The real threat to America remains modern liberalism, big-government Democrats, a.k.a. “progressives.”

So, Republicans hating on Republicans is a nefarious path to destruction for the conservative movement.

All of this pent-up anger exploding on social media over Sen. Thad Cochran’s highly distinguished career is a vote for the liberal Democrats who are driving the country into the ground.

GOP primary challenger Chris McDaniel can’t win a general election because of his own more damning baggage. His short-lived talk radio career alone, with all of its racial overtones, is enough to sink him in the general election.

Challenging the status quo in Washington is fine, but run a better vetted candidate who can actually win against a strong, moderate Democrat like Travis Childers, the likely Democratic nominee and Mississippi’s next United States Senator if Republicans somehow nominate Chris McDaniel.

Although he’s downplayed and denied being a part of the movement to reverse tort reform, Mr. McDaniel is a trial lawyer representing plaintiffs in some pivotal cases.

And to the tea party’s moral police: You’re not running Jesus for Senate. So be careful how you judge, lest in politics, well, you just never know what the Dems might dig up.

Republicans are the party of liberty

Republicans are the party of liberty and can win on that message. Young people have witnessed the failures of intrusive, incompetent and wasteful government and are turning in droves elsewhere.

Liberty is consistent with Republican principles and the vision of the Founders. There is room for inclusion in the GOP. Fiscal conservatives of any stripe are not the threat. Big-government liberals are.

So, enough is enough.

Mr. McDaniel has an appealing message, especially for those who feel Washington isn’t listening and spending too much. But he hasn’t been specific enough about entitlement reforms.

Entitlements comprise 45 percent of the federal budget, the military about 19 percent and transportation about 3 percent. Discretionary spending is miniscule. Fixing the Washington spending problem involves major entitlement reform.

Modern tea party conservatives like Mr. McDaniel see compromise as violating principle and working with Democrats as a sign of weakness.

Mr. Cochran comes from an era when compromise was an art, more similar to the way Washington worked at the Founding.

Mr. Cochran is a gentleman, an extremely humble man, one of the most respected members of Congress.

Stunningly passive-aggressive posts

In this nasty, gutter politics campaign, so many have taken to social media to personalize their politics, often in stunningly passive-aggressive and disrespectful ways.

Establishment Republicans swooped in early on to decapitate Mr. McDaniel and he and his supporters have taken it personally, and perhaps rightly so. But welcome to the major leagues, a U.S. Senate race. The enemy is not fellow Republicans, it’s still big-government liberals.

Chris McDaniel’s early message was clear and impressive: A return to the limited government of the Founders.

But what’s hobbled Mr. McDaniel most has been his campaign’s response to the Cochran break-in at St. Catherine’s Village. They had difficulty getting their story straight and it just kept getting worse.

We can’t fully explain Mr. Cochran’s refusal to debate Mr. McDaniel, except that’s what strong incumbents usually do. Nor can we explain Mr. Cochran’s refusal to speak to the editorial board of The Clarion-Ledger, other than the obvious danger any conservative faces sitting among liberals with a pen and an agenda.

50 years of failed social policy

Those who don’t believe Sen. Cochran has the mental capacity or physical stamina to serve are misguided. We met with Mr. Cochran in March and can vouch for his competence and wit. The Senator is perfectly able and his staff is more than capable.

Mr. Cochran isn’t the problem, it’s 50-plus years of liberalism that’s bankrupting the country and putting people out of work along with the more recent failed policies of the Obama administration.

American businesses are suffocating under an increasing choke hold of regulations. With the slowest economic recovery ever, worsening government scandals such as the Veterans Administration, people dropping out of the workforce at record levels, does anyone truly believe big government works best?

Harder still to tackle but necessary if we are to survive as a Republic, programs like Social Security, Medicare, home financing and student loans desperately need reform. They continue to rack up huge future liabilities that threaten the stability of the U.S. economy and the underpinnings of the middle class.

We have all kicked the can down the road for decades. The difference now is that the cliff is rapidly approaching and there is not much road left beneath our feet.

The dirty truth is, federal dollars help fuel the Mississippi economy. For every $1 Mississippi sends to Washington, the state gets $3 back. We’re not proud of that, but we haven’t seen Mr. McDaniel’s plan to reduce that return.

Mr. Cochran’s seniority as chairman of appropriations will mean the most when Republicans take back the Senate in 2015, so it’s important he’s re-elected. Hope remains for overall fiscal and regulatory reform when Republicans gain both houses of Congress.

Channeling anger over term limits to this race will only put Mississippi at a disadvantage. Any honest Republican who has served in Congress the last decade and a half – Mr. Cochran included – should admit they haven’t done enough to cut spending or reduce the $18 trillion national debt. Americans want change.

Government is the enemy of liberty

The political reality is that Mr. McDaniel can’t win the general election against a Democrat, mainly because of that controversial talk radio past. Liberals saw to it long ago that tea party carries a bad connotation, especially among Democrats, particularly when it comes to race. Mr. McDaniel delivered.

Mr. Cochran’s experience is most important. He is by far the better candidate, although both are equally good men.

Government is the enemy of liberty. Re-elect Thad Cochran and don’t hand the Senate back to big-government Democrats.

Vote Thad Cochran for United States Senate in the June 3 Republican Primary.