At my speech this morning to the state retirees, I took a question from the audience asking the ubiquitous question, Why is there always so much "bad" news in the paper instead of "good" news?
Well, that reader apparently missed the truly excellent news on this morning’s front page. That
wasn’t the first place I heard about it, though. It was the very first thing I heard at 6 a.m. on my clock radio, which stays tuned to NPR. The only thing that caused me concern in that report was the brief sound clip from our own Lindsey Graham (whom you can see, second from right, if you click on the picture to blow it up), who said he expected to take a political hit back home for having been part of the small band of true leaders who pulled the Senate back from the "nuclear" brink on judicial nominations. Specifically, he said, "People at home are gonna be very upset at me for a while."
I have no doubt that he will hear from the narrow interests whose great goal in life is to infest our representative bodies with ideological and partisan hatreds, to whom this development is a serious body blow. More than that, these well-funded groups will use phone campaigns, automated and otherwise, to stir up easily excitable constituents back home to howl partisan imprecations at these senators for daring to be statesmen.
So you know what? Everybody — and I do mean everybody — who appreciates what Sen. Graham and his handful of sensible colleagues have done to restore sanity should take the time to let him know about it. You can reach Mr. Graham at this address or (202) 224-5972. And you can find addresses (including snail mail addresses) and phone numbers for all senators at http://www.senate.gov/.
It’s a fact of political life that angry extremists are far more likely to contact their lawmakers that reasonable, mature people. So grownups, please take a few moments out of your busy schedules filled with responsible tasks, and give the senator an attaboy. He’s gonna need to hear it.
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actually, some people at home are gonna be very proud of Sen. Graham for a while.
I am very proud of Sen. Graham. I even called to thank him this morning. I also just got an LTE published in my hometown paper the Chicago Tribune praising Sen. Graham for his role and asking “my fellow republicans in Illinois and South Carolina to honor Sen. Graham’s independence.” I think his willingness to break with the party, and I am a Republican, is important. This independence is a characteristic that I feel is important to being a Senator and leader.
I took some heat from people for agreeing with the compromise.
Such is life. š
I called Graham last week to tell him to preserve the fillibuster, I hope he felt the love.
The papers don’t have BAD NEWS. Are you kidding? It’s mostly sports and entertainment or some asinine coverage of a runaway bride and/or Michael Jackson. If there were serious journalism going on then these crooks would have already been impeached. The moo cows in this country will keep reading their McNews as long as they can shop at their walmarts and live in their mcMansions…they’ll keep electing Fristians and cornpone Nazis because there is no more Free Press. Theocracy is on the way! There’s some HAPPY news for you!
I’m very disappointed in our local turncoat and you!
I’ll eagerly work to replace him with a true Republican and will continue reading The State only when it’s available to me at no cost… either online or in the library. I’ll reconsider a home delivery subscription when you’re replaced.
>> It was the very first thing I heard at 6 a.m. on my clock radio, which stays tuned to NPR.
I would have never guessed.
I hope the compromise does not come back to haunt Sen. Graham. I am reminded of the story of the scorpion who hitched a ride across the river on a frog. Scorpions will be scorpions and Democrats will be Democrats. Appointing the right people for Judges at this critical time is more important than all of the other business before Congress at this time.
I emailed the Senator with a congratulations for being his own man. Although this is not the first time he has not followed the crowd I was suprised he was part of this group. These Senators put America ahead of their own agenda. The next time he runs he will get votes from the other side.
Senator Graham has made thousands and thousands of determined political enemies with his unprincipled and foolish stand with the Democrats. They leapt for joy as the senator from South Carolina betrayed his President, his party, his senate leadership.
This one’s easy to evaluate. Senator Graham is no “statesman” because of his unprincipled compromise. He is a bogus conservative. The arguments he made for standing with the Democrats were ridiculous.
I only hope that he’ll have a worthy primary opponent, a true conservative.
It is so sad that folks do not appreciate the way the Senate functions and sadder still that they will accept appointees for a life-time position who are nothing more than corporate whores – bought and paid for by huge corporations – like Patricia Owens or someone like Janice Rogers-Brown who made a barely passing grade from the Bar Association.
The ones who lose are the citizens who end up against a business entity in their courts who have no chance because the deck is already stacked against them.
No ideologues of any sort should be on the courts. Moderate, intelligent judges who have no vested interest in the outcome of any case should be the rule of thumb for appointees. That any citizen would want anything other than that is a sad commentary on the intelligence of our citizens these days.
Ms. Rgers-Brown also showed her ill-at-ease feeling in front of the committee. It is fine to be nervous, but this came through in her answers to important questions. There are some who want her on the Supreme Court and I think this would be a mistake. She just isn’t SCOTUS caliber.