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Is the immigration issue hurting Lindsey Graham's image in South Carolina?
beaufortgazette.com ^ | 06/17/07 | JAMES ROSEN

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."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: South Carolina
KEYWORDS: aliens; dumplindsey; illegalimmigration; image; immigrantlist; immigrationbill; lindseygraham; ravenel; senatorgrahamnesty; vampirebill
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To: CPT Clay

Of course I voted Toomey in the primary last time. I vote for anybody, no matter how obscure and unlikely to win, who is willing to take Specter on in the primary. If there’s nobody, then I skip voting in the race, rather than vote for him.


81 posted on 06/19/2007 10:04:44 AM PDT by penowa (NO more Bushes; NO more Clintons EVER!)
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To: penowa

Good. Were you one of the angry ones who decided to vote against Santorum because he had to appear with Prez Bush at a spectre event?


82 posted on 06/19/2007 10:24:49 AM PDT by CPT Clay (Drill ANWR, Personal Accounts NOW.)
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To: CPT Clay

No, I was not. I stopped reading and posting to the FR PA forum because of the unreasonable crazies who were hellbent on taking down Santorum. I would, however, vote for the empty suit MIA Senator Casey if only he were running against Specter, and I plan to vote for ANY wild-eyed lefty Democrat who opposes him if he can’t be knocked out in the primary.


83 posted on 06/19/2007 11:21:03 AM PDT by penowa (NO more Bushes; NO more Clintons EVER!)
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To: penowa

These RHINO’S do us more harm than democrats will.

It’s kind of a lesser of 2 evils thing

That’s why republicans in CT voted Lieberman in
and Lowell Weicker out

Do it and you will feel better, not 100%, but better


84 posted on 06/19/2007 11:34:51 AM PDT by underbyte (Being an arrogant Washington elitist WILL drop your I.Q. 50 points - No lie)
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To: underbyte

I don’t know if I’ll feel better, but after 2 votes for a 3rd party candidate in Specter’s past two general elections and he’s still there, threatening to run again, I’m going to try it next time (’10.) He certainly deserves it.


85 posted on 06/19/2007 11:53:13 AM PDT by penowa (NO more Bushes; NO more Clintons EVER!)
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To: OKIEDOC
"He, explained it away by saying he had no choice because Carter forced him to go against the home folks."

Yep...that Jimmy Carter could be quite intimidating.

86 posted on 06/19/2007 11:58:35 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum.)
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To: CPT Clay

“Had to” appear? He didn’t “have to” do anything. Was someone holding a gun to his head? No. He chose money over principle.


87 posted on 06/19/2007 1:43:21 PM PDT by Politicalmom ("Mom, I'll be old enough to vote for Fred when he runs for his second term." -My Son. (I'm proud))
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To: penowa

Good

Those crazies really hurt a good man.

you can see we got one here.


88 posted on 06/20/2007 7:41:01 AM PDT by CPT Clay (Drill ANWR, Personal Accounts NOW.)
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