Excellent point for a strategy discussion. I would expect that many of the GOP-e are simply so unprincipled as to follow such directions.
If the TEA Party votes for the RINO after such a disgusting display of dishonor, are they not betraying their own principles.
So the RINOs are playing a numbers game.
If their candidate gets a TEA Party challenger in the primary, they use their Democrat "friends" to defeat them.
If the TEA party candidate wins the primary, they'll use their Democrat "friends" to defeat them in the general election.
If the TEA Party stays home on election day (or votes for the Democrat), the Democrat could very well win in MS.
If the TEA Party starts a write-in campaign for McDaniels or other suitable candidate, they might lose, but they might also win in a three-way split.
Otherwise, they lose with either the Democrat or with the RINO.
If the TEA party just lays down and doesn’t fight after what the GOPe did to them, it will be terrible for the movement. Hopefully money is flowing in to fight this because a write in campaign is very winnable. There are a lot of angry people out there.