Im usually never a purist type, always pragmatic. If the RINO wins fair and square (better campaign, bigger machine) in the primaries, I always back them in the general. If a RINO is our only path in a blue purple state, I back them. From McCain to Romney to Graham to Scott Brown etc. But the way Cochran won was so ugly and despicable that it’s unforgivable. If conservatives vote for Cochran in the general, the Roves and Barbours and Chambers etc will have a template. They will run the same game plan again and again if there are no consequences. And I know that Childers will vote with Reid 90% of the time and Cochran would only vote with then 30%. But it’s the principle. The only way they can fix it is to explain it, disavow it and apologize. Even then, not sure.
The question I’d have, however, is who really was to blame for the runoff electioneering to the Democrats. Did the doddering Thad ask for this or have some knowledge in advance? I get the sense that he is a kind of puppet now.
The way he won was ugly, but the only way to challenge it is not by electing the Dem but by pursuing investigations of things that were clearly illegal (the mysterious unattributed flyers distributed in black districts, for example) and by McDaniel using his power as a state senator to try to tighten up or even enforce elections law.
Also, I gather from posters here that Cochran is widely expected to retire after a year or two, meaning that someone else will be appointed to fill his seat. What about trying to make sure that someone is good? Or at least trying to build up broader support for a non-establishment candidate in the next few years so that there is such a huge majority of support that the GOP-e and the Dems really can’t overcome it?
Voting Dem excludes you from the process and lets the GOP establishment win - in addition to prolonging the disastrous effect a Dem Senate is having on the country.
My sentiments exactly.
Good post!!!