Thread: Lindsey Graham Watch

1st installment of the Lindsey Graham watch thread. We really need to keep up with what this traitor is doing and who he is doing it with.

Working with Schumer and Kerry is not likely to be in the best interest of the good people of South Carolina or the nation as a whole. If the country believed in the ideas Senator Kerry brings forth they would not have elected George Bush instead. Seriously, when you loss to Bush that should pretty much end it. Go quietly into fringe myth lecturing or something but don't try to present yourself as a serious legislator anymore because no one is buying it, except Lindsey Graham of course.

You just don't know what this guy Graham is going to do. Seems like he is becoming unhinged a bit. First he is with them and then he isn't. Why would someone act like this?



April 24, 2010

Graham Pulls Support for Climate Change Bill
Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) "decision to walk away from Senate talks on climate change and energy legislation -- at least for now -- has prompted the measure's remaining architects to scuttle Monday's planned unveiling of the bill," The Hill reports.

"Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), who is crafting the bill with Graham and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), announced what he called a temporary postponement and said he remained committed to action this year on a sweeping climate and energy measure."

Graham "is upset over Democratic plans to take up immigration legislation this year - he accuses Democratic leaders of pushing forward immigration "haphazardly" and calls it an election-year political gambit."



http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/ ... al+Wire%29

Didn't Graham say passing obamaCare was going to create a political environment where passing immigration reform could not take place? Then as soon as obamacare passed he went right back to work with Schumer on Amnesty. Now he is making the same claim about Cap & Tax. He should be known as the Senator who cries wolf. Who is he trying to fool, constiuents in South Carolina?

There is no doubt in my mind that Senator Graham would be the 1st person to arrive at an "Amnesty Legislation" propaganda conference hosted by the President at the Blair House.


Climate bill placed on hold over Senate dispute
By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press Writer
Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 4:07 p.m.
/ AP

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid leaves a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, April 22, 2010.(AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

WASHINGTON — Long-awaited climate change legislation was put on hold by its authors Saturday when a dispute over immigration politics and Senate priorities threatened to unravel a bipartisan effort that took months of work.
Voicing regrets, Sen. John Kerry said Saturday he is postponing the much anticipated unveiling of comprehensive energy and climate change legislation scheduled for Monday. The Massachusetts Democrat made his announcement after a key partner in drafting the bill, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, threatened to withhold support if Senate Democratic leaders push ahead first with an immigration bill.

Graham is angry that Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is considering that. Legislation to overhaul immigration laws and grant legal status to millions of long term immigrants unlawfully in the country could create problems for Republicans in the midterm elections. It's a top priority for Hispanic voters - and most Republicans are opposed. Reid's idea amounts to a "cynical political ploy," Graham asserted.

Kerry tried to assure environmentalists and other backers of the climate bill that the delay will be short. The legislation aims to cut emissions of pollution-causing greenhouse gases 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. It also likely will expand domestic production of oil, natural gas and nuclear power.

"We all believe that this year is our best and perhaps last chance for Congress to pass a comprehensive approach," Kerry said in a statement. "Regrettably, external issues have arisen that force us to postpone only temporarily."
Kerry, Graham and Connecticut independent Sen. Joe Lieberman have spent more than six months working on the bill they had hoped to unveil Monday. White House energy adviser Carol Browner praised the three senators, reiterating that the Obama administration wants the energy and climate bill done this year.

Graham's threat to back away from the coalition came Saturday in a letter to Senate leaders.

He said putting immigration at the top of the legislative priority list would derail efforts to find common ground on climate change, a difficult issue involving critically important economic priorities. And he warned that Republican lawmakers would not take kindly to being put on the spot with Hispanics. Many in the Republican Party's political base are adamantly opposed to 'amnesty' for illegal immigrants.

"Moving forward on immigration - in this hurried, panicked manner - is nothing more than a cynical political ploy," Graham said. "Let's be clear, a phony, political effort on immigration today accomplishes nothing but making it exponentially more difficult to address in a serious, comprehensive manner in the future."

Praising Graham's work on the climate legislation, Kerry said the Republican "helped to build an unprecedented coalition of stakeholders from the environmental community and the industry who have been prepared to stand together behind a proposal."

Kerry said he deeply regrets that Graham "feels immigration politics have gotten in the way and for now prevent him from being engaged in the way he intended."

Lieberman also praised Graham's work, and said he's disappointed that "allegations of partisan politics will prevent us from introducing the bill on Monday as planned."

Pushing immigration ahead of climate legislation would disappoint and anger environmentalists, who see this as their best chance in recent years to pass a bill addressing global warming. But Reid told fellow Democrats this week he wants to pursue legislation that would offer legal status to many unlawful immigrants before tackling climate change.

Hispanics voted heavily Democratic in 2008, and they've been disappointed with President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats for not following up on campaign promises to reform immigration laws. Reid is up for re-election this year and trailing in polls in Nevada, where Latinos are an important constituency. With Democrats facing a tough political climate in the midterm elections, energized Hispanic voters could make a difference in several states.
In a statement Saturday that was both conciliatory and noncommittal, Reid said he is committed to passing both immigration and energy this year.

"Immigration and energy reform are equally vital to our economic and national security and have been ignored for far too long," he said.

Both measures will require bipartisan support, Reid said, "and energy could be next if it's ready." Comprehensive immigration reform requires significant committee work that has not yet begun, he noted.

Reid said he appreciates Graham's work on both issues, but added: "I will not allow him to play one issue off of another, and neither will the American people. They expect us to do both, and they will not accept the notion that trying to act on one is an excuse for not acting on the other."

A spokesman said Reid would continue to consult with Kerry on building bipartisan support for a climate bill.

The House last year narrowly passed a bill creating a system to cap emissions blamed for global warming, but has not acted on immigration. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has long said the Senate must vote before the House on an immigration bill.

The Associated Press

Despite what appears to be a positive development we cannot let our guard down when it comes to Senator Graham. He is very erratic and cannot be trusted.



Lindsey Graham Retreats On Immigration Amnesty Effort Following Tea Party Pressure

April 26, 2010

CONTACT: Americans for Legal Immigration PAC ALIPAC
(866) 703-0864 WilliamG@alipac.us

US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is now retreating from the negotiating table with top Democrats on energy and immigration reform amnesty legislation following immense pressure from recent Tea Party events where he and his ally John McCain were booed by large crowds in at least three cities and controversy erupted over his sexual orientation.

While Graham claims that his retreat is the result of concerns over legislation scheduling, Graham's status as the only Republican elected official in Washington who is willing to publicly support a path to citizenship and voting rights for illegal aliens, and the resulting pressures are the most likely culprit.

This guy is a lier!!! This is just one of the rino's trick to throw us off!! Just like Stupak did during healthcare reform. He is doing a performance now. Oh I am not going to focus on amnesty b/c you want to work on energy.

WHAT A LIER!!!

It is a trick folks. This is not a victory!!

Originally Posted by alisab

This guy is a lier!!! This is just one of the rino's trick to throw us off!! Just like Stupak did during healthcare reform. He is doing a performance now. Oh I am not going to focus on amnesty b/c you want to work on energy.

WHAT A LIER!!!

It is a trick folks. This is not a victory!!

Graham is a drama QUEEN! He stuck his foot in it with his address to La Raza, calling all Americans who want our immigration laws enforced, "BIGOTS." Why his constituents allowed him to remain in office after that insulting remark is beyond comprehension. He needed to be kicked out of office then...nothing he has done since has made him any more credible.

Alert!! Call Obama's Amnesty targets!!

http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-1048382.html#1048382

Note: There are some cases where I favor Nuclear Energy as part of an all of the above solution to our domestic energy production problem. Also, I want businesses to make an honest profit without government interference. I despise and have no mercy for statist corporations who seek to use the government to tax and regulate the individual citizen out of their money.


Who does Senator Lindsey Graham work for?


These two companies below need the right CAP & TAX deal to make their nuclear power assets more valuable. Wonder if that means they will be able to sell carbon offsets and profit from it instead of being required to lower your billing rate because YOU use environmentally cleaner energy. Typically Corporatist Republicans like to socialize expenses and privatize the profits. That is why they (see Progress Energy latest adventure in Florida for a great example) charge customers up front for the build out which has a tendency to run over budget but do not lower their profit margins to reflect this reduction in financial risk.

What if Senator Graham was not able to carve out as much regulatory benefit to suit these major political donating energy companies that operate in his back yard? Might he threaten to not give his support toward something he knows those Socialist Democrats want, Amnesty.



http://www.scana.com/en/investor-relati ... by-psc.htm

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlo ... tml?q=duke power company nuclear power



And these companies will build a nuclear plant.

http://www.fluor.com/business_segments/ ... clear.aspx

http://www.urscorp.com/Markets/index.php?s=6


And this company will help you run a nuclear plant.

http://www.energysolutions.com/


This explains how the who’s who of Senator Graham’s political checkbook is working together.

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlo ... tory4.html



And this is the money Senator Graham has benefited from (something tells me that is more money than you and I have sent in to our favorite candidate!). At first glance you would think this guy is a Nuclear Power Lobbyist. Does anyone know if the law firms listed do work for the above mentioned companies?

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/ ... 975&type=C

Top 20 Contributors to Campaign Cmte and Leadership PAC

Rank Contributor Total Individuals PACs

1 Nelson, Mullins et al $105,241 $76,241 $29,000
2 EnergySolutions Inc $64,800 $36,800 $28,000
3 Scana Corp $57,630 $51,130 $6,500
4 Blue Cross/Blue Shield $48,223 $26,723 $21,500
5 Edens & Avant $46,650 $46,650 $0
6 Genphar Inc $45,269 $45,269 $0
7 AT&T Inc$41,222 $10,222 $31,000
8 Fluor Corp $41,200 $19,200 $22,000
9 Lindsay, Goldberg & Bessemer $35,200 $35,200 $0
10 Collum's Lumber Products $33,000 $33,000 $0
11 Boeing Co $32,500 $12,500 $20,000
12 American Bankers Assn $31,000 $0 $31,000
12 Time Warner$31,000 $22,700 $8,300
14 Roche Holdings $30,600 $15,600 $15,000
15 American Assn for Justice$30,000 $0 $30,000
16 Greenberg Traurig LLP $29,200 $24,200 $5,000
17 Duke Energy $29,000 $0 $29,000
18 North American Resue Products $27,500 $27,500 $0
19 Milliken & Co $26,500 $26,500 $0
20 URS Corp/Washington $26,314 $14,000 $12,314

Do You wonder what Senator Graham is up to now that he is not spending his time with the media seeking to offer aid & comfort to illegal aliens and their enablers:


This is from FreedomWorks mattbkibbe@freedomworks.org (Yes, I know Dick Armey Is For Amnesty, I Complained, Have Not Contributed Again and always carry a No Amnesty Sign To Events They Are Involved In)

Apparently members of Congress have too much time on their hands. Just a few short weeks after ramming ObamaCare through, Senators Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman are already preparing for their next attack on the American taxpayer: the poorly named "American Power Act."

A far better name for this legislation would be the "American Power Grab." Little more than cap and trade in disguise, the bill would be a massive job-killing energy tax. In fact, the largest tax hike ever, and would hit the poor and middleclass, who spend a higher proportion of their income on essentials like electricity and fuel, the hardest. when American families are already struggling to make ends meet in our current economic downturn.

Cap and trade, or cap and tax, would mean sky high energy prices for consumers, but a new government slush fund for Washington. A twenty-seven cent "Fuels' Fee" on every gallon of gasoline included in the bill means not just higher prices at the pump, but higher prices on shipping and food production. It's hard to think of an area of life these higher costs won't affect. Higher energy costs will put the cost of doing business through the roof and send American jobs overseas at a time of record unemployment.

Altogether, this is far too high a price to pay for nothing in return. Any impact the legislation might have on global climate temperatures is too small to measure. The risks, on the other hand, are clear.

To take on this new economy killer, FreedomWorks is re-launching our Cap and Trade Online War Room - full of important tools that make it easy for you to take action and send our leaders a clear message through phone calls, a petition, talking points, boots on the ground activism ideas, and issue development page to read the current state of play and opinion. It is essential to get out of the gate early and stop this threat before it can gain any traction. As we know all too well from past experience, Pelosi, Reid, and their allies will use any trick in the legislative handbook to get their big-government policies through. The sooner we put a stop to this, the better.

Although it is still only April, it's clear that Washington is gearing up for a long, hot summer and we'll have to be on the alert for power grabs and higher taxes like this. The best way that we can prepare for any situation is to continue growing the movement and getting more people involved.

alisab wrote:

This guy is a lier!!! This is just one of the rino's trick to throw us off!! Just like Stupak did during healthcare reform. He is doing a performance now. Oh I am not going to focus on amnesty b/c you want to work on energy.

WHAT A LIER!!!

It is a trick folks. This is not a victory!!

It's being said that Graham is backing off CIR to protect his long time friend, Sen. John McCain.

Supposedly Graham does not want to force McCain into the position of having to vote on an illegal alien amnesty. Any vote on such legislation would seriously damage his reelection bid. A 'yea' for amnesty will drive many potential voters to the J.D. Hayworth camp and a 'nay' vote would keep many Hispanics home on election day, which would help Hayworth. McCain can not win on the issue, so it's best, for his sake, that immigration legislation is left off the table until after the November elections.

As much as I hate the Corporatist Wing of the Republican Party, I still hope the GOP is able to take a minimum of 6 or 7 seats during the upcoming election so that Senator Graham will effectively have his tounge cut out and no longer be a self appointed dealmaker. This nation does not need any more inside the beltway and special interest group deals. Instead we need elected officials to defend the Constitution, root out government corruption and cut spending.

Please South Carolinians, please put more public pressure on the State Party concerning Graham. Surely there are some 9-12 or Tea Party groups there that can hold a rally or two at Graham's local offices where a voice against Amnesty, Activist Judges and Cap & Tax can be raised.



http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/ ... 94789.html

Graham says 'impossible' to pass climate bill now
By FREDERIC J. FROMMER Associated Press Writer © 2010 The Associated Press
May 7, 2010, 11:20AM

WASHINGTON — A key Republican senator negotiating with Democrats on a climate change bill said Friday it's "become impossible" to pass the legislation now because of disagreements over offshore drilling and immigration reform.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said that Congress needs to move forward in a political climate that gives proponents the best chance for success.

"Regrettably, in my view, this has become impossible in the current environment," he said in a statement. "I believe there could be more than 60 votes for this bipartisan concept in the future. But there are not nearly 60 votes today and I do not see them materializing until we deal with the uncertainty of the immigration debate and the consequences of the oil spill."
Sixty votes are required in the Senate to overcome filibusters.

Last month, Graham threatened to withhold his support for the climate and energy legislation because he was angry that Democrats said they would take up a rewrite of immigration policy. That forced his partners, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., to postpone the long-awaited unveiling of the legislation, which aims to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.

To win over Republicans, the bill calls for expansion of offshore drilling, which some Democrats have said they now oppose because of the Gulf spill.
"Some believe the oil spill has enhanced the chances energy legislation will succeed. I do not share their view," Graham said. While he respects the positions of Democrats who don't want to see more offshore drilling, he said he still believes that it's needed for the country to become energy independent.
"When it comes to getting 60 votes for legislation that includes additional oil and gas drilling with revenue sharing, the climb has gotten steeper because of the oil spill," the senator said.

He said it makes sense to find out what happened in the Gulf spill, take steps to prevent future accidents and build a consensus for expanded offshore drilling.
Just two days ago, Graham told The Associated Press that the oil spill does not necessarily rule out passage of a comprehensive energy bill this year — although he noted it's always difficult to round up 60 votes.

Neither Kerry nor Lieberman had an immediate comment on Graham's statement. But they aren't likely to agree that it's best to wait. Kerry told an environmental gathering Wednesday that this year is "perhaps our last, best chance to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation."