Sen. Graham: A Leading Light


Source: Senate Republican Conference
Our political culture and government processes have become dark places of partisanship and bickering. Those from each side of the aisle form groups and never allow their minds to meet. We desire good policy and clean politics, yet we vote for and encourage the slimy stuff we see. In the darkness we call Washington political culture there is a light: South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.
View a snapshot of Sen. Graham

Leadership Calendar

Friday, May 26, 2006

Lindsey Graham Doesn’t Disappoint Me

Response to Mike Reino at SC6.

I started out volunteering for the Presidential campaign of John Edwards two years ago. I went to Iowa and Milwaukee as a volunteer. I cam home from one of these trips and I was watching the Senate on C-SPAN 2 when I happened across a specch by Lindsey Graham, who was the Jr senator from South Carolina at th time. The speech was about trade. I remembering who would dare present the unorthodox position that he did.

I have followed his Senate career for the last two years and have defended him every chance I get becasue I do plan to pattern myself after him. I like his style of hammering out compromises and tackling current and controversial issues head on without fear.

Inspite of the high praise I do sometimes wonder what he is thinkig, but it is just a disagreement to me and not a dispointment. There is much wrong with the Senate version of the immigration bill, however, I think his heart is in the right place. There is another problem with this issue besides the agency not being able to handle the influx and that is the executive department’s lax enforcement. Sen. Graham is only trying to assist in fixing a problem that the President could have fixed quickly with an executive order that demanded stepped up enforcement of existing law. The solution is not perfect, but that is why we have a conference committee.

I understand the perils of the immigration issues becasue I live in Chicago and have a difficult time finding employment because I don’t speak Spanish. I also understanfd that until we enforce the fines on employers for hiring illegals than we will have the problem.

I do think that Lindsey is caught up in the spirit of comproise as he tends to be because he wants the Senate to work together. It is unfortunate that John McCain and the rest you name are so derided. I do not think that Lindsey should be beat based on the Groupof 14 becasue we still got our judges. Did we really want to destry to Senate and change forever the way it works? I don’t. I like judicial compromise because it has given good judges positions. Some still won’t make it, but that is the process.

I do not think that the second is as plausible as the first. Lindsey made some of the most passionate and compassionate speeches I saw from anyone on this issue. I am sure he recieved som contributions from business interests, but so did all the senators. This is not as much the problem as his bleeding heart may be on the issue.

I am and always will be more like Lindsey Graham than Jim DeMint. I am still not a Fair Tax supporter and will remain a compromiser for the overall good.

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