Greater Metro
Down goes Flinn; No sweat, says Cohen
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08 Nov 2012
- Written by Tony Jones
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No sweat, no threat, Congressman Steve Cohen told The New Tri State Defender following his trouncing of ninth-district GOP opponent Dr. George Flinn Jr. in Tuesday's election.
Defeating Flinn 188, 245 to 59,676, the victory ensures Cohen's fourth term in the seat.
Attempts to contact Flinn by TSD press time were unsuccessful.
"I never felt any pressure," said Cohen. "I followed my gut and listened to the people in the 9th district that I've been working with all my life. We didn't have to hire a pollster or run a lot of ads, but in the end we were right.
"A lot of people criticized us for it, but we didn't need a lot of advertising to beat him. Except for the extreme right wing, we just talked to the people in the district and listened to them."
President Obama's re-election should be beneficial said Cohen, who has enjoyed the president's backing.
"It's going to be difficult in getting the president's jobs bill through the house, but jobs are going to be my number one priority. My former House colleague is the Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis. I am going to be trying to be on the front burner of any program she has that can get money here to Memphis. President Obama's re-election gives me more friends in high places and that always helps."
The writing is on the wall for the Tea Party element of the Republican Party, said Cohen.
"They lost two seats in the House that they should have won but they're so far right now they lost them. They lost 10 Tea Party freshmen. I think people are starting to see the Tea Party as part and of the problem, not the solution," said Cohen.
"They need to work with Democrats, they need to work with women. They need to be more like the Republican party of Howard Baker; or even Bob Dole."
