Tom Cotton Thinks Not Enough People…

This, by Tom Cotton, in his 407th op-ed complaining about the quite mild First Step Act, is perhaps the most bracing example of bad-faith correlation-as-causation argumentation I have ever read.

This paragraph is a Superfund site. pic.twitter.com/P0x6GursJn

— John Pfaff (@JohnFPfaff) September 21, 2021

...are in jail.

Snark aside, it’s clear that Cotton thinks being REALLY anti-reform, like remarkably hostile to even the barest of reforms—he has argued we UNDER-incarcerate—is a path to the White House in 2024.

No idea if he’s right, but I’m sure he’s going to try to make it all really ugly.

— John Pfaff (@JohnFPfaff) September 21, 2021

The causal analysis overlooks another issue:

And fwiw, cocaine overdose fatalities are up due to cases that also involve fentanyl. You probably know that, but I always want to point that out. Our overdose epidemic is driven by illicitly-produced fentanyl.

— Baron Blakley (@baronblakley) September 21, 2021

@SenTomCotton , making the argument for drug legalization to avoid the fentanyl contamination that has caused a huge spike in overdose deaths, most recently affecting cocaine users.

— David Cann (@davidwcann) September 21, 2021

Which doesn’t support increased incarceration; but maybe this does.

"SOMEONE KEEPS FARTING IN MY MAILBOX" pic.twitter.com/6IXCDAYlvv

— Best of Nextdoor (@bestofnextdoor) September 21, 2021

People like that should not be walking our streets!