When I began my odyssey into politics over two years ago, Lindsey Graham was someone I tried to model myself after. I considered myself a moderate, that hammering out compromises to resolve differences was a good thing. Heck, Lindsey and I even have the same birthday ( they forgot to put my name on the cake at the Lace House back in 2004...). I still believe that compromise on certain issues is an effective tool, like the Gang of 14 that ensured that we got Justices Alito and Roberts on the Supreme Court. Lately, I've been wondering what my Senator is thinking.
I'm not going to shock anyone when I say that I think Sen. Graham is dead wrong on Illegal Immigration ( some of us forget the illegal part). I'm convinced that all nearly everyone in Washington is stuck in some type of bubble, where the air is not the same, and the reasons that make an issue so obvious to us at home do not penetrate that invisible lining.
On most issues,I try to look at it from a local viewpoint - like I'm already representing my constituents. This issue is a no-brainer for people in South Carolina. Entire regions of our state have double-digit unemployment, and people are trying to tell us that we won't do the work? Guess what, we already do the work! In the Agricultural industry, 76% of the jobs are held by Americans. We pick the fruit and veggies, and we have for 230 years. As illegals move into higher paying jobs, are we supposed to believe that employers can't find people to work in construction for $14.00 an hour too? Seems pretty crystalline to me - local jobs need to go to local unemployed.
So what's driving people like Lindsey to make such bad decisions? I'll give two theories. My hope is that the Republican Senators who voted for this bill are caught up in the spirit of compromise. This isn't new for Sen. Graham. Look at the picture on the heading - I didn't PhotoShop it. When you start joining in with John McCain , Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy, like you're going down the Yellow Brick Road in the Wizard of Oz, I get concerned. The GOP beat the Democrats with the Gang of 14 , and I have the feeling that the favor will be returned on Graham, McCain and the rest soon.
The other theory concerns me more. Aside from the Illegals, who benefits the most from Illegal Immigration? The employers, of course. My fear is that some business owners have put some donations in various politicians hands, and whispered some advice to them. After all, they don't just give them money with zero expectations, do they? If the Senate is too afraid to stand up against them, and do what is right for the countyr, then we are all lost. Again, I really hope this is not the case.
Two years ago, I envisioned myself more like Lindsey Graham than Jim DeMint. I wasn't Fair Tax supporter, and I was a compromiser for the overall good. Well, maybe I'm getting more conservative , or maybe it's because Jim DeMint remembers me, and Lindsey Graham doesn't know me from a hole in the wall ( Those little things matter to us, Guys), but I'm starting to really question my support for Sen. Graham in 2008. I'm not giving up just yet, but I'm starting to wonder.......
6 comments:
Mike,
I agree with you the LG is disappointing... but we don't need any more moderates. The problem with the entire Senate is that it is run by moderates. We need more conservatives, as in Reagan Conservatives. Those who run on that ticket will do a lot better than a moderate will. After all, Chamberlain was a moderate... remember him from WWII fame? His nemesis was a guy named Hitler.
If you want to be great and do a great job, become a conservative. Churchill was a conservative, so was Reagan. What great moderates can you name from the past century? None. Because they don't stand for anything. They lack principles, other than the principle of moderation.
The entire reason LG will go down in the next election is because he IS a moderate. Become a conservative!
Blessings
Timothy
I don't quote Rush a whole lot, but today, he was talking about McCain and Lindsey, and he used the term "Trying to Out-Democrat the Democrats" to widen the voter base - an excellent way of putting it. Also an excellent way of getting off track.
Lindsey told me to take care of that last name at the convention. I should had told him he needed to change his.
Moye, I don't think he'll change his last name so you better change yours. May I suggest one that reminds people of you, and one you can be proud of - Moye Schwarzkopf!!
Tell me how to help campaign against him. I'm in. I hate that closeted backstabbing attention grubbing liar. I'd rather vote for Joe Riley.
Good to have you back, Chip! I'm not going to work against Lindsey at this point - there's too much to do in '06. Let's see who is around in 2008, then go from there.
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