WHY THAD COCHRAN MATTERS NOW
Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran. (Photo: U.S. Senate).
Why should any political observer care about the re-election of a six term Senator from the state of Mississippi over a Tea Party challenger? For a number of reasons. First let’s recap, Mississippi has been represented in the United States Senate since 1978 by Thad Cochran. Cochran won election to Congress in 1972 and along with former Senator Trent Lott was one of the first Republicans elected from that state since Reconstruction. (Post Civil War).
In 1978 Cochran ran for the Senate seat vacated by James Eastland who served as Senator for thirty years. Cochran, though a conservative chaired the Agriculture Committee as well as the Senate Appropriations Committee. Time Magazine named him one of the best 10 Senators in 2006 and he was known as “The Quiet Persuader” who got more money for Katrina Relief than the Congress and President Bush at first were willing to give.
So like many other long serving GOP Senators, he was not the “cup of tea” of the Tea Party activists. Cochran, like Richard Luger of Indiana last year was targeted because he was not in step with the philosophy of the party extremists.
His Tea Party challenger this year was Chris McDaniel a forty something loudmouth who forced a run off with Cochran earlier this month. McDaniel’s people supposedly went to a nursing home where Cochran’s ill wife was and took pictures. McDaniel denied that clumsily but many in the Tea Party were thinking it would be a roll over for the challenger in the primary. It wasn’t. Cochran won his race by a few percentage points and McDaniel screamed like a little baby that the Democrats put Cochran in office because Mississippi has an open primary. Maybe some Democrats voted for him but once more the logic of the Tea Party eludes me.
The Democrats have a nominee, Travis Childers. Why would they put up Cochran who is an institution and not help a Tea Party Zealot? The people who pulled Cochran through were people who saw Cochran’s record, what he did for the state and who decided they didn’t want another Ted Cruz romping around in the Senate like a spoiled brat.
Sometimes voters, even in the Deep South think things through. That’s why Cochran won mainly because voters notice when a candidate and his zealots overreach.
WHY HOWARD BAKER MATTERED THEN
Howard Baker in 1972. (LuLac archives).
Minority Counsel Fred Thompson and Senator Howard Baker during the Watergate hearing. (Photo: knoxnews.copm)
Former Senator Howard Baker died today and that brought back memories of the Tennessee lawmaker from 41 years ago. Baker was the Senator on the Watergate Committee that asked the important question about Richard Nixon’s role in Watergate, “What did the President know and when did he know it?” He got that question from the Minority Counsel Fred Thompson who would later go on to become a Senator, Presidential candidate, actor on Law and Order and now the spokesman for Reverse Mortgages. Baker was a person who was regarded as a fair individual on that committee who wanted to get to the truth. He did. Baker was the first Republican Senator elected in Tennessee since Reconstruction (Post Civil War).
A little known fact is that Nixon wanted Baker to join the Supreme Court in 1971 but the Senator didn’t make his mind fast enough and Nixon chose William Rehnquist.
After the tumult Watergate died down, Baker made a run for President on his own in 1980 which did not succeed. Baker along with Ambassador George Bush was vanquished by the Ronald Reagan juggernaut. At the time of his Presidential run, Baker was serving as Senate Minority Leader (a post he won after Pennsylvania’s Hugh Scott retired) and then chose not to run in 1984. That seat was claimed by future Vice President and majority elected President Al Gore.
Baker wasn’t idle for long taking over the job of White House Chief of Staff from Donald Regan. The Reagan Presidency was suffering second term turmoil and Regan (the chief of staff) was seen by key White House insiders (especially First Lady Nancy Reagan) as a person who wanted to be a defacto Prime Minister to the President. Baker calmed the waters and sacrificed a chance to make another run for President in 1988.
Baker served as Ambassador to Japan during the George W. Bush administration.
Baker certainly married up. Twice. His first wife was the daughter of Senate icon Everett Dirkson and his current wife, Nancy Landon Kassebaum is the daughter of 1936 GOP nominee Alf Landon.
The striking thing about Baker is how he tried to build consensus and coalitions. His nickname as a Senator was “The Great Conciliator", Baker mattered in his tenure because he never forgot he was an American first and a member of a political party second. He was 88.
RECONSTRUCTION http://www.ushistory.org/us/35.asp
PASHINSKI: BUSINESS SHOULD PAY FAIR SHARE FOR MIDDLE CLASS
State Representative Eddie Day Pashinski. (Photo: LuLac archives).
As Pennsylvania faces an estimated budget deficit of $1.5 billion, we must work in a bipartisan manner to develop a budget that will help to address the deficit, put Pennsylvanians to work and ask businesses to pay their fair share. Unfortunately, this year’s budget falls drastically short of what the people need. Here's Pashinski's take.
MEDIA MATTERS
ECTV
ECTV Live host David DeCosmo will welcome Jen Moran from the West Pittston Library back to the program during the week of June 30th as she reviews a list of free programs to be offered to the public during the summer months, David's special guest co-host will be former WYOU Weather forecaster Barry Finn! ECTV Live can be seen on Comcast Cable Ch19 in Northeastern Pennsylvania and runs twice daily throughout the week during the Noon and Midnight hourBOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM
SUNDAY MAGAZINE
SUE HENRY’S SPECIAL EDITION
Tune in to Sue Henry's "Special Edition" this week as Sue recaps the week's news. Special Edition is heard Saturdays and Sunday on these Entercom stations, WILK FM Saturday at 2pm Sunday at 6 am on Froggy 101 Sunday at 7 am on The Sports Hub 102.3 Sunday at 7 am on K R Z 98.5 Sunday at noon on WILK FM 103.1.BUDDY RUMCHEK
Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:40 and 8:40 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”KAREL ON THE STREET
Tune in Wednesdays on WILK Radio for Karel on the Street. Hear some of the funniest and heartwarming comments on the issues of the day on Webster and Nancy with Karel Zubris.Our 1974 logo.
1974
On June 26, 1974, the first UPC bar code was scanned on a package of Wrigley’s chewing gum at a Marsh supermarket in Ohio.
The first UPC marked item ever scanned at a retail checkout was scanned at Marsh’s supermarket in Troy, Ohio, at 8:01 a.m. on June 26, 1974, when customer Clyde Dawson
Clyde handed Sharon a 10-pack (50 sticks) of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum. Sharon then made the first ever UPC scan of a product. The NCR cash register rang up 67 cents.
What happened to that first pack of Wrigley’s gum that passed under the rays of a bar code scanner? Forbes reported in 2002 that it rests safely on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. As NPR stated this morning, poor Clyde didn't even get to chew the gum!
