Cochran’s counter to the tea party: Mississippi needs D.C.
Sen. Thad Cochran is doing something remarkable in his effort to stave off a tea party challenge in Mississippi’s Republican runoff election on Tuesday. He’s running as a staunch defender of the federal government.
In the face of a challenge from conservative state Sen. Chris McDaniel, Cochran has moved left rather than right. Instead of shaving differences with McDaniel to mollify the most conservative wing of his party, he has become an even more explicit advocate of Washington largesse.
The verdict will come late Tuesday, when Cochran will learn whether his political career in Washington is over, possibly brought to an end by people who have been re electing him for four decades. If he goes down, it will not be for lack of a fight — but what an unusual fight it has been since he and McDaniel finished in a virtual tie in a June 3 primary.
He has spoken some plain truths about one of the poorest states in the nation and its dependence on Washington. Mississippi has lived off the federal government for generations. When the South was solidly Democratic, Mississippi relied on the longevity and therefore the power of its delegation in Washington — politicians with names such as Eastland and Stennis, Montgomery and Whitten.
They steered a disproportionate share of the defense budget back to Mississippi. They provided money for other sectors of the economy. Federal safety-net programs brought back additional funding. Over the years, Mississippi got back far more in federal money than its residents sent to Washington in the form of tax payments. For a long time, the state has been at or near the top in the flow-of-funding competition. Cochran has helped continue that tradition as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.
Cochran’s counter to the tea party: Mississippi needs D.C.
Sen. Thad Cochran is doing something remarkable in his effort to stave off a tea party challenge in Mississippi’s Republican runoff election on Tuesday. He’s running as a staunch defender of the federal government.
In the face of a challenge from conservative state Sen. Chris McDaniel, Cochran has moved left rather than right. Instead of shaving differences with McDaniel to mollify the most conservative wing of his party, he has become an even more explicit advocate of Washington largesse.
The verdict will come late Tuesday, when Cochran will learn whether his political career in Washington is over, possibly brought to an end by people who have been re electing him for four decades. If he goes down, it will not be for lack of a fight — but what an unusual fight it has been since he and McDaniel finished in a virtual tie in a June 3 primary.
He has spoken some plain truths about one of the poorest states in the nation and its dependence on Washington. Mississippi has lived off the federal government for generations. When the South was solidly Democratic, Mississippi relied on the longevity and therefore the power of its delegation in Washington — politicians with names such as Eastland and Stennis, Montgomery and Whitten.
They steered a disproportionate share of the defense budget back to Mississippi. They provided money for other sectors of the economy. Federal safety-net programs brought back additional funding. Over the years, Mississippi got back far more in federal money than its residents sent to Washington in the form of tax payments. For a long time, the state has been at or near the top in the flow-of-funding competition. Cochran has helped continue that tradition as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.
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