Republicans are building a reputation as “the party of No,” and Tom Cotton could be the poster boy for the movement. A U.S. representative from the Fourth District, now a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Cotton voted against this year’s farm bill, the only member of the Arkansas delegation to do so. Longtime congressional observers were aghast. How could a congressman from a small, poor, agricultural state vote against the farm bill?

Cotton said the bill was too generous to the hungry families who depend on the food stamps that are part of the farm bill. Can’t they eat dirt? There’s lots of dirt in East Arkansas, where many of the impoverished users of food stamps live. Evidently, Cotton wants people to think outside the box.

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