Thad Cochran’s victory in Mississippi proves black voters’ leverage

MSNBC's The Grio ^ | July 1, 2014 | Michael Steele

[2ndDivisionVet]

“There’s something strange about a Republican primary that’s decided by liberal Democrats.” – State Sen. Chris McDaniel.

There was something strange about that primary election between six-term incumbent Republican Senator Thad Cochran and state Senator Chris McDaniel, period!

From reports of a McDaniel supporter sneaking into the bedroom and taking a photo of Mrs. Cochran at the nursing home where she resides to the discovery of more McDaniel supporters locked inside a courthouse where ballots had been counted on primary election night, to some folks actually believing a Democrat (former Rep. Travis Childers) could win the Senate seat this Fall, this race has been no ordinary head scratcher.

Despite the miscues, crazy quotes and unrelenting speculation that the Tea Party is over (or at least gone out for coffee), Chris McDaniel beat Cochran in a primary night stunner. The Tea Party was emboldened, the GOP Establishment was, well, confused as usual and virtually every political pundit in the Capitol City concluded Thad Cochran was politically a Dead Man Walking.

In fact, nearly four weeks ago, the runoff election was going to be a kind of “drop the mike” moment for Tea Party activists in Mississippi and across the country that would rewrite the emerging narrative on recent defeats and put the national GOP leadership on notice (the intervening primary loss by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to College Professor David Brat only made the June 24th runoff look that much more enticing and definitive).

But Thad saw things differently. As early as the day after the June 3rd primary — while his financial supporters and party leaders were trying to decide which exit to take on his campaign highway to nowhere, the Cochran team hunkered down and made a fateful decision....

[Deagle]

Well, it does prove that Republicans are just as nasty as the Democrats so not much to vote for... What in the world are we fighting for anyway?

[Pontiac]

Well, it does prove that Republicans are just as nasty as the Democrats so not much to vote for

What you have in Cochran is a desperate old man who can not stand the notions that he will become just another guy from flyover country when he is not a US Senator anymore.

This is a guy that is addicted to power and will do anything to keep his power.

I am not really for term limits but Cochran is a good argument for term limits.

[lee martell]

If this is the same Michael Steel we soundly rejected as a party leader, Mike, please just shut up and stop pretending you’re a Republican. Go ahead, sign the change of party affiliation forms. Be true to yourself Mike. Everybody knows you’re still a DIM-DEM at heart. Oh, and Mike, you can take your old Pal Priebus with you, we haven’t got much use for him here. Priebus can mumble while Michael stumbles.

[Jim Noble]

Thad Cochran’s victory in Mississippi proves black voters’ leverage

As will his defeat in November.

[Godebert]

"As will his defeat in November.

Cochran may not even be on the ballot in November.

Mississippi Election Drama Continues – McDaniel Campaign Has Found 3,300 Invalid Votes In Less Than Half of Counties Checked…

[OldMissileer]

This does not prove that Negroes have leverage. It only proves that if you pay them money they will abandon any sense of morality and illegally vote in the Republican Primary after they voted in the Democrat Primary.

[livius]

Everybody always knew that blacks had leverage: they are the only bloc that can uniformly be turned out to vote for whomever they are told to vote, no questions asked. As a group, they have lived in such a twilight world of half-criminality and ignorance for so long that they are almost outside of the normal system and are virtually brought in from the outside as a weapon by whatever white politician has rented the weapon at that particular moment.

And the rental agency is the black church.

This is just the first time somebody in the GOP had the bright idea of using them.

[niteowl77]

Everybody always knew that blacks had leverage: they are the only bloc that can uniformly be turned out to vote for whomever they are told to vote, no questions asked. As a group, they have lived in such a twilight world of half-criminality and ignorance for so long that they are almost outside of the normal system and are virtually brought in from the outside as a weapon by whatever white politician has rented the weapon at that particular moment.

And the rental agency is the black church.

This is just the first time somebody in the GOP had the bright idea of using them.

Well stated!

Mr. niteowl77

[OldMissileer]

Your post is the post of the day. You are dead on the mark.

[dynachrome]

All those Africans who voted for Cochran in the primary, will vote for him in the general election, right?

[don-o]

Steele overlooks the low road that Cochran took to expand his electorate. The devil is in the details, Michael.

[randita]

McDaniel ping

[ZOOKER]

bfl

[norwaypinesavage]

It certainly proves that black votes can be bought. It also makes one wonder how pervasive this vote buying really is.