I love living in Northwest Arkansas. The land here is so scenic and beautiful. The population is just about the right size (not too big, not too small). It’s more culturally enriched than you might think. I’ve been here for about 6 years now and I would be more than happy to call it home for the rest of my life.
One of the things I don’t love about being an Arkansan is having to call Tom Cotton “my” senator. Earlier this summer, he penned an op-ed in The New York Times calling for the deployment of troops in response to the Black Lives Matter protests all across the country. In other words, “stop complaining about brutality or face more brutality.” Not content to embarrass his constituents on a national scale just once this summer, he poked his head back into the spotlight this weekend thanks to an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette where he calls slavery a “necessary evil” for the founding of our country.
The most shocking aspect of these views/words is how unsurprising they are coming from Mr. Cotton. In Conservative circles, he’s seen as a potential player on the national stage, with a 2024 presidential campaign a real possibility. That tells you all you need to know about the GOP. Given the opportunity to display compassion, empathy or any regard for the common good, they choose cruelty. Their entire ethos can be summed up in two words: Unnecessary Evil.
Though the odds are long (thanks to so many issues currently plaguing our country), there is a chance Mr. Cotton could be unseated this fall. Though he won’t be disappearing anytime soon, at least he wouldn’t be espousing his hateful ideas with a seal of approval from the citizens of Arkansas.