Tom Cotton Responds Brilliantly To Democratic Senator’s Military Knock

Former Army Ranger Tom Cotton, a Republican candidate for one of Arkansas’ US Senate seats this November, was targeted by embattled Democratic incumbent Mark Pryor for his military background in a recent interview with MSNBC.

In the interview, for which Pryor is now taking a lot of heat (ABC News), he said that he felt his opponent’s military experience gave him a “sense of entitlement” to political office.

“Senator Pryor should be ashamed of himself,” said Garry Stubblefield, a former Navy SEAL and chairman of veterans group Special Operations for America. “He revealed a shocking disdain toward veterans when he dismissed the military service of his opponent Tom Cotton and said it doesn’t qualify him to serve in the Senate. This period of Tom Cotton’s life has uniquely qualified him because it adds a much-needed perspective on military and foreign policy to the United States Senate from the viewpoint of someone who has actually worn the country’s uniform.”

UPI had Pryor’s exact quotes, excerpted here:

“There’s a lot of people in the Senate that didn’t serve in the military,” Pryor said, adding that Cotton, a graduate of Harvard Law, behaves as if he feels Arkansas voters owed him the Senate seat for his military background.

“And I think that’s part of this sense of entitlement, that he gives off, that almost is like, I served my country, therefore let me into the Senate,” Pryor said. “That’s not the way it works in Arkansas.”

The typically left-leaning state — they did give us Bill and Hillary Clinton — has taken a hard swing to the right over the last few years, resulting in GOP domination of both legislative houses, though they do still have a Democratic governor in the well-liked Mike Beebe.

However, Pryor, who many view as being behind in the polls, did himself no favors with the state’s military population by making the comments, and his attempt to backtrack his comments by spokesman Erik Dorey were somewhat proof of that.

“Of course Mark is grateful for Congressman Cotton’s service, but this campaign is about two very different records in Congress and it’s Cotton’s irresponsible votes against Medicare, Social Security and affordable student loans that matter most to Arkansas voters,” Dorey said.

Even if Dorey is right and Pryor can win on the issues, many feel the Senator tossed up an easy one for his opponent by giving the GOP ammo to paint Pryor as dismissive of military service, which will definitely not sit well with Arkansas’ current voting bloc or anyone who feels like Congress has lost touch with the American people, especially since military men and women are still largely revered by both major political parties.

How is Tom Cotton himself reacting? Brilliantly:

Do you think Mark Pryor is done after his “sense of entitlement” comment?

[Image via Flickr Creative Commons]