STARKVILLE – The keynote speaker at the Golden Triangle’s premier annual fundraising event for the Boys Scouts of America never once mentioned the fact that he was engaged in a contested re-election campaign that is drawing national attention.

Prior to the speech, Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran was patient with old friends and well-wishers alike who interrupted his meal for a handshake or a bit of personal conversation. He posed good-naturedly with Scouts who wanted cell phone camera shots with the veteran senator.

At the table during the meal, Cochran listened with genuine interest as friends talked about their children’s latest baseball exploits and observed at one point that dinner really quite good for banquet food — and this from a man who has eaten a lot of banquet food over the course of his public service career.

Cochran’s speech centered on the contributions that the Scouting program has made in his own life. He spoke of a rare failure in pursuit of a merit badge as a boy. The lesson — to always be fully prepared when one is engaging in a competition — is one Cochran said has stuck with him for life.

He recounted earning his Eagle Scout rank in a troop at Byram — a fact that is still contained in his official Senate biography — and spoke of his belief that the Scouting program remains a vibrant laboratory for helping young people build character.

Cochran carried notes to the podium, but didn’t consult them. He spoke from heart. Cochran encouraged the Scouts to continue on their path, congratulated the adult volunteer Scouters, and thanked the donors to the BSA. Then he took his seat.

No mention of a campaign, no mention of the stakes of his re-election bid and no corny or veiled appeal to those in the room who were very much attuned to the political realities of the 2014 election in Mississippi. Reporters attending the event engaged him about the campaign before and after the event, but what the Scouts and Scouters experienced was a laid back evening with a fellow traveler — a salute to the Scouting program was someone who had shared their experiences.

The “ifs” of the Senate race in Mississippi in 2014 are momentous. If Cochran wins the race he’s favored to win and if the Republicans retake control of the U.S. Senate nationally, Cochran will once again be chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Given those facts, it would seem that Cochran would be justified in at least a small amount of urgency, a bit of tension if not downright worry. But the fact is Cochran’s demeanor at the Scouting fundraiser to which he lent his name to benefit 1,300 Scouts in Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Lowndes, Monroe, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Webster and Winston counties was that of quiet determination and confidence.

As part of the evening’s festivities after Cochran’s speech, the Pushmataha Area Council honored a number of military veterans, including the late Herbert Lamar Ellis, the late John E. Reed Sr., the late Thomas E. “Tommy” Tomlinson, modern era servicemen Jonathan Sappington and Andrew Rendon, and World War II veterans Bradford Freeman and V.J. Robinson, and Vietnam veteran Gene Smith.

Pvt. Bradford “Hickory Nut” Freeman of Caledonia is one of two surviving members of Company E (Easy Company) in 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, the outfit known as the “Band of Brothers.” They called him “Hickory Nut” because he was just that tough, so the story goes.

Freeman, now 90 years young, walked proudly past a standing, applauding Cochran to receive an award from the Scouts along with the rest of the veterans. In a season increasingly dominated by scorched-earth politics, it was enjoyable to a man comfortable enough in his own political skin not to merely share a spotlight with old soldiers and young people, but to aggressively push the light toward them.

Cochran, like his fellow veterans and his fellow Scouts, has more than a passing acquaintance with seeing what he believes to be his duty and rising to it. Those who suggest Cochran isn’t prepared for the primary sprint simply aren’t paying attention.

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If Chris McDaniel Won’t Vote, Why Should Mississippians Vote For Him?

Today, U.S. Senator Thad Cochran’s re-election campaign launched a  asking Mississippians to consider this important question in this election:  If Chris McDaniel won’t vote, why should we vote for him?

According to official records from the state of Mississippi’s Statewide Election Management System (SEMS), Chris McDaniel has a habit of missing important votes—in critical elections and in his job as a State Senator.

In 2003, Mississippi Republicans were working hard to nominate Haley Barbour in the Republican primary to defeat Democrat Governor Ronnie Musgrove. But Chris McDaniel voted in the Democrat primary instead.

In 2004, President George W. Bush was being challenged in the general election by liberal Democrat U.S. Senator John Kerry. Chris McDaniel did not vote in that election.

And in 2008, Republicans in Mississippi were nominating a candidate in the primary to take on Barack Obama in the Presidential election. Chris McDaniel did not vote in that election, either.

Even when Chris McDaniel is paid to vote in his job as a State Senator, news reports show  is one of the worst this year. Earlier this year during the Mississippi legislative session, news reports outlined how McDaniel skipped important votes in the State Senate that included a pro-life bill and a bill highly touted by Governor Phil Bryant regarding adding the national motto “In God We Trust” to the official state seal. In both instances, McDaniel did not vote because he was campaigning at events—not in Mississippi, but in Washington, D.C.

One news report outlined how missing so many votes in the Mississippi legislature in January and February earned McDaniel the reputation as 

“Chris McDaniel has inexplicably missed voting in some of the most important Republican elections in Mississippi over the past ten years, and his own voting record in the State Senate is just as bad,” said Jordan Russell, Communications Director for U.S. Senator Thad Cochran’s campaign. “Conservatives in Mississippi remember that 2003 was a critical Republican primary election that helped lead to major victories for many years to come. And in critical presidential elections in the 2004 general as well as the Republican primary in 2008, clearly those were times when Republicans here were working hard to make sure we had the best chance to win the White House. But in all three of these key elections, Chris McDaniel did not vote. That’s why the question Mississippians will consider between now and the June 3 primary election is simple. If Chris McDaniel won’t vote, why should we vote for him?”

History shows that our founding fathers struggled to determine how states should be represented in Congress.

“During the summer of 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia established equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives,” says the official U.S. Senate web site. “Called the ‘Great Compromise’ or the ‘Connecticut Compromise,’ this unique plan for congressional representation resolved the most controversial aspect of the drafting of the Constitution.”

“As early as 1776, Connecticut’s Roger Sherman had suggested that Congress represent the people as well as the states. During the 1787 convention, Sherman proposed that House representation be based on the population, while in the Senate, the states would be equally represented.” Delegates narrowly approved Sherman’s plan.

The point of this history lesson is that our Constitution intends for Senators to represent their states’ interests while representatives represent the interests’ of the people in their districts.

This constitutional intent is relevant to this summer’s Senate primary election.

On one hand we have the challenger, espousing this and that in the name of the Constitution, but exhibiting little commitment to actually represent Mississippi’s interests.

On the other hand we have the incumbent, with a record showing reliable representation of Mississippi’s interests in military, agriculture, education, energy, and business matters.

Challenger Chris McDaniel was interviewed and vetted by out-of-state Super PACS the Club for Growth and Senate Conservative Action … Super PACS with national agendas. They seek senators who, beholden to them, put their interests first, not Mississippi’s. They are the principal funders and promoters of McDaniel’s campaign.

Incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran was recruited to run for Congress in 1972 by Mississippians. He is beholden only to Mississippi and has consistently voted for the interests of his state. No doubt that is why Gov. Phil Bryant and other Republican leaders stand with Cochran.

McDaniel and his Super PAC allies claim Cochran is liberal. “Sen. Cochran has a liberal voting record,” proclaimed Club for Growth national president Chris Chocola.

Former Gov. Haley Barbour called Chocola’s claim “fraudulent,” pointing to a voting record that shows Cochran to be a consistent conservative. For example, he voted against the stimulus bill, for sequestration, and for the Budget Control Act; he has an A+ rating from NRA; he cosponsored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act; he voted 102 times to defund or repeal Obamacare; and so on.

But, yes, Cochran has been a champion of the Farm Bill since Mississippi has important agricultural and forestry interests; obtaining federal relief after Hurricane Katrina; and keeping our military bases safe from closure.

Reckon the Club for Growth or Senate Conservative Action Super PACS would fight for these or other Mississippi interests? Or let their beholden senator do so?

Vote accordingly.

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Lots has been said about the June 3 election for the Republican nomination for Mississippi’s United States Senate race, and there’s more to come. Unfortunately, one candidate’s claims have gone unchallenged.

Tea Party extremist Chris McDaniel is challenging Senator Thad Cochran and is irresponsibly misleading voters by trying to paint Cochran as a big spender.

Relying on canned talking points from his D.C.-based backers, McDaniel tries to blame the national debt on Cochran’s success in fighting for Mississippi in Washington. Someone needs to tell McDaniel that erasing everything Cochran’s done for Mississippi wouldn’t reduce the debt one cent. Every dollar Cochran has brought to Mississippi would have been spent elsewhere.

McDaniel, who is a trial lawyer, is trying to stoke the fires of voter disenchantment by throwing around “constitution,” “liberty” and “courage.” This does not qualify him to be a U.S. senator. Anyone can do that.

Mississippians should reject his empty rhetoric for what it is: the ranting of someone who either profoundly misunderstands the job to which he aspires or who doesn’t mind misleading folks.

Entitlement vs. Discretionary

McDaniel won’t tell you that our debt is being driven by entitlement programs, not annual discretionary programs. The Appropriations Committee, where Cochran is the most senior Republican, only has control over the latter.

Discretionary spending is considered by the Appropriations Committee every year and provides support for priorities like our military, veterans and research.

Cochran’s committee does not have jurisdiction over mandatory spending for entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, which were put on autopilot by laws passed in 1939 and 1965. The only way to truly reign in federal spending without raising taxes is to reform these programs.

Discretionary appropriations, where Cochran plays a key role, have remained relatively constant for the past 50 years and have been significantly reduced in recent years, thanks in large part to his leadership.

Chris McDaniel won’t tell you that.

Smaller Pies, Bigger Slices

Cochran’s appropriations committee has no control over how big the annual federal spending pie is. Overall pie size set by separate legislation written by a different committee. Cochran’s committee only controls how the pie is sliced and served.

Once the pie size is locked in for the year, Cochran always muscles up for bigger slices for Mississippi. It’s practical and possible to fight for both smaller pies and bigger slices.

Under McDaniel’s temper-tantrum politics, you get neither.

If the government is going to build a ship, Cochran says build it in Pascagoula. If the government is going to research how to increase agricultural yields, research it at Mississippi State University. If it’s going to be done anyway, don’t surrender it to California or New York or Chicago. Do it in Mississippi.

McDaniel, on the other hand, is content to allow these opportunities to go to other states. What courage!

Work Horse or Show Pony?

Chris McDaniel spoke at MSU recently, declaring to a sparse crowd that he wants to be like Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Utah Senator Mike Lee. Asked to name one specific instance when either of those politicians was successful in reducing spending or helping his home state, McDaniel was stumped.

The correct answer to both of those questions is, “There is none.”

Chris McDaniel’s election wouldn’t give our nation a smaller spending pie any more than would Cochran’s re-election. We’d just have an ineffective loudmouth willing to trade away Mississippi’s pie slice for his own personal gain.

What Chris McDaniel really seems to want is fame. He says whatever he thinks gets him on TV. He’s a politician more interested in developing a national following than doing what’s right for Mississippi.

Thad Cochran simply goes to work every day to fight for Mississippi, no fanfare.

I recommend Chris McDaniel actually show up for his current job and learn to be an effective state legislator. Leave the complex, serious problems of our time to someone who understands the responsibility of representing all Mississippians: Thad Cochran.

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Today, the Wall Street Journal reports on the Mississippi Senate race:

“Republicans, still haunted by former Missouri Rep. Todd Akin’s indelicate remarks about rape, live in constant fear that one of their own will do or say something that puts other GOP candidates on the defensive. Enter Chris McDaniel…”

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