Frail and disoriented, Cochran says he's not retiring

Politico ^ | October 18, 2017 | John Bresnahan and Anna Palmer

[C19fan]

Mississippi GOP Sen. Thad Cochran insists that he is not retiring from Congress, despite widespread speculation about the veteran lawmaker’s health and political future.

The 79-year-old Cochran appeared frail and at times disoriented during a brief hallway interview on Wednesday. He was unable to answer whether he would remain chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and at one point, needed a staffer to remind him where the Senate chamber is located.

[Ancesthntr]

She does nothing. Her clerks write her opinions, and she signs off on them. It is identical to what happened with Thurgood Marshall. At one point he had been a brilliant legal mind, even if I disagreed with a lot of what he stood for. However, in his last few years he was simply a doddering old fool. But he at least had enough sense, from his political point of view, to hang on. That is exactly what Ginsburg is doing, but there is no way that she is going to hang on for more than another year or so. She made a very big mistake by waiting for a Hillary Administration. By the time that became a doubtful proposition, it was already too late for Obama to get in any more nominations for the Supreme Court. She was too smart by half. So let her hang on, her biggest legacy will be the conservative judge who replaces her.

[WKB]

Poor Tad ping

[Sybeck1]

Would Tate Reeves or McDaniel gey appointed? Bryant did not speak up during 2014. He is up to his neck in that too

[tflabo]

The Senate is a ‘glorious ‘ pre- hospice country club with magnificent perks. They all want to exit feet first. Doddering old fools who have way overstayed their time.

[central_va]

I'm surprised at this point that US Senators don't ride around in sedan chairs like their ancestors.

[wardaddy]

I think my post acccurately described the sit rep

The pressure on Ed by the Haley mafia would be very hard

Which means he’d likely cave but you never know

He resisted going Jeb for The GOPe

Haley didn’t endorse in 2016 primary season though he did support Trump in general

Haley is very capable it’s a shame he’s less cultural than during Magnus era

[Spiridon]

The sooner people like this guy are gone from the Senate and replaced by people who aren’t Mitch McConnell’s clones and inwardly hostile to President Trump, the better things will get.

[Political Junkie Too]

His chief-of-staff runs everything and based on what is said....houses Cochran in an apartment of her own house.

This is the problem. As I posted in June 2014:

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More simply than that, it's a staff that was used to the perks and free reign from having a senile Senator who rubber-stamped their power, who now face losing their cushy jobs because they can't prop up Cochran any longer without the people of Mississippi finding out.

---

The staff don't want to give up their nice homes and influential positions and go back to Mississippi.

It's as simple as that.

-PJ

[morphing libertarian]

I happen to know she takes a nap every day.

[Defiant]

There needs to be a 25th Amendment for Senators. President, Speaker, Majority Leader and 2 cabinet officers can remove for incompetence/incontinence.

[Hawthorn]

>> Bryant . . . supported Ted Cruz <<

Pretty damning evidence to most around here.

>> the Haley Barbour GOP machine is omnipotent <<

Of course. I think it’s highly probable that Gov. Bryant would appoint the elderly Boss Hogg as a place-holder if Cochran leaves the scene before expiration of his term.

Then, when a new election comes up, the Boss could retire, at which point Gov. Bryant himself would seem to be a strong candidate.

(But if the Boss doesn’t want the job, I think Delbert Hosemann would be a likely Bryant pick — unless the Guv can find another elderly politico who would be only a place-holder.)

[Hawthorn]

>> There needs to be a 25th Amendment for Senators. President, Speaker, Majority Leader and 2 cabinet officers can remove for incompetence/incontinence <<

Well, sure.

And while we’re at it, let’s have a rule that anybody who is incontinent or over age 70 also should be barred from posting on FR.

[Defiant]

Touched a nerve, did I?

[wardaddy]

Supporting Cruz ain’t damning around here

He just wasn’t preferred over Trump

I’ll let you in on a little secret

This forum despite good intentions is sometimes wrong

George W Bush

Immigration circa 2005

Etc

But it comes around eventually

Cruz is ok

[Be Careful]

Ok...if this is so, that the Mississippi governor is not a RINO gope.......then now we know why Sad Cochran won’t retire....”They” do not want to give up a seat to a Trump-ist, to be nominated by a sympathetic governor

[Hawthorn]

>> Supporting Cruz ain’t damning around here <<

Well, last year I sure saw a bunch of posts making Cruz out to be almost the personification of political evil.

But if you say he’s now a good guy, so be it.

(And he definitely took Bernie to the clearners in their debate the other night.)

[cherry]

I’m so sick of these old farts...really am....

[Kalamata]

>>remove what are essentially carbon blobs
********************************************
I like your descriptive phrase. It made me laugh, but it’s accurate!

[Kalamata]

I bet she doesn’t even sign off on them. They probably have one of those automated signature stamps, or someone else just signs her name. There would be no accountability mechanism even if one of her staffers revealed it.

[Kalamata]

Nightly prayers, Spiridon, and daytime prayers, too!