I don't think that McDaniel expected the friendly fire during the run-off, especially since he's a sitting state Senator who won two elections previously. He's probably just as shocked at how ruthlessly his own party turned on him.
One test will be the upcoming Lamar Alexander primary. If Alexander faces a very tough challenger because the electorate is angry at what happened in Mississippi, then it's a clue that maybe Bevin might have had a better go if it, too, if Mississippi came first.
It could also be that the Tea Party "orgs" were crippled in 2012 by Obama's IRS. Cochran, McConnell, and Alexander are benefiting from it, too.
-PJ
probably just as shocked at how ruthlessly his own party turned on him.
Why would he not know that the Barbour machine would do anything and everything? If that’s true then he isn’t prepared for the big league.
The Tea Party orgs are their own worst enemy. As soon as the Tea Party rallies began in 2010, the rush to be the “self proclaimed” leaders began, by many wildeyed libertarian types who “we Tea Party citizens” didn’t pick or like. That threw cold water on the truly grassroots movement as soon as the passion that gave us 2010 ended.
TTV is different they are around to spotlight stuff like the MS runoof BS. TTV was hindered by the IRS.