TC, a 35-year senator, is not establishment?
http://www.redstate.com/2014/05/29/she-gets-everything-she-wants/
That homemaker’s husband, William Shows, was the head of the Pearl River Valley electric cooperative. Electric cooperatives have been the number one source of campaign contributions to Thad Cochran over the years. Sources tell me the homemaker’s husband also sat on the board of the bank that helped finance the transaction.
That would be Trustmark Bank, which is currently having FEC trouble over a campaign loan to benefit Cochran.
Likewise, Trustmark’s CEO’s Richard Hickson, contributed to Cochran’s campaign in 2000, 2001, and 2007. In 2008, Trustmark got $215 million in TARP funding from the federal government.
Now, here’s the real kicker. Ms. Webber and Mrs. Shows bought the house for $1 million with, it appears, $200,000.00 down and a $800,000.00 mortgage in 2001. At the time Ms. Webber’s congressional salary was less than $100,000.00 a year and Mrs. Shows, who only had a 1% interest in the home according to individuals who have seen the paperwork, listed her occupation as a homemaker. A year after the purchase, Mrs. Shows gave Ms. Webber her interest in the home making Ms. Webber the sole owner.
He’s the “establishment” candidate in this race. My point is that his victory doesn’t bless the “establishment” position on amnesty because Cochran voted against it, or for looser abortion laws because except for ESC research he’s been a pretty good pro-life vote. But he is old and plays the game and isn’t that good on spending.
It would be great to replace him. But I can name 20 republican senators that are more problematic for conservatives than Cochran is, when looking at his voting record.
Heck, Kelly Ayotte, who was at one point a tea party darling, has been worse for conservative causes than Cochran (and for example is rated a “populist” rather than “hard-core” from the OnTheIssues site).
Being MS, we should be able to do better, but I’d be happy to have someone like Cochrane voting for me in my state rather than the two democrats I’m stuck with. And I bet the people suffering with Graham in South Carolina would also be pleased with a record like Cochrane’s.
I don’t want to sound like I wish he would win — I would like him to lose, and think McDaniel could win the general election. But I won’t see a win by Cochrane as a refutation of tea party principles, because Cochrane is not all that horrible in that measurement compared to some others.