I don’t think that McDaniel worked hard enough. Cochran had McCain campaign for him the day before the election. Why didn’t McDaniel have Sarah Palin or Ted Cruz the day before? Because McDaniel thought he had it in the bag and didn’t have to work until the last minute before election results. You cannot go into election day thinking you are winning. You have to go in thinking you are 40 points behind. Cochran although low did work hard until the bitter end. Going to the churches was a good move for him. Why didn’t McDaniel go to the churches? They didn’t even have to the African American churches, but any churches? Why didn’t McDaniel counter Brett Farve with a conservative Quarterback like Drew Brees? Because McDaniel’s was measuring the drapes of his new office, that is why. Arrogance never won an election. Hard work does always.
“Arrogance never won an election”
No, but cheating sure helps.
He did work hard. This was a voter fraud issue.
We couldn’t even get the local self-appointed TEA Party spokesman to allow the best Conservative in the race to appear on the stage with Palin in the building in Tennessee.
“Why didn’t McDaniel have Sarah Palin or Ted Cruz the day before?”
I’m pretty sure McDaniel would have been happy to have Ted Cruz come in any time before the election, but my understanding is that Cruz has chosen to stay out of races where the incumbent GOP senator is being challenged. I believe it is some kind of commitment he made to party bosses.
Nail, meet hammer. McDaniel decided he had the wind at his back, and with runoff election turnout typically lower than the primary, he assumed that Cochran couldn’t generate enough voters to win the second round.
Instead, Cochran played the race card, and Mississippi Democrats were more than willing to go along. From what I can gather, McDaniel had no counter-punching strategy; Cochran was controlling the message; his friends in D.C. made sure he had plenty of cash for the run-off, and the press was more than willing to ignore Thad’s little housing/adultery scandal.
As a former resident of the Magnolia State, I will admit to being surprised by yesterday’s results. Thad appeared to be D.O.A. after the primary, with no hope of recovery, while McDaniel seemed destined for a sure win.
The McDaniel race is a lesson for all Tea Party candidates. Don’t stop your campaign until the final vote is counted and be prepared for anything.
Having torched his political bridges with tens of thousands of conservative voters in Mississippi, who does Thad believe will drag him across the finish line in November? Does he think the GOP-e can save him again, or is he relying on his newfound friends in metro Jackson and Bennie Thompson’s Congressional district—the same individuals who will pull the level for Travis Childers in November.
good commentary. keep it up.