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Graham + The Machine (Lindsey Graham is no longer the "lesser of two evils"
fitsnews.com ^ | 10/17/13

Posted on 10/19/2013 5:54:38 AM PDT by cotton1706

Fiscally liberal incumbent Lindsey Graham isn’t trying to win his 2014 Republican primary election in South Carolina. Far from it.

What is he trying to do? Fundamentally redefine the way GOP primary races are run in the Palmetto State … and every state which permits “open” primary elections (or primaries in which non-registered “Republicans” can vote).

Graham, who has a $7 million war chest at his disposal, has reportedly hired an out-of-state firm to run what one national consultant called “the most sophisticated voter identification and turnout platform ever implemented at the state level.”

According to a source familiar with the project, Graham’s team is assembling “an army” of precinct captains all across the state – operatives who will organize their neighborhoods using voter profile data from a custom database.

Their mission? To identify and turn out Democrats and left-leaning independents who don’t typically vote in GOP primaries – as well as “centrists” and left-leaning “Republicans” who do.

“They have over 1,000 precinct captains already lined up,” a source familiar with Graham’s effort tells FITS. “More are coming online every day. They are building a machine.”

Graham’s campaign did not respond to our request for comment on the operation. Graham’s consultant, Richard Quinn, also did not respond to our request for comment.

One national operative said Graham’s massive grassroots mobilization effort was akin to “a candidate creating a new party” – although our SCGOP sources were quick to dispute this characterization, choosing instead to refer to the operation as a “unique primary focused infrastructure.”

Whatever you want to call it … it’s the reason Graham hasn’t done what he usually does prior to a primary election, which is tack to the right of the ideological spectrum. Instead Graham has pressed the accelerator down and made a beeline toward the left.

“He’s basically saying ‘Screw the SCGOP, I’m going to build my own constituency,’” our national source explained.

Graham’s support among GOP primary voters has weakened considerably in recent months – with polls showing favorable conditions for an upset. That isn’t surprising considering Graham has backed tax hikes, domestic spying, war with Syria and – most recently – budgets that fully fund Obamacare.

Three Republicans have announced their candidacies against Graham in the 2014 primary – S.C. Sen. Lee Bright (R-Spartanburg), Charleston businesswoman Nancy Mace and Upstate social conservative businessman Richard Cash. Combined, the three candidates only have about $500,000 in their campaign war chests.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: elections; primarygraham; ptimarygraham
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Lindsey Graham is acting like Arlen Specter now! He is not going to allow his "record of hard work" to be subject to the "republican electorate."

Lindsey Graham is a power-hungry, evil and insidious man.

Should he succeed in again getting the republican nomination, EVERY conservative should vote for the democrat. I do not say this lightly. But in a race between a democrat and Lindsey Graham, Graham WOULD NOT be "the lesser of two evils!"

1 posted on 10/19/2013 5:54:38 AM PDT by cotton1706
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To: cotton1706

This is a sign of desperation as he takes a page out of the Obama playbook.

Pray America is Waking Up


2 posted on 10/19/2013 6:01:21 AM PDT by bray (Coming Jan 2014: The Republic of Texas 2022)
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To: cotton1706

The only was to defeat the statist gluttons is for individuals nationwide to donate to their primary opponents. They must be taught a lesson.


3 posted on 10/19/2013 6:01:31 AM PDT by AdaGray (Primary Them All)
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To: cotton1706
Hopefully, he gets fleeced of his $7 million by the same GOPe election consultants who sold Romney Project ORCA.

Senate

Matt Bevin to oust Mitch McConnell in KY

Joe Carr to oust Lamar Alexander in TN

Lee Bright to oust Lindsey Graham in SC

Chris McDaniel to oust Thad Cochran in MS

Dr. Milton Wolf to oust Pat Roberts in KS

House

J D Winteregg to oust John Boehner in OH-8

Also, press your Representative to NOT support Boehner for Speaker.



PLEASE, contact Louie Gohmert and tell him we want to add his name as opposing Cornyn

4 posted on 10/19/2013 6:01:59 AM PDT by Paine in the Neck (Is John's moustache long enough YET?)
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To: Paine in the Neck

Why don’t we contact Louie Gohmert and tell him good job.....keep doing what your’re doing. Why buy into the DC career ladder nonsense......


5 posted on 10/19/2013 6:17:36 AM PDT by C. Edmund Wright (Tokyo Rove is more than a name, it's a GREAT WEBSITE)
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To: cotton1706

Want to thwart this strategy? Run a Tea Party candidate as a Democrat... In the event LG gets the Repub nomination, at least the voters will have a choice...

Otherwise, prepare to vote for the Democrat. These RINO collaborators MUST GO! Six more years of this idiot is unbearable...


6 posted on 10/19/2013 6:18:57 AM PDT by bfh333 ("Hope"... "Change"... You better HOPE you have some CHANGE after the next 4 years!)
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To: bfh333

Good thing Gomert has daughters. Fewer bad hair days.


7 posted on 10/19/2013 6:22:10 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
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To: bfh333

What Tea Party advocate would ever call themselves a democrat?

Are you deranged?


8 posted on 10/19/2013 6:24:49 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: cotton1706
Should he succeed in again getting the republican nomination, EVERY conservative should vote for the democrat

That's exactly what I plan to do.

9 posted on 10/19/2013 6:28:55 AM PDT by PistolPaknMama
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To: onedoug

Its a STRATEGY and a backup plan... Do you think republicans are going to close the SC primaries so the Democrats can’t pick LG?

Are YOU deranged?

You better start using your brain, keyboard cowboy!


10 posted on 10/19/2013 6:31:36 AM PDT by bfh333 ("Hope"... "Change"... You better HOPE you have some CHANGE after the next 4 years!)
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To: bfh333
Run a Tea Party candidate as a Democrat

That has already been tried and failed. Republicans won't vote for anybody but a Republican.

11 posted on 10/19/2013 6:32:08 AM PDT by PistolPaknMama
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To: cotton1706

Graham a lot of money for reelection but where did it come from? If I were a liberal I would throw money at him just to further the destruction of our state as a Conservative stonghold.

I don’t know if Governor Haley has the power but initializing a move to change our primaries to closed would be a big step in the right direction. Maybe it has to originate in the State House but it should be done.


12 posted on 10/19/2013 6:32:41 AM PDT by RetSignman (As Goes America, So Goes the World. A Communist America, A Communist World.)
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To: RetSignman

stonghold= stronghold


13 posted on 10/19/2013 6:35:32 AM PDT by RetSignman (As Goes America, So Goes the World. A Communist America, A Communist World.)
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To: onedoug
What Tea Party advocate would ever call themselves a democrat?

There are conservative Democrats. Recall the Reagan Democrats, the blue-dog Democrats, etc.

They have the same problem as the rightwing 'extremists' in the GOP -- their party has been taken over by the libs/leftists/party-elitists.

Then, there are conservative independents who are not a part of either major party.

Conservative Dems don't want to jump ship, just like Conservative Republicans don't. They hang on to their old party, even as it sinks deeper into the mire of liberalism/progressiveism.

Both the Dem and Republican party elites know this. As long as they can keep their rightwings isolated, they control the party.
14 posted on 10/19/2013 6:36:36 AM PDT by TomGuy (.)
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To: Paine in the Neck

...but other than that...a GREAT LIST of things to do!


15 posted on 10/19/2013 6:36:38 AM PDT by C. Edmund Wright (Tokyo Rove is more than a name, it's a GREAT WEBSITE)
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To: cotton1706

Repeat after me...He will fail!


16 posted on 10/19/2013 6:37:43 AM PDT by marygam (I have extra ducktape for anyone who needs to wrap their head.)
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To: cotton1706
“They have over 1,000 precinct captains already lined up,” a source familiar with Graham’s effort tells FITS. “More are coming online every day. They are building a machine.”

The Village People?


17 posted on 10/19/2013 6:38:05 AM PDT by COBOL2Java (I'm a Christian, pro-life, pro-gun, Reaganite. The GOP hates me. Why should I vote for them?)
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To: cotton1706

The program as described sounds like the one Obama used. He had the area where I live blanketed with “captains” who visited homes, had parties, etc. They not only knew who to target but they had simple but effective scripts for the organizers who then asked each “yes” person to become an organizer. They also had “walk around” money.

The Republicans had a office where you could pick up information, bumper stickers, etc. There was also a statewide bank of telephone callers (I did receive a couple of such calls) The Republicans choose to spend their money on TV ads.


18 posted on 10/19/2013 6:45:01 AM PDT by elpadre (AfganistaMr Obama said the goal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-hereQaeda" and its allies.)
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To: cotton1706

Is there a well regarded conservative who run as an independent in the general election? If Graham uses a strategy designed to take advantage of the open primary and win with liberal voters, then conservatives should field an independent.


19 posted on 10/19/2013 6:45:06 AM PDT by Will88
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To: Will88

Murkowski and Joe Lieberman ran as independents and won after losing their party primaries. If that can be done in SC, if Graham wins the primary, maybe the top vote getter other than Graham should then run as an independent.


20 posted on 10/19/2013 6:51:23 AM PDT by Will88
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