Did Democrats Just Put Mississippi's Senate Seat In Play?

[ProSense]

Did Democrats Just Put Mississippi's Senate Seat In Play?

Democrats have landed about as strong a candidate as they could have hoped for in the Mississippi Senate race, in which Republicans are heavily favored.

Former Democratic Rep. Travis Childers, who represented the state's deeply conservative 1st congressional district from May 2008 to January 2011, jumped in the race on Friday.

<...>

Childers, who was swept out in the tea party wave of 2010, distanced himself from his own party in his announcement, stressing that he's "an independent guy who will work across party lines." His advisory declared that he's "pro-gun, pro-life, and was endorsed by the NRA."

The Democrat is vying for the seat of Sen. Thad Cochran (R), which he has held since 1978. Cochran, 76, is duking it out with GOP primary challenger Chris McDaniel, a state senator who has support from tea party organizations like the Club For Growth and Senate Conservatives Fund.

- more -

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/travis-childers-democrat-senate-mississippi

Reminds me of how Claire McCaskill got Jim Talent's seat in Missouri.

[LuvNewcastle]

1. About 35% of Mississippians are black. About 5% of whites are liberal.

Cochran will win his primary handily and go on to win the general election with about 60-65% of the vote. Cochran's a lifer, I'm afraid.

[ProSense]

2. No harm in trying, right? n/t

[LuvNewcastle]

18. Absolutely. You never know when a meteorite might fall and hit Cochran.

[NCTraveler]

19. +1

Nothing wrong with constantly getting the message out in very conservative districts. Over time, our ideals will win out.

[TheKentuckian]

23. Nope, the harm is in not contesting seats.

When we cede elections uncontested, we surrender unconditionally and strengthen them.

The running unopposed shit has to end and at least at the higher levels Governor and Senate we have to legitimately contest them every time and keep our message out so we have something to build on and provide some competing narrative.

[Aerows]

4. We can hope, though

If we could get a Democratic Senator, things might just look up for this state. I know I'll be voting for Childers.

[LuvNewcastle]

16. Oh, I'll vote for him. I was afraid that Cochran wasn't going to have

a Democratic challenger. The party in Miss. is in bad shape, and I've seen elections lately in which Republicans were running unopposed. That should never happen. But Cochran has nearly the same status now that Stennis had. There's realistically speaking, no chance he'll be unseated. I don't think there's enough mud in Miss. to throw at him at this point.

[Aerows]

20. Look at McDaniel

who is running against Cochran for the Republican nomination. That idiot makes Ted Cruz almost look reasonable. Which means he definitely has a chance against Cochran for the nomination LOL.

[LuvNewcastle]

21. Considering the teabagger revolution we had in the legislature,

he did scare me when I first saw him running. And of course, Club for Growth is backing him. But I know some people who are active in the GOP, and they all say that McDaniel doesn't have a prayer. They say that McDaniel is running to get his name out there for the next election, by which time Cochran will likely retire. However, they also say that McDaniel won't have a chance then because Haley Barbour wants that seat. How does Sen. Haley Barbour sound? Gives me the fucking chills just thinking about it.

[Aerows]

22. OMG not Haley Barbour again

Hasn't he screwed this state up enough!?

[dsc]

24. I wouldn't count on Cochran winning that primary

but if he does in that primary he will win the general.

[cali]

3. Yippy and Yay! Love me some pro-life, pro-NRA dems!

and he's a bigot too!

Hey, we gotta be practical



this guy sounds like a great dem!

[Aerows]

5. If you think Childers is bad

You should see the batshit crazy things Cochran is for.

[cali]

6. Why should I be comparing him to Cochran?

Look, he's a corporate bigot piece of shit. that he's better than Cochran is damning with faint praise.

[ProSense]

9. Because that's who he's running against? n/t

[Aerows]

14. And Cochran is running against

McDaniel, who is crazier than Ted Cruz for the Republican nomination.

[CJCRANE]

11. That's like saying: "I either drive straight ahead or do a 180 turn

there's no inbetween".

Well, sometimes you can do a course correction and start turning gradually.

[Aerows]

13. Here's the thing

If McDaniel (a tea party nut job/wind bag) wins the nomination over Cochran, anyone left of Rush Limbaugh would be a better choice. I agree that he sucks. Cochran sucks even worse. But frankly, McDaniel is a lunatic's lunatic.

I don't know what to tell you cali. Politics here tend to be picking from bad or worse anyway, but this one is bad, worse and far worse.

[msanthrope]

7. Actually, we do have to be practical. That's how you win elections. Politics is a shit sandwich...

somedays you take a little bite, and other days you swallow the whole fucking thing.

[bullwinkle428]

25. I'm willing to swallow the "pro-gun/hurray NRA" stuff because it's Mississippi.

The "pro-life" stuff really sticks in my craw, and I'm really kind of annoyed that a number of women in particular are totally willing to let that slide.

Please don't forget that just two years ago or so, Miss. voters OVERWHELMINGLY rejected a "personhood" amendment, which was a radical anti-abortion law. 58% "NO"!

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/11/why-mississippis-personhood-measure-failed

[ProSense]

8. Guy is a complete tool. Still

"Yippy and Yay! Love me some pro-life, pro-NRA dems!"

...as you said:

"The only way that these pigs are better than corporate repuke pigs is that they keep people like Ron Wyden and Pat Leahy as Chairs of committees."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024584526

[cali]

10. and that's true. but that doesn't make these people any less disgusting

they're corrupt corporate pieces of shit.

c'mon, you can say it: They are corrupt corporate pieces of shit

[ProSense]

12. Who gives a shit? Deal with the reality and not

"They are corrupt corporate pieces of shit"

...some obsession with name calling. He's a tool, call him whatever you want to.

You apparently know the reality, deal with it.

[Aerows]

17. I'll take a corrupt corporate piece of shit

over a flaming lunatic teabagger is McDaniel wins the nomination. Hell I'll take a Democratic corrupt corporate piece of shit over a Republican because every now and then a Democrat will do the right thing even if they are a corrupt corporate piece of shit.

[treestar]

15. It's Mississippi!

[Le Taz Hot]

26. . . .

"Childers, who was swept out in the tea party wave of 2010, distanced himself from his own party in his announcement, stressing that he's "an independent guy who will work across party lines." His advisory declared that he's "pro-gun, pro-life, and was endorsed by the NRA."

And this is better than a Republican how?