Opinion of blacks that voted for Cochran

[Donerail]

As an Ohioan, it just doesn't sit right that black Democrats should be able crossover and determine the Republican nominee, no matter if it's competitive or not. If Ohio had open primaries and Kasich got a strong primary challenge this year from say Mike DeWine or Steve LaTourette (not to say either one of them ever would have ran), I would still cast a Democratic ballot because that's my party affiliation and who I identify with closest. I wouldn't try to blatantly sabotage the other side.

Weren't you proudly cheering on Chris McDaniel yesterday?

[Meursault]

Masterful trolls who have demonstrated their collective ability to work as a unit.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Masterful trolls who have demonstrated their collective ability to work as a unit.

voting for the candidate they believe would better represent their interests within the party most likely to be elected = trolling?

[Nichlemn]

Denied Childers a chance at winning a seat and thus endangered further the party's Senate majority.

That's very risky when Childers had a low chance of winning anyway. It can be quite rational for a Democrat to prefer a 100% chance of Cochran over a 90% chance of McDaniel and a 10% chance of Childers.

[LeBron]

As an Ohioan, it just doesn't sit right that black Democrats should be able crossover and determine the Republican nominee, no matter if it's competitive or not. If Ohio had open primaries and Kasich got a strong primary challenge this year from say Mike DeWine or Steve LaTourette (not to say either one of them ever would have ran), I would still cast a Democratic ballot because that's my party affiliation and who I identify with closest. I wouldn't try to blatantly sabotage the other side.

Weren't you proudly cheering on Chris McDaniel yesterday?

Yeah, but I wouldn't vote for him if I lived in Mississippi. I supported McDaniel in the primary enthusiastically because that was the easiest way to knock out Cochran, but I disagree with both of them on about everything and would make zero sense for me as a fiscal liberal and social moderate to cast a vote for either one. I would have cast a Democratic ballot for either Childers or possibly Rawl (seeing as he's more liberal than Childers is).

[IceSpear]

Obviously FFs (not a racist and/or neo-Confederate)

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

As an Ohioan, it just doesn't sit right that black Democrats should be able crossover and determine the Republican nominee, no matter if it's competitive or not. If Ohio had open primaries and Kasich got a strong primary challenge this year from say Mike DeWine or Steve LaTourette (not to say either one of them ever would have ran), I would still cast a Democratic ballot because that's my party affiliation and who I identify with closest. I wouldn't try to blatantly sabotage the other side.

Weren't you proudly cheering on Chris McDaniel yesterday?

Yeah, but I wouldn't vote for him if I lived in Mississippi. I supported McDaniel in the primary enthusiastically because that was the easiest way to knock out Cochran, but I disagree with both of them on about everything and would make zero sense for me as a fiscal liberal and social moderate to cast a vote for either one. I would have cast a Democratic ballot for either Childers or possibly Rawl (seeing as he's more liberal than Childers is).

Why such a dislike for Cochran, at least by Republican standards?  Would you honestly rather have a Senator McDaniel?  Because I don't think you believe Childers or Rawl would have a chance in hell at winning that seat.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Adam, Adam, Adam... a Senator theoretically represents not just 'his' primary electorate, nor just those who voted for him in the General Election, but all residents of the state whether they voted for him (or even voted at all) or not. This is one of the basic principles of the strict geographical representation¹ that is prevalent in the United States and most other places that had the questionable fortune of being conquered by the British. Given this, it is perhaps not terribly surprising that Black voters would rather have the respectable Thad Cochran - who was even polite enough² to actually ask for their support - as their Senator than some raving neo-confederate lunatic. Your position on this matter makes literally no sense whatsoever.

<sub>1. One traditional British interpretation holds that a Member of Parliament represents even the rocks and trees in his/her constituency, although this is rarely observed in practice.

2. And also canny, obviously.</sub>

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Masterful trolls who have demonstrated their collective ability to work as a unit.

voting for the candidate they believe would better represent their interests within the party most likely to be elected = trolling?

Who was it on this forum who said that Southern blacks should consider starting to vote as Republicans in state races as a matter of course in order to provide the party with a liberal wing, or at least strengthen the life support of the existing non-insane wing? Because the outcome of this runoff is making me think there may be something to that idea, although I'm still skeptical about it.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Ah the NYC Hasid trick.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

FFs, of course

[Indy Texas]

Masterful trolls who have demonstrated their collective ability to work as a unit.

voting for the candidate they believe would better represent their interests within the party most likely to be elected = trolling?

Who was it on this forum who said that Southern blacks should consider starting to vote as Republicans in state races as a matter of course in order to provide the party with a liberal wing, or at least strengthen the life support of the existing non-insane wing? Because the outcome of this runoff is making me think there may be something to that idea, although I'm still skeptical about it.

That was me.

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

Massive FFs.
Not only have they save Mississippi (and the rest of us) from Chris McDaniel, but also for exercising their legal right to vote in spite of the intimidation tactics.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Massive FFs.
Not only have they save Mississippi (and the rest of us) from Chris McDaniel, but also for exercising their legal right to vote in spite of the intimidation tactics.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Masterful trolls who have demonstrated their collective ability to work as a unit.

voting for the candidate they believe would better represent their interests within the party most likely to be elected = trolling?

Who was it on this forum who said that Southern blacks should consider starting to vote as Republicans in state races as a matter of course in order to provide the party with a liberal wing, or at least strengthen the life support of the existing non-insane wing? Because the outcome of this runoff is making me think there may be something to that idea, although I'm still skeptical about it.

That was me.

Well, like I said, I'm starting to understand better what the point of that would be after this.

[Maistre]

Have to give credit where credit is due. I was a McDaniel supporter and I'll admit that this was a pretty smart tactic. It makes me think the GOP could appeal to minorities if they actually tried like their jobs depended on it like Cochran's was.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

FFs, since they helped him win.

[SteveRogers]

Anybody who voted HP is viewing this wrong. In a non-competitive state like Mississippi, the Republican primary is the de facto general election, and so there's nothing sinister about exercising your right to vote in it, nor is there anything disingenuous about voting in the Republican primary then voting democratic in the general election so long as your goal is to ensure that one of the least-terrible candidates ends up representing your state.

Even if there were some competitive democratic primaries further down the ballot, can you really begrudge anyone for valuing the outcome of the U.S. Senate election above those other races? Should the average voter really be expected to give up their chance to have a say in the race that they actually care about?

I did the same thing back when I was voting in a small-town Texas district. We were lucky if we got one democrat to run for each office, so there usually wasn't anything to be gained from voting in the democratic primary.

[WalterMitty]

massive ff.

and they should vote for him in november too.  im sure he is more progressive than the right wing democrat running against him.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

and they should vote for him in november too.  im sure he is more progressive than the right wing democrat running against him.

He is not.

[politicallefty]

massive ff.

and they should vote for him in november too.  im sure he is more progressive than the right wing democrat running against him.

Yes, I'm sure Cochran will be supporting Harry Reid in January 2015 and Childers would be supporting Mitch McConnell (the same Childers that voted for Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2009). Childers has a lifetime ACU rating of 39%, while Cochran's is 81%. I know which I'd rather have in the Senate.

[minionofmidas]

These people took the right decision in sitting out the D primary. I'm sure most parts of the Black belt had some relevant decision on the D primary ballot. So I'm not sure I like the message this election / these election rules send.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

FFs for crossing over to support the candidate they honestly believe would be a better senator rather than who they think would do the most damage to the Republican Party, which is what a lot of Dems who crossover do.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Denied Childers a chance at winning a seat and thus endangered further the party's Senate majority.

You do realize Travis Childers was never going to win anyway?

Far better that they devote their energies to winnable races than go down this rabbit hole.

The odds were not impossible (especially if McDaniel pulled an Akin) and even if Childers had lost, a truly competitive race in Mississippi would have laid the foundations for future Democratic efforts. Indeed, it might force the GOP to devote additional resources to this state.

Force the GOP to spend money, yes. Lay the foundation for future Democratic efforts? Apart from a couple other candidates (Jim Hood, Ronnie Musgrove) you're not likely to get as good a Dem or as bad an R as Childers-McDaniel.

With Mississippi so racially polarized though and the state beginning to trend towards Democrats, a McDaniel win this year would have set Hood, Moran, Presley, or maybe a Dem State Rep./Sen. up to knock McDaniel out in 2020 when the environment is more friendly. I agree it really wouldn't be worth it spending loads of DSCC money for Childers for the simple reason that Childers outside help would be counterbalanced by McDaniel's help from the NRSC. Neither national party would really be enthusiastic about helping McDaniel and Childers anyways and efforts at winning this would be futile.

I do have to give an HP to the black Cochran voters though. What they really did doesn't exactly represent party unity. Even if most, if not all, of those blacks Democrats were eligible to vote in the Republican primary (meaning they didn't vote in the Dem primary), there's still the problem that they didn't want to help Childers out at all in his Tea Party challenge from Bill Marcy, yet they were more than willing to help someone who was ideological further from them in his Tea Party challenge. I understand MS's non-partisan and you can vote in any primary you want, but most of those blacks who voted Cochran vote Democrat elsewhere and this race should have been no exception to that. Ohio has closed primaries, but if we did have open primaries, I would never vote on another ballot of a party I don't ideologically belong to.

As an Ohioan, that's easy for you (or me) to say.  We don't get screwed over if Cochran loses.  I was initially in your camp on this before the primary, but between than and the run-off I realized it isn't really right to ask one state to get rid of the only thing it has going for it just to give us 33% chance of picking up a seat instead of having no chance.