The Importance of Being Lindsey Graham (Updated)
[Guest post by DRJ]
How important is Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham? He’s the only reason the Obama Administration can still pretend to be bipartisan:
MEDIA QUESTION: “Does the President think that immigration or energy should be the next major thing up before Congress?”
PRESS SECRETARY ROBERT GIBBS: “Well, look, I’ll be honest with you, Jonathan, the way we’re going to get either of those things done is through bipartisan proposals. Senators Graham and Schumer are working on — among others — are working on comprehensive immigration legislation. Senators Kerry, Lieberman and Graham are working on — with others — comprehensive energy legislation. I think in order to get either of those things through we’re going to need leadership from both parties. So the President has been working with both groups in trying to help those processes along.”
I can’t tell if Lindsey Graham is principled or badly wants to be relevant.
— DRJ
UPDATE: Graham has withdrawn his support for a climate change measure that was to be announced Monday:
“Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) decision to walk away from Senate talks on climate change and energy legislation – at least for now – has prompted the measure’s remaining architects to scuttle Monday’s planned unveiling of the bill.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who is crafting the bill with Graham and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), announced what he called a temporary postponement and said he remained committed to action this year on a sweeping climate and energy measure.
***
Graham is upset over Democratic plans to take up immigration legislation this year – he accuses Democratic leaders of pushing forward immigration “haphazardly” and calls it an election-year political gambit.”
Is this the end of bipartisan climate change? Perhaps, but I’m so jaded about Graham that I wouldn’t be surprised if he did a Stupak.
UPDATE 2: Graham walked away because Senator Harry Reid moved immigration ahead of cap-and-trade. Clearly Reid is more worried about getting re-elected than keeping Graham on board.
I can’t tell if Lindsey Graham is principled or badly wants to be relevant.
He probably imagines Obama will leave Michelle for him.
nk (db4a41) — 4/24/2010 @ 6:10 pmWhat happened to Jobs, Jobs, Jobs?
daleyrocks (1d0d98) — 4/24/2010 @ 6:25 pmPerhaps he thinks if he tries hard enough, he can be both.
PatAZ (9d1bb3) — 4/24/2010 @ 6:28 pmFunny you should mention Sen. Mitch McConnell’s upholding of principal in battling the permanent bailout…..uh, did I say permanent bailout……just to be sure, permanent bailout of Wall Street by President Obama. Did I mention permanent bailout.luntzluntzluntz…..
Yes, that’s principal ending with p-a-l. McConnell is upholding principal.
Anybody here notice how many times McConnell has huddled with Wall Street magnates and lobbyists lately to sharpen his principals in his principaled effort to “stop” the president from giving those guys on Wall Street a permanent bailout?
Larry Reilly (fadcab) — 4/24/2010 @ 6:40 pmDid I mention permanent bailout?
Oh. Sorry. Go back to your, uh, principled discussion about that guy who chose to neither asked nor tell much while in his Air Force uniform all those years. Very principled, he.
Larry, I swear the delivery truck will get to your pharmacy as quickly as we can expedite it.
SPQR (26be8b) — 4/24/2010 @ 6:43 pm“Did I say permanent bailout”
Obama got more Goldman Sachs money than all the Republicans combined…
IT SHOWS.
Travis Monitor (9abf2a) — 4/24/2010 @ 7:35 pmTravis, there you go trying to show Larry basic facts that contradict his alternate reality.
That just makes Larry more in need of those compounds his pharmacy ran short of.
SPQR (26be8b) — 4/24/2010 @ 7:40 pmI can’t tell if Lindsey Graham is principled or badly wants to be relevant. – DRJ
Are you asking for a show of hands???
MD in Philly (59a3ad) — 4/24/2010 @ 7:53 pmI admit that, in this example, principled is a relative term.
DRJ (09fa6c) — 4/24/2010 @ 7:59 pmThey can visit Mconnel all they want but until they donate millions to him like they did to Obama he has no reason to shower them with tax dollars.
Mr. Pink (bb8267) — 4/24/2010 @ 10:32 pmGraham is one of those guys who treats unbending principles as counterproductive to progress, as if the correct way to proceed is always along the equator between opposite poles. That may move things forward, but the forward direction doesn’t always make sense. The most important thing, it seems, is that it does give the “moderates” like Graham, Snowe, Collins, Lugar, McCain (until recently, sez him), etc. a sense of being above the fray.
My favorite way of illustrating this is a scenario of three young brothers sitting at a kitchen table.
The trio’s mother asks them, “What would you like for breakfast this morning? The oldest brother says, “I want oatmeal.”
The youngest brother pipes up and says, “I want shards of broken glass.”
This sets off a shouting match between the bookend brothers.
Oldest: “Oatmeal!”
Youngest: “Broken glass!”
Oldest: “Oatmeal!”
Youngest: “Broken glass!”
At this point the middle brother calmly raises his hands and says, “Stop! I have a solution … Mother! We’ll all have oatmeal with shards of broken glass mixed in. That way, both of you two will get some of what you want, and we can move forward. No need to thank me.”
It doesn’t occur to sanctimonious middle brother that while not everybody likes oatmeal, shards of broken glass aren’t good for anybody; he just wants the argument to be over, and to get credit as a peace-making negotiator.
L.N. Smithee (46a32f) — 4/24/2010 @ 10:41 pmWell done, L.N., and from now on I’ll always think of Lindsey as that middle brother.
DRJ (09fa6c) — 4/24/2010 @ 10:52 pmI updated the post. Is Graham rejoining the GOP coalition on climate change?
DRJ (09fa6c) — 4/24/2010 @ 11:17 pmThe update moots the question of whether Princess Lindsey is principled or not I think.
happyfeet (c8caab) — 4/24/2010 @ 11:33 pmglobal warming is less of an issue cause of the immigrations.
whatever you say, Princess
happyfeet (c8caab) — 4/24/2010 @ 11:34 pmGood point about whether he’s principled, hf. Are we going with really wants to be relevant?
DRJ (09fa6c) — 4/24/2010 @ 11:42 pmrelevance is his tiara
happyfeet (c8caab) — 4/24/2010 @ 11:43 pmHis tiara I think is his invite to cocktails at Ruths Chris in DC. His relevance is his use to those that would make his constituents votes moot.
Mr. Pink (bb8267) — 4/25/2010 @ 12:34 amThey have until January next year to do their damage.
Mr. Pink (bb8267) — 4/25/2010 @ 12:37 am#11 L.N. Smithee: What DRJ said, well done! A deft illustration of useless diplomacy.
EW1(SG) (edc268) — 4/25/2010 @ 12:49 amLindsey Graham is not the only reason the Obama Administration can still pretend to be bipartisan: there is another, and she’s about to give Democrats cover on the Wall Street bailout.
I refer, of course, to the penultimate RINO, that paragon of duplicity, the chameleon of the northern mists, the political cross-dressing progressive from Maine, Olympia Snowejob.
ropelight (e0e500) — 4/25/2010 @ 6:13 amOops! The Stupid Party is reverting to form. On the Sunday chat shows it was clear the GOP is rolling over on the bailout. Their attempt to save face now involves cajoling a sop or two from the majority leaders.
Cooperation with Democrats is the kiss of death for GOP candidates in November. It’s time to weed out the weak sisters.
ropelight (e0e500) — 4/25/2010 @ 8:09 amI guess it wasn’t taht surprising that the GOP decide to take the side of wall street, decided to lie about it, and that the true believers are buying it. Would I be surprised if similar obstructionism was swallowed whole when the FDIC and Glass Steagal were proposed? Nope.
imdw (cf58d1) — 4/25/2010 @ 8:35 amGo away or follow Patterico’s rules, you nasty little troll.
Eric Blair (eddd97) — 4/25/2010 @ 8:42 amThe interesting question is how are you going to handle it when they switch and vote for a reform bill and lie to you about why?
[note: fished from spam filter. –Stashiu]
imdw (a230ba) — 4/25/2010 @ 8:56 amThe “true believers” buying a line of horse manure are the Democrats who believe that Dodd et al are not busy cutting out exceptions and loopholes, and creating more billions in bailouts, in the faux financial regulation for their buddies who send them huge amounts of campaign cash. Government Sachs is sitting next chair over from Government Motors smiling like the Cheshire Cat at this “reform” which they’ve been helping write behind the scenes.
imdw pretending that it is Republicans who are the clientela of Wall Street when in fact it is Democrats is typical of his incompetent trolling.
SPQR (26be8b) — 4/25/2010 @ 9:03 amI have a sneaking suspicion that Lindsey will discover the importance of being Lindsey Graham when he’s up for re-election.
GeneralMalaise (24d3e0) — 4/25/2010 @ 9:16 amThat little twit only abandoned Cap & Destroy because they did not follow his priorities in order. It never will dawn on him to not support Cap & Destroy because it should be opposed on its own merits, insofar as it will wreck a horrible Baracky economy even further.
JD (08c94b) — 4/25/2010 @ 11:14 am