Thank God for Mississippi's display of the Republican establishment's desperation

al.com ^ | 7/2/14 | J. Pepper Bryars

[cotton1706]

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cochran.JPGSen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., survived thanks to Democratic voters and Mississippi's open primaries.

Alabamians have an old saying about our sister state to the west: "Thank God for Mississippi!"

It's said that the Magnolia State keeps Alabama from being first on the bad list and last on the good list. I've only repeated the adage tongue-in-cheek because there's much to love about Mississippi. Its food, music and literature are second to none. But this summer I'm saying "Thank God for Mississippi" with conviction because their recent Republican Primary exposed how desperate and self-serving the entrenched party establishment has become.

Specifically, it has given conservatives two actions to seriously consider.

First, the primary fiasco provided a glittering example of why states should close their Republican primaries to only registered Republicans. In Mississippi, as in Alabama, a Democrat can vote in the Republican Primary, and vice versa.

Last month incumbent Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran, an establishment Republican, was forced into a runoff after his Tea Party-backed challenger, Chris McDaniel, received more votes, but not a majority, during the primary.

[tumblindice]

The GOPee conspiring with Democrats to suppress conservatives.
It sounds familiar somehow ...

[Blood of Tyrants]

Tennessee not only has open primaries, but the winner needs only to have a plurality of votes. Lamar won the nomination while getting less than 40% of the votes cast.