DemWit would like to commend South Carolina Sen. Lindsey O. Graham. Quite often, I disagree with Graham’s stance on issues and let him know about it. On the occasions he listens to his own conscience and swims against the conservative tide, he deserves kudos.
On one stance, Graham is in hot water with his fellow Republicans.
According to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) the party of “no” became the party of “no show” last week when Republican senators boycotted the legislative markup of a bill designed to produce clean energy and related jobs.
The nations of the world are looking to the United States for leadership as they prepare to gather in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December to develop the successor to the Kyoto Protocol. That global warming treaty was signed by every major nation except the United States, despite our country being one of the largest contributors of carbon emissions.
The Center for American Progress identifies the opposition in America:
“Fossil fuel companies, conservative business lobbying organizations and right-wing pundits have led the resistance. Exxon Mobil alone spent $7.2 million on lobbying in the last quarter - more than the total of the entire alternative energy sector or environmental organizations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which called for a 'Scopes monkey trial' on climate science in August, suffered months of defections and outside pressure. Grudgingly accepting the need for action, the Chamber is still opposing 'targets and timetables' for reducing carbon pollution.” Particulary outspoken is Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inhofe, who denies the existence of a global warming problem.
It takes a brave man to stand up to such opposition, and Sen. Graham is paying the price.
On 10 October 2009, Graham co-authoried a New York Times op-ed column with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) titled “Yes We Can (Pass Climate Change Legislation).”
According to The Progress Report of 5 November 2009, “Graham (on 4 November) rebuked senators unwilling to address carbon pollution, saying that he has ‘seen the effects of a warming planet.’ Graham called for the U.S. to ‘lead the world rather than follow the world on carbon pollution’ to ‘create millions of new jobs for Americans that need them.’
“Graham has ‘crossed the climate Rubicon,’ abandoning denialist conservative activists by recognizing the threat of global warming and working with Democrats. Conservative activists have accused Graham of ‘going to bed with John Kerry’ and making a ‘pact with the devil’ and called him a ‘traitor,’ ‘a Democrat in drag’ and a ‘wussypants, girly-man, half-a-sissy.’
It is not lost on me that all this absurd name-calling is playing off persistent whispering that Graham is gay. I mention this only to point out how dirty the right-wing fights.
The Progress Report continues, “The American Energy Alliance, ‘funded in part by oil and natural gas companies, utilities and other energy-industry firms’ and staffed by Republican operatives, is running ads in South Carolina accusing Graham of supporting ‘new energy taxes’ that will ‘further harm our economy and kill millions of American jobs.’
"But, Graham also has local supporters, who argue that ‘Graham is fighting for South Carolina's needs in the national energy debate.’ John Courson, a conservative South Carolina state senator and former Marine, shot back that ‘when you see all the ads attacking Lindsey Graham for supporting energy reform, just remember this: The special interest groups are protecting their own profits. Lindsey Graham is fighting for South Carolina.’
Beyond that, on this issue, Lindsey Graham is fighting for America, for the world and for the future. So, a tip of the hat today to my senator.
On one stance, Graham is in hot water with his fellow Republicans.
According to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) the party of “no” became the party of “no show” last week when Republican senators boycotted the legislative markup of a bill designed to produce clean energy and related jobs.
The nations of the world are looking to the United States for leadership as they prepare to gather in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December to develop the successor to the Kyoto Protocol. That global warming treaty was signed by every major nation except the United States, despite our country being one of the largest contributors of carbon emissions.
The Center for American Progress identifies the opposition in America:
“Fossil fuel companies, conservative business lobbying organizations and right-wing pundits have led the resistance. Exxon Mobil alone spent $7.2 million on lobbying in the last quarter - more than the total of the entire alternative energy sector or environmental organizations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which called for a 'Scopes monkey trial' on climate science in August, suffered months of defections and outside pressure. Grudgingly accepting the need for action, the Chamber is still opposing 'targets and timetables' for reducing carbon pollution.” Particulary outspoken is Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inhofe, who denies the existence of a global warming problem.
It takes a brave man to stand up to such opposition, and Sen. Graham is paying the price.
On 10 October 2009, Graham co-authoried a New York Times op-ed column with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) titled “Yes We Can (Pass Climate Change Legislation).”
According to The Progress Report of 5 November 2009, “Graham (on 4 November) rebuked senators unwilling to address carbon pollution, saying that he has ‘seen the effects of a warming planet.’ Graham called for the U.S. to ‘lead the world rather than follow the world on carbon pollution’ to ‘create millions of new jobs for Americans that need them.’
“Graham has ‘crossed the climate Rubicon,’ abandoning denialist conservative activists by recognizing the threat of global warming and working with Democrats. Conservative activists have accused Graham of ‘going to bed with John Kerry’ and making a ‘pact with the devil’ and called him a ‘traitor,’ ‘a Democrat in drag’ and a ‘wussypants, girly-man, half-a-sissy.’
It is not lost on me that all this absurd name-calling is playing off persistent whispering that Graham is gay. I mention this only to point out how dirty the right-wing fights.
The Progress Report continues, “The American Energy Alliance, ‘funded in part by oil and natural gas companies, utilities and other energy-industry firms’ and staffed by Republican operatives, is running ads in South Carolina accusing Graham of supporting ‘new energy taxes’ that will ‘further harm our economy and kill millions of American jobs.’
"But, Graham also has local supporters, who argue that ‘Graham is fighting for South Carolina's needs in the national energy debate.’ John Courson, a conservative South Carolina state senator and former Marine, shot back that ‘when you see all the ads attacking Lindsey Graham for supporting energy reform, just remember this: The special interest groups are protecting their own profits. Lindsey Graham is fighting for South Carolina.’
Beyond that, on this issue, Lindsey Graham is fighting for America, for the world and for the future. So, a tip of the hat today to my senator.
8 comments:
Conservative activists have.....called him a ‘traitor,’ ‘a Democrat in drag’ and a ‘wussypants, girly-man, half-a-sissy.’
Well, that's certainly an appropriate line of argument to use in challenging a scientific fact.
One can understand conservatives having different opinions about how to deal with various problems, but the prevalence of flat-out reality denial (global warming, evolution, Obama being born in Hawaii, etc.) is disturbing. If they had a different plan for dealing with global warming, that would be one thing, but it's insane that we are still having to argue with them about whether it's even happening or not.
It is not lost on me that all this absurd name-calling is playing off persistent whispering that Graham is gay. I mention this only to point out how dirty the right-wing fights.
They're doing it with Charlie Crist in Florida too, and it's going to get worse as they try to Scozzafava-ize him. Graham needs to run off to South America for a quick liaison with some "other woman", then everything will be fine.
Tiny agrees with I753 about Charlie Christ getting smeared here in FL b/c the radical religious right doesn't want him to win when he runs for congress. But what more can you say about a pack of sick puppies? Just take them to the vet for their distemper shots and wait for them to take effect.
I suspect Republican health care doesn't cover distemper shots.:-)
The fact that this (about Graham) is even being discussed shows how ridiculous things are. It's as if we felt elated when we discovered a Republican who admits the Earth is round.
Frodo is aghast at the Book of Leviticus reference to Senator Graham. In all candor, he remembers a literary reference to Lindsay playing "kissy-face" with Laura Ingram in a Washington restaurant. Hey, wait a minute, does that mean Lindsay and Laura ae a case of who's doing what to whom how? Inquiring minds want to know.
LOL at the above comments. Actually, it’s really quite sad that Republicans can attack one of their own in such a vicious way.
As for Laura Ingraham, my post which mentioned her leopard skin mini-skirt got DemWit about 600 visitors via Google, so let’s mention that again.
I-753, as you’ve commented on this and other blogs, if the right-wing doesn’t have a legitimate plan or argument, they love to throw out “red herrings,” no matter how dirty they are.
Only a village idiot would suggest that we have not harmed our environment. Lock ‘em in a room and let them read the history of Easter Island, a microcosm of what man can do to his habitat.
(I’m getting rain from Ida, five inches predicted in the next 24 hours. Frodo and Tiny are probably getting some, too. Will await static on my AT&T line.)
Good Lord BJ! Who is keeping count of the number of idiots absent from their villages? Some villages seem to have attracted more of their share of them and they are ruining the landscape big time. When they open their mouths their vileness pollutes the air.
Unfortunately, scientists have found no effective antidote to stop the spread of this offensive disease. It's a bane to the rest of society who wish to be rid of this scourge.
Looks like Graham may be on the list for the Scozzafava treatment -- link.
I-753: Thanks for the link. Republicans really do eat their young. Saw a link to a Charleston, S.C., site with the headline, “Is Lindsey Graham gay?” They are dirty, rotten scoundrels.
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