The Hill: Cochran (R-MS) Mulling Retirement

[Democratic Hawk]

no democrat is going to make it competitive.

What makes you so sure former AG Mike Moore or Rep. Gene Taylor wouldn't make it competitive if Cochran retired?

Don't think Taylor would run but if he did and won, he'd be a good senator. Though it's difficult to conceive MS-04 not flipping, no matter how safe it is for him. Taylor would deviate from the party whip significantly, however, but in all fairness you couldn't expect him not to. Strikes me as being a man of deep integrity and not some shyster who'd switch parties if elected. Wish there were more Democrats, like Taylor, from the South in Congress, as opposed to Republicans (hell, just about all Republicans, since I'm talking South here)

Cochran's fine for a Southern Republican. There's a lot worse. Probably still too conservative for my tastes though

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

no democrat is going to make it competitive.

What makes you so sure former AG Mike Moore or Rep. Gene Taylor wouldn't make it competitive if Cochran retired?


Dave

because they are democrats.  and we are talking about mississippi.

even a conservative democrat would have a very tough time winning an open seat for the senate in miss.  (refer to tennessee 2006 for further details)

Ford's not as conservative as Taylor and race wouldn't be a factor. Yes, that thing which carries all too much saliency in politics. African-Americans would support Taylor, as the Democrat, while MS-04 is c.75% white, according to wiki, and Taylor, I imagine, would do very well there

Taylor appears to have earned some spurs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. And if "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" had spoken to me the way he spoke to Taylor, it would have taken my usual calm, dignified self all my inner strength not to have my very own Cynthia McKinney moment there and then. Brown was just a federal employee. Taylor, on the other hand, is the elected Representative of MS-04 and it is to those voters to which he is politically accountable. He's been a solid representative and would make a solid senator, you can be sure of it, given the opportunity but I don't think he'd run

Surprising as it may seem, the Republicans don't have some divine right to hold every Southern office going, whether in Mississippi or anywhere else. There seem to be many Democrats who'd be happy to write-off the South, this "one" would not be one of them

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

if taylor is more conservative than ford jr.  then he really should be (r-ms)

Gene Taylor may well be the most conservative House Democrat of them all but he's more of a social conservative. He's not economically conservative, though, undoubtedly, to the right of most Democrats, so no he shouldn't be a Republican at all. He's a Blue Dog Democrat

Seemingly, I'd have been more socially conservative than Taylor, in 2006, though more economically liberal (not as liberal as most Democrats however)

I'd be a populist Democrat with a strong hawkish streak for which I make no apologies even if the Democratic Party has tested my loyalities from time to time

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

if taylor is more conservative than ford jr.  then he really should be (r-ms)

Gene Taylor may well be the most conservative House Democrat of them all but he's more of a social conservative. He's not economically conservative, though, undoubtedly, to the right of most Democrats, so no he shouldn't be a Republican at all. He's a Blue Dog Democrat

Seemingly, I'd have been more socially conservative than Taylor, in 2006, though more economically liberal (not as liberal as most Democrats however)

I'd be a populist Democrat with a strong hawkish streak for which I make no apologies even if the Democratic Party has tested my loyalities from time to time

Dave

Taylor is more conservative than a good number of the Republicans in the house. This is Mississippi however.

He'll be likely more economically liberal, though moderate best describes Taylor, than the vast majority of Republicans, especially from the South, which is an improvement in my book

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

Ford was the most liberal member of TN's delegation, so by this logic, TN should have an all Republican delegation except for Ford's replacement Cohen.

Shudders . Tennessee's House Republicans are all rightwing whackadoos. You'd like Jimmy Duncan, seemingly the more moderate, overall, for opposing the war in Iraq, however. I wouldn't though, economically putrid

On the other hand, Democracratic Reps Lincoln Davis, Jim Cooper, Bart Gordon and John Tanner are, collectively, all moderate- to-centrist Democrats

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

You claim anyone more conservative than Ford should be a Republican. While that probably does apply to Taylor, it certainly doesn't apply to every single person more conservative than Ford.

Taylor shouldn't be a Republican

Dave