The election is a week behind us and Lindsey Graham has six more years in the Senate. Because McCain lost we have no hope of Graham leaving to the AG so we’re stuck with him for. What does a good conservative do now?
What we do now is consistently apply pressure across the board. Graham feels confortable bucking his constituents because he had backing among RINOs across the GOP. We, as grassroots conservatives have to apply pressure first to our members of Congress to replace the inept leadership at the top. That means I’m contacting Congressman Henry Brown and telling him NOT to support Minority Leader Boehner in the House.
We’ve had two disastrous elections in a row and yet it appears the House it poised to retain the leadership that handed us those losses. We have a GOP that is still in denial. They continue to make excuses, apparently having learned nothing from the ‘06 and ‘08 elections. If the GOP has any hope at all of retaking anything in 2010, it depends on replacing the current leadership in both the House and Senate with solid ideological conservatives.
We grassroots conservatives have successfully flexed our muscles before. When President Bush tried to pass Harriet Meyers off on use we rose up en mass and put a stop to it. We have the power to do the same kind of thing now. If members of Congress are overwhelmed with phone calls, emails and faxes from their constituents demanding new leadership, they will listen.
The question is, do grassroots conservatives care enough to take action?
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Well, it’s nine days until election day and traffic here has picked up in spite of the fact that I haven’t posted since June. Sorry about that but I’ve been busy. At any rate, our chance to turn Graham out of office is almost upon us.
I’d like to think the increase in traffic is driven by the desire of a lot of people to kick Lindsey Graham out of office. He’s lied to us to often and he’s attacked conservatives too many times to get away with it. I was also taken by something I heard on the radio yesterday.
If you listen to WTMA on Saturday afternoon you are probably familiar with physicist and College of Charleston professor Charlie Thompson. He has a show on Saturday afternoon and he doesn’t hold a very high opinion of Lindsey Graham. He pointed something out yesterday that had not occurred to me.
You are probably aware that Graham is in the Air Force Reserves. He’s a colonel and he has to server two week each like everyone else in the reserves. Because he’s also a US Senator he gets special treatment during those time. He may or may nor request special treatment but his position assures it anyway. I got to thinking about that. It seems to me that being a US Senator while serving in the reserves presents a clear conflict of interest. As a member of the military he is subject to the Commander and Chief, President Bush. But as a Senator not only is he not subject to the President, he has power over the President in some sense. And as a Senator he makes decisions or influences decisions concerning the military and by extension, the President. How can this NOT be a conflict of interest?
It seems to me that Graham wants to have his cake and eat it too! He wants the distinction of his position in the Air Force because of the political capital that gives him. That seems to me somehow unethical. Apparently Graham doesn’t see it that way but I do.
You may not see that as a big deal. By itself I moght not either but it’s just one more thing. Graham is self absorbed and self serving. That’s the bottom line. He cares nothing for his country, much less his consituents. He’s made abundantly clear he cares nothing for those who elected him in the first place considering he’s attacked us on numerous occasions. It should come as no surprise to him that we aren’t shy about attacking him as well when see a good reason to do so.
A week from Tuesday is your chance to do something about it. Will you?
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Just today I received a letter from Senator Graham’s office in response to an email I sent him on the Cap and Trade legislation that went down to defeat last week. The letter is instructive and you can read it in PDF format here.
Notice the references to "climate change." The term "global warming" has become a political hot potato so scoundrels like Graham have adopted the less offensive "climate change" jargon. After all, no one disputes the reality of climate change. What the global warming crowd ignores (indeed refuses to admit) is that climate change has been going on for all of Earth’s history. There is zero evidence that man has anything to do with it or that we can do anything about it.
The short version is that Graham supports cap and trade and thinks it will be good for South Carolina!
Climate change legislation does present some potential economic benefits for our state and for manufacturing. Significant revenue generation from the cap and trade system will be devoted to the research and development of new clean energy technology. South Carolina has already established itself as a leader in the field.
So if we’re stuck with some kind of climate change legislation, why not let South Carolina profit from it? I’m all for South Carolina extending its research and manufacturing base but idiotic climate change legislation is not the way to do it!
So add global warming idiot to the list issues Lindsey Graham is wrong about. Just one more reason to vote against him tomorrow.
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Nothing would please me more than to shut this blog down Wednesday morning. For that to happen, of course, Lindsey Graham will have to lose the Republican primary on Tuesday. For all those who doubt he will, it is in your hands.
South Carolina conservatives are extremely unhappy with Senator Graham, and with good reason. Lets just recap some of the things Graham has done to earn our wrath.
Graham was involved in the "gang of 14," helping Democrats stop GOP leadership in the Senate from exercising the so called "nuclear option" to put an end to Democrats’ filibuster of Bush judicial nominations. Graham and McCain claim their actions resulted in a number of Bush nominees getting up or down votes. What they fail to mention is that all the nominees would have received up or down votes had Graham and McCain stayed out of it. They also claim credit for getting Roberts and Alito confirmed, a claim that is patently false and self serving.
Graham and McCain championed comprehensive immigration reform which included amnesty for illegal aliens. Both Graham and McCain claimed they did not support amnesty but amnesty is precisely what that legislation granted. When an illegal alien can get a perpetual green card with no requirement to do anything else ever, that is amnesty! When his constituents balked at the idea, Graham went before the National Council of LaRaza and called us bigots and said we should shut up! Graham loved to tell stories of legal immigrants and equate them with illegal aliens. He repeatedly and knowingly lied to the American people and to his constituents about the issue.
Graham has been a consistent media whore since he was elected. Hardly a weekend goes by that he’s not on some Sunday news program. Washington insiders joke that he’s run his own grandmother down if she got between him and a TV camera. It has been clear almost from the start that Graham’s ambition, like his ego, is huge and insatiable.
Graham’s campaign commercials, both on radio and TV, have been a model of how to misrepresent your record. Using all manner of facts, Graham has given the impression that he is a conservative when nothing could be further from the truth. When the rubber hits the road, Graham has not been there for this country, preferring instead to advance his own career. He truly is McCain’s Mini Me!
Tomorrow morning the polls open at 7:00 A.M. It is up to you and me to remove Graham and send a message to the Republican party that we will not tolerate RINOs. We will no longer give our support to people who claim to be conservative because of political expedience. We will not be taken for granted by our own party the way the Democrats have taken blacks for granted for decades. We will stand up and vote and kick the bastards out and Graham is next in line for that ass kicking. Let’s do it!!!
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The South Carolina Republican primary is Tuesday. If you are considering whether to vote for Lindsey Graham, consider the following newspaper article.
The Orangeburg Times Democrat quotes Graham as virtually calling himself McCain’s Mini Me.
“My re-election, I think, will benefit South Carolina because if he gets to be president, South Carolina’s interests will have a receptive audience due to our relationship,” Graham said in a recent interview. “I want to help him do the hard things.”
McCain recently made his first stop in the state since winning South Carolina’s January primary, and Graham pumped his fists in a cheer at a news conference when McCain said he’ll campaign again here later in the year. The next morning, over a grits, bacon and pancakes campaign breakfast, he talked about how he and McCain don’t toe the Grand Old Party line on immigration, Social Security, the war in Iraq or how judges are confirmed.
“John has risked his political career at least four times in the last two years that I can remember and I’ve got the scars to prove it,” Graham said. He’s been McCain’s wing man, noting he was in the room with McCain and President Bush when the president was convinced to add troops in Iraq while other Republicans “were running to the exit like the theater was on fire” and “coming up with one goofy idea after another” to get out of Iraq.
Can you believe Graham actually said, “I was in the room when…”? Sounds like high school stuff to me. And he openly points out how both he and McCain have bucked the GOP when it was the most important to be loyal. He’s actually proud of it which wonderfully illustrates how out of touch Graham is. He’s a RINO, pure and simple.
The same paper indicated that the Orangeburg Democrat Party expects a lot of Republicans to cross over to vote against Graham. Should Graham win the nomination I intend to do precisely that come November and I’m quite certain a lot of disgusted conservatives will do the same. So if you want two conservative South Carolina Republicans in the Senate, you should seriously consider voting for Buddy Witherspoon on Tuesday. Otherwise you’ll either get Graham again (who will almost certainly be in a McCain administration should McCain win the presidency, requiring a special election to replace Graham) or a Democrat.
It’s not worth it either way. Graham needs to be defeated Tuesday. He and all South Carolina RINOs need to see that conservative South Carolinians will not tolerate the kind of nonsense Graham has brought us. We have to show them that we can’t be run over or taken for granted. After all, that’s precisely what Graham is counting on. He thinks we have nowhere to go so we’ll vote for him no matter what he does or how he betrays us and this country. Are you prepared to reward him for that?
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I don’t know about you but I’m about sick of hearing and seeing Lindsey Graham campaign commercials. I’m not sure if it’s because I so loath the man or because the commercials themselves are so dishonest.
In commercial after commercial Graham is portrayed as a conservative and a patriot when he is neither. He selectively picks single issue organizations to tout his support. For example, I’m an NRA member and one of Graham’s commercials uses the NRA’s endorsement for his position on gun control. Yes, Graham has had the right position on gun control but that doesn’t make him an honest or good politician.
The same goes for South Carolina Right to Life. Graham has a pro life voting record. But that doesn’t negate his willingness to open our borders to anyone and everyone who wants to come here. So while single issue advocacy groups have something to say, their’s aren’t the only considerations. At least they shouldn’t be.
Graham’s dishonesty is in cherry picking these single issue advocacy groups to make himself look like a conservative when he knows he is no such thing. He is actively lying to South Carolinians in his bid to be reelected. And since today is the first time I’ve even seen or heard an ad for Graham’s challenger, this incessant on air dishonesty tells me that Graham is a little worried.
I don’t know if that worry is justified or not. Graham has consistently stabbed his constituents in the back but how many of them were even paying attention? That’s my real concern. The average citizen across the nation is politically complacent at best. They have a general feeling of dissatisfaction but they don’t pay enough attention to what goes on in Washington to know what the solutions are. So what they hear are the lying TV and radio commercials telling us all how conservative Graham is and what a great leader he is in these challenging time. It’s all a load of crap but the average guy just doesn’t know that. They just see and hear dozens of Graham campaign commercials and maybe one or two for Witherspoon.
The odds are stacked strongly in Graham’s favor, of that there is no doubt. But there is a lot of unrest among conservatives in South Carolina. Since the primary is not part of the presidential primaries, turnout is likely to be lower than it otherwise would be. That could hurt Graham since the people who will be the most motivated to get to the polls may well be those of us who want to see him defeated. Those who aren’t paying attention are less likely to show up to vote in the primary and that could be our salvation.
If you are a conservative South Carolinian, you need to make it a priority to vote in the primary. If you don’t you will be part of the problem that is Lindsey Graham.
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Anyone paying attention is well aware that Lindsey Graham is John McCain’s mini me. Graham follows McCain around like a lost puppy. It makes me wonder just what Lindsey hopes to gain. Could he have higher aspirations? Certainly no one expects McCain to tap Graham as VP. That would be the kiss of death for McCain. Of course, he’s done stupider things before. But I don’t think that’s what Graham is angling for.
No, I think Graham want the AG post in a McCain administration. And if McCain is elected, I expect that’s precisely what will happen. Yet, Graham is busy running for re-election in South Carolina! That isn’t surprising of course. Lots of politicians do the same thing. It’s galling when it happens. The bottom line is, their ambition is far more important than their commitment to their constituents.
If you are planning to support Graham in his re-election bid, just remember that should McCain be successful in November, Graham isn’t likely to hang around South Carolina any longer. He’ll ditch this state and his constituents and the state of South Carolina will face the cost of another election to replace him.
In my view it makes far more sense to just go ahead and replace Graham now. It’s not like we’ll be losing much anyway. He has stabbed us in the back after all. So lets save ourselves a lot of trouble and just kick him out now. We’ll save money, the state will be better off and so will the country.
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It seems that the Greenville County Republican Party has censured Lindsey Graham. From the Greenville News:
The panel, made of representatives from each of the county?s precincts, censured Graham for continuing ?to adamantly support legalization of illegal immigrants in spite of? thousands of communications of ?strong opposition? from local grassroots Republicans.
It’s about time someone started standing up to this demagogue! Of course, Graham doesn’t think so. He’s defending his record.
Citing his role in the compromise that led to the confirmations of two U.S. Supreme Court justices, John Roberts and Samuel Alito in 2005, Graham said that no none did more than he did to get them on the court.
Is Graham really claiming credit for Roberts and Alito? Is he delusional? It was his “compromise? as part of the gang of 14 that allowed Senate Democrats to hold on to the ability to filibuster judicial nominees. It certainly did not lead to the confirmations of Roberts and Alito.
We’re all still waiting to see if someone will rise to the top of the challenger heap. So far there are several contenders but no one that appears to have the ability to unseat Graham. But I still think a solid challenger can beat Graham. He’s made too many enemies in South Carolina and he’s done so with abandon. It is time to send him home!
HT: Michelle Malkin
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I received the following via email this morning. With the author’s permission I am posting it here.
Stop Illegal Immigrants
STOP JOHN McCAIN!
John McCain is coming back to South Carolina. The Senate might have heard us by stopping the McCain-Grahamnesty bill, but the fight isn’t over yet!
Despite collaborating with his best friends Lindsay Graham and Ted Kennedy on an amnesty bill, John McCain is still polling well in South Carolina. If McCain wins the South Carolina primary, he will likely win the Republican nomination.
Do the words “Vice President Lindsay Graham” scare you?
If we ever want to secure our borders and keep illegal immigrants from taking jobs from law-abiding American citizens, we have to show them that we haven’t forgotten!
John McCain will be in the Upstate this Saturday, July 28th, and he’ll be bringing the national media with him, and so we’re planning a rally! With the cameras there, there is no better time for us to show the entire country that we still don’t want amnesty, that our borders are still not secure, and that we still don’t want John “Amnesty” McCain and Senator Grahamnesty running the country!
COME TO A RALLY AT JOHN “AMNESTY” MCCAIN’S EVENT IN SPARTANBURG
AT THE BEACON ON SATURDAY
AND DEMAND THAT HE STOP WORKING WITH SENATOR GRAHAMNESTY TO GIVE AMNESTY TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
AND START SECURING THE BORDERS NOW!
Saturday, July 28th ? 11:45am
John McCain Holds a Meet and Greet
Beacon Drive-In Restaurant
255 John B. White, Sr. Blvd.
Spartanburg, SC
I’d love to attend but making it to Spartanburg this weekend just isn’t in the cards. But if you are anywhere near Spartanburg, you might consider going and letting McCain and the state of South Carolina that we will not stand for the McCain-Graham amnesty plans.
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Finally, Lindsey Graham has a challenger. I had a comment on the blog a few days ago from that challenger. Here’s the comment.
I would love to have your assistance. I am running against Lindsey Graham. Lindsey believes he can walk away with the election because of his great storehouse of money and his power in the state. With your help we could see him defeated. I need the help of citizens like yourself who see the need for change and will help spread the word.
Thank you for your consideration. Please visit my website, http://www.carnesforsenate.com and contact me. I would like the opportunity to speak with you in person.
Tim Carnes
So Tim Carnes of Greenville, SC is in the race! I encourage everyone reading this blog to to go Carnes’ campaign website and read about him. At this point I am not aware of any other challengers or even potential challengers. That means right now I am supporting Tim Carnes for US Senate.
If anyone knows of another challenger or potential challenger, please let me know.
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