Sen. Mark Pryor: The Most Important Issues Facing Arkansas

Editor’s note: This guest commentary from Democratic Senator Mark Pryor appears in the latest magazine edition of Talk Business & Politics, which you can read here.

I’ve always felt that the most important thing I can do as a senator is to listen to people. And that’s why as I travel from Paragould to DeQueen, from Rogers to Monticello and every town in between, I’m always humbled by the strength of our state’s rural character and the Arkansas values we cherish so much.

Whether I’m in East Camden or West Memphis, one thing I hear from Arkansans is they’re sick of the drama in Washington. I am too. Too often folks feel like most politicians aren’t listening to them and instead care more about partisan games and gridlock than about solving problems, finding consensus and getting things done.

Isaiah 1:18 teaches, “Come, let us reason together.” That’s a lesson I’ve always carried with me as Arkansas’s U.S. Senator.

Not everyone agrees. We all remember the government shutdown last year that cost our economy $24 billion. My opponent, Congressman Tom Cotton, was one of its cheerleaders. At the same time, he was willing to plunge our economy into chaos by defaulting on our obligations just to prove to the ideologues in Washington that he’ll always toe the line.

Congressman Cotton voted to give special tax breaks for billionaires, even as he supported devastating cuts for everyday Arkansans – cuts to Medicare and Social Security, affordable student loans, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and disaster relief to help families recover after devastating storms.

Arkansans are better than that, and the people of this state deserve a senator who will always look out for them.

I’ve always said that no political party has all the answers. When I first ran for the this office, I promised I’d be a senator who understands that just because it’s a Democratic idea doesn’t mean it’s a good idea, and just because it’s a Republican idea doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea – instead let’s take the best ideas, no matter where they come from, and put them to work for Arkansas.

That’s why I’ve often stood up to party leaders and the president, whether it was President Bush or President Obama. I opposed burdensome EPA regulations that threatened to hurt Arkansas’s family farmers and small businesses. I support building the Keystone pipeline because it means good American jobs. And I voted against President Obama’s gun control legislation last year, which was a major priority for the president but didn’t, in my view, address the problem of senseless gun violence and instead infringed on Arkansans’ cherished Second Amendment rights.

Congressman Cotton has been in office for only a short while, but in that time he has recklessly voted against the best interests of Arkansans time after time.

No other Arkansas Republican or Democrat in Congress was irresponsible enough to support a fringe budget proposal that raises the age to 70 for Medicare and Social Security, cuts benefits for seniors today and begins turning Medicare over to the insurance companies. Only Tom Cotton.

Just like he was the only member of Arkansas’s congressional delegation to vote five times against disaster relief after Hurricane Sandy, one of the most deadly and costly storms in recent memory. Tom Cotton said at the time that it’s not Arkansas’s job to “bail out” the East Coast, apparently forgetting that our state is tragically prone to natural disasters. And as it turns out, the funds Cotton opposed replenished the emergency recovery pool and were later spent on the ground in Arkansas helping families and businesses get back on their feet after ice storms, floods and April’s devastating tornado.

Another real concern for families across Arkansas is access to a college education for our kids. Tom Cotton voted against affordable student loans that help thousands of young Arkansans go to college. He has even argued for eliminating federal student loans entirely, the very same loans he used for his own education. That’s called climbing the ladder and pulling it up after you.

Arkansas voters are smarter than Tom Cotton gives them credit, and they know how to spot a young politician driven more by ambition than principle. Knee-jerk partisanship might make for a good appearance on cable news, but this my-way-or-the-highway approach doesn’t solve problems or do anything for Arkansans who are looking for steady and responsible leadership.

We’ve already seen $19 million spent by Washington special interest groups on Congressman Cotton’s behalf. These groups, which are largely funded by out-of-state billionaires, don’t care one bit about Arkansas. They’re spending a fortune to elect someone who has consistently carried their water, but Tom Cotton’s ambition is no excuse for voting against Arkansas seniors, students, women and working families.

When I say “Arkansas comes first,” it isn’t just a slogan. It’s what I’m about, and it’s what this race is about. Arkansans deserve a senator who listens to them, understands our state and works with anyone to find real solutions for Arkansas families.