Posted on 06/04/2005 9:28:03 PM PDT by CHARLITE
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - Sen. Lindsey Graham's role in a compromise on filibusters against President Bush (website - news - bio) 's judicial picks did not go over well with some GOP regulars in this Republican state. The first-term Republican, who in 2002 succeeded Strom Thurmond, was among 14 lawmakers - seven from each party - who abandoned their leaders and reached a deal among themselves. They agreed to confirm some of Bush's stalled federal court nominees while leaving the door open for rejecting others.
"It's one of the hottest issues I've seen since I've been chairman," said Katon Dawson, South Carolina's GOP chairman for three years. "There was a lot of heartburn inside the base of the Republican Party. President Bush won 70 percent of the counties in the United States and people wanted his agenda moved forward."
Hundreds of people have called state Republican headquarters to complain about Graham's participation in the negotiations. Graham's role has given Charleston businessman Thomas Ravenel further reason to consider a primary challenge to Graham in 2008.
Ravenel, the son of a former congressman, finished third in a crowded field in last year's race for South Carolina's other Senate seat, now held by Republican Jim DeMint.
Ravenel does not like Graham's positions on trade and objects to the senator's Social Security proposal to increase payroll taxes on those earning more than $90,000.
"He has long since offended the fiscal conservatives," Ravenel said. "More recently he has offended the other Republican coalition - the social conservatives."
Those same social conservatives were instrumental in derailing Arizona Sen. John McCain's "straight talk express" bid for the presidency five years ago in South Carolina's GOP primary.
In 2000 Graham supported McCain, a driving force behind the filibuster deal two weeks ago. By 2002, however, Graham had mended his fences with President Bush's supporters.
"Some people said they did not intend to have two John McCains in Washington, D.C., when they voted for Lindsey Graham," said Beaufort County GOP Chairman Doug Robertson.
In an interview with The Associated Press last week, Graham was confident he would weather the storm.
"This state respects senators who are independent, who share their conservative values and who treat their colleagues with respect," he said. "I'm not going to conduct myself in a way where I'm the loudest guy and I'm not going to be satisfied with rhetoric that gins up a small group of people."
Graham said the deal gives the Senate a fresh start and allows lawmakers to consider some of Bush's judicial nominations. Changing the approach to filibusters is still on the table if the compromise fails, he said.
But even in his home county, some people said Graham's role in the negotiations was out of order, according to Oconee County GOP Chairman Ed Rumsey.
"They wanted him to stand firm and have an up-or-down vote on every candidate," Rumsey said. Still, he added: "Lindsey Graham is our hometown guy. We're going to stand by him."
In strongly Republican Lexington County, most people thought the compromise was "typical Lindsey," said Tim Miller, the county's GOP chairman. "He said: 'Look, we can't allow something like this to bog down the country. We need to do what's best for America.'"
South Carolinian Roberta Combs, president of the national Christian Coalition, said the compromise was not what the conservative group wanted.
"What people were upset about and what I was upset about was these judges had been waiting so long and you couldn't get them to the floor," she said.
But she does not think Graham's base is damaged.
"In politics a day is forever. Only time will tell," she said. "I don't think this is going to hurt Lindsey because he is strong on defense and supports the president on the war and has been a team player."
Doug Woodard, a Clemson University political scientist who often serves as a Republican consultant, said Graham always has had an independent streak and a flair for attracting attention.
"He's got the best political instincts of anyone I have ever seen," Woodard said. He noted that Graham won, without any primary opposition, the GOP nomination for Thurmond's seat, which had been coveted by South Carolina politicians for decades.
Graham said that while some people will disagree with the compromise, he and most Republicans want to achieve the same thing - getting more conservative judges on the bench.
"For some people in politics it's not enough to agree with them on the issue, you have to hate the people they hate," he said. "I'm not going to be a hater. I'm going to be a solid conservative and a reformer."
You have the nreve to call me a like minded rat. You and the other guy have done nothing but attack me in concert for daring to express an opinion that was different than yours. With very weak arguments I might add. It really is funny to see lay people get so worked up over something that the judges who are actually involved in don't. I mean really is the world going to come to a crashing halt? No. Why not. Because tomorrow the whole shebang starts over again. Judicial nominations is not a one day fight nor is it a one year fight. It is a continuous cycle that repeats over and over.
No I will not. I came here (not this thread) because I did not like the Terri Schiavo rulings and still don't. I usually confin my threads to those. But I vote for Linsey Grahm. I like him, he is a good man who is getting a bad rap from people like you who believe that bulldozing your way through things is the only way to achieve your goal. Too bad, you will alway meet resistance because you don not understand give and take. just take.
Live troll over here.
If you really did as a Dem cross party lines to vote for Graham vs Tenebaum I am interested in hearing your reasons for doing so. Good luck since in no way did that happen.
Nam Vet asked me if I was conservative. I said no I was not.
Yes, I am a moderate. In South Carolina that means Democrat. You should know that living here. I did not try to hide it. I never claimed to vote for anyone other than Linsey Grahm and no one asked me either or I would have told you.
I asked you in my last post. Go ahead and answer you phony troll.
My judge is not getting his chance because of the delays in the Senate. I don't want this to drag out. It's redudantly stupid and niether side is goig to more unless someone force them to.
I do not imagine I am the smartest person on the thread, I'm leaving that job for you.
Are you still harping on the raising taxes on $90,000 a year. I care about raising taxes, but if that's what it take then so be it. Taxes are the price we pay for being Americans.
Wait just a minute,
Explain to me how Tenebaum is still Superintendent of Education if she ran against Graham in 2002. Or was that office not up for election in 2002?
I voted for Linsey Grahm because he is a family friend, he listened to me when I spole to him without being the judgemental fools the two of you are being, and I thought Inez was a weak canidate who lacked the experience to go to the Senate.
She goes up for reelection in 2006.
Since we all are against Lindsey he is voicing support in an effort to break us apart and get his Socialist Rat candidate in. That is their only chance. We will not fall for it.
Of course you don't care about raising taxes. That's axiomatic for a damned Dem.
"YOUR JUDGE", would have had a far better chance of attaining a higher judgeship, IF the cretinous gang of 14 hadn't stepped in. Unlike you, most of us here understand this situation.And the ONLY thing YOU want, is to move up, with "your judge"! Just admit it. You've already admitted that you're a trolling Dem, on a CONSERVATIVE forum.
I am not a damn man! I cannot beleive that you automatically assume that I am a man because of the name.
Who is your judge?
She isn't even a convincing liar.
My judge is Jansen Kauser. He wrote a lovley and infrmative book called " The Social Services Gestapo." He is an active member of the Republican party. And we have so much fun.
I just BET that you and "your judge" have so much fun, MONICA.
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