Who's Mark Pryor Kidding?
Mark Pryor isn't listening to Arkansas. He's listening to the NRA.
Arkansas Democratic Senator Mark Pryor has a new reelection ad up today in which he says: “The mayor of New York City is running ADS again me, because I oppose President Obama’s gun-control legislation. … I’m Mark Pryor. And I approve this message because NO ONE from New York or Washington tells ME what to do. I listen to ARKANSAS.”
New poll yesterday:
In Georgia there's 71/22 support for them, in Tennessee it's 67/26, and in Arkansas it's 60/31. Female voters that the Republican Party really needs to reach out to if it's going to be successful moving forward are even more supportive of background checks. They favor them 81/12 in Georgia, 73/21 in Tennessee, and 67/25 in Arkansas.
The support for stronger background check laws cuts across party lines in all three of these states. In Georgia Democrats favor them 82/10, independents do 67/27, and Republicans do 63/30. In Tennessee Democrats give them 88/8 support, independents favor them at a 61/29 clip, and Republicans do 53/38. And in Arkansas the numbers are 85/10 with Democrats, 48/43 with Republicans, and 45/43 with independents.
Mark Pryor's chances for reelection next year would be enhanced if he supported a background check bill when it comes back up in the Senate. 40% of voters say they would be more likely to cast their ballots for him next year if he reconsidered his position on this issue to just 34% who say they would be less likely to.
So, Senator: bullfeathers. You're not listening to Arkansas. You're listening to the NRA. Pryor is terrified that the group will spend $2 million against him, which it is probably going to do anyway. These guys like Pryor have no excuse. If Joe Manchin can do what he's doing while representing West Virginia, Pryor could take this stand too. He's a coward, and I bet his still-living father, a terrific senator who bravely fought the Reagan administration on nerve gas and chemical weapons in a way that could easily have been demagogued by right-wing populists in a state like Arkansas, is privately ashamed of him.
Meanwhile--hey! Has Wayne LaPierre condemned the ricing mailings? Let's all hold our breath waiting for that one, shall we?