Posted on 06/25/2014 8:00:34 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
THE REPUBLICAN Party civil war between purists and pragmatists is not over: the viciousness of the 2014 party primary season proves that. But defeats for Tea Party-backed populists on June 24th confirm a big development. The party’s business-backed “governing” wing has remembered how to fight, and fight rough.
Not for the first time in history, the lowest blows flew in Mississippi. Senator Thad Cochran—a genteel, big-government Republican and four-decade Washington veteran—broke every rule of Deep South politics and asked black Democrats and union members to cross party lines and cast votes in a Republican Party run-off contest. (Under Mississippi law party primaries are effectively open to all registered voters, though the Republican run-off of June 24th was not—in theory—open to anyone who had voted in an earlier Democratic primary on June 3rd.) It worked, just: Mr Cochran won by about 6,700 votes, or less than two percentage points. A hefty turnout in mostly-black counties helped Mr Cochran beat off Chris McDaniel, a compromise-scorning state senator and former radio talk-show host.
The McDaniel campaign was sidetracked for a time by the arrest of a supporter who had sneaked into a retirement home to film Mr Cochran’s wife, who has dementia. McDaniel backers more recently called foul over leaflets sent to black neighbourhoods touting Mr Cochran’s support for food stamps and bashing Mr McDaniel as an opponent of Obamacare (while leaflets in white districts touted Mr Cochran as a conservative who voted “more than 100 times” against Obamacare, whose seniority nonetheless guaranteed Mississippi federal cash, notably for education).
In defeat Mr McDaniel talked darkly of “irregularities” at polling places and questioned the legitimacy of a Republican contest won with votes from Democrats: a loaded statement in a state where almost 90% of whites vote Republican and over 90% of blacks vote Democratic.
The comeback by the 76-year old incumbent—who at times on the campaign trail appeared weary and unaware of recent news events—marked a sharp defeat for the government-bashing Right. Outside groups attacking Mr Cochran as a Washington insider and Obama-enabler had descended on the state, spending an estimated $7m backing Mr McDaniel in the run-off. Business groups and Republican leaders in Congress poured about $4m into TV ads (including a round-the-clock broadcast of an endorsement by a local American football star) and a ground campaign.
Pragmatists scored a second win in a senate primary in Oklahoma. Representative James Lankford, a booming-voiced second-term congressman and Southern Baptist youth-camp director, beat off a Tea Party rival who had attacked him for voting to raise America’s federal debt limit as part of broader budget agreements. His opponent, T.W. Shannon, a part-black, part-Native American former speaker of the state House, had been backed by such conservatives as Sarah Palin (“The Democrats accuse us of not embracing diversity? Oh, my goodness, he is it”) and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. By any objective standard Mr Lankford is very conservative. His crime in Tea Party eyes lay in trying to make government work. It helped greatly that the popular incumbent, Senator Tom Coburn, who is retiring after illness, expressed disquiet at attacks on Mr Lankford.
Party leaders have not had 2014 all their way: they are still reeling from the primary defeat in Virginia on June 10th of Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, by a little-known professor. (Mr Cantor cast himself as a conservative outsider while seeking Washington power, a balancing act too far.) Many activists still loathe party leaders. But they no longer have a monopoly on ferocity. Establishment gloves are off.
Dig deeper:
America’s Republicans are a big success and a worrying mess
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
When someone calls the tea party “Purist” I know its just a moderate who wants us to accept whatever crap sandwich they choose to give us.
Tea partiers make compromises all the time but unlike the “moderates” we actually expect to gain at least some of what we want.
I’m thinking we should put out a national campaign to send Chris money. We could show the real strength of the Tea Party aka people and show Chris there are still good people in USA.
We can encourage conservatives with a rallying cry “Remember Mississippi” and show GOP we’re still alive and kicking.
And a few bucks to SarahPAC.
And moreover, we (Conservatives) have no effective national voice, no centralized financial or operational capability, and continue to delude ourselves into thinking that candidates who call themself “Republicans” give a damn about 99% of what’s in the Republican Party Platform.
When Conservatives finally have enough and decide they want to start winning elections again, they will make careful note of what George Soros has done for the cause of liberalism, and do the same thing for Conservatism. For example, Individual donations to 527 organizations (2001 to 2010)
George Soros: $32.5 million
Koch Brothers: $1.5 million
Soros doesn’t give as much to individual candidates, but flows the money through the 527s that he created and which do whatever he tells them to do. And it’s working.
At least in Oklahoma, the Democrats have to stay on their side of the fence, at primaries - by law. Mississippi should have had that law.
When I voted in Oklahoma, I was given a different ballot than the other side. I couldn’t have voted for anyone on their side, even if I had wanted to!
Me thinks McDaniel comes back by vacating the election and redoing it or wins as a write-in for November.
But as we all know the Tea Party will be dead by then. In fact the Tea Party is dead now. IN FACT THE TEA PARTY HAS BEEN DEAD FOR GOING ON FOUR YEARS NOW IN ALL 57 STATES!
I know Americans everywhere are disgusted by this, we could use donations to protest. GOPe dies a little every time they see money going the other way.
I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve - Isoroku Yamamoto
Scalded? This slimeball goat molester CHEATS and they are making it look like a big win?
GImmee a freaking break!
If not, I’ll explain. Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor and four years later were massively firebombed, starved with a naval blockade and had two cities destroyed by atomic weapons.
“His crime in Tea party eyes lay in trying to make government work.”
Ok, I read it and it’s like reading Leo Pitts. No reflection on 2nd Division vet who posts a lot of good stuff, but life’s too short for this happy crappy.
Taxed Enough Already *means* we’re unhappy because it ain’t working, and the GOP-e has adopted the donkey’s philosophy of throwing our money around. Bastards.
There has to be a cost to the GOP for this move. They cannot treat conservatives the same way democrats treat blacks. We will not be taken for granted.
There is a little time to develop a plan, but we need one that many will support. It could be money, organizing a write in or some other idea.
But they need to pay for this
> Voter Fraud. The new GOP weapon.
But they only use it against Conservatives.
Only because they know we won’t stoop to their level and engage in the same evil they do. Their time is coming. They know it.
Well, it is The Economist....
About 10 years ago, yes, it has been going on a long time, but I got a call one day from RNC, asking for money. I was already angry, so I thought, here is my chance. I went ballistic on that twink. I called him every name in the book and a few more too. I told that dip stick I would not give them one red cent, because they did not represent me. I still haven't given them a penny, but it was nice to go off on someone like that. I felt better for it.
They admit it right there!
Agreed! I'm social-media phobic but we could probably get someone in Chris's campaign to start a hash tag 'Remember Mississippi' where we could ask to send Chris money to continue his fight. Or whatever people can come up with, I want to help.
McDaniel could certainly run as an independent and try to beat Cochran in the general, Murkowski-style.
I’m not sure what is “purist” or “extremist” about urging fiscal solvency.....
I've never voted for a Democrat in my life--and I began voting when Nixon was president. But come November, I may vote straight-ticket Democrat--from governor to dog catcher.
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