Another censure resolution for Lindsey Graham
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/08/03/art.graham.0720e.gi.jpg caption =" Sen. Lindsey Graham was censured by yet another GOP state county party Monday night."]Washington (CNN) – Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who often finds himself out of step with the most conservative elements of his party, was censured by yet another GOP county party committee Monday night.
In recent months, Graham has been censured by GOP party committees in Lexington and Charleston counties. On Monday, the Greenville GOP Executive Committee passed a censure resolution by a vote of 61-2.
"THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Greenville County Republican Party hereby issues this formal rebuke of Senator Graham for his cooperation and support of President Obama and the Democratic Party's liberal agenda for the United States," the resolution reads.
The resolution says Graham will no longer be invited to participate in meetings or other events sponsored by the Greenville County Republican Party, and alleges Graham has "abandoned the Republican platform."
As evidence, the resolution cites Graham's votes in favor of TARP, his stance on immigration and his vote in favor of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Graham has said he will also vote for Elena Kagan, President Obama's second nominee to the high court.
"While some of our friends in Greenville may not want to meet with Senator Graham, his door will always be open to them. Senator Graham respects those who disagree with him, but he strongly believes we need to keep an open dialogue," Graham spokesman Kevin Bishop said Tuesday in a statement to CNN.
Bishop went on to note that two of the Greenville County GOP's policy complaints were supported by former President George W. Bush, and that the same party committee censured Graham in 2007.
"In this last session of Congress, Senator Graham has voted with the Republican leadership over 92 percent of the time. And according to the American Conservative Union, he has a 90 percent lifetime conservative voting record. As to his votes on TARP and his support for immigration reform, on both issues he was following the leadership of our Republican President George W. Bush," Bishop said.
In January, the Lexington County Republican Party's censured Graham for supporting the 2008 financial bailout and working towards a compromise on cap-and-trade legislation.
At the time, Graham defended his conservative credentials.
"I have tried my best to be a conservative that can grow and build this party," Graham said, according to The State newspaper. "They have no desire to do that – I do."
- CNN's Peter Hamby contributed to this report
So we could play this game a long time. We can see the people do not want either side to work together to solve anything. Quite often that we hear that neither side will work with the other but when they start to, the people start yellingnot to.
The problem with both political parties is that they believe senators, congressional representatives, governors, etc., answer to them.
NEWSFLASH: Our elected officials answer to the voters.
I am beginning to firmly believe that the Republican Party and the Democrat Party, as organizations, are just as dangerous to the American way of life as is Al Qeda.
This is absolutely insidious. That a politician would be censored or rebuked for supporting the president, or for voting according to his conscience, is absolutely deplorable. I would say the same if the Democrats did the same thing. We elect people to go to Washington to help create a better, safer, more affluent country, and yet they do everything they can to subvert the party in power–they do everything they can to make the country function less effectively, less efficiently, in order to embarrass the current administration. For the sake of their own power and position. Every single person who voted on that resolution should never be allowed to hold office again.
So much for bipartisanship ..........................they really want our country to fail.
Lindsey's pretty right wing – does the County just want Lindsey to vote against very thing Obama suggests because Obama is a democrat or because he's half black?
go head graham see what the conservatives and the republicans know or dont want too know is that obamas going to win in the long run so make a choice and decide winning side or losing side!
just another Limbaugh hate group that wants to see the country fail
Lindsey Graham for president in 2012 – the sanest man left in the poor GOP.
They just dont like that he's a homosexual.
This is yet another example of how Republicans have no intention of even attempting to work with Democrats or the President on ANYTHING. Obama's biggest mistake is in attempting to have dialogue with people who dont want to have dialogue with him. They have said on numerous occassions that they WANT him to fail and that they will block anything he attempts to put out. Although I do support the President, I do not agree with everything that he has done thus far. BIG DEAL!!! Who agrees with everything anyone does. But to chastise this guy for wanting to work with the President and not just blindly vote everything down is chlidish and ridiculous.
This is why having a little "D" or little "R" after your name traps you. Neither party has it right 100% of the time. True leadership comes from listening to ALL sides and then making a decision. And sometimes, you will side with the other side which shows maturity and leadership. I wish our current administration would learn from this type of example.
How embarassing for the Republicans. To have a member of the party be "cooperative." Shocking. Appalling. Mortifying.
Seriously, are they kidding???? If this is a valid lesson in civics, we're sunk.
I really think it is time that the Republican party gets off it's lazy behinds and gets to work doing the work, the American people hired them for
It becomes more obvious everyday, that they do nothing but sit around figuring out their next attack on OUR PRESIDENT
WE THE PEOPLE VOTED HIM IN, we like the work he has been doing
You all deserve the Firing Squad for your Treasonous actions against this country and it's people
Barack Obama is our ELECTED leader, doing the peoples work
It's about time you did yours ...
Good for Senator Graham! If it were up to the conservative Republicans, we'd all still be living in caves. It was probably Republican cavemen who were against the invention of the wheel and the development of agriculture thousands of years ago. Can you just hear Sarah Palin's caveman ancestor saying, "How's that wheely-dealy thingy doing for ya?" or "If huntin' and gatherin' was good enough for Grandpappy, it's good enough for me, you betcha!" We need more sane, rational senators like Senator Graham who know you have to compromise to get anything done for the country. Keep up the good work, Senator!
I moved from Charleston, SC a year ago after living there for 20+ years. The main reason I moved is because a large number of people in the state had, over time, become bigoted, narrow minded, and unable to deal with people who did not think exactly like they did.. It's sad to see that the people of South Carolina have not changed.
Jesus Christ. There IS no "liberal agenda" right now beyond trying to repair the economy ruined by Dubya. What is this, Germany in the 1930s?
The PARTY overstepping its bounds. Senator Graham might be a "member" of the party but he is elected by the voters of State of South Carolina. It's really up to them whether he is following their wishes and not the party. Just because one is a member of a poliyocal party it does not mean one must vote party line all the time, if it did them we would not need individuals representing us in Congress, we would just vote for party slots and let the Parties decide what we are to do.
No free thinking is allowed in the Republican Party anymore. Heck, the openly praise the concept of "party purity." Why doesn't this bother people?! Talk about stepping towards fascism. Dems may be far from the optimal party, but at least they allow free-thinking and embrace everything from lefties to blue dogs. I would also remind republicans that back in the late '90s when Clinton-Gore were considering hard cut targets to carbon emissions, it was REPUBLICANS who said, "if we do anything, it should be a market-based CAP AND TRADE system." If you don't believe me, just do a little research on floor debates on the Kyoto Protocol in the late 90s.
I'd be all for party purity if we were a multi-party system. But, we are a 2 party system whether we like it or not. With only 2 to choose from, Party Purity is very dangerous.
Go Graham!
Boy... these GOP don't kid around when they say no... to everything!
This proves once again that these conservative groups are not interested in working in a nonpartison way to move this country forward. In fact, they don't care about America. It was their ideas that brought this country to economic disaster. TARP was a George W. Bush initiative after he saw this country was falling into a deep sink hole..
Not even children, more like big wet-diapered crybabies.
Senator Graham has obviously had a change of heart from the racist background in the state of SC and realizes the error in that mind set. I hope democrats and independent voters get behind senator Graham and show him our support. What a inspiration!
Isn't is sad that this guy is being dinged by his own party just because he votes for what he believes is right? If the people keep putting him in office, then they must not have a problem with the job he is doing for them. This whole party lines garbage is tearing this country apart. You guys can't even agree within you own party. Now you want to censure one of your own (who by the way, has a long record of voting along your party lines) for not following you like a dog on a leash.
I say to Mr. Graham, please keep doing what your conscious and your constituants want. To hell with the party! We need more leaders who are willing to to the right thing – not just follow the party.
I can't help noticing the parallels between these Conservative "elements" and how Hitler came to power in pre Nazi Germany. First try and create fear with the general populus, (Obama is a muslim communist who wasn't even born in the States) next decide who is "pure enough" to be part of your movement (rebuke moderate GOPers like Graham) and finally demonize and persecute anyone who opposes your vision (that is coming next). Am I wrong...?
Screw all the lying, bigoted, racist rip-publicans. Graham is at least trying to HELP Americans. Not so to the "PARTY OF HELL NO". Let things go
to hell as far as the losers in the rip-publican are concerned.
GET RID OF ALL USELESS RIP-PUBLICANS. 99% of them.