I don't think Thad even knows what day it is. The poor demented soul is just a warm seat for the GOPe Senate. I'm sure McConnell has assigned handlers who tell him how to vote. I would even go so far to say they know he won't make it to the end of his next term, so the machine can hand-pick their next malleable candidate.
And, McDaniel just wasn’t malleable enough.
The trouble with modern MS is that it is full of welfare rednecks (and blacks). Who see no reason to “keep those necks red” working in the “sun.” Maybe it was not the most propitious place to launch a Tea Party candidate. It was still worth the try.