Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), who was the only Republican senator to oppose President Trump’s tax cut bill that passed the Senate by a 51 to 49 margin, is not very popular with Tennesseans, according to a new poll.
Corker’s continued opposition to the President Trump’s agenda appears to be one of the main causes of his plummeting popularity.
“Support for Sen. Bob Corker seems to be abating as confidence in President Donald Trump and Gov. Bill Haslam remains strong, according to a new poll,” the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported on Saturday:
The poll, which was conducted in November by the Mason-Dixon polling firm, found that more than 50 percent of Tennessee voters approve of how the president is handling his job, and even more approved of Haslam…
Corker, R-Tenn., who in September announced he would not run for re-election, is less popular among voters. Only 40 percent of voters approve of Corker, with his popularity now significantly higher among Democrats (49 percent) versus 36 percent of Republicans.The firm’s poll notes there was speculation about Corker’s ability to win re-election in 2018, and the results show that only 32 percent of respondents said they would vote for him.
Corker explained his opposition to President Trump’s tax cut plan on Friday, the day before the vote was held.
“My concern about the impact a rapidly growing $20 trillion national debt will have on our children and grandchildren has been a guiding principle throughout my time in public service. And during my 10 years and 11 months in the Senate, I have consistently fought for fiscal discipline in Washington,” Corker said in a statement released by his office the day before the vote, adding:
“I have authored comprehensive legislation to address America’s debt crisis, including the Commitment to American Prosperity (CAP) Act and the Fiscal Sustainability Act. I also have taken some really tough votes against very popular policies, including appropriations bills, budget resolutions, defense authorizations, disaster funding, and even a veterans’ bill.
“But at the same time, I have consistently advocated for pro-growth tax reform. And in my view, these are not mutually exclusive priorities.
“From the beginning of this debate, I have been a cheerleader for legislation that – while allowing for current policy assumptions and reasonable dynamic scoring – would not add to the deficit and set rates that are permanent in nature.
“I worked closely with Senator Toomey to negotiate the budget agreement that paved the way for this legislation. And I have worked diligently over the past few weeks with Senate leadership and the White House to make improvements.
“While I support a number of the provisions included in this legislation and continue to believe it would have been fairly easy to alter the bill in a way that would have been more fiscally sound without harming the pro-growth policies, unfortunately, it is clear that the caucus is in a different place.
“This is yet another tough vote. I am disappointed. I wanted to get to yes. But at the end of the day, I am not able to cast aside my fiscal concerns and vote for legislation that I believe, based on the information I currently have, could deepen the debt burden on future generations.
That argument appears to have some appeal for Democrats in Tennessee, but most Republicans vigorously disagree with it.
Li’l Bob Corker was elected for one and only one reason:
He was not Harold Ford Jr.
He has lived down to those low expectations ever since. Luckily for him, it’s at an altitude he’s accustomed.
What a great Senator. NOT!! Corker is complicit in a Republican controlled House and Senate in allowing TRILLIONS of $$$ of deficit to accumulate over the last 4 years. He whined, what can I do? Now he finds a solution? He is a traitor to the Conservatives in Tennessee. And it is believed he is also a corrupt public government official. If he ran again his opponents would bring his corruption to the campaign and he might go to jail. America, Tennessee apologizes.
Mr. Corker was unpopular with Tennessee Republicans long before Trump was elected President. Mr. Corker appears to revel in being a maverick much like John McCain. I only wish that his departure was this January and not over a year off.