Posted on 06/09/2014 3:31:29 AM PDT by Kaslin
Anyone that wants to know what is wrong with today’s Republican Party need only look to the state of Mississippi.
A 76-year-old Republican Senator, Thad Cochran, who has been serving in the United States Congress for 42 years, is running yet again for another six-year term. This, while his dementia-ridden wife has been sitting in a nursing home for the last 14 years.
In the primary last Tuesday, Cochran lost by half a point to Tea Party Republican challenger Chris McDaniel. But because McDaniel garnered 49.6 percent of the vote, short of the 50 percent mark, there will be a run-off.
Cochran should step aside now and acknowledge what is clear as a bell. Grass roots Mississippi Republicans, like Americans nationwide, want change.
But in a statement about what the Republican Party establishment is about today, they are encouraging him to continue. They would rather have an out-of-touch old man in the US Senate, without a single idea for dealing with our nation’s many problems, than the thought of a Tea Party candidate who wants to do something.
Three in four Americans are dissatisfied with the direction of the country. Barack Obama was elected in 2008 in response to Americans wanting something new.
Now many Americans finally realize that what Obama has to offer they don’t want. So opportunity knocks for a newly energized and principled Republican opposition.
But instead of delivering something new, the Republican establishment – Karl Rove’s American Crossroads Super PAC, the US Chamber, and others – want to deliver what is old. Cochran’s agenda is to continue to serve up government pork to Mississippi and protect the interests of his friends in Washington.
America today barely resembles the nation when Thad Cochran first assumed office in January 1973.
The federal budget then was $250 billion compared to over $4 trillion today.
Medicare was a relatively new program, with 25 million enrollees, spending less than $3000 per enrollee, compared to over 50 million enrollees today, spending over $11,000 per enrollee.
Abortion was illegal. It wasn’t until several weeks after Cochrane first assumed office that the Supreme Court handed down the Roe v Wade decision legalizing abortion. Since then, for the duration of Cochran’s service in Washington, over 50 million unborn children have been destroyed.
Less than 10 percent of our babies were born to unwed mothers in 1973 compared to 42 percent today.
The personal computer did not exist and it would be another twenty plus years before the internet would become a commercial reality.
In a Gallup survey done in the last quarter of 2013, 46 percent of Americans self-identified as Independent – an all time high.
And just 22 percent identified as Republican – an all time low.
Americans want change and the Republican Party establishment does not. This is the problem.
When Thad Cochran began service in Washington, 85 percent of the American population was white, compared to 64 percent today.
Mississippi has the largest percentage of blacks in the nation – 37 percent of its population. Forty four percent of this black population is poor.
These low income Americans can and must be courted by a party that will promote pro-growth, pro-family policies that they and all Americans need. A Republican Party promoting this agenda as an alternative to the welfare state left that has done grave damage to these low-income communities would be welcome.
Protecting a 76-year-old Senator who has been in Washington for almost half a century, with no interest beyond protecting the status quo, is the sign of a Party who is the problem, not the solution.
Mississippi grass roots Republicans have spoken and the Party establishment should accept it. The change that should occur in Mississippi should serve as a message there and around the nation.
Get rid of the old and bring in the new.
If 3/4 of Americans are dissatisfied with the direction of this country, then why didn’t McDaniel get more than 50% of the votes?
Because he is controllable. McDaniel likely won’t be.
Because most people don’t vote in primaries and a lot of people, a whole lot, have simply given up and have no hope. The establishment party mobilized voters but still couldn’t get a majority.
I cannot disagree with anything she says.
Yet most American's want the Cliff Note version or don't want to get into the gory details of real change aka "something new", I see it in all my various social circles. Talk about the internal mechanics of Obamacare, SSI, the Budget, you will see they are so ill informed it is frightening. The public reminds me of those who say gosh I need to go on a diet and have no impulse control as they go back for 2nd's or more at the Country Buffet Desert Bar.
I wonder what Cochran’s vote total would have been minus all the Democrat votes that he got last Tuesday.
I don't me to a "ageist" or some other PC Term but...
We retire ATP's aka Air Line Pilots @ 65. With that said, most of our Senators are way beyond their expiration date ( in terms of serving beyond a mythical 65 yr old retirement age for Senators ) and should retire.
Mark Levin is spot on with his Article V term limits concepts.
The republican party supports reelecting repubican incumbents and defeating democrats.
Republicans worry that a right wing republican is unable to expand beyond the republican base and will lose the general election because the republicans alone are not a majority.
Republicans must win over some independents and/or democrats in general elections.
Because he helps them grow their kingdoms and butters their bread.
It has become common pracice in primaries when there is no opposition in the other party, for voters to cross over and "vote for the worst".
The establishment 'pubs are actually encouraging that as a strategy, and risking the Republican Senate seat rather than support McDaniels, who is more likely to win the election in November.
Come 2016, if the RINOs choose another despicable candidate, do they seriously think we'll vote for the "lesser of two evils"?
His senior status is the #1 thing. A new guy is at the bottom of the totem pole, and is more beholden to his constituents than a multi termed incumbent who has a huge war chest, and the National GOP to prop them up.
GIVE ONLY TO YOUR CANDIDATE! Beat Lamar...vote Joe Carr in TN. Lamar is behind so much cross the isle crap, RINO, oath breaker of 2 terms and out. 73. Draws at least 2 state pensions to boot.
Because Thad is like James Eastland and John Stennis before him; he’s been in office so long that voting for him is almost a reflex act, and the GOP-e believes (correctly) that Cochran would be a slam dunk in November. If you’re trying to re-take the Senate, you need every “sure” win you can muster.
There’s only one problem with this narrative. If you look at vote totals, there were more than twice as many votes cast in the GOP primary compared to the Democratic contest. Travis Childers, the Dim nominee, is a joke; he managed to sneak into Congress for a single term a few years ago because the GOP couldn’t get its act together in Roger Wicker’s old district in northern Mississippi.
If the Mississippi GOP had any leadership, they would have run Thad, with the stipulation that he resign within 18 months of starting his new term. Then, Phil Bryant could appoint his successor, and Chris McDaniel would be at the top of that list. Unfortunately, the Mississippi branch of GOP-e would probably choose someone else, such as Haley Barbour or one of the sitting GOP congressmen.
See the answer at my tag line.
OUTSTANDINGLY-stated, Fresh Wind. Thanks.
“Because most people don’t vote in primaries and a lot of people, a whole lot, have simply given up and have no hope.”
People don’t vote in primaries because they don’t want to be identified as Democrat or Republican.
42 years is way too long to be in office.
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