COMMENTARY
The rise of Tom Cotton
This article was published January 16, 2013 at 3:45 a.m.
- Comments (27)
- aAFont Size
The political insiders’ favorite national website, politico.com, lavished recent attention on the new resume-rich Republican extremist from Arkansas, U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton.
He intrigues the media in that he is a Harvard-educated lawyer who volunteered after 9/11 to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Then he wrote an open letter from Baghdad in 2006 that military neo-conservatives adored. What they liked was that Cotton called for the New York Times to be prosecuted for reporting intelligence-gathering secrets.
Cotton’s fame on the right thus was established.
Then the rapid Republicanization of Arkansas, stemming from irrational hatred of Barack Obama, opened the 4th District congressional seat to his well-funded romp over inept Democratic opposition last year.
The Politico report offered two points of interest.
The first was that, in his congressional campaign, Cotton opened a piece of mail one day to find bundled campaign contributions from members of the Club for Growth.
Over time he’d reap $300,000 from this national organization of extreme economic conservatives that embraces pro-corporate interests and anti-government themes.
The Club for Growth detested even Mike Huckabee for being such a supposed liberal when he was governor of Arkansas—trying to help the roads and schools and poor kids with health insurance, for example.
The second was that, in service to the ideology of the Club for Growth, Cotton told Politico that he would never vote to raise the nation’s debt ceiling without big budget cuts.
Here’s the quote to remember: He said he was “more concerned about the ‘cataclysmic’ consequences of inaction than the ‘short-term market corrections’ of default” on the nation’s debt.
All right, then. Let us examine the “short-term market corrections” of the nation defaulting on its debt.
If the debt ceiling is not raised, probably by Valentine’s Day, then the federal government would not be able to borrow any more money to fund its operations. That would be problematic because the government takes in about $9 billion a day and spends about $15 billion a day.
So, on or about February 15, we’d need to take, oh, nearly 40 percent out of the federal outlay.
I suppose the government could discontinue your Social Security check. Maybe it could cut it by 40 percent. I suppose it could stop covering your doctor and hospital bills on Medicare, or merely invite you to pay a new 40 percent deductible and co-payment.
I suppose it could stop veterans’ benefits. It could shut down the war.
It could say it would need to hold your tax refund for a while just to get itself over the hump.
All of that would cause the nation’s credit rating to be downgraded again and send shockwaves through the global economy that would send your dividends and 401Ks plummeting.
There is Cotton’s short-term market correction right there.
The Politico piece seems to be making the case—this is my interpretation more than the news service’s explicit assertion—that Cotton represents what’s wrong with American politics.
He is not substandard by any means in terms of intellect and merit. But he happens to possess an intransigent anti-government ideology, except for the matter of war, that gets reinforced by a packet of big money from like-minded donors.
Thus—by nature and by his being beholden—he treats his rookie legislating as practically a matter of evangelical or apocalyptic theology, not of compromise to achieve incremental gain and keep government working for his constituents while we address spending separately and more responsibly.
One more time, with meaning: You do not cut your household budget by refusing to pay the balance on your charge card. You have incurred that expense. Your options are to pay it and set about never getting that far in debt in the future. It is the same—it is precisely the same—with the federal debt limit.
There is someone else I blame. That is President Obama.
He is right that we will not negotiate again on the debt ceiling, because not being a “deadbeat” country is not negotiable.
But otherwise he could show leadership and initiate conversations for significant spending reductions in connection with another looming cliff. That would be the deferral of sequestration, meaning automatic spending cuts, on or about March 1.
He should be saying that the debt ceiling must be raised, but that he understands and accepts that we must reduce spending and lower the deficit. He should be saying that he and Joe Biden are calling urgent meetings to negotiate sequestration, not the debt ceiling, and will put some big cut on the table as a first offer and show of good faith.
I’m tired of these guys playing chicken. I’m tired of Obama, Cotton and all in between behaving subserviently to their rigid ideologies and political bases rather than responsibly for their government and their constituents—for their country.
I have no interest in the Club for Growth or whatever left-wing outfit will belly-ache if Obama concedes on spending.
John Brummett’s column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at jbrummett@arkansasonline.com. Read his blog at brummett.arkansasonline.com, or his @johnbrummett Twitter feed.
Comments on: The rise of Tom Cotton
To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Read our Terms of Use policy.
You must login to make comments.
termlimits says... January 16, 2013 at 8 a.m.
Instead of listing Medicare and Social Security, why didn't J. B. list the billion$ we give to countries that hate us, the billion$ we spend in South Korea, the "bridges to nowhere" and other pork that is routinely tacked on to legislation?
( permalink | suggest removal )
Jfish says... January 16, 2013 at 8 a.m.
Wow, John sort of gives Huckabee a compliment and puts some of the blame on Obama, good article.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Populist says... January 16, 2013 at 8:02 a.m.
Agreed. Sen. Susan Collins from Maine just said the same thing. I am so sick of the extremists on the left and the right. They need to make some cuts.
( permalink | suggest removal )
clawso says... January 16, 2013 at 8:23 a.m.
Jeffress inept? Compared to Mike Ross? The ineptness came from state Dems who just rolled over for their new massas. Time to pay now.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Jackabbott says... January 16, 2013 at 8:42 a.m.
Good article. It is not a healthy situation in the USA. Decay, corruption, nonsense and disgust surround us, from business to government to education to entertainment/sports. China is racing past us at light speed in economics and the military might will follow as day does night. We have to adjust to becoming a 2nd rate power like the early days of our Republic and most recently like the USSR and the UK.
Until we do this and set some reasonable priorities we will continue down this slope.
Campaign financing has a lot to do with this decline but the absolute greed that was made legit during the Reagan years set up the foundation for this.
( permalink | suggest removal )
arkda3 says... January 16, 2013 at 8:47 a.m.
Common Sense has flown out the window. They all want to hear their gums flap, but don't want to sit down and solve the problems! Talking in circles and blaming each other, does not solve problems.
( permalink | suggest removal )
morebeer says... January 16, 2013 at 9:12 a.m.
Yet, during that long presidential campaign, Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney didn't specify what they would cut or what tax breaks they would curtail. It was all rhetoric. Even when confronted in the debate, directly, with a national audience watching, Ryan ducked specifics. Meanwhile, government keeps getting more expensive. Nuclear power? Better have an energy department; After 9/11, homeland security; after the financial crisis, a larger bureaucracy to protect us from the quants; spinach poisoning? More rules and inspections. School shooting? More guards and gun rules; how do you shrink government in an age where the private sector is constantly expanding, by economic design, and depends on the government for regulation to run smoothly?
( permalink | suggest removal )
davidscherrey_sbcglobal.net says... January 16, 2013 at 9:55 a.m.
Good article except the government is raising the debt limit to cover future spending, the money has not been spent yet.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Johnbrummett says... January 16, 2013 at 9:59 a.m.
that is simply wholly inaccurate, scherrey. is your visa balance old spending or new spending? you done spent it. now you gotta pay if off.
( permalink | suggest removal )
BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... January 16, 2013 at 10:40 a.m.
DC is fully stocked in excuses and blame but their shelves are empty of all solutions. Everybody's got an excuse if they are weak enough to use it
( permalink | suggest removal )
inquire says... January 16, 2013 at 10:40 a.m.
Thanks for a great column, John.
( permalink | suggest removal )
DontDrinkDatKoolAid says... January 16, 2013 at 11:12 a.m.
We, this Nation needs to move back to the tenets of the Constitution.
~
I have not as of this time seen any proposed plans to reduce the Federal Bureaucracy. The do shut down on weekends.
( permalink | suggest removal )
RegEn4cer says... January 16, 2013 at 11:52 a.m.
Here's how we got into trouble in the first place. "...the government takes in about $9 billion a day and spends about $15 billion a day." You never get out of debt this way.
( permalink | suggest removal )
davidscherrey_sbcglobal.net says... January 16, 2013 at 11:52 a.m.
Mr. Brummett: The debt limit is the total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds, and other payments. So Mr. Brummett the government is going to borrow the money to spend, it is not spent as yet.
( permalink | suggest removal )
inquire says... January 16, 2013 at 12:04 p.m.
Social security and medicare are supported by user premiums and do not drive the debt!
( permalink | suggest removal )
morebeer says... January 16, 2013 at 12:33 p.m.
Dscherry, if you buy a car on credit and owe $300 monthly, that monthly expense is an obligation, the same as the government's monthly expense to keep the VA or USDA going, or to pay SS. The commitments were made in the past. To spend less and accrue less debt in the future, then that dysfunctional bunch in D.C. and the dumb voters who put them there will have review the obligations they've made. In your case, you could sell the Lexus and pay off the loan, but I don't recommend that you just stop paying the monthly payment, unless you want to meet Repo Man.
( permalink | suggest removal )
davidscherrey_sbcglobal.net says... January 16, 2013 at 12:44 p.m.
Morebeer: Look up definition of “debt limit” on the Federal Government website it is exactly what I said.
( permalink | suggest removal )
coyote says... January 16, 2013 at 12:56 p.m.
What makes a guy an extremist when he won't compromise the values and convictions he had when he ran for office? Cotton spoke his heart (I heard him speak) and now he is voting his convictions. Come on J.B., you say you don't like extreme left, but then when it gets down to it, WHEN IS THE DEBT BURDEN AND THE DEFICIT SPENDING TOO MUCH, WHEN IS THAT DAY JOHN? You and your left leaning friends never address that. That's because it will be too much when it is TOO LATE! Stick to your principles Tom!
( permalink | suggest removal )
morebeer says... January 16, 2013 at 1:18 p.m.
Is this what you're referring to:
Federal law requires Congress to authorize the government to borrow any money that is needed to pay for the programs that Congress has passed.
The Constitution gives Congress the power to control spending and borrowing. The debt limit or debt ceiling was introduced during World War I and was meant to give the Treasury greater flexibility by not having to have Congress approve every new issuance of debt every time the government needed to borrow to pay for things Congress had already voted for.
( permalink | suggest removal )
arkie_mom says... January 16, 2013 at 1:53 p.m.
coyote, if you bothered to read all the way to the end of the article you would see that JB is saying the time is NOW...Right, Left, or Middle, the folks in Congress need to raise the debt ceiling to pay our current debts AND bring everything to the table to stem the fiscal hemmorage NOW. This country can't afford to live beyond its means and I am sick of both parties trying to hold the country hostage to further their political ideology and power. We sent these guys to Washington to do the work prescribed for them in the Constitution. I say it is time for them to do just that - pay the bills and balance the budget NOW!
( permalink | suggest removal )
PaulRevere says... January 16, 2013 at 3:05 p.m.
"Then the rapid Republicanization of Arkansas, stemming from irrational hatred of Barack Obama,"
John,
The hatred of Arkansans for BO is quite rational... and justified. So now Obama wants to use the healthcare law to press doctors to report guns in the home? I guess since doctors are essentially on the government payroll, he thinks he can dictate to them.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Got2Kids says... January 16, 2013 at 3:07 p.m.
I guess I just don't understand, but I am sure someone will enlighten me. We cannot afford everything we are currently paying for. EVERYTHING has to be cut, starting with welfare, foodstamps, housing, and the military. We cannot continue at this rate. Where Mr. Brummett, Inquire, and Populist, et. al. and I disagree is where to make the deepest cuts. I say dump the freeloaders, don't punish those in uniform, and accept that the government was not put here to be substitute bread winners. And, before you say it, whatever short term economic down turn takes place, surely it cannot be as bad as all out BANKRUPTCY!!!!! I guess, given who won the election, that I am now in the minority, but I do not believe in higher taxes for redistribution to freeloaders. Some of you are so hxll bent on education spending, which I agree with, so stop welfare, etc., and put the money there. At least education actually employees a significant number of people and will expand the tax base, along with hopefully stopping the generation of entitlement. Hey, wake up, neither the government nor I owe you anything!! How can any of you justify this kind of spending deficit? Even increasing the tax rates to 50% would not cover the debt these fools, both republican and democrat, have run up.
( permalink | suggest removal )
BobGlover says... January 16, 2013 at 3:20 p.m.
John,
Tom Cotton, nor any other Republican is NOT saying we should default on our debts...they are merely stating that we should not incur more debt that we cannot pay. The credit card analogy is apt: if you max out your limit, you still are obligated to make the payments, but you shouldn't keep spending. Our tax revenues are adequate to service our current debt--just not to incur more.
( permalink | suggest removal )
BillSmith says... January 16, 2013 at 8:29 p.m.
fairandbalanced,packman,1934cartoon,.........
Ford, Carter, Reagan Push for Gun Ban
May 05, 1994|WILLIAM J. EATON | TIMES STAFF WRITER
WASHINGTON — Three former presidents endorsed legislation Wednesday to ban the future manufacture, sale and possession of combat-style assault weapons as a closely divided House neared a showdown today on the hotly controversial issue.
Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan sent a letter to all House members expressing their support for the measure, effectively joining President Clinton in urging approval of the ban.
*
Where was all the outrage because these three sent a letter to congress supporting the ban? Do you not understand what this says "RONALD REAGAN"! The "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" guy. What has changed in the republican party, I'll tell you, a black man was elected president, the tea party's rise in the party and the growth of the gun nuts that think they need their Bushmaster to fight US troops when they come to take their guns. By the way the Florida "Tea Party" is changing it's name because of the negative views the current name bestows on them, but a leopard does not change its spots, they still espouse the same policies. Show up a political rallies with a Bushmaster slung over their sholder and Glock on their hip wearing a "Don't Tread on Me" tee shirt. And they wonder why young children write letters to the President in support of gun control. Folks, these young children will be the voters of tomorrow, GOP, you are on the wrong side of this argument as you were on most issues in the last election.
( permalink | suggest removal )
inquire says... January 16, 2013 at 10:32 p.m.
Just another of many instances where Republicans have been FOR something until Obama was in office, then suddenly they act like is is a communist plot, and like the rest of us have no memory.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Populist says... January 17, 2013 at 5:50 a.m.
Got2Kids,
Are children under the age of 18 "freeloaders"? Just wondering...
BobGlover,
A few Republicans understand that we cannot default, but that we must make cuts pronto. I'd feel comfortable letting Susan Collins from Maine and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska just work out a budget.
Both the Democrats and the Republicans are irresponsible when it comes to making the hard budgeting choices. I am so sick of the rhetoric on both sides blaming the other.
( permalink | suggest removal )
BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... January 17, 2013 at 7:55 a.m.
BillSmith and inquire still believe if you keep blaming someone it will automatically give us a solution. Actually I think they are probably husband and wife. I did see where some moron in DC said the NRA opposes Obama because he is black, and the liberals continue to blame the conservatives for racism. If the libs would step back and look in the mirror and see that they also live in glass houses they could see half of our problem. The problem is they believe they are perfect
( permalink | suggest removal )
To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Read our Terms of Use policy.