Senator Lindsey Graham Visits Clemson

By: Amanda Carey

Posted: 1/24/10

To a lot of South Carolinians, Lindsey Graham is the senator who supports amnesty for illegal immigrants, cap and trade, and compromises with "those liberals in Washington" just way too darn much. But to Lindsey Graham, sure he's a Republican who will sit down and work with the Democrats, but "I'll not get run over by them," he said in a town hall meeting at Clemson's Brooks Center on January 12, 2010. "If we never stop campaigning and trying to destroy the other side all the time, our best days are behind us," said the senator.

Graham, who was born and raised in Central, S.C.- a mere stone's throw from Clemson University- was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992, and the Senate 10 years later. As senator, Graham has garnered his fair share of national attention by bucking the party line, compromising with Democrats on numerous issues, and befriending and campaigning with 2008 presidential contender Sen. John McCain.

But the national attention has done little to win over the hearts and minds of those who don't buy Graham's conservative credentials. That much was clear when the majority of the questioning centered on cap-and-trade legislation, climate change, and energy-issues that Graham has notoriously sided with Democrats on in the past.

But don't worry, "Cap and trade is dead," said Graham, to which the audience of a few hundred cheered and clapped. However, that didn't stop the senator from elaborating on his views and admitting that when it comes to climate change, he falls "somewhere between James Inhofe and Al Gore;" a statement that garnered just as many laughs as it did boos.

Then Graham turned serious. "There has been a warming trend," he said. "Now, I am not an alarmist, but man-made CO2 emissions contributing to air pollution […] is worth my time and attention." For Graham, if that means supporting cap and trade in exchange for nuclear power, then so be it.

According to Graham, 82 percent of the power in France comes from nuclear power. In the United States, it's only 20 percent. "We need to create our own energy," he said with the authority of a pastor preaching form his pulpit. "We also need to break our dependence on foreign oil." And, if South Carolina wants to drill of its shore for oil, it should have the option to do so, said Graham.

On health care, Graham sided largely with his conservative constituents. "I get it. I know health care is a big deal, and I don't believe the federal government should own it all," he said. If this health care bill is passed, 80 percent of Americans will be on some form of government-provided health care, explained the senator. But the government should allow every American to own their own policy.

But in Graham's eyes, the process "stunk" almost more than the actual bill, which is a "joke". The whole bill process was "absolutely outrageous," Graham said. He went on the tell the audience that it was not right to put the burden of paying for expanded health care coverage on 49 states because Senate Democrats needed one vote, in reference to the last-minute deal Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska got in exchange for his support. "It's a bad idea to make any state pay for Nebraska's Medicaid," said Graham.

But for all his good stances on health care, the town hall attendees continued to berate the senator for being too friendly with Democrats. But Graham held his own, saying, "If you can't call someone a friend because you disagree- that's sad… [but I will] do everything I can to build my party."

Overall the attendees were civil, with the exception of one man who stood in the middle of the auditorium calling Graham a "liar". He was quickly removed, and the meeting continued. There were occasional shouts of "Ron Paul" throughout the night, to which Graham chuckled and said that it is more likely he [Graham] would be playing in the NBA than it is for Paul to get the GOP nomination in 2012. But, if he does, Graham said he would vote for him.

Among the attendees was 3rd Congressional district candidate, Richard Cash. "When it comes to cap and trade, it seems that Graham is driving off the ditch, doesn't it?" said Cash. But for Cash, the reality is that cap and trade is "socialistic in nature."

Dean Allen, candidate for Adjutant General, was also in attendance. "Senator Graham doesn't grasp the fact that this is a battle," said Allen. "He said at one point tonight he didn't go up there just to do battle with the Democrats. Well, that's what we sent him up there for."

Graham ended the town hall talking about Iraq, Afghanistan, and the prospect of a nuclear Iran. In retrospect, the senator said he still supports the war in Iraq, although "going into Iraq without enough troops was wrong." As for the costs of the war, in terms of both casualties and dollar figures, Graham said "I am heartbroken it has cost us so much unnecessarily."

Although Graham seemed sincere in acknowledging failures along the way in both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he remained steadfast in his position that continued U.S. involvement is necessary. "I can't promise things will end well, but I can promise that if we don't try at all, we'll lose," said Graham.

The next step, according to Graham, is to leave Iraq in an orderly fashion, negotiate with Iran, and encourage the people of Iran to take back their country. "The biggest challenge the world faces is a nuclear-armed Iran," warned Graham. On the question of whether Iran should be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, Graham said, "It is better to use military force before Iran gets the bomb, then after." In a more somber tone he added, "Don't underestimate the power of that statement." After that, nobody did.