OFFICE OF STATE TREASURER
Thomas Ravenel
Posted on 06/17/2007 12:52:12 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3
WASHINGTON -- Lee Rogers, chairman of the Anderson County Republican Party, was at the beach last week when his cell phone rang. It was an urgent call from one of Rogers' Upstate GOP activists.
"He asked me what I was going to do to find somebody to run against Lindsey Graham (next year)," Rogers said. "I explained to the gentleman that's not something I can put together as a single county chairman. That's got to happen with the people."
It could be happening.
Graham, a Seneca Republican nearing the end of his first Senate term, has taken plenty of heat before, but perhaps never like this.
Thanks to his high-profile help in crafting an immigration reform bill that has stalled in the Senate, constituents call and leave screaming messages on his office voice mail.
"NO AMNESTY! NO AMNESTY!" one repeat caller yells for a minute or more in angry overnight messages that greet his aides in the morning.
Graham's staff estimates that his Senate offices have received about 3,000 letters, phone calls, e-mails and faxes about immigration in the last month, most of them critical of him. Talk-radio hosts within and beyond South Carolina deride Graham as a Ted Kennedy toady.
Rush Limbaugh has taken to calling him "Lindsey Grah-amnesty."
Bloggers challenge his manhood, assault his patriotism, mock his intellect.
Still worse for where he comes from, they belittle his Southern bona-fides.
Furious Republican loyalists lobby online for someone -- anyone -- to step forward and challenge Graham in the 2008 primary when he seeks re-election.
One Web site, dumplindsey.org, gets dozens of comments a day, few of them friendly.
"Did anyone go and see Benedict Arnold Graham and bring rotten eggs and tomatoes?" a blogger named j--richard wrote in the comments section of a Greenville News article about a recent appearance there by Graham to boost the immigration bill.
The names of possible GOP primary challengers to Graham fly across the Internet:
Gov. Mark Sanford and Rep. Gresham Barrett. Attorney General Henry McMaster. Charlie Condon, Mark McBride, Oscar Lovelace. Greg Ryberg and Buddy Witherspoon.
The name mentioned most often is State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel.
In an online survey Thursday, SCHotline.com asked whether Ravenel should break his treasury campaign pledge not to challenge Graham next year. Among 342 responders, 53 percent said "yes" while 47 percent chose "no."
"He's humbled and flattered that there are folks out there who are mentioning his name as a (Senate) candidate, but he believes in honoring his commitment," Scott Malyerk, a spokesman for Ravenel, said Thursday. "Nothing's changed."
With Graham's high national as well as statewide name recognition and his campaign war chest approaching $4 million, GOP political operatives say, any window for mounting a viable campaign against him is closing fast.
"There could be some potential political damage, but whether or not his nomination is in jeopardy, I don't know," said Rogers of Anderson County. "If somebody's going to do it, they need to do it now, and they need to get at it."
Graham said he's ready for any opponent, Republican or Democrat.
"Anyone who runs against me better get up early and stay late because I think I've been one heck of a good senator for my state and my party," Graham said Thursday in an interview. "I intend to seek office on the basis that I am not afraid to do what needs to be done."
OFFICE OF STATE TREASURER
Thomas Ravenel
“We now know him as a backstabbing traitorous sellout”
Wonder who bought him?
Lindsey Graham along with every supporter of amnesty whether they be Republican Democrat or Independent needs to be thrown out of office when their next election comes about.
They also should be stoned in the public square a.s.a.p.
3,000? Graham's staff must be as incompetent as he is when it comes to counting, or some people aren't doing there job. THERE SHOULD BE 3,000 calls faxes and emails by tommorrow! Getrrr done!
Feinstein wanted 30,000 calls and she won't admit to how many she has gotten, Why not?
Many of us were done with him when he joined the gang of 14. This just cinches it. Now Graham is one of the best Democrats out there.
Anybody but Lindsey.
Well, we here in Surfside Beach think it IS time for a change. I guess it must be the “Washington Plague” that has gotten to him. I don’t know what happened. I put him there the last time, but not anymore after he stated I elected him to get along with Democrafts! No I didn’t!
That answer should be decipherable at Open Secrets . Graham gets a fair amount of money from Agribusiness and Contractors, but he receives more than most Republicans from law firms. These might well be immigration lawyers, by whom and for whom the Senate Amnesty bill has been written.
Well, if this doesn't reek of pure Washington arrogance and elitism. My advice to SC conservatives, assuming Graham survives the primary challenge, is to simply stay home and let the Rat win. And I better not read any of this "But Graham's still a Republican! Half a loaf is better than none" garbage that's going to pollute the Forum next Fall from the GOP butt-smoochers urging us to hold our nose once again.
This is sad and cynical and what is wrong with the GOP. No one has to defeat Graham, he is doing a fine job of that himself. Graham is counting on the money in his warchest scaring off primary challengers. I believe a good decent candidate running a common sense campaign can beat unseat Graham with a lot less money. Graham is there for the taking, the anger is against Graham is there, a bold candidate will take this opportunity and run with it.
Na... he got a terminal case of DC-itis... it causes your spine to dissolve, your testicle to shrivel, and you to chronically stumble off more and more to the left
I will send $500 to any challenger.
“Constitutional Qualifications for Senator
According to Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, a senator must be 30 years of age, a citizen of the United States for 9 years, and must reside in the state he or she represents at the time of election.”
Nowhere in our Constitution does it say you must be rich or a powerbroker. Some young upstart could be gaining signatures right now and with talk radio’s and the web help be heard from.
At the debates simply say, “You know I just watched “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”, and after seeing that I see Sen. Graham has moved away from the needs of SC, into the hands of the corporate world. He’s lost touch”>
OK. Drag your feet.
How about a Democrat mounting a viable campaign against him? Rahm Immanuel--find a conservative Dem, and you've got a new seat in the Senate.
Grahamnesty--hah. Think you're invulnerable? Think again.
But who is telling them... and should they listen?
Actually, if I lived in S.C. I would make it a point to go out and vote for the Democrat.....regardless of who it is, to beat Graham.
At least the Democrat would KNOW why they won and maybe try to keep their nose clean.
If Graham wins after this there is absolutely nothing he can’t get away with and he will know. it.
By the way, I have never voted for a Democrat in my entire life but I would make an exception for Lindsey Graham.
I sure hope so.
Well. I’ve never seen a pic of Ravenel before. Not bad.
Wonder how DeMint’s donations stack up? Gawsh, that’s a lot of money Grahamnesty is getting from lawyers!!
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