The Mississippi Republican Senate Primary Is The O Brother, Where Art Thou? Election

I'm sorry, what was that?  How is that even possible, you say?  A modern day election is comparable to a Depression Era Southern recreation of The Odyssey?  Yes, it is, and I'll tell you how.   With today being election day in Mississippi, let's take a look at the candidates.

Thad Cochran:  Senator Cochran is the 6 term incumbent U.S. Senator from the State of Mississippi.  He's been in office since 1978!  He's practically an institution in the Magnolia State, but at 76 many claim he's far too old to be in touch with what the people of Mississippi want.  He's brought home millions of dollars in federal money (pork) to Mississippi related to Hurricane Katrina by helping to persuade the government to give $29 Billion to Mississippi.  Who is his O Brother, Where Art Thou? counterpart?  

Governor Pappy O'Daniel:  Throughout the first half of the movie, Pappy is seen as out of touch with the State of Mississippi.  He's often viewed as past his prime, aloof, and frustrated at the upstart who is poised to take his power away.  He was once the pillar of Mississippi, and now he's likely in the twilight of his career.  Don't believe it's true?

He's passed a dozen agricultural bills, but he wonders why people don't think he's a friend to the farmer.  Cochran is the current Ranking Member on the Agricultural Committee.  Agriculture is big in Mississippi, so his status on the committee is vital to the success of his home state.   His opponent; however, is a young brash confident challenger who looks to change the face of the Good Ole Boy system in Mississippi.

Chris McDaniel:  Look at this picture.  This guy is straight out of Central Casting.  The hair, the suit, the lapel pin.  Jeez, is this guy trying or what?  I thought I saw him on House of Cards the other day.  He's the Thomas "T-Rav" Ravenel of Mississippi, without the felony conviction.  McDaniel is a former radio talk show host, turned State Senator riding the wave of the Tea Party popularity to change how Washington works.  Who is his O Brother, Where Art Thou? counterpart?  

Homer Stokes:  And I say to you the great state of Mississippi cannot afford 6 more years a Thad Cochran - 6 more years of cronynism, nepotism, racialism, and service to the Innarests.  The choice is clear:  Thad Cochran, a slave to the Innarests; Chris McDaniel, servant to the little man!  Chris McDaniel is gonna sweep this state clean with the broom of reform!  The initial primary yielded a close race between the two candidates, with McDaniel narrowly edging Cochran, but neither party achieved 50% of the vote.  So how does Thad Cochran combat that?  

By opening up the primary and encouraging all Mississippians to vote in the R-U-N-N-O-F-T election.  This prompted McDaniel campaign to cry foul and urge Mississippi Republicans to ask themselves the question:

Prior to the initial primary the Cochran Campaign went on the offensive against Chris McDaniel claiming that a McDaniel's supporter/blogger broke into Senator Cochran's wife's nursing home taking her photo without her permission, which prompted the Cochran campaign to hurl claims and accusations at the McDaniel Campaign.  Most notably the accusation that....

  
While it initially looked like Cochran would lose to McDaniel in the R-U-N-N-O-F-T election, the influx of more Republican voters and even some Democrats seem to make the results of today's election far less clear.  With these new voters heading to the polls, Thad Cochran, the Old Senator, who looked DOA after the primary, has found new life, and he's bouncing around like a kid again.  

Meanwhile, the Democrats who haven't been elected to the U.S. Senate since 1982, are just sitting back watching and enjoying this mud-slinging competition gathering ammunition for the general election in November.

You can bet though with every vote counting, Thad Cochran and Chris McDaniel are heading to the polling booth today with the same plan in mind.

  
Mississippi is vastly different from anywhere else in the world.  It just is.  William Faulkner said, "To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi."  You can't really understand Mississippi, from it's turbulent past to it's uncertain future, it's a place that has to be experienced more so than understood.  The food is amazing, the people are overly friendly, and the history is as controversial and lively as the nation itself.  So what do most people outside of Mississippi, think of the Magnolia State?