Per Mississippi Conservative Daily, Thad Cochran's daughter, Kate, posted remarks on her Facebook page about the upcoming 6/24 Republican Primary Runoff between her father, Thad Cochran, and challenger Chris McDaniel. Ms. Cochran "is a professor of English at the University of Southern Mississippi (which has a Thad Cochran Center, by the way)." Following Ms. Cochran's remarks is commentary from Mississippi Conservative Daily:
"Here is the post in its entirety (Updated: Ms. Cochran has appended a paragraph to the original post which is noted with an asterisk (*) below):
Kate Cochran – Leading up to the Runoff
“June 17, 2014 at 9:12am , I’ve been trying to understand the seismic shift in the Mississippi electorate in the past six years. Growing up, constituents who were total strangers used to phone our house in Virginia, asking my father to help with their Social Security payments or disability benefits or other concerns. My brother and I were taught to be unfailingly polite to these callers, even when some of them launched into long explanations of their plight, clearly relieved to be talking to a compassionate listener, even one who was only 12 years old. My brother and I were taught, both explicitly and by example, to respect every single Mississippian. These were the people my father served with dedication and compassion and loyalty, the people who said with their votes that he was the man they wanted representing them in a national forum. He appealed to so many different voters: coming from a modest background as the son of two educators committed to lifelong learning and very traditional Southern Baptist values; working diligently to earn distinction in the Boy Scouts, high school, college, law school, the U.S. Navy, and the legal profession; espousing moderate views that upheld the state’s conservatism while avoiding any hint of radical jingoistic fervor; being able to work collegially with all members of our and others’ governments based in his strong international and domestic experience. All my life, people have described my father as a “statesman,” rather than the seedier “politician.” I decided to look up Merriam-Webster’s definition this morning: Full Definition of STATESMAN 1: one versed in the principles or art of government; especially: one actively engaged in conducting the business of a government or in shaping its policies , 2: a wise, skillful, and respected political leader That sounds about right. Until very recently, very few doubted his wisdom, skill, or respectability as a political leader. It seems the landscape, and not he, that has changed.
I’m struggling with this election because of my personal feelings about the Mississippi electorate. I was born in Mississippi; I chose to move to Mississippi three times in my adult life, 1) to join the Mississippi Teacher Corps and teach at Brookhaven High School, 2) to study for the Ph.D. in southern literature at the University of Mississippi, and 3) to join the faculty of the English Department at the University of Southern Mississippi. I’ve been a strong defender of Mississippi to any of her detractors, believing very profoundly that the people of Mississippi were the most considerate, generous, well-intentioned folks I ever knew. I feel disillusioned now, so I wanted to try to figure out how these wonderful people were spouting such hateful things, committing such outrageous acts, behaving in such a shameful manner.
I think that Mississippians are being snookered by neocon zealots on talk radio, Fox News, and elsewhere. The New Right values extremism, obstructionism, partisanship, and–frankly–ignorance. I am disappointed to realize that the New Right seems to want to walk hand-in-hand with the horrible strain of anti-intellectualism that sees universities as vocational schools and vilifies anyone expert in a field as somehow not living in the “real world” or representative of “real people.” But because no one can be an expert, everyone is, which is where the New Right finds its loudest voices: those with no training, education, or experience shouting down those who bring expertise to the table. I think this is the reason that so many seem swayed by my father’s opponent: he is valued for his lack. Lack of experience (he is not a “career politician.”) Lack of wisdom (he relies solely on Jesus, the Constitution, and common sense–combined in the veneer of “goodness”). Lack of judgment (he vows to refuse federal monies and to try to impede legislation). Lack of specificity (what are “Mississippi values”?). Lack of perspective (how does he believe for one moment that a junior Senator from the poorest state will have any influence in Washington? How can he believe that he will not want his family to live with him in the D.C. area?). I see these “qualities” as a disingenuous pose, engineered to appeal to the very worst in our electorate. Hence, the illegal and immoral actions of his followers make sense–both in my mother’s nursing home and at the Hinds County Courthouse–because he trades in mindless fanaticism. I find his campaign appalling on intellectual, moral, and idealist levels.
The fact that Mississippi voters are even considering his candidacy saddens me more than I can say. Mississippi used to be recognized as the most backward, prejudiced, ignorant holdback in our nation, hands down. This sea change makes me very afraid that we might deserve that mantle.”
"*Since there's been widespread misunderstanding of this phrase in particular, let me clarify it. By "common sense," I meant this person's version of common sense, which is not sensical at all; that is, reasoning that keeping one dollar and refusing three from the federal government makes Mississippi come out on top. This version of "common sense" flies in the face of not only basic arithmetic, but also the lessons learned in any high school civics class (e.g., the difference in duties, responsibilities, and authority of the state legislature versus the U.S. Congress). There are similar discrepancies in the versions of Jesus and the Constitution, but hopefully the clarification of what I meant by "common sense" will serve as sufficient illumination."
==============================
Updated: Direct link to Ms. Cochran's Facebook post, via RedState.com. Ed. note: I couldn't find a direct link to Ms. Cochran's Facebook post. Here is a link to her U. of Southern Miss. faculty page.
==============================
Comment: Republican Senators Richard Lugar and Bob Bennett were also said to be "statesmen" and were praised for "crossing the aisle" on big issues. It was assumed each would remain in office until death if he chose to do so. Americans have finally awakened to the fact that "service" of this nature isn't in the best interests of the country. The "sea change" Ms. Cochran observes in Mississippi is happening all over the nation. Added re: Ms. Cochran's assumption that large taxpayer funded projects have a net positive value to citizens of Mississippi, a Jan. 2014 academic study found Mississippi the most corrupt state in the country, 1976-2008: "The 10 most corrupt states in the U.S.," Fortune.com, Christopher Matthews. The study found large public projects were most prone to corruption, and that taxpayers in corrupt states paid an average of $1300 additional each year to cover extra costs that accrue with corruption.
===================
==============================
Mississippi Conservative Daily comments on Ms. Cochran's writing:
6/18/14, "A Reply to Kate “Antoinette” Cochran," MississippiConsservativeDaily.com
"On the morning of June 17, Ms. Kate Cochran, who is a professor of English at the University of Southern Mississippi (which has a Thad Cochran Center, by the way), wrote a long post on her Facebook page. We have decided to take her public words, in their entirety, and respond to each outrageous and conceited claim. Our comments are in bold.
 |
| Kate Cochran |
(If you want to read the post in its entirety first, without commentary, scroll to the end). So, without further ado, Ms. Kate Cochran:
“Leading up to the Runoff, June 17, 2014 at 9:12am , I’ve been trying to understand the seismic shift in the Mississippi electorate in the past six years.”
Being insulated your whole life, and now firmly ensconced in the bubble of academia, it’s not hard to see that you have a lack of understanding of the “seismic shift” in the electorate, not just in Mississippi, but also across the nation. The people are waking up to the realization that this nation is in very deep trouble, brought on by those in Washington, where your dad has served for 42 years!
“Growing up, constituents who were total strangers used to phone our house in Virginia (So you admit he lives in Virginia!), asking my father to help with their Social Security payments or disability benefits or other concerns. My brother and I were taught to be unfailingly polite to these callers, even when some of them launched into long explanations of their plight, clearly relieved to be talking to a compassionate listener, even one who was only 12 years old. My brother and I were taught, both explicitly and by example, to respect every single Mississippian.”
Respect every single Mississippian, huh? Is that why you vilify Senator McDaniel and the people of Mississippi later on in this hit piece? I will deal with that in a few minutes!
“These were the people my father served with dedication and compassion and loyalty, the people who said with their votes that he was the man they wanted representing them in a national forum. He appealed to so many different voters: coming from a modest background as the son of two educators committed to lifelong learning and very traditional Southern Baptist values; working diligently to earn distinction in the Boy Scouts, high school, college, law school, the U.S. Navy, and the legal profession; espousing moderate views that upheld the state’s conservatism while avoiding any hint of radical jingoistic fervor; being able to work collegially with all members of our and others’ governments based in his strong international and domestic experience.”
Strong international experience? Did he get that from all his trips abroad at taxpayers expense? Espousing moderate views that upheld the state’s conservatism? Huh? Say what? Must be something new in political science. I guess that’s your academic training in full force! But here is a bit of insight from me, someone you would probably consider a non-intellectual: Do you know what really upholds conservatism? Conservatism! Duh!
And I can only guess that by your use of the phrase “radical jingoistic fervor,” you are somehow equating Senator McDaniel, and all true conservatives, with seeking to make the world a battlefield. Yet true conservatism does not believe in imposing our views on other nations, like Iraq, a war that your father supported. If there have been any radical jingoistic wars in recent memory, Iraq would be it. I wonder if you even know what jingoism means, with all your training in the English department.
“All my life, people have described my father as a “statesman,” rather than the seedier “politician.” I decided to look up Merriam-Webster’s definition this morning: Full Definition of STATESMAN 1: one versed in the principles or art of government; especially: one actively engaged in conducting the business of a government or in shaping its policies . 2: a wise, skillful, and respected political leader. That sounds about right. Until very recently, very few doubted his wisdom, skill, or respectability as a political leader. It seems the landscape, and not he, that has changed.”
Well, he’s certainly helped shape Washington’s policies, that’s for sure, especially where out of control spending is concerned. We are more than $17.5 trillion in debt, and your father has voted to raise the debt ceiling nearly every single time it has come up for a vote, more than 20 times in recent years. He is as responsible for that debt, which was less than $500 billion when he took office, more than anyone in DC.
But let me enlighten you on another definition of STATESMAN, by another US Senator, John C. Calhoun:
“The distinction between the statesman and the politician is broad and well defined. The former is an ornament and blessing to his country, but the latter a pest. No one is worthy of the public confidence, who does not place himself on principle and services as the means of advancement. Intrigue and cunning will, I trust, prove as feeble as they are detestable.”
Has he been an ornament and blessing to the country, with all that debt? Would you say your father stands on principle? What principles might those be? Certainly not conservative ones.
A true statesman would have shown the way out of the fiscal mess we now find ourselves in. A true statesman would have proposed solid plans to balance the budget and pay down the debt. Your father has never done that. He has only spent money and loaded more debt on the backs of generations of Mississippians far into the future. God only knows when this will ever be paid off, if it ever is.
“I’m struggling with this election because of my personal feelings about the Mississippi electorate. I was born in Mississippi; I chose to move to Mississippi three times in my adult life, 1) to join the Mississippi Teacher Corps and teach at Brookhaven High School, 2) to study for the Ph.D. in southern literature at the University of Mississippi, and 3) to join the faculty of the English Department at the University of Southern Mississippi. I’ve been a strong defender of Mississippi to any of her detractors, believing very profoundly that the people of Mississippi were the most considerate, generous, well-intentioned folks I ever knew. I feel disillusioned now, so I wanted to try to figure out how these wonderful people were spouting such hateful things, committing such outrageous acts, behaving in such a shameful manner.”
“Spouting hateful things, committing such outrageous acts, behaving in such a shameful manner” – Are you talking about your father’s campaign and his minions at the Chamber of Crony Capitalism and Mississippi (Non) Conservatives PAC? You must be! Perhaps you are just mixed up a bit in who is actually slinging mud and refusing to debate the issues!
A true statesman would debate his opponent in front of the people of Mississippi and not hide from the media. A career politician, on the other hand, wouldn’t debate and expose his flawed record. So let’s see, one candidate seeks a debate; the other refuses. Hmmmm.
Why will your father not debate? Why will he not host a town hall meeting? Why will he not take questions from the people themselves? I guess he’s like you. He thinks he’s too good to speak to the peon masses!
“I think that Mississippians are being snookered by neocon zealots on talk radio, Fox News, and elsewhere.“
So you disparage your fellow Mississippians (the peon masses), whom you said you were taught to respect, by saying that we can’t think for ourselves and are too dumb to know we are being “snookered” by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh. If we’ve been snookered at all, it was by your father claiming to be a conservative all these many years!
As for neocons, which you obviously have no clue about, well, your father is probably as good an example of a neocon as I can think of. A neocon, or New Conservative, is really a liberal in conservative clothing. His 42-year career in Congress is a testament to that!
“The New Right values extremism, obstructionism, partisanship, and–frankly–ignorance. I am disappointed to realize that the New Right seems to want to walk hand-in-hand with the horrible strain of anti-intellectualism that sees universities as vocational schools and vilifies anyone expert in a field as somehow not living in the ‘real world’ or representative of ‘real people.’ But because no one can be an expert, everyone is, which is where the New Right finds its loudest voices: those with no training, education, or experience shouting down those who bring expertise to the table.”
As I said before, you have no clue about the real world or real people. Your whole post is a testament to that as well.
So, in your closed-minded world, because most Mississippians weren’t “trained” in the pseudo-intellectual snobbery of academia, that means they are ignorant? You can only get really educated in the vested halls of higher learning, huh?
And in the world of academia is where we get this so-called expertise, you say? How’s that been working out for us? If academia, and your father’s political record, is your standard for expertise and intelligence, then us dumb ole common folk should take that as a great compliment! Your vaunted expertise now has us on the verge of bankruptcy, aided and abetted by your dad the Senator. It doesn’t take a Ph.D. to know that much!
As for your esteemed academic world, let me quote the late, great William F. Buckley: “I’d rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.” Or Southern Miss!!
“I think this is the reason that so many seem swayed by my father’s opponent: he is valued for his lack. Lack of experience (he is not a “career politician.”) Lack of wisdom (he relies solely on Jesus, the Constitution, and common sense–combined in the veneer of “goodness”). Lack of judgment (he vows to refuse federal monies and to try to impede legislation). Lack of specificity (what are “Mississippi values”?). Lack of perspective (how does he believe for one moment that a junior Senator from the poorest state will have any influence in Washington? How can he believe that he will not want his family to live with him in the D.C. area?).”
So, again you disparage Jesus, the Bible, the Constitution, and common sense! Yes, you are definitely in academia! Our kids are certainly fortunate to have you for a professor at USM! Most academics don’t believe in God or the Bible (the sole source of wisdom), nor do they believe in the Constitution. Doesn’t look like Old Thad does either, even though he swore an oath to uphold it.
Earlier in your post, you said that you have “been a strong defender of Mississippi to any of her detractors, believing very profoundly that the people of Mississippi were the most considerate, generous, well-intentioned folks I ever knew,” yet you have no idea what “Mississippi values” are? You are as out-of-touch as your father is! We the people certainly know what they are!
And to answer your question, about a junior Senator from the poorest state having any influence, well, with all of your father’s influence WE ARE STILL THE POOREST STATE IN THE NATION! I see that much bragged about education of yours is working out well.
“I see these ‘qualities’ as a disingenuous pose, engineered to appeal to the very worst in our electorate.”
As a liberal, I see you have attained the highest form of enlightenment, for you have the gift of knowing what is in another’s heart. So, according to your clairvoyance, Senator McDaniel “engineered” his beliefs to fool the masses; they are not from his very soul. Glad to know this! Except the only ones trying to fool the people are in your father’s campaign.
And those of us who believe in constitutional government, unlike your father I might add, are the “worst in our electorate”? Such snobbery! And you wonder why you are losing the race! People have had it with such talk!
“Hence, the illegal and immoral actions of his followers make sense–both in my mother’s nursing home and at the Hinds County Courthouse–because he trades in mindless fanaticism.”
Mindless fanaticism? As Ronald Reagan once said, “There you go again!” Why is it that those who want to clean up the mess are the fanatics, and not those who made it? Now that defies common sense!
And why we are on the subject of the nursing home, perhaps you would like to tell us why your father and his team held the information for three weeks? Were you overcome with such grief that you simply couldn’t call the police? Or was it all a ploy to score political points? I think we know the answer to that one and it was shameful!!
“I find his campaign appalling on intellectual, moral, and idealist levels. The fact that Mississippi voters are even considering his candidacy saddens me more than I can say. Mississippi used to be recognized as the most backward, prejudiced, ignorant holdback in our nation, hands down. This sea change makes me very afraid that we might deserve that mantle.”
Yes, for once you are quite correct! We were once “recognized as the most backward, prejudiced, ignorant holdback in our nation,” and during all that time we elected Thad Cochran six times to the US Senate. But now that we have awakened to the huge problems facing us, we the people are making a big change. We are choosing, and have chosen, someone to end all the backward and ignorant thinking that has paralyzed our state and is currently bankrupting our nation.
Sadly, this piece is written in the vain of Marie Antoinette. Ms. Kate Cochran is a sheltered, spoiled brat who wouldn’t know a thing about the hard work and long hours the average Mississippian puts in every week, all so her daddy can “serve” us in Washington and take nice long trips on our dime. You, madam, should be ashamed of yourself for writing such filth. But we’ve come to expect such drivel from a leftwing academic fanatic who hates Bush, likes Obama and OFA, which is Organizing for Action, an Obama community organizing group. Just check out the likes on her Facebook page. It will tell you all you need to know about the beliefs of Kate Cochran. She is ignorant of Mississippi values and does not share them!
I’m sorry, Ms. Kate, but it’s long past time for dear old dad to go home, wherever that may be."...
Image above of Kate Cochran via Mississippi Conservative Daily.
=====================
Following is reference for Thad Cochran's billionaire supporters mentioned in headline of this post:
6/13/14, "Two New York Billionaires Each Give $250K to Pro-Cochran Super PAC," Roll Call, Kent Cooper.
New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg gave $250,000 to "Mississippi Conservatives" which is a Thad Cochran Super PAC:
6/13/14, "Gun Grabber Michael Bloomberg Spends $250,000.00 to Get Thad Cochran Re-Elected," Erick Erickson, RedState
Michael Bloomberg is also the guy who just gave a pro-Thad Cochran Super PAC $250,000.00. Gun grabbing Michael Bloomberg is trying to buy Thad Cochran’s re-election.
Who do you think Thad Cochran will stand with the next six years if he gets re-elected. You people or the man who bought his re-election?
That’s 250,000 reasons to vote for Chris McDaniel."
==========================
==========================
4/21/14, "Can Michael Bloomberg’s Anti-Gun Millions Save the Democratic Senate Majority?" The Blaze, Fred Lucas
"Some Democratic strategists and aides are apparently hoping that former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to spend $50 million on a new gun control group will help the party in the 2014 midterm elections."...
.
No comments:
Post a Comment