EDITORIAL/Thad Cochran for Senate | The single biggest threat to American conservatism is good Republicans loathing other good Republicans, as demonstrated so powerfully in the venomous Cochran-McDaniel U.S. Senate primary race in Mississippi with all of its bizarre twists and turns. The open repugnance among conservatives is a nefarious path to destruction, which could ultimately hand the Senate back to Democrats in 2015 — and worse, the Presidency in 2016. The real threat to America remains modern liberalism, big-government “progressives” who embrace social welfare programs that have entrapped individuals in a cycle of poverty and despair rather than lifting up, educating and employing them. The poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable among us need a safety net, but entitlements are bankrupting America and robbing good and decent people of their dignity by making them, generation upon generation, dependent on the government and the Democratic Party. Republicans are the party of liberty and can win on that message. Young people have witnessed the failures of intrusive, incompetent and wasteful government and are turning in droves elsewhere. Liberty is consistent with Republican principles and the vision of the Founders. There is room for inclusion in the GOP. Fiscal conservatives of any stripe are not the threat. Big-government liberals are. So, enough is enough. Chris McDaniel has an appealing message, especially for those who feel Washington isn’t listening and spending too much. But he hasn’t been specific enough about entitlement reforms. Entitlements comprise 45 percent of the federal budget, the military about 19 percent and transportation about 3 percent. Discretionary spending is miniscule. Fixing the Washington spending problem involves major entitlement reform. Modern tea party conservatives like Mr. McDaniel see compromise as violating principle and working with Democrats as a sign of weakness. Mr. Cochran comes from an era when compromise was an art, more similar to the way Washington worked at the Founding. Mr. Cochran is a gentleman, an extremely humble man, one of the most respected members of Congress. In this nasty, gutter politics campaign, so many have taken to social media to personalize their politics, often in stunningly passive-aggressive and disrespectful ways. Establishment Republicans swooped in early on to decapitate Mr. McDaniel and he and his supporters have taken it personally, and perhaps rightly so. But welcome to the major leagues, a U.S. Senate race. The enemy is not fellow Republicans, it’s still big-government liberals. Chris McDaniel’s early message was clear and impressive: A return to the limited government of the Founders. But what’s hobbled Mr. McDaniel most has been his campaign’s response to the Cochran break-in at St. Catherine’s Village. They had difficulty getting their story straight and it just kept getting worse. And although he’s downplayed and denied wanting to reverse Mississippi’s lawsuit abuse reform, Mr. McDaniel is a trial lawyer representing plaintiffs in some pivotal cases. Mississippi was in a healthcare crisis before tort reform because doctors were leaving the state, closing their practices and med school graduates couldn’t afford insurance. We can’t fully explain Mr. Cochran’s refusal to debate Mr. McDaniel, except that’s what strong incumbents usually do. Nor can we explain Mr. Cochran’s refusal to speak to the editorial board of The Clarion-Ledger, other than the obvious danger any conservative faces sitting among liberals with a pen and an agenda. Those who don’t believe Sen. Cochran has the mental capacity or physical stamina to serve are misguided. The Senator is perfectly able and his staff is more than capable. Mr. Cochran isn’t the problem, it’s 50-plus years of liberalism that’s bankrupting the country and putting people out of work along with the more recent failed policies of the Obama administration. American businesses are suffocating under an increasing choke hold of regulations. With the slowest economic recovery ever, worsening government scandals such as the Veterans Administration, people dropping out of the workforce at record levels, does anyone truly believe big government works best? Harder still to tackle but necessary if we are to survive as a Republic, programs like Social Security, Medicare, home financing and student loans desperately need reform. They continue to rack up huge future liabilities that threaten the stability of the U.S. economy and the underpinnings of the middle class. We have all kicked the can down the road for decades. The difference now is that the cliff is rapidly approaching and there is not much road left beneath our feet. The dirty truth is, federal dollars help fuel the Mississippi economy. For every $1 Mississippi sends to Washington, the state gets $3 back. We’re not proud of that, but we haven’t seen Mr. McDaniel’s plan to reduce that return. Mr. Cochran’s seniority as chairman of appropriations will mean the most when Republicans take back the Senate in 2015, so it’s important he’s re-elected. Hope remains for overall fiscal and regulatory reform when Republicans gain both houses of Congress. Channeling anger over term limits to this race will only put Mississippi at a disadvantage. Any honest Republican who has served in Congress the last decade and a half — Mr. Cochran included — should admit they haven’t done enough to cut spending or reduce the $18 trillion national debt. Americans want change. The political reality is that Mr. McDaniel can’t win the general election against a Democrat, mainly because of his controversial talk radio past. Liberals saw to it long ago that tea party carries a bad connotation, especially among Democrats, particularly when it comes to race. Mr. McDaniel delivered. Mr. Cochran’s experience is most important. He is by far the better candidate, although both are equally good men. Government is the enemy of liberty. Re-elect Thad Cochran and don’t hand the Senate back to big-government Democrats. Vote Thad Cochran for United States Senate in the June 3 Republican Primary.
Posted on: Tue, 27 May 2014 19:06:25 +0000
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