Why Mississippi video scandal could be devastating to tea party

[Le Taz Hot]

The tea party's honest efforts to be a more effective and calculating force in conservative American politics might be about to blow up in its face. Chris McDaniel, a Republican candidate for US Senate from Mississippi, was supposed to be this year's standard-bearer for a new and smarter tea party movement – a movement that would no longer nominate candidates who excited the conservative base in primaries but imploded in the general election. He was experienced as a state senator, and he was a smooth speaker and politician. Yet less than two weeks from his June 3 primary, his campaign is danger of confirming all the old stereotypes.

So far, no one is accusing him of doing anything wrong. But a scandal of the most unseemly nature is creeping closer to him. Some of McDaniel's staunchest supporters have been arrested in connection with an online attack video that included a secret and likely illegal image taken in a nursing home of the bedridden wife of McDaniel's primary opponent, Sen. Thad Cochran. Mr. McDaniel says he was not involved, and no evidence links him to the video. But regardless, in this instance, optics matter.

The scandal is precisely what tea party groups sought to avoid in focusing their money and efforts on McDaniel. Now, once again, the tea party has to fend off claims that its candidates are not ready for prime time – that the spotlight of a big election will reveal all their shortcomings. And for all the grass-roots enthusiasm the tea party can generate, money still drives politics, and donors might be growing weary of that script.

Moreover, the episode will only confirm to members of the Republican establishment that they are right to try and neuter the tea party – as they have begun to do with increasing success this year. After all, if even the most sensible tea party candidate of the cycle can be caught in the whiff of such scandal, then who among them can be trusted to bear the GOP's hopes?

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http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Buzz/2014/0525/Why-Mississippi-video-scandal-could-be-devastating-to-tea-party

[Egnever]

1. The tea party was nothing more than cover for republicans after bush

Never was a real party only a way to keep from losing the votes of republicans that were sick of their party after the bush years performance.

[Egnever]

5. I doubt we w ill have a similar party

At this point, 74 percent of Democrats say they approve of his job performance.


By contrast Bush was at 60% with republicans in may 2008. I dont think any president has ever had approval ratings that low with their own party.

[Mz Pip]

2. I really don't get this.

How is showing a picture of your opponents disabled wife supposed to get people to vote for you? This just seems to be such a sleazy shit for brains move.

I know tea baggers can be dumber than a bag of hammers but WTF? Did they really sit around brainstorming vote getting ideas and someone actually suggested, "I know, let's get a picture of Cochran's wife. People will just flock to us for that."

[Hekate]

4. The brainstorming probably was along the lines of blackmail. They might've thought the woman was ...

... still able to communicate, and speak words they could use along with the images to make her husband look like a sleaze who had abandoned her.

Even writing this makes me ill. WTF indeed.

She's been there 10 years -- I'm only guessing, but if this is dementia she probably doesn't even recognize her own children any more.

The episode is truly despicable.

[Thinkingabout]

6. Typical of TeaParty actions, if it is dumb the they are willing participates.

The GOP has used the TP to get a majority and the TP is too radical for the GOP so they are trying to get the real GOP candidates on the general tickets. The Libertarian party could not get their party elected so they register as Republicans and get elected. The KKK thinkers has gone to the Republican party with their radical agenda and are assisting in electing radical thinkers, the GOP is not the party of Lincoln.

[malaise]

7. They are all ReTHUGs

Make them pay

[exboyfil]

8. The meme is a flash flag operation