I don't have any animus toward Tom Cotton.
He is a polarizing figure and I disagree with him on many, if not most, issues, but he comes from a background I understand. I believe he's doing exactly what he thinks is in the best interests of his country. I think he is a patriot. I think he is an honorable man.
Or at least he is as honorable a man as someone who engages in high-level Washington politics can be.
Because these people have to cut deals and dissemble--Cotton probably cherishes his ongoing political viability every bit as much as Bill Clinton did. He's not about throwing away his shot. So he has to think about where he's going to get the money for his next campaign. He has to think about what his constituents expect, and how much he can frustrate those expectations before the possibility of losing an election becomes a genuine concern. Still, he likely believes his job in the Senate is to lead as much as it is to represent. His job is to do what's in the country's best interest whether we the American people realize it's in our best interest or not.
And he also has to understand that in order to do much of anything, he has to stay in office. So he has to reassure us that nothing is too far wrong--our government isn't really imploding, this president probably isn't an actual Russian mole, and people with terrible diseases aren't going to die simply because they won't be able to afford to buy health insurance. Even if he's not really sure about any of that.
If this is a difficult time for him--judging from the town hall event he held last week, it seems like it must be--then he should know it's a difficult time for us as well. While I'm willing to give him credit for appearing in person and standing in the fire and taking questions from angry people (who had every right to ask their questions), I trust he understands that's in his job description.
Cotton didn't have answers for everything, because some of the questions don't have answers. There doesn't appear to be a good way to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act without hurting many vulnerable Americans. There is no excuse for the legislative branch to not vigorously investigate the dealings this administration may have had with a foreign government during the recent presidential campaign. There is no reason to take this president's word that his business interests have not and will not influence his administration's policy.
I suspect the real reasons this Congress has not pushed back against this president are simple: Some in Congress believe the president useful to their ends, that his antics confuse and entertain, leaving them the opportunity to push through legislation that benefits their corporate clients. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell probably roll their eyes at the thought of Donald J. Trump actually having a hand in policymaking; they might even envision him pushing the "tough guy from Queens" act a little too far, elevating Mike Pence to the presidency. That wouldn't be so bad for them.
Others, including most Democrats, are probably afraid. They know that if you strike at a king you must kill him, and that even a paper-cut Trump can be vindictive and cruel. While Trump may not enjoy the support of a majority of the country, his supporters seem loyal and vociferous, true believers willing to accept the administration's assertion that the only important version of reality is that available on POTUS' Twitter feed.
Most members of Congress know what is inevitable. At some point, maybe sooner than later, someone is going to stand up to this administration. Someone is going to start trying to untangle the web of intrigue, to really get at what's behind this president's fascination with and admiration for the thuggish and totalitarian Vladimir Putin, an autocratic criminal who has stolen billions from his people and commands a corrupt and sinister regime that--despite Trump's protestations to the contrary--is nothing like previous American governments.
Someone is going to have a Joe Welch moment. Someone is going to confront this president to ask: Have you no sense of decency?
And when that happens, I believe with religious fervor that we will turn a corner. Because, as a lot of members of Congress discovered last week, Americans are not about to let this beautiful dream die quietly at the hands of a president who might be even money to pass a high school civics exam. Americans are going to stand up and tell you to do your job, Senator. Do your job, Congresswoman. Do your job, Judge.
Tom Cotton is a good candidate to stand up to this administration. Because he knows what is right and what is wrong and because he is not a coward. Other members of Congress were afraid to face their constituents. Other members of Congress prefer to electronically insulate themselves from the people they're supposed to serve. Other members of Congress tell us winners make policy and losers go home as though crude majoritarianism trumps the rights of the minority (forgetting apparently that more of us voted against this president than for him). Other members of Congress pretend to lament that the president is exempt from conflict-of-interest provisions. Other members of Congress dispassionately read prepared statements over the phone to crying mothers afraid their children will die if the ACA is repealed.
Cotton looked uncomfortable in Springdale last week. But he took it, and I'm not cynical enough to believe he laughed it off. I'm not cynical enough to believe he doesn't care.
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Philip Martin is a columnist and critic for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at pmartin@arkansasonline.com and read his blog at blooddirtandangels.com.
Editorial on 02/28/2017