Posted on 07/02/2014 6:13:19 AM PDT by koanhead
Conservatism in Mississippi faces a rocky and critically defining period ahead after the GOP Senate primary bloodbath.
There are many good people - red, yellow, black and white, tea party and establishment - in Mississippi who are concerned about better public policy that will involve, among other things, - and most importantly - smaller, limited government.
If anybody can bring us together, Thad can. He's spent his entire career building and tending relationships like a master rose gardener. But the party must step up, too.
The next six years will shape the future of America, and Mississippi needs to be a part, for the sake of our Republic.
We will not get into the train wreck of the Cochran campaign now, but some remarkable people did some remarkable things over the last two weeks to pull off a remarkable win.
Without marching orders, individual Mississippians just went to work for Thad, from Oxford to Madison to the Coast, and gradually the heavy artillery arrived with reinforcements.
Strong leadership from the top down matters now more than ever. There's no place for the cowardly because somebody is going to have to pick up the pieces and put the party back together with more diversity.
With an unusual assist from African-American voters and other Democrats who feared the extremes of his opponent, Sen. Thad Cochran beat back a spirited challenge from state Sen. Chris McDaniel, triumphing in a Republican run-off and defeating the tea party, where the movement's hopes were brightest.
McDaniel, speaking in Hattiesburg, was angry and it showed. "There is something a bit strange, there is something a bit unusual about a Republican primary that's decided by liberal Democrats," he said.
He accused Cochran of abandoning the conservative movement, as he and his supporters have all along.
"So much for principles," he said.
We wonder what makes Mr. McDaniel believe African-Americans and other Democrats can't be principled as well.
It was an extraordinary end to a wild campaign, with Republicans standing up for the rights of black Democrats, and with cash-rich national tea party groups crying foul in defeat.
The bitter gush of fury and vitriol from McDaniel supporters after the defeat was, no doubt, brought on by Mr. McDaniel himself with the combative post-election speech where he refused to concede.
The right thing was to concede and start working for the good of our state and our nation, given such a wide margin of loss.
Meanwhile, his supporters continue to alienate voters, as if a Democrat's vote is dirty or unacceptable, not good enough.
We are done with those days. A vote is a vote. Good for Sen. Cochran for reaching out to Democrats.
Mr. Cochran is more likely to bring about change in Washington with that tone than one advocating the establishment of a pure race or party with a litmus test. Stick to public policy and get the government out of our lives.
Last Tuesday, Democratic voters trickled out of the Court Street United Methodist Church in downtown Hattiesburg, saying they had voted for a Republican for the first time in their lives - Thad Cochran.
So we have some Mississippians who voted Republican for the first time in their lives. So they vote once. Then it's twice in November.
All of a sudden, they're comfortable in their new shoes and the GOP is growing. Pro-life, like-minded African Americans are flocking in droves, embracing smaller, limited government and focused on ending the destructive cycle of poverty.
McDaniel supporters could simply try being gracious in defeat - and some reasonable and moderate supporters like Madison's Russ Latino have.
"Be advised though that there is a growing sentiment among conservatives that there isn't much of a distinction between the moderate Republican and the Democrat and that considerations like majorities aren't as compelling as they once were where Republicans have squandered majorities in the past," wrote our sometime op-ed columnist Latino to his friends who supported Sen. Cochran. "This sentiment is compounded when you win an election with what is at least perceived of as Democrat messaging."
He goes on to close: "All of this leads to great consternation over the general election. If you don't want us to be a part of your party, why should we vote for you? Understand, this is not a threat on my part.
"I want you to 'get' the level of anger and frustration and seriously consider the impact of telling people like me to go fly a kite. It hasn't been everyone, but now is not the time for Cochran supporters to be glib.
"I said yesterday, and I meant it, that the winning candidate needed to exercise humility in victory. I also think the winning candidate needs to prove that he still has some fight left in him and wants to represent the conservative base of his party. It won't be an easy sell. I'm not trying to start a debate. Just a dialogue."
What if Mr. McDaniel would have used similar words election night? But instead, he spit in Thad Cochran's face, evoking equally angry responses from the "establishment."
Mr. Cochran can reach out to those reasonable voices like Latino who are willing to engage in dialogue, but Mr. McDaniel is going to have to be among the willing in order to budge the needle.
Chasing away traditional Democrats is wrong and morally corrupt. Liberty is about the freedom to choose.
We still can't get over the hypocrisy of the McDaniel camp. It's more like selective liberty and selective memory.
For example, Pat Bruce, chairman of the Madison County Conservative Coalition (formerly the Madison County Tea Party) is a former Democrat, having worked on the campaign of Democrat Sen. John C. Stennis in the 1970s.
She apparently saw the light. Why couldn't traditional Democrats Tuesday?
Mr. McDaniel can relate to seeing the light. He voted in the Democratic primary in 2003, presumably for Ronnie Musgrove and not for Haley Barbour.
Should McDaniel and Bruce be disqualified because they fail the purity test? Of course not.
Brighter days lie ahead for Mississippi and for our great Republic if we can all work together.
But, THE SHOUTING MUST STOP! Let the dialogue begin.
Yet more than a week after the election, nerves still haven't settled, Mr. McDaniel is nowhere near opening a dialogue and he's masquerading as the nominee when he lost the election by 7,000 votes in a continuing kook-fest that includes a write-in campaign.
Gov. Phil Bryant and Mississippi GOP Chairman Joe Nosef have the power to end this. The vacuum created by the party apparatus not closing ranks and enforcing very basic management rules is being filled by the insane, lunatic fringe spewing the most vile comments and bizarre conspiracy theories ever seen in modern Mississippi politics.
The situation is completely out of control. For the sake and dignity of our beloved Mississippi and our Republic, end this nightmare swiftly.
The Republican establishment you're shilling for has no principles.
Therefore unity with principled people is impossible.
If that makes us "kooks" so be it. We'll wear that label proudly, the way a prior generation of Americans wore the "yankee doodle" label that was given them by another bunch of arrogant, unprincipled tyrants.
There comes a time when there's really nothing left to say to folks like you except, "See you at Yorktown."
I believe he was sent to test the level of blowback the GOP can expect come November from the bitter clingers. No other reason to post something like that.
They are trying to decide whether to double down or sacrifice Cockroach.
Exactly. This piece would be a wonderful call for unity but it ignores entirely that fact, and indeed spits in the face of every conservative that flyer insulted.
Again, I declare myself the KING of pragmatism. But this is intolerable. Intolerable situation. This piece lambasts every conservative who dared to take umbrage over that flyer. The author has the gall to criticize McDaniel for being angry about the results, without considering he MIGHT have been angry about how he was depicted in that flyer. Without even mentioning the flyer itself, just it's effects in this passage:
With an unusual assist from African-American voters and other Democrats who feared the extremes of his opponent, Sen. Thad Cochran beat back a spirited challenge from state Sen. Chris McDaniel
"unusual assist"!?
You have to be KIDDING me!! Do you wanna talk about what brought ON that "unusual assist"? I'd mention the author by name here but it's conveniently absent! Indeed, who WOULD put their name to such TRIPE!?
You wanna start the process of unification? Why don't you have Cochran step out of the race, acknowledge he "won" by smearing McDaniel completely without merit (and in the process further FED the stereotype of conservative as "racist") and pledge his support to McDaniel. THAT would be working for REAL unity.
THAT would be putting the good of the nation over political gain.
THIS, from perhaps the biggest pragmatist left on FR!
Why not? It worked against those questioning Obama's credentials.
Obviously not what he had in mind. LOL!
Don’t feel alone. There are lots of battered wives out there accepting the blame for their abusive spouses. Just keep telling yourself, “But the GOPe loves me.”
Bumpity bump
I knew the minute I got that offensive robocall the Friday before the runoff we were looking at a democrat sinator from MS for the first time in decades.
You can’t call your PRIMARY opponent’s supporters (whose votes you’ll need in November!) a bunch of KKKlansmen if they think $17T is unsustainable and expect them to vote for you in the general...
This sort of rhetoric happens in the GENERAL election. Because if you win you don’t NEED the other guys supporters to support you...
And the name calling and general insults haven’t let up since last Tuesday night. McD supporters already think the other guy cheated with voters who had no legal business voting in the pubbie primary runoff (having already voted in the dim one), but calling them nasty names will NOT make that any better...
Its classic propaganda 101. No one wants to be considered the ‘other’/the outsider. Everyone wants to sit at the cool kids table because high school never ends. If you can make the kook/insert ‘other’ meme viral, you personalize and isolate TEA as ‘other’ in the public eye. The public then does your gob scapegoating for you.
Sound familiar?
Obama didn’t need the questioner’s votes come election time.
The Republican primary winner still needs the votes of 1/2 of his party come November. Having called them nutty KKKlansmen since June 3, I can’t really see that happening.
Can you?
>>koanhead
>>Since Jun 16, 2014
Oh look! A newby RINO, probably a friend of the Cochran campaign, calling for party unity in the wake of campaign actions that cannot be defended!
No sale.
It’s really a question of what allows God’s grace into the situation, and that is sometimes a complex issue.
Getting in bed with Democrat electioneering techniques should not be tolerated. That is a huge integrity killer. The issue is bigger than Thad who under certain circumstances might be forgiven: who’s going to make an effort to keep the GOP from doing that again?
Unlike some I am not hollering “kill the GOP.” It needs a heart transplant, however.
If by that, you mean we're somehow being irrational by not supporting and uniting with the evil toads that stole a primary with the most vile, race baiting tactics ever run by the GOPE; I take offense at your saying "we're just being "emotional".
How in the world do you defend or unite behind what these toads did? Go ahead, we're waiting.......
I agree.
I also consider myself of a pragmatic mind set. Resolving principle with strategy and tactic is not easy for me. The perfect can be the enemy of the good. But, this Mississippi outrage has added a factor - Main Street Republicans have gone to war with me; and the sit there with a smirk and a "What you gonna do about it?"
The GOP thinks they can be Dems/use Dem tactics like the Dems can and win with it.
They can’t. They are stupid. Dems are truly evil. Although the GOP is working hard at becoming truly evil, they are just stupid. Ergo, they fail.
They need to have any remaining power stripped from them before they learn to be truly evil instead of ‘lesser evil’.
Dems use those tactics on their enemies.
GOP uses them on themselves...
‘Hold ma beer’n watch this!’
True, but not the point. Elected Representatives are supposed to OBEY the laws, not decide if they're worthy of following.
So why did a Republican candidate court Democratic voters when he knew in doing so they would violate the law?
What about the double voters? Will he be paying their fines? Sure they didn't have to vote for him, but the tactics he used? Accusing the opposition of being racist and cutting off the government goody train is pure political terrorism.
Does the fact he USED these people not bother you at all?
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