The dirty Mississippi primary between Tea Party-backed Chris McDaniel and Thad Cochran that turned into a win for the entrenched crony politician came at a price for the party. All across the country, establishment GOP groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Realtors, even the NRA, coordinated efforts and spent some $23 million to protect their politicians from the upstart Tea Party candidates. Hot Air’s Allahpunit had some tough words for this type of cronyism: “Republicans blather on endlessly about small government, free markets, and competition, and then they go to the mat for a guy like Cochran who embodies the sort of ‘clientelism’ for which conservatives typically despise Democrats. Honestly. As angry as righties are that Cochran won a GOP primary with Democratic votes, it’s a poetic finish to the race: His first loyalty is to his cronies, after all, not to a party.” In Cochran’s case, he’s just a cog in the machine that kept money flowing smoothly. It was good for business and predictable, but Cochran is not an advocate for Liberty. More…