U.S. Senator Thad Cochran interviewed in the "Southern Partisan" how he was against the Voting Rights Act, but in recent primary has career saved by Democratic and African American voters

U.S. Senator Thad Cochran interviewed in the Southern Partisan, Vol. 15 3rd Qtr., starting on page 32.
Cochran in the interview is against the Voting Rights Act.  I don't think it is a great thing that Cochran won. He is the last congressional Republican who interviewed in Southern Partisan who is still in office. If the tea party guy had won, there was a good chance that he would have lost the general election.  Then there would have been two Republicans who have had dealings with the neo-Confederates.

Some highlights from the interview are:

Page 34  

Southern Partisan: Well, the South continues to be singled out in respect to Federal Civil Rights legislation, for example; do you think this is still justified?

Cochran: No, I think that it is regrettable, and it ought to discontinued. When we last had the Voting Rights act before the Senate, I offered an amendment to apply the law to all states not just to those of the old Confederacy. ...


Page 34-35

Southern Partisan: You mentioned of course, that a lot of changes have taken place in the South, still some things remain; the Confederate Battle Flag for example; that is part of the state flag in Mississippi, are you comfortable with it?

Cochran: I don't think Congress ought to decide. I think it is strictly up to the state legislature of Mississippi, and if I were a member of the legislature I would vote to keep the flag as it is.

Southern Partisan: You don't see a problem with separating heritage or ---
Cochran: I think it is unfortunate that some have used it in a way that it raised questions about their views. but our state, I think, has demonstrated by our actions that it is not a racist state. We have full rights and participation in all the political processes. It's a decision the Mississippi state legislature has made, and I respect their decision.

Page 35

Southern Partisan: Do you favor stronger roles in state government?


Cochran: I think states have been mistreated in the extent that the federal government has usurped the responsibilities that many of us think are the rights of the states or are more properly vested in state government. We are seeing a transition back to, I think, some of those notions of states' rights and the Tenth Amendment, which protects the privacy of states by preventing usurpation by the federal government.