In case you haven't...

...been following the U. S. Senate race down in Mississippi (and why on earth would you?), it looks like the Republican primary will now move to a runoff between the incumbent, Sen. Thad Cochran (left), and his tea party challenger, Chris McDaniel (right).

State Sen. McDaniel, like most tea partiers, wants to "reduce federal spending." Unfortunately, Mississippi, like most red states, receives more federal money than it sends to Washington in taxes -- over twice as much. Whoops! (The Magnolia State is one of the biggest beneficiaries of our generosity.) 

Or as Gail Collins said in her column this morning:

...you’re not supposed to remind people that their state is way more dependent on Washington than the average food stamp recipient.