Senator Tom Cotton, Your Pants Are On Fire

Senator Tom Cotton, Your Pants Are On Fire
FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2014 file photo, then-Sen.-elect Tom Cotton, R-Ark. waves at his election watch party in North Little Rock, Ark., after defeating incumbent Sen. Mark Pryor. Forty-seven Republican senators warned Monday that any agreement the Obama administration strikes with Iran to limit Tehran's nuclear program may be short-lived unless Congress approves the deal. In an open letter to Iranian leaders, Cotton and 46 other Republicans said that without congressional approval, any deal between Iran and the U.S. would be merely an agreement between President Barack Obama and Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

FILE – In this Nov. 4, 2014 file photo, then-Sen.-elect Tom Cotton, R-Ark. waves at his election watch party in North Little Rock, Ark., after defeating incumbent Sen. Mark Pryor. Forty-seven Republican senators warned Monday that any agreement the Obama administration strikes with Iran to limit Tehran’s nuclear program may be short-lived unless Congress approves the deal. In an open letter to Iranian leaders, Cotton and 46 other Republicans said that without congressional approval, any deal between Iran and the U.S. would be merely an agreement between President Barack Obama and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

Lucky for all 2.9 million of us Arkansans, Tom Cotton is one of our senators and therefore represents us on a national level.

The problem with Tom Cotton is, throughout his tenure, more than half of the man’s statements he makes can be categorized as mostly false to flat-out false, according to his Politifact profile.

Often times, those statements will contain two words: “President” and “Obama.” It’s no secret that Cotton relies on conservative America’s disdain for ol’ Barry’s policy (which I’m neither criticizing or defending here, just observing) to incite them into rage at just about whatever the president says. Thus, they look to Cotton as their conservative knight against liberal injustice.

This column’s (i.e. rant) inspiration stems from Cotton’s denouncement of the Obama administration’s veto of the approval for phase 4 of the Keystone XL pipeline, which many agree would be a negative and costly addition to our country that keeps us reliant on fossil fuels in addition to causing environmental damage.

Before I get into why this perturbs me, you should know that the Keystone XL is a Trans-American pipeline from Alberta, Canada that transfers crude oil to refineries in Illinois and Texas, as well as oil tank farms and a distribution center in Cushing, Oklahoma. In short, it is highly controversial, and many would agree it’s unnecessary for the U.S. economy and probably will do more harm than good.

The Obama administration rejected it last week after six years of speculation, and determined that it was a bad move. It was a low risk thing to do, but that also means we are still left with an old pipe that still covers more distance and is likely more prone to leaks — thanks to its shoddy construction by the greedy people who had it built in the first place. But, it sets a precedent that America will spend its money elsewhere, ideally toward renewable resources.

What’s sparked me to go on this rant about our senator is his recent stab at rousing all the conservatives about the Keystone XL project. Cotton came out and said — in his typical “I hate everything Obama says, and that’s my policy,” lame-ass discourse — this will affect Arkansas families. By the way, it wasn’t just Cotton. It was also our other senator, John Boozman, who denounced the veto.

“Obama is putting liberal special interest groups ahead of the jobs of hard working Arkansans,” Cotton said in his statement shortly after the president’s rejection of phase 4. “Rejecting the Keystone XL is BAD for America and BAD for Arkansas.”

Here’s the thing. All that about it effecting jobs in Arkansas is made up. A lie. The all caps don’t make the statement any more true.

Here’s the deal, senator. The phase 4 Keystone XL construction would have only gone from Canada to Nebraska. The only Keystone pipeline that came anywhere close to Arkansas has already been constructed, which was phase 2. It runs through central Kansas, and it was completed in 2011. Phase 3a, which goes through central Oklahoma and eastern Texas, was finished in 2014.

Oh, and that first part of his statement about special interests? HA! Now isn’t that a case of the pot calling the kettle black? I wanted to do a spit take when I read that.

Back in 2011, environmental journalist David Sassoon of Inside Climate News reported that Koch Industries were poised to be “big winners” from the pipeline’s completion. “Why is that important?” You might ask.

Well, guess who one of Sen. Cotton’s biggest campaign donors were? Yep. Koch Industries donated $36,000 to Cotton’s campaign among the $436,000 that was donated from the oil and gas industry, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

When you look into it, it appears most all of his statements — which are mostly false — could be attributed or correlated to some sort of clear campaign donor special interest rather than the interest of the 2.9 million Arkansans he represents.

He’s also a warmonger. Just about any opportunity to go on the offense and Cotton is down.

He recently went on CNN to discuss a recent bombing of a Russian airliner and recommended we go on the offense and increase US bombing. Beyond the trigger-happy reaction, I wonder… does Cotton have military industry campaign backers who would benefit from something like that? Most definitely. About $69,000 from defense contractor PACs, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Don’t get me started about his whole “International Man of Mystery” stuff he pulled this year about the U.S.-Iran nuclear deals. That was traitorous. He continues to make claims about the deal, seemingly desperate to derail any diplomatic solutions.

The senator stated that Iran “will be permitted to inspect its own nuclear facilities.” That’s not true, the International Atomic Energy Agency will have extensive access to their facilities. He also made the claim that U.S. policy is “entrusting Iran to verify itself.” Also flat-out wrong. What’s he playing at here? Another war?

To be fair, it’s probably a good idea to mention the good Sen. Cotton has done in office. He does a lot for supporting and bettering lives of military veterans, and that is a class of people who are often neglected. So kudos for that. Less, though, could be said for women and the LGBT community when you look at his voting history.

Y’know, this stuff really hurts me right in the patriotism (located behind my heart, next to my love-for-music organ). It’s not just that he’s saying things I disagree with. No, it’s how obvious it seems that everything that this guy says seems to benefit someone else rather than Arkansas people. That’s the kind of government policy that will consume (or already has consumed) this country in corporate greed. That to me, is evil.

I recently heard the phrase, “If you aren’t outraged, you aren’t paying attention,” and that proves to be more and more true to more you look into how politics operates these days.

If you also shared a displeasure about this information… next time, please just vote. Put in a little effort and don’t just vote because of an (R) or (D).

Thanks for reading.

Categories: Commentary