Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) defended Wednesday his decision to invoke panic over the Ebola virus in a TV spot attacking opponent Rep. Tom Cotton.
“I wouldn’t say it’s contributing to the hysteria,” Pryor said at a press conference at his campaign headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas News reported.
“It’s something that people care about, they’re paying attention to,” he added. “And the two of us have a voting record on this, and our voting record is in sharp contrast, so I think it’s fair game.”
Pryor’s TV ad, full of news reports and grainy footage of Ebola coverage in Africa, slammed Cotton for voting against the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013.
The Cotton camp called the ad “desperate.”
“How senatorial is it to lie to Arkansans in order to whip up fear about a deadly African virus in order to win a few votes?” the Republican’s campaign said in a statement, according to Arkansas News.
Cotton’s team argued that while its candidate did initially vote against the bill, he voted in favor of a later version once a certain provision had been removed, a detail unmentioned in the Pryor ad.
Pryor should not be stooping to Tea Party tactics like this. Fear! is not a good campaign slogan.
If you’re against the NIH and CDC, you’re for disease.
Fuck you Cotton, you own your votes.
Fear is what wins midterm elections, sporto.
Sorry, but this is a bush league campaign tactic. Legislator votes against six bad versions of a bill, finally gets a version he likes, and votes for it. Opponent says, “this guy voted against this measure SIX TIMES!!!” It’s just bullshit.
Fair game is nearly a perfect representation of how these assholes look at the most critical issues facing America and its 'citizens…it is game to them…rigged by the machine whose requirements on the candidates that get elected are to be feckless…immoral and compliant.These pricks are destroying the foundations of America and the electorate tolerates the perverted approach to the process.