been “Neutering” American Men. In April 2011, while speaking to a women’s group, West noted that women “on the other side, these Planned Parenthood women, these Code Pink women, and all of these women have been neutering American men and bringing us to the point of this incredible weakness…We are not going to have our men become subservient.” [New Times Broward-Palm Beach, 4/25/11] ”
Allen West on Medicare & Social Security
West Compared Social Security to Slavery. "Since June of 2009 or so, we have seen 2.4 million private sector jobs created, but we've had 3.1 million people going on Social Security disability," said West. "So once again, we are creating a sense of economic dependence, which to me, is a form of modern 21st century slavery." [Sun-Sentinel, 7/09/02]
West Said Medicare Would End the United States. “I gotta tell you something: If you support Medicare the way it is now, you can kiss the United States of America goodbye.” [WPTV, 4/27/11]
Allen West on Student Loans
West Called Federal Student Loans Communist. “You can start dictating where people can go to school, loans that they can get and the payment of those loans. I gotta tell you, that’s something that (unintelligible) in a book written by Marx or Engels called The Communist Manifesto. It’s called the state control of education.” [Dania Beach Town Hall, 6/11/12]
Called Federal Student Loans Socialist. “It is because slow jam President, Barack Obama, in true socialist fashion, nationalized student loans as part of his healthcare law with interests rates at 6.8 percent. I would rather be voting today to repeal this horrific abuse of our college students in the healthcare law, but I will support freezing the 3.4 percent rate for a year.” [West Facebook, 4/27/12]
By the way, Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball has moved this race from "Leans Republican" to "Toss Up":
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
"It’s become clear over the past few months that Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), despite the increasing Republican lean of his state, has been holding his own, or better, against Rep. Tom Cotton (R, AR-4)," Sabato's Crystal Ball managing editor Kyle Kondik wrote in a post on the ratings change.
Three of the recent polls have shown Pryor with a double-digit lead over Cotton which has prompted Cotton to take a more positive approach to campaigning where he's released multiple ads highlighting his background his background. Cotton's campaign has also released an internal campaign poll showing the race in a near perfect dead heat. - TPM, 5/15/14
If you would like to donate and get involved with Senator Mark Pryor's (D. AR) re-election campaign, you can do so here:
http://pryorforsenate.com/