Both nominees for Senate in Arkansas have made it clear they’re not interested in signing onto the planned Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.
Republican nominee John Boozman is especially clear on his disdain for the concept of the so-called “Ground Zero mosque.” In a post to his campaign blog this week, Boozman dinged President Obama’s speech on the Cordoba House as “unfortunate, albeit not entirely unexpected,” and further evidence that the White House is “completely out-of-touch with the American people.”
As for the project itself, Boozman could hardly have been stronger in his condemnation of the Cordoba House.
“Put simply, the construction of the Ground Zero mosque is an insensitive, aggressive political statement whose principle purpose is to irritate the public and stoke controversy,” he wrote. “Instead of acknowledging this reality, the President bought the activists’ plea for religious expression hook-line-and-sinker and caved to the winds of political correctness in support of the building.”
So Boozman’s no fan. But neither is the Democratic nominee, Sen. Blanche Lincoln.
“Out of respect for the families who lost loved ones in our nation’s worst terrorist attack, if I were making the decision I would prefer that the Mosque be constructed a few blocks away from the World Trade Center site,” Lincoln told the Arkansas Times yesterday. “However, the people of New York City didn’t ask for my opinion and I believe the local community, including family members of 9/11 victims and church leaders, should make that decision together.”
Lincoln — like Rand Paul — prefers to defer to the local authorities when it comes to construction projects hundreds of miles away from her home state. But then again, it seems she’d be happy to weigh in on your project if you’d like her advice on where to put your cultural center.
The TPM Poll Average shows Boozman leading Lincoln 57.1-33.3.
Evan McMorris-Santoro
Evan McMorris-Santoro has covered politics for TPM since 2009. Before that, he was a reporter at National Journal’s Hotline covering election 2008. He started his career covering local politics at newspapers in TN and his native NC.
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