Sen. Lindsey Graham Is A Republican Welfare Queen
By Susie Madrak Sunday Mar 08, 2009 11:00am
(h/t David E..)
Lindsey, Lindsey, Lindsey. How long do you think you'll be able to get away with this game, hon? It's astounding to watch you defending your virtue with one hand - and grabbing as much pork as possible for your state with the other.
As Mark Karlin puts it, it's like foreclosing on a bakery and demanding a free cake.
We need to stop this kind of hypocritical grandstanding. Here's a good idea, via The Political Carnival:
In essence, Graham is saying he opposed the "Main Street Job Creation Act" even though it would be political suicide not to distribute the money to the voters of his state. He was joined in rabid obstruction of the bill by his fellow Republican, Senator Jim "Stonewall Jackson" DeMint.
As BuzzFlash Editor Mark Karlin proposed a couple of weeks back, the state of any senator who opposed the "Main Street Job Creation Act" should only receive half their allotted funds. If both senators opposed the bill, the state should receive no federal allotment from the legislation.
That way, hypocrites such as Lindsey Graham couldn't grandstand their zealotry and then pass out the goodies that they fought against.
In fact, Graham represents one of the many GOP Neo-Confederate states that receives more money from the federal government than their citizens pay in taxes. That sort of makes South Carolina a welfare state as far as the Union is concerned.
As for Lindsey Graham, he's become a talk show regular spouting GOP talking points -- and then practicing the chronic hypocrisy of being a Republican welfare king for his constituents.
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This hypocrisy needs to get out to ordinary Americans.
is proving himself a better tool to purvey the corpo talking points than even tim russert himself.
BTW, rumor has it that GE is nearing insolvency.
uh oh, NBC!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/business/07...
NYT article about GE. Not looking rosy.
This lying, Asshole is always talking out both sides of his mouth. Just another hypocritical Reslug.
His double back flip this morning on PORK was astounding.
I was actually PLEASED with Mr. Gregory for once.
Look at Lindsey's face as he finished explaining why HIS pork was good pork; he knew he was gotten - dead to rights. (Although the real evidence is a few seconds after the cut in the clip above)
Quite entertaining overall.
I also noticed the analysis of the states that receive more in federal spending than they pay in taxes and put together an interesting map. Take a look http://monarch.tamu.edu/~smrs/14265354.gif at first you might think its an electoral college map but it is really about how much $ each state receives in federal spending for each $ they pay in taxes. The red are the welfare states, blue the donors.
They have NOTHING to offer this country. Their voters need to FEEL THE BANKRUPTCY of their GOP representatives.
If they "just say no" to the Obama plan, without offering anything but the same ol' "tax cuts" solution, then that's what we should give their constituents -
cut their constituents' taxes, but give them NO benefits fomr the stimulus package.
let's see how fast the republicans get voted out of office when their constituents try to save their houses from foreclosure with $1000/year more but no restructuring of their mortgages
2010 senate elections are only a year away
When these confederate republikaans propose sucession from the Union, they should first have to clean up the mess they created. Whiny little bitches like Graham will want to take their ball and go home. They fucked everything up, they can help clean up the mess before they leave.
That should make for a great political add come election time, favors his own in state party house, but when it comes to saving your house he opposes that idea. Lindsay Graham worst representative ever. (and he sounds like a weenie too.)
They're not well people.
Lindsey Graham talks out of so many sides of his mouth that half of what he says comes from the back.
Didja ever notice that Shelby's and Cheney's faces froze in a permanent "talking out of the side" look. Their lies that day must have been so egregious that God could no longer stand it. LOL
Sounds like jobs to me. Here we go. They'll try to take credit for the jobs now. If it fails, and I don't think it will, it'll be Obama's fault. If it works, they'll try to take credit. They'll try to make this a win win for them. All except the voters.
I haven't figured out how Graham is saying this is in the country's interest, but I don't much care for his rationalizations anyway.
I've never heard of that. I thought the term was Welfare Queen? Not that I have anything against Kings.
Peace?
on who he is in bed with.
He strikes me as a bottom. Just sayin'.
yes...that's why he loves the "pork".
the jokes write themselves...
I am fully in favor of southern seccession.
My proposal is that states cannot receive more than they contribute. Very simple plan, very fair, very conservative. How does that sound to red states? If you want to take a step further, how about paying back blue states for the last 20 years?
Yeah! Blue State Reparations! Now where am I going to put all those mules?
I'd like to see obstructionist Republican Welfare Kings in the Congress being treated as badly as poor individuals who go on welfare are treated...
Susie, as far as Miss Lindsey is concerned, just plain "Queen" will do.
I proposed that the Stimulus bill be re-written so that the states who's reps vote against the Stimulus package get no $$ like a month ago on Crooks and Liars and Digby discussion boards.
Not as though I expect any credit for it. So Buzzflash came up with the idea? The site infected with the horrible anti-Clinton rants during the election? I don't pay any attention to them anymore than Huffinpost or KOS. As Bartcop said, they love to stab other progressives in the back and can't be trusted.
is a progressive? Who knew?
And I'm sure you think a blow job in the White House is worth impeachment and Bush/Cheney did nothing wrong.
Are those anti-Hillary Clinton atacks or anti-Bill Clinton attacks?
What did they say? Horrible things like Hillary Clinton voted to authorize the Iraq war? Or Hillary Clinton voted in support of the Kyl-Lieberman amendment? Or that Hillary Clinton's campaign was run by the same DLC retreads that sold out the American middle class during the Bill Clinton presidency? Or that returning to the "prosperity" of the 1990's wasn't possible, and wouldn't help the middle class as long as money was continuing to be redistributed from the vast majority of the country to the richest 1%?
Yeah, those horrible attacks...
Yes, I remember reading those articles on Buzzflash about how Bush and Cheney did nothing wrong...
/end snark
Stop it, Tom. Let's talk about solutions, please.
Their constituents vote for them, electing the Repugnants to office. Then the Repugnants vote against educational funding, like special education for instance, but the voter who voted them into office screams like a stuck pig if their kid does not get a special education. It is the same hypocrisy. If your Senator / Representative votes against funding special education, then your state does not get the money when it is passed. They vote against taxes, but my God their hand is always palm up for the gimmes.
Repugnants should have to know that their vote stands for something. Thier vote has consequences.
Instead of talking about all the pork, I'd like them to talk about how bu$h spent $5 trillion. That seems like the biggest crime of American history.
PS We all know, pork will never end. It's how they do things, both parties.
This doesn't happen only in America. The people that scream the loudest that they don't want to pay for any government programs are usually the first in line to get "their fair share".
Too bad we can't give the money to only registered Dems and Indys
you know, free show tunes and flirtinis at the watergate hotel.
Please do not refer to Sen. DeMint as "Stonewall Jackson" DeMint, it is an insult to the actual Stonewall Jackson.
This discussion is all in the wrong context.
Gregory starts out with facts not in evidence: the omnibus bill is full of pork. Says who?
Your pork is my spending, and vice versa. The whole "earmarks = pork" is Republican/Libertarian bullshit. All spending should be evaluated in terms of return on investment and for whom. I am 100% in favor of "pork" (or spending) that helps the majority of people and invests in projects that have a demonstrable return.
For example, you could call the GI bill "pork" but it helped out a lot of middle class folks and ended up with a seven fold return on investment with tax revenue.
If the Myrtle Beach convention center, airport, and interstate plan results in jobs and tax revenue, then I'm in favor of that too. (Your welcome, Lindsey.)
What matters is the transparency and who gets the money. When we spend a half million dollars each for cruise missiles to blow up shit in Iraq, 70% of that money goes to the stock holders and executives of Raytheon, and there is no return on investment (save for tax revenues from a very small number of jobs).
Democrats need to talk about transparency and return on investment and explain that there is a role for government investment. It would help if there were a rating system developed for all the earmarks.
Right now, the lazy corporate media is just repeating the Ron Paul bullshit that all government spending is bad.
Amen brother.
It's what their owners and bosses say/believe/promulgate.
In the Corporate state, corporate media are State media.
You know what would really help? If more people learned to think instead of just repeating Republican catch phrases. Too many people just use their brains to keep their heads from collapsing inward. If I hear the work "pork" used without a specific example given by any talking head...well, I'm just not going to be happy. Never telegraph your moves, right? Never mind.
{Deleted, Please do not advocate violence here. SiteMonitor}
This sure sounds snarky, but,,,,,, Maybe 2010 might be the proper date for the South to start it's own Country. Hey, it's 150 years since their last Great reason to leave the United States, but better late than never.
My opinion: GOOD RIDDANCE as long as we still allow the colleges from the "other" country to play United States colleges in Football. Forget basketball; we can only experiment on one thing at a time when it comes to diplomacy with the new nation(?)!
If the people in SC are so damn stupid as to keep sending this two faced closet queen to washington,then elect him pres of SC and get the fuck out of our country,the days of ignorance and hick reasoning are long over. So put on some shoes and wise-up before you find yourselves on the outside border of America, and then he can send ONLY your kids to die in war, and by the way,serving state-side in the reserves does not a defender of the country make. Used to be people in the south could see through a no-account bag of shit from a mile away, what happened? ps -and fuck their football to, it's not worth having them around just for the sports. CEO,citizens,eyes,open
are strongly opposed to Graham. I have assured him that I will work tirelessly for whoever opposes him, as will my family.
Wow...I live in SC and I have more friends here than I can number who agree with my absolute disregard of our two fuck-wit, shit-tard senators. I call their offices, write them e-mails, practically on a weekly basis. I'm sure I've been written off as a crank.
It does, however, piss me off when someone writes us all off as shoeless, illiterate morons. Come tell me that to my face; then I'll knock you the fuck out.
I grew up in DC, I cut my teeth on the real deal. Apparently some will never understand southern politricks. Until you do, how about a nice cup of STFU?
No one wrote off all of you as morons just the 51% of you who did support him, which one are you? if you voted for him in the last election, after everyone in the country saw him for what he is,then yes I am talking to you. When you bring that cup, don't forget your lunch. CEO,citizens,eyes,open.
Let's calm down and consider how elections can be fixed. Perhaps this 51% figure is from Fox News. Do you think Ms. Graham would have voted for Prop 8 if she lived in California? If she cannot be honest about herself, what can she be honest about? Another one on her way out. Think positive.
My comment was intemperate, and I apologize to you. And no, I most certainly did not vote for Graham and I'd cut my own hand off before I'd vote for DeMint.
n/t
That really gives a d... about the Americans citizens or our country..
What burns the s... out of me is that their is no attempt to stop the lies , BS , miss-statements spread on a daily basis by the republican-corporate news media...
Show me the news media which speaks out for the democrats and has condemn the criminal actions from Bush and his administration...
Even the democrats are picking up corporate-republicans on their democratic tickets and diluting the democratic party...
Did you know that there are NO state taxes in SC? That's right. They only use federal handouts to fund the state.
He's a queen, alright.
Pork? His paycheck is pork.
Based on the economic record of the last 58 years, when a Republican is elected to the White House, there is a 100% chance that the economy will slide into a recession and a 50% chance that two or more recessions will occur.
Not a single Republican member of Congress voted for President Obama’s 2009 Economic Stimulus plan. The “Know Nothing” Republican Party has a long history of saying no. Not a single Republican House member voted for the creation of the Social Security System, or for the creation of Medicare, the two most successful poverty reduction programs in US history. That’s not all they said no to.
Bill Clinton’s economic stimulus plan of 1993 produced the greatest wealth and job creation in all of recorded human history. Clinton’s economic plan reduced the National Debt by $587 billion, and balanced 5 yearly budgets, exactly 5 times as many balanced budgets as produced by the last five Republican presidents -combined-.
Not a single Republican House member voted for it.
Here’s what they had to say about Clinton’s Stimulus plan of 1993:
From the Files by David Waldman
(Congress Matters, February 15, 2009)
Rep. Dick Armey (R-TX), CNN, 8/2/93:
“Clearly this is a job killer in the short run…The deficit will be worse,...”
Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA), GOP Press Conference, House TV Gallery, 8/5/93:
“I believe this will lead to a recession next year.”
Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH), 5/27/93:
“(This) will lead to more taxes, higher inflation, and slower economic growth.”
Rep. Jim Bunning (R-KY), 8/5/93:
"It will not create jobs."
This from the same crowd that gave us 9 of the last 10 recessions. Wrong then, Wrong today.
SC has a state income tax and sales tax (6% state and up to 4% more for local option) SC does get more federal revenue than it sends in largely because of defense funding of Ft Jackson and the Marine bases in Beaufort. SC however is one of the poorest states - more than 50% of children live in families below the poverty line - and has been subject to ridiculous GOP gerrymandering of election districts so that with a state that has more than 1/3 black population, there is only one black Congressman - Jim Clyburn - majority whip who brings home his share of the 'pork' - mostly in support of black colleges and universities, community health centers and rural transportation. Lindsay continues to be supported - because of he's reasonably reasonable - and DeMint is a pawn of the Radical Right in Greenville - Look for both to be seriously challenged next time around because Dean's 50 state strategy has been helping to strengthen the SC Dems - there's also a growing progressive movement in SC - anybody remember Bret Bursey?
I was wrong. Sorry.
If we have no state taxes, I want my money back. Why have I been filling out SC-1040 forms all these years?
isn't opposed to pork as long as it's "transparent". Oh, well, then, I guess that makes it all right. It's also all right as long as the pork is destined for his state. They are trying to diversify the economy of Myrtle Beach with a new international airport. Well, that's nice. But, I don't think it should be done at tax payer's expense. Why not come up with that money in South Carolina since it's South Carolina that would benefit. These politicians talk about earmark reform but have absolutely no interest in changing the status quo. In other words, they are liars if they say that they want something but really don't and demonstrate that by doing nothing in favor of true reform ever happening.
True reform can occur if the American people want it and demand it. Maybe we should say no, no, Senator Graham, you cannot have the pork you are asking for, nor can anyone else. And then the President really should go through, line by line, and get rid of pork. Discretionary spending needs limits, regulations, structure and discipline and it needs to be greatly reduced. sensible priorities in spending need to be restored. the pork barrel of the republicans of the last 8 years has been the most extreme exploitation of it ever. no wonder mccain was so disgusted by it and couldn't stand to see the feeding frenzy. but he didn't say publicly that his republican colleagues were being the absolutely worst offenders.
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