Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark, challenged Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark, to a series of five debates back in April, but Pryor said he had something else in mind to settle the opinions of his fellow Arkansans still unsure of who to vote for, according to a news release.
Although Pryor initially accepted a debate offer set in Fayetteville on Oct. 14, he has now changed his mind and offered an alternative way to show Arkansans who is the superior leader for the state. . . a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots match, the release states.
“Debates are just too boring for the average Arkansas resident to enjoy and engage in, so, I began looking for something else to set myself apart in this election,” Pryor said.
Pryor visited many other forms of exciting competition before settling on the robot matchup. He looked at inviting Cotton to a Chess match, a Hopscotch game and even a hotdog eating contest, according to the release.
At one point, inspired by Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan’s plan to bring a professional underwater basket weaving team to Northwest Arkansas, he even considered challenging Cotton to an underwater basket weaving tournament, the release states.
The invitation to a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots contest has flabbergasted some Arkansas politicians.
Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark, dismissed the alternative suggestion saying, “What a ridiculous idea. There isn’t a single Arkansas resident who would attend such a spectacle as Pryor attempted to distract audiences from real issues.”
Others, like Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark, said he was open to a debate alternative, but he didn’t think Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots was an appropriate option.
“It’s not that I dislike the game. I’ve played in my fair share of robot tournaments, but I think that the senator was closer with a hotdog eating contest. Arkansas residents just need something they can relate to. Few Arkansans can relate to robots, but I believe every Arkansan can relate to pigs, after all, our biggest sports mascot is a hog,” Boozman said.
Political analysts across The Natural State have been trying to figure out the real reason Pryor suggested the debate alternative.
Roby Brock, host of Talk Business, said he believes Pryor, being behind in many polls, is looking for the debate alternative to be a “Hail Mary.”
“The senator, it seems, is looking for this Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots competition to be his ‘Hail Mary’ that pushes him ahead in polls,” Brock tweeted.
David Pryor, the senator’s father, told Rock City Times that his boy has always had an affinity for Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.
Pryor received the game for a Christmas present when he was five years old, and he hasn’t stopped playing it since, according to David Pryor.
Cotton has not answered the senator’s challenge yet, and his office has not released any statement on the challenge.
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