DEBATE DECEPTION #1: PRYOR SAYS HE DISAGREES WITH OBAMA
Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR): “You Know I Don’t Agree With President Obama On A Whole Variety Of Things.” PRYOR: “You all know me. You know I don’t agree with President Obama on a whole variety of things; just take the keystone pipeline, take his EPA regs on carbon, take his cuts to social security. I disagreed with him, on that, I disagreed with him last year on gun control, so much so that when I voted no on his legislation, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City ran ads in Arkansas criticizing me for standing up for your Second Amendment rights. So, I disagree with Obama plenty and yes I’ve been disappointed in him. And I am not going to sugar coat that. But let me talk about my philosophy, my philosophy is this. If you look at the rankings of people that actually look at the senate and how we vote, not the TV ads not all the rhetoric and spin, but actually look at how we vote. Every year I’ve been in the senate, every year, they have ranked me as the most or one of the most independent senators in Washington.” (Senator Mark Pryor, University of Central Arkansas Debate, 10/13/14)
REALITY: PRYOR IS OBAMA’S BIGGEST CHEERLEADER – VOTING WITHHIM 93 PERCENT OF THE TIME
Pryor Praised Obama And Urged Arkansas Voters To Elect Him President
In 2011, Pryor Said That He Thought Obama Deserved Another Four Years In Office. “Pryor said he thought Obama deserved another four years. ‘I think that President Obama came in [during] an incredibly difficult time, a whole set of circumstances that made his presidency one of the most difficult in American history,’ Pryor said.” (Charlie Frago, “Partisan ‘Games’ Miring Debt-Cap Deal, Pryor Says,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 6/3/11)
Pryor Praised Obama In 2009, Saying “He Is Exactly What We Need Right Now.” “We have a historic moment going on in Washington right now because, we have a President; some fault him because they say he is idealistic. They fault him sometimes because he believes in our democracy, he believes in our people. He knows that we can tackle these problems and we can solve these problems. And I don’t fault him for that. I think he’s showing great leadership and let’s give President Obama a hand. I think he’s exactly what we need right now.” (Sen. Mark Pryor, Remarks At Democratic Party Of Arkansas Jefferson Jackson Dinner, 7/24/09)
Pryor: “I Think He’s Showing Great Leadership.” (Sen. Mark Pryor, Remarks At Democratic Party Of Arkansas Jefferson Jackson Dinner, 7/24/09)
At The 2008 DNC Convention, Pryor Told The Arkansas Delegation That Obama “Is Exactly The Right Guy For This Moment In History.” “Pryor: You know, he’s the kind of guy that is exactly the right guy for this moment in history.” (Sen. Mark Pryor, Remarks At 2008 DNC Convention, 8/27/08)
Pryor: “My Sense Is There Is A Destiny About Barack Obama. I Think There Is A Destiny About Him.” (Sen. Mark Pryor, Remarks At 2008 DNC Convention, 8/27/08)
In Washington, Pryor Votes With Obama Over 90 Percent Of The Time
Pryor Has A Long Record Of Supporting “Obama’s High-Profile Priorities.” He did vote for some of Obama’s high-profile priorities: the economic stimulus package, the Dodd-Frank financial-overhaul legislation and, of course, the health care law.” (Anita Kumar, “Democrat Mark Pryor Struggles To Hold Senate Seat In Arkansas,” McClatchy, 9/8/14)
Pryor Has Voted With Obama On An Average Of 93 Percent Time, According To The Non-Partisan Congressional Quarterly. (Sen. Mark Pryor, Congressional Quarterly, Accessed 9/11/14)
Pryor Cast A Deciding Vote For ObamaCare, Obama’s Crowning Achievement. (H.R. 3590, Roll Call Vote #396, Adopted 60-39: R 0-39; D 60-0, 12/24/09, Pryor Voted Yea)
Pryor Voted For Obama’s Wasteful $830 Billion Stimulus Bill. (H.R. 1, Roll Call Vote #64, Adopted 60-38: R 3-38; D 57-0, 2/13/09, Pryor Voted Yea)
Pryor Has Voted “For Nearly All Of Obama’s Court Picks.” “Red-state Democrats such as Sens. Mark Begich (Alaska), Mary Landrieu (La.), Kay Hagan (N.C.) and Mark Pryor (Ark.) have stressed their independence from their party, but they will have to defend their record of voting for nearly all of Obama’s court picks.” (Alexander Bolton, “Red-State Dems In Hot Seat,” The Hill, 7/15/14)
“Well Over 90 Percent Of His Judicial Votes Since November Have Supported The President’s Picks.” “Pryor cast three votes against two of Obama’s judicial nominees, McHugh and Pillard, but well over 90 percent of his judicial votes since November have supported the president’s picks.” (Alexander Bolton, “Red-State Dems In Hot Seat,” The Hill, 7/15/14)
DEBATE DECEPTION #2: PRYOR ON OUTSIDE SPENDING
Pryor Complained About Outside Groups That “Really Set The Tone” In The Senate Race. QUESTION: “Mr. Pryor, I think a lot of Arkansans have been turned off by the negative attack ads in this campaign, especially those coming from outside groups, and the that influence these groups are having on this race. The Citizens United ruling was key. What do you think?” PRYOR: “Well, I’m turned off by the negative tone as well. You know, I wish that these outside groups, they really set the tone, these Super PACs, you’re talking about because of Citizens United. They set the tone about 20 months ago. They’ve now spent over $20 million on television trying to get me out of the Senate seat to get my opponent into the Senate seat. And you have to ask ‘why?’ And I think the answer is very clear and that is this campaign playing out on your TV screens and playing out in your mail boxes is a business transaction. Here you have Congressman Cotton who goes out here to hang out with his friends, his billionaire supporters, out in the California resort.”(Senator Mark Pryor, C-SPAN U.S. Senate Debate, 10/13/14)
REALITY: HARRY REID’S SUPER PAC HASSPENT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON FALSEADS IN ARKANSAS
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s Senate Majority PAC Has Become One Of The Most Successful Super PACs In Spreading False Accusations. “Even as Democratic Party leaders denounce billionaire Republicans Charles and David Koch for filling the airwaves with misleading commercials, they’re also playing with the facts. … Reid’s stamp is on some of the most successful Democratic outside groups. Susan McCue, his former chief of staff, runs the Senate Majority PAC, and Reid has solicited money on its behalf. The super-PAC raised $26 million through the end of May for the November 2014 elections with the help of billionaires such as former money manager Tom Steyer, financier George Soros and Michael Bloomberg, the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.” (Annie Linskey and Julie Bykowicz, “Democrats Griping About False Ads Respond With Deception,” Bloomberg, 6/18/14)
The Senate Majority PAC Is The Biggest Spender In Arkansas, Spending $4,385,842 On Independent Expenditures, Communication Costs And Coordinated Expenses Against Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR). (Center For Responsive Politics, Accessed 10/13/14)
DEBATE DECEPTION #3: PRYOR SAYS ARKANSANS DESERVE HONESTY
Pryor Promotes His Campaign Of “Integrity,” Saying Arkansans “Deserve Honesty When It Comes To Campaigning.” PRYOR: “And Gwen I want to thank you for that question, because I am responsible for the content of my own television ads. And one of the differences in the two campaigns here, and members of the media know this is whenever we release an ad, we provide documentation to that ad, of every fact that’s in there. Every vote, every statement, we put the context in there. And this is something I sat down with my campaign team on day one, and I said look, one of the things we want to see about the Pryor campaign is integrity. The people of the state of Arkansas deserve that. They deserve honesty when it comes to campaigning.” (Senator Mark Pryor, University of Central Arkansas Debate, 10/13/14)
REALITY: PRYOR AND OUTSIDE GROUPS SUPPORTING HIM HAVE AIRED FALSE AD AFTER FALSE AD
PolitiFact On A Medicare Ad Run By Pryor: The Ad Is “Misleading,” Based On Inconclusive Research And Was Rated “Mostly False.” “Pryor’s campaign ad said, ‘Cotton voted in Congress to change Medicare into a voucher system that will increase out-of-pocket expenses for every senior in Arkansas.’ Cotton did vote for a voucher-like system under two different budget proposals. But it’s misleading to suggest that the planwould definitely increase expenses for every senior. The research isn’t conclusive, and we can’t predict the future. But even the voucher proposals go out of their way to leave current Medicare beneficiaries alone. It’s not at all clear that every senior in Arkansas would see increases in out-of-pocket expenses, including people like Courtney’s grandparents. So we rate the claim Mostly False.” (Angie Drobnic Holan, “Pryor Ad Warns ‘Every Senior In Arkansas’ Will See Increased Medicare Costs From Cotton Votes,” PolitiFact, 2/28/14)
Factcheck.org Labeled Ads Being Run By Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) Attacking Republican Opponent Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR) On Medicare As “Misleading.” “Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor taps his party’s playbook in attacking Republican challenger Tom Cotton for his support of Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicare plan. Two ads from Pryor make misleading claims about seniors’ costs rising or benefits being cut — the likes of which we’ve seen before. The Ryan Medicare plan has been a hot topic for Democratic attacks for several years running.” (Lori Robertson, “Fact Check: Old Medicare Claims In Ark. Senate Race,” Factcheck.org, 2/25/14)
Pryor’s Ads Rely “On The Assumptions Of Liberal Analyses” To Attack Cotton.“Both ads claim seniors would pay “thousands” more each year under Ryan’s plan. The claim relies on the assumptions of liberal analyses. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the plan could lead to higher costs to beneficiaries, but it didn’t offer an estimate.” (Lori Robertson, “Fact Check: Old Medicare Claims In Ark. Senate Race,” Factcheck.org, 2/25/14)
FactCheck.org: Pryor’s Ads “Peddle Critical Opinion On What Could Happen Under The Plan Cotton Supported As Clear-Cut Facts.” “As we’ve said before, both Democrats and Republicans want to reduce Medicare spending, but they disagree on how best to do that. (President Obama’s 2013 budget also called for capping the growth at GDP plus 0.5%.) It’s all a very interesting policy debate on how to cut the growth of Medicare spending. The Pryor ads, however, don’t allude to that. Instead, they peddle critical opinion on what could happen under the plan Cotton supported as clear-cut facts.” (Lori Robertson, “Fact Check: Old Medicare Claims In Ark. Senate Race,” Factcheck.org, 2/25/14)
Pryor Was Forced To Remove Portions Of A Campaign Video After His Campaign Obtained Footage By Misleading A Tornado Victim To Gain Access To His Property. “Campaign staff members for Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor said Tuesday that they will remove portions of a campaign video shot on the tornado-damaged property of a Mayflower business owner who said he was misled about the campaign’s intentions.” (Claudia Lauer, “Footage In Ad Will Be Cut, Says Pryor Campaign,” Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 7/11/14)
PolitFact Gave Senate Majority PAC’s Ad In Arkansas A “False” Rating. “The Senate Majority PAC ad claimed, ‘Before Congress, Cotton got paid handsomely working for insurance companies and corporate interests.’ Cotton’s never worked for an insurance company, nor has he served as a consultant for one. We rate the statement False.” (Julie Kliegman, “Democratic PAC Says Tom Cotton ‘Got Paid Handsomely Working For Insurance Companies,” PolitiFact, 4/9/14)
The Washington Post’s The Fact Checker Awarded Four Pinocchios To A Senate Majority PAC Ad Attacking Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Saying “None Of The Allegations Made About Cotton Or His Policies Are Factually Correct.” “None of the allegations made about Cotton or his policies are factually correct. In straining to somehow tie Cotton to insurance companies, Senate Majority PAC has managed to turn a job that Democrats might celebrate (developing a better functioning government program!) into a negative. The Medicare claims are so stale—and so repeatedly discredited—we can assume that polling indicates that the language is effective in moving voters, despite its falsity.” (Glenn Kessler, “A Democratic Attack Ad Tries To Connect The Dots, And Earns 4 Pinocchios,” The Washington Post’s The Fact Checker, 4/1/14)
Pryor’s Ad On Ebola Was Even Ridiculed As Being Made For “Saturday Night Live”
PolitiFact Awarded Pryor’s Campaign A “Mostly False” For An Attack Ad On Ebola That “Ignores Critical Facts That Would Give A Different Impression.” “A Pryor for Senate ad said, ‘Tom Cotton voted against preparing America for pandemics like Ebola.’ Cotton voted against one version of a 2013 pandemic and emergency preparedness bill. However, Cotton voted for the final version, which Pryor also supported. The bill easily became law. The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression, so we rate it Mostly False.” (Lauren Carroll, “Pryor Says Cotton Voted ‘No’ On Pandemic Prevention Bill, Ignores Cotton’s ‘Yes’ Vote,” PolitiFact, 8/28/14)
Pryor’s Ebola Ad Has Been Called “Scare-Tastic” And Made For “Saturday Night Live.” “WashingtonPost.com called the commercial ‘scare-tastic political advertising.’ And MSNBC’s program Morning Joe aired the entire 30-second commercial before blasting it. ‘Good Lord … Seriously?’ asked host Joe Scarborough. ‘Is this a Saturday Night Live ad?’” (Bill Bowden and Claudia Lauer, “Ebola Ad On Cotton Accurate, Pryor Says,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 8/28/14)
DEBATE DECEPTION #4: PRYOR WADED INTO FOREIGN POLICY BY SAYING AMERICA MUST FACE THE ISIS TERRORIST ORGANIZATION “HEAD ON”
Pryor Wants To Meet ISIS “Head On.” PRYOR: “I want to be very clear about this, my number one priority as your senator is to keep America safe from terrorism and ISIS is a terrorist organization. They’re basically a terrorist army. We must meet threats like this head on, that’s why I support the airstrikes in order to damage ISIS and we have to destroy their capability to harm America.” (Senator Mark Pryor, University of Central Arkansas Debate, 10/13/14)
REALITY: PRYOR INTRODUCED AN AMENDMENT THAT WOULD BLOCK FUNDING TO TAKE ON ISIS IN SYRIA
In July 2014, Pryor Introduced An Amendment That Would Block A $500 Million Request From The Obama Administration To Train And Equip The Syrian Rebels. “The Senate Appropriations Committee declined Thursday to block a $500 million request from the Obama administration to provide military training and equipment to Syrian rebels. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., sought to strip the funds from an annual spending bill for the Department of Defense, saying he was concerned that the resources would end up in the hands of extremists opposed to the United States. ‘Syria is a kaleidoscope of very changing circumstances and loyalties,’ he said.” (Peter Urban, “Pryor Bid To Block Military Aid To Syrian Rebels Fails,” Arkansas News, 7/17/14)
Pryor Has Even Rejected Foreign Policy As A Debate Topic
According To An Email, Pryor’s Campaign Has Refused To Include Foreign Policy Being A Debate Topic In The Senate Race. “The campaign for Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor said last week that it had not rejected any topics from being included in the only debate agreed to so far by the senator and his Republican challenger, U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton. But an email obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Tuesday showed that Pryor’s campaign had rejected the inclusion of foreign policy in the debate sponsored by the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. The email between the debate moderator and Cotton’s spokesman, David Ray, outlined a conversation with Pryor’s campaign.” (Claudia Lauer, “Email: Pryor Folks Vetoed Debate Topic,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 9/17/14)
According To Roby Brock, Editor Of Talk Business, Pryor’s Campaign “Rejected Adding ‘Foreign Policy’ To The List Of Topics.” “‘Pryor folks rejected adding ‘foreign policy’ to the list of topics for the Fayetteville Chamber debate. After receiving the news from Steve Clark (who agreed with me that it was not an out-of-line request), I met with Pryor folks yesterday afternoon. They basically feel that they’ve done all the negotiating they plan on doing with this debate and that there are plenty of topics under the expanded format,’ wrote moderator Roby Brock, who is also the executive editor of the news organization Talk Business.” (Claudia Lauer, “Email: Pryor Folks Vetoed Debate Topic,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 9/17/14)
DEBATE DECEPTION #5: MILITARY SERVICE
Pryor: “Congressman, Let Me Say Thank You For Your Service. Let Me Talk About ISIS Here For Just One Moment.” (Senator Mark Pryor, University of Central Arkansas Debate, 10/13/14)
REALITY: PRYOR DENIGRATED COTTON’S MILITARY SERVICE
In An Interview With NBC News, Pryor Attacked Cotton, Claiming He Had A “Sense Of Entitlement” Because He Had Served In The Military. “The quick rise has won him an attack ad from Pryor, who says that Cotton has ‘blind ambition’ and a sense of entitlement that will turn voters off, even considering his military background. ‘There’s a lot of people in the Senate that didn’t serve in the military,’ Pryor told NBC News. ‘Obviously in the Senate we have all types of different people, all kinds of different folks that have come from all types of different backgrounds—and I think that’s part of that sense of entitlement that he gives off is that, almost like, I served my country, let me into the Senate. But that’s not how it works in Arkansas.’” (Kasie Hunt and Ben Mayer, “Can A Democrat Still Get Elected In Arkansas?” NBC News, 3/5/14)
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Took Pryor To Task For His Attacks On Cotton’s Military Service, Saying He Had Made The Choice In The November Election “Crystal Clear.” “MARK PRYOR, the state’s senior senator, should be thanked for making the choice in this year’s election for the U.S. Senate here in Arkansas more than crystal clear. Talk about the halogen spotlight of public attention, the senator’s comments Wednesday on MSNBC, the perfect partisan forum for them, cast a blinding light not just on his idea of what this year’s race for the Senate is about, but what the U.S. Senate and indeed political life in general is about. It wasn’t just that Senator Pryor discounted the relevance of his opponent’s military service in this campaign. But that the senator was dismissive of the whole, defining quality that Tom Cotton has stood for throughout his life-in Yell County, at Harvard, in the law and in the Army, in the U.S. House of Representatives and now as a candidate for the U.S. Senate.” (Editorial, “Arkansas’ Choice For U.S. Senator,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 3/9/14)
Democrat-Gazette: Pryor’s Attacks On Cotton’s “Sense Of Entitlement” Are Curious, Since Pryor’s Status As The Son Of A Former Senator “May Be His Chief Distinction In State Politics.” “And yet Mark Pryor, son of a popular senator, which may be his chief distinction in state politics, accuses his opponent of a “sense of entitlement.” Has anyone who has ever spoken to Tom Cotton about his politics, or his career civil or military, legal or academic, ever come away with the impression that he has a ‘sense of entitlement?’ Any fair-minded person, that is, as opposed to a political operative for the other political party. Please. This is Tom Cotton of Yell County, Ark., we’re talking about-Mattie Ross country.” (Editorial, “Arkansas’ Choice For U.S. Senator,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 3/9/14)
DEBATE DECEPTION #6: PRYOR WANTS TO REPEAL OBAMACARE’S JOB-KILLING MEDICAL DEVICE TAX
Pryor: “I’m Also Supportive Of Repealing The Medical Tax Device.” (Senator Mark Pryor, University of Central Arkansas Debate, 10/13/14)
REALITY: PRYOR CAST A DECIDING VOTE FOR OBAMACARE THAT WOULD TAX MEDICAL DEVICES
Pryor Cast A Deciding Vote For ObamaCare, Obama’s Crowning Achievement. (H.R. 3590, Roll Call Vote #396, Adopted 60-39: R 0-39; D 60-0, 12/24/09, Pryor Voted Yea)
In 2010, Pryor Voted Against Repealing The Medical Device Tax. “SEC. 1405. REPEAL OF MEDICAL DEVICE FEE. (a) In General.—Section 9009 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by section 10904 of such Act, is repealed effective as of the date of the enactment of that Act.” (H.R. 4872, Roll Call Vote #79: Motion To Table Agreed To 56-42, 3/24/10, Pryor Voted Yea)
“The Medical Device Industry’s Major Trade Group Says That A New Tax On Revenue Cost The Industry 33,000 Med-Tech Jobs In 2013.” (Jim Spencer, “Group Says Tax On Medical Device Makers Has Cost Jobs,” [Minneapolis, MN] Star-Tribune, 2/19/14)
According To AdvaMed, “14,000 Industry Jobs Were Cut And Companies Deferred Hiring Of Another 19,000 Workers. “The Advanced Medical Technology Association - AdvaMed - based its conclusion on a survey of members conducted late last year. Thirty-eight companies - about 15 percent of AdvaMed’s membership - responded to the survey, and AdvaMed ‘generalized’ those results across the entire industry to determine that approximately 14,000 industry jobs were cut and companies deferred hiring of another 19,000 workers.” (Jim Spencer, “Group Says Tax On Medical Device Makers Has Cost Jobs,” [Minneapolis, MN] Star-Tribune, 2/19/14)
ObamaCare’s Medical Device Tax Would Raise $29.1 Billion Over 10 Years From Medical Device Manufacturers. (“Estimated Revenue Effects Of A Proposal To Repeal Certain Tax Provisions Contained In The ‘Affordable Care Act,’” Joint Committee On Taxation, 6/15/12)