Posted by LambChop
"The problem with the tea party, I think it’s just unsustainable because they can never come up with a coherent vision for governing the country," Lindsey Graham told the New York Times Magazine in a profile.
Poor RINO Lindsey Graham. Looks like he will face a couple of serious primary challengers in 2014 for the Lindsey Graham memorial senate seat he has held since 2003. During his term, Graham has made friends in high places and is notorious for brown-nosing long- term establishment senators like BFF John McCain of Arizona.
The Tea Party (you know the grassroots organization that Graham declared DOA in 2010) has the Graham senate seat squarely in their sights. They are done with Graham’s wavering and deal-making on key issues like immigration where Graham has earned the much-deserved moniker ”Lindsey Grahamnesty.” Of course, given the fact that South Carolina is not a border state and demographically has an extremely low level of Hispanic citizens, many have wondered why Graham obsesses over granting citizenship to illegal immigrants in the first place. Perhaps southern border immigration issues should be left to Senators of states who are actually impacted - like Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Graham also has made noises about raising taxes and voted for Obama’s Supreme Court justices – one of whom is among the least-qualified justices in history.
Graham has substantial funds already raised – about $5.4 million according to POLITICO and is a permanent fixture on television. South Carolina GOP chair Chad Connelly cracked at a Republican fundraiser here last weekend there are two things you can find at anytime, anywhere in the world: “Reruns of ‘Law and Order’ and Lindsey Graham being interviewed.”
Graham did experience redemption of sorts this year with his bull-dogging on issues like the Benghazi scandal where four Americans were murdered (including our U.S. Ambassador to Libya) during a pre-planned terrorist attack in Libya on September 11.
So far Businessman Richard Cash is all in to challenge Graham. Cash is an evangelical Christian who owns a fleet of ice cream trucks and a used-car dealership. He has run for political office before, narrowly losing a House run-off in 2010.“Sen. Graham has lost touch with South Carolina voters on a number of issues,” he said, explaining he was running on “the ‘three Cs’ – Christianity, capitalism and the Constitution.”
Cash understands that Graham is vulnerable on immigration with conservatives but notes that across the board, immigration is no longer the hot button issue it once was: “The political winds have shifted in a more favorable direction on that issue for Sen. Graham,” said Cash.
Another possible challenger is PR exec Nancy Mace, who wrote an autobiography after she became the first female graduate of the Citadel in the military institute’s history. She is also a co-owner of FITSNews—the name comes from “First in the South,” a reference to South Carolina’s status in the presidential-primary season. The site’s other owner is Will Folks who claimed that he had an affair with popular conservative South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley.
Lee Bright, a Spartanburg state senator is planning to announce soon as well.
“My voting record in the state Senate is very similar to what Jim DeMint did in the U.S. Senate. It is more of a match with conservative values in South Carolina. I just don’t think Graham is in touch with the people of South Carolina. He is more enamored of the national media attention,” said Bright.
Bright has introduced several of bills in the state Senate addressing significant issues like regulation of abortion clinics and the second amendment. His bill, dubbed Constitutional Carry, would eliminate any special permitting for gun owners. Bright said, “If you own a weapon, you should be able to carry your weapon.”
Bright said: “Graham is a community organizer for the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East and is not very concerned about our Fourth Amendment rights. He has been very much for centralized government power and control and not very friendly to our civil liberties.”
It has been noted that Cash already has an effective ground game plan in place and Bright has some good supporters and name recognition, but Graham will be a tough nut to crack.
One GOP operative said, "Graham's people are good. They keep Hoover-level type files on people who might run," the operative said. "They know where you live, who you sleep with, where you drink. And they're not afraid to tell you that they know that."
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