Senate campaign will compare ‘grassroots’ versus ‘Astroturf’ politics
In politics, “Astroturfing” is to true “grassroots” politics what “Astroturf” is to real grass. It’s fake grass with fake roots.
As noted in prior columns on the subject, the current U.S. Senate campaign in Mississippi is the target of “Astroturf” groups and super PACs (political action committees) on an unprecedented scale. State voters have already seen the handiwork of such high-sounding groups as Club for Growth, Senate Conservatives Fund and FreedomWorks — groups that funnel whopping sums of PAC money into attack ads against primarily incumbent Republicans.
In Mississippi, these outside groups have doubled-down on state Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, in his bid to “primary” incumbent Mississippi GOP U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran.
Why? Because Cochran has committed the unpardonable sin of thinking for himself and not allowing his every vote to be dictated by libertarian talking heads and because Cochran read the part of the Constitution that balanced the power of the U.S. president to direct spending with that of Congress to do the same thing.
Sid Salter
Clarion Ledger
2/12/14
