Lindsey Graham’s epitaph: Nothing in his political life will become him like the leaving it

redstate.com ^ | 6/22/13 | Gawken

[cotton1706]

I suspect that Ted Cruz is correct. The “fix” is in on the Senate immigration bill. It will pass. And no one will more to blame than Lindsey Graham. And for that one fact, (though by no means am I ignoring a whole litany of other offenses) Graham must be primaried, and defeated next year.

For unlike the other GOP members of the “gang of 8,” as well as those GOP senators inclined to support the bill, Graham is up for election in 2014. His stance on immigration is anathema to the overwhelming majority of the Republican party, if not the country as a whole. Elections do indeed have consequences, as do votes, and Graham must be held accountable for his.

Defeating Graham will serve two purposes. He will be made to pay the political price for his actions. Unlike McCain, who tracked hard right just to get elected in 2010, and then immediately went off the reservation, Graham will have to answer to the voters. His primary defeat will shape the 2014 elections. Conservatives across the county should openly nationalize the primary, throw money and volunteers at Graham’s opponents. Do anything possible to ensure his defeat.

It is likely that the GOP will win the Senate in 2014. And a Graham-less GOP majority will be emboldened to heed its conservative tenets, and remind McConnell ( the putative majority leader) that “uneasy indeed lies the head.” It will force him to behave. And it will also be a direct, and deserved slap down of McCain, and neuter whatever influence he has for the last two years of his term. And force him to retire after 2016. He won’t be able to fool the voters of Arizona again. And we’ll finally be rid of Meghan’s insipid Tweets.

And isn’t the mere thought of Graham importing McCain to campaign for him in the Palmetto State, well…it’s too, too delicious to even contemplate.

But more important than the 2014 election, defeating Graham will be a decisive first strike in the 2016 race for the White House. It will all but tell Rubio to forget it, don’t even bother trying.

I write this sadly, as one of Rubio’s first supporters and volunteers. When I heard him speak early summer of 2009, at a rally at a sports bar in St. Pete, taking questions for hours in front of several hundred enthusiastic ABCs (Anyone But Crist) I came away 100% convinced that I had just shaken hands with a future president of the US.

But Rubio’s support of the Senate immigration bill..indeed..it could not even exist without his participation, and the complete reversal of his stated position on illegal immigration from when he was running for the Senate, have ended that dream.

I will always cherish Graham for his brilliant performance as one of the House managers of Clinton’s impeachment. Sadly he is not that same conservative voice today. He must go.

[newheart]

And we’ll finally be rid of Meghan’s insipid Tweets.

Gawken is way more of an optimist than I am.

[Paladin2]

Linda needs to go spend more time with his family.

Uuuhhhhh, wait a minute.....; time with somebody, maybe John Roberts.

[Viennacon]

A candidate to defeat him has to be recruited first. Unfortunately, South Carolina’s primary system is designed to favor entrenched establishment tools. Graham is the weakest RINO running in 2014, but he may ultimately be the hardest to strike down. Like MurCOWski in Alaska, he’s got the Rove-Republicans fully behind him, but I will do everything I can to see the back of him.

Memo to Tim Scott: Do NOT endorse this clown. He’ll try to get you to. Don’t do it.

[presently no screen name]

Linda needs to go spend more time with his family.

He'll just be in class learning Spanish and how to say 'vote for me'.

[pallis]

Throw out the trash. It’s been rancid for years. How can people stand to be around him?

[Norm Lenhart]

No one should get their hopes up. Come primary season Lin will have the GOP machine out there feeding the fear and the staunchly psuedoconservative in the baase of the right wing will again demand that everyone vote for hiim or the Democrat will win and bla blah blah...the Dems are worse blah blah blah...and anyone that refuses to vote for him is a traitor to America...

Like freaking clockwork.

[Carriage Hill]

Graham and McCain will be going to the same sulfurous corner of Hell, right next door to the Kennedys.

[dowcaet]

The GOP will then stand for Gutted Old Party because many conservatives will finally leave the party for good if this passes and the Democrats will control the country for a generation or more. This will mark the end of the Republican Party as a viable political party, and the Dems are watering their lips knowing clueless, gutless wonders like Crybaby Boehner, Goober Graham, and John McLame are leading the GOP into a head on collision with oblivion.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

The e-gop will still make sure that rube-o gets the nom just like they did with mcnutts.Open primaries screw us every time.I ran into that piece of sh!t pansy graham in Atlanta and I swear he was out trolling.He had no security detail with him and that means he was up to no good.

[Mamzelle]

Unfortunately, this is harder than you would think, considering how SC Republicans detest Lindsey Graham.

Graham has big liberal corporate sponsors like Duke, energy companies and trial lawyers. He has a huge war chest.

I suspect he will win the same way that Sanford won his way back into Congress, by being supported by Democrats in the primary (Colbert's sister thought he'd be easy to beat), and by diluting the primary vote with too many candidates. We have an open primary in SC.

And the SC GOP always caves to Graham.

What we need is Sarah Palin to come and help us.

[Viennacon]

Hey, we got rid of Dick Lugar. Doesn’t Indiana have an open primary?

[upchuck]

Thanks for posting this.

Linda is off the reservation. In fact, she's out in left field some place. What a shame - South Carolina, one of the reddest states, has to put up with a RINO looser like this.

Uber RINO Lindsey Ping
"Republican by day, Democrat by night."

Want on or off this ping list?
Just FReepmail me

[Mamzelle]

We could run an independent candidate...?! Or have one in the wings if Graham runs off with the primary the way Sanford did.

[ncalburt]

I think there is a woman in SC getting ready for a primary battle .
Luger had big bucks behind him and the media .
Old Grahanesty will be easy pickings .
Big issue is the open primary crap

[ncalburt]

Nancy mace is her name

[ncalburt]

Sanford was an off season election which does compare to 2014 with bigger turnout

[Mamzelle]

I still think to have a tea party candidate register as an independent might be a good insurance policy.

You know, Graham is pretty smug these days, like he knows he can get in our faces and stuff a crap sandwich down our throats and get away with it....

[RushingWater]

Never say never. The Cruz victory in Texas started off with about the same odds.

[GBA]

I will always cherish Graham for his brilliant performance as one of the House managers of Clinton’s impeachment.

Indeed. "Cherish" is not the word I would use, but I agree that he played his part like a consummate actor/politician and has been rewarded for it ever since.

What else explains the curious stature of Lindsey?

What fun it would be to know what they use to make him do their bidding...or do they even need anything?