Graham Censured By 3rd County GOP
By Reid Wilson
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) got a 3rd slap on the wrist from a local county party Monday for his votes in favor of some key Dem initiatives.
Graham was censured by the Lexington Co. GOP, the 3rd-largest county party in the state. He has been censured in the past by the Greenville Co. and the Charleston Co. GOPs.
Members who voiced opposition to Graham's stances on illegal immigration, the TARP bailout and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor's nomination. Graham voted in favor of the first TARP measure and for Sotomayor.
Graham takes a stance on immigration reform closer to that of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who has advocated for a comprehensive reform approach, than to Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and other conservatives who favor an enforcement-first approach.
Party officials also cited his work with Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), with whom he is said to be negotiating a compromise on cap and trade legislation.
13 Lexington Co. GOP leaders voted to censure Graham, while 7 voted against the motion and 4 abstained.
Graham has long had a problem with loyal conservatives who view him as too moderate for the party, but he has a largely positive relationship with the state's voters. He earned a challenge from the state's RNC national committeeman in the '08 primary, and Graham won by a 67%-33% margin. Graham won a 2nd term over his Dem challenger with 57.5% of the vote.
Thats because Lindey Graham sucks. I dont think this will help get him out though. I will probably take him being found with a dead little boy unfortunately
In other words, angry redneck politicians from South Carolina (the South; stereotypes? anyone?) cannot stand the fact that Graham is a thinking person, unlike such disgusting coleagues like Sen. DeMint, Sen. Vitter (the one who bought the prostitutes), Sen. Sessions (Alabama, the ultimate good'ole boy).
Graham is one of the few bright spots in a party that is being hijacked by angry old white males from the South...with all the demographic changes, the GOP is doomed...
Ivan, actually it's much more a result of the nearing majority waking to the fact that this country can no longer afford to suffer the tax and spend likes of Graham and his accomplices. Driving this economy into the ground on purpose is becoming more and more conspicuously apparent. More are rising to the call of necessary action. Besides, this is not so much a Palmetto State thing as it is a national thing; South Carolinians are just known for firing the first shot & Graham makes such a deserving target.
It's pretty sad when people are proud of their state "firing the first shot" in reference to Ft. Sumter and the Civil War. In other words, the South Carolinians are still very proud of their racist legacy and if it was up to them, the civil rights movement should have never succeeded. That's why an issue such as immigration reform has to be dealt with by an executive order; angry old white males are very much gearing up for the final struggle in a war hey have already lost...simply b/c they are on the wrong side of both history and demographics.
I was present at the Lexington, SC meeting were the resolution was passed. I am one of Lindsey Graham's constituents. I did NOT support George W. Bush but I am in favor of a more Constitutional government.
It's interesting to note, given that we're supposed to be becoming a more enlightened nation, trying to do away with stereotypes and all that, that many of the comments I have seen on this issue indicate it was perpetrated by "rednecks," racists, or otherwise narrow-minded people. I find this opinion to be narrow-minded and singularly hypocritical. Pot, meet kettle.
To set the record straight, the entrenched, neoconservative, George W. Bush supporters were the ones who voted AGAINST the resolution. Those who voted for it are people who are very firmly against George W. Bush and his warmongering ways.
The purpose of the resolution was to offer Lindsey Graham a chance to correct what has been a long string of belligerent and down right arrogant behavior towards his constituents.
Ad Hominem has always been a tool of both the deceived & the deceiver.
As a former county GOP chair from South Carolina, I am quite familiar with the process for a legal meeting. A quorum must be present. In Lexington County there are something like 70 organized precincts with 63 executive committeemen who can vote at a meeting. Of those, only 24 precincts were present with someone who could vote. That is NOT a LEGAL quorum. Of those, only 13 voted for the censorship.
SJR
The Pink Flamingo
Thanks for taking the top out to write this interesting topic.