Watch out for this guy. He’s dangerous.

By Samuel Goldman, The Week

He has the vision, but he won’t make it to the promised land.

On March 15, 1982, Ronald Reagan paid an official visit to the state of Tennessee. Upon landing, the president traveled directly to The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s historic estate. After laying a wreath to commemorate the 225th anniversary of his predecessor’s birth, Reagan delivered an address to a joint session of the state legislature. “In this time when we and our people are so severely tested,” he told the audience, “it will help to remember the courage that President Jackson could summon from the convictions in his heart.”

Last night, almost exactly 40 years later, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) appealed to Jackson in similar terms. Speaking at the Reagan Library in California, Cotton claimed Jackson as the guiding spirit of the GOP. Noting that former President Donald Trump also placed himself in Jackson’s lineage, Cotton contended “that old Democrat” prefigures the Republican future. That may well be true, but it’s far from clear Cotton himself will be able to get there.

His remarks were partly a campaign preview. Despite his ritual disclaimer of interest in the presidential election, Cotton is laying the basis for a possible run in 2024 if Trump doesn’t compete. Content aside, the Reagan Library event illustrated some of the obstacles he’ll face. Like his Senate counterpart Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Cotton looks and sounds like a precocious high school debater.

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