{"id":27013,"date":"2019-12-16T20:58:18","date_gmt":"2019-12-17T02:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/?p=27013"},"modified":"2019-12-16T21:00:12","modified_gmt":"2019-12-17T03:00:12","slug":"a-tidy-little-attack-ad-creates-itself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/2019\/12\/16\/a-tidy-little-attack-ad-creates-itself\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tidy Little Attack Ad Creates Itself"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s been interesting &#8211; in that morbidly interesting way that we&#8217;ll watch a truck full of people get hit by a train, meaning I&#8217;m virtually peeking between my fingers in horror &#8211; watching the formerly respectable Senator Graham (R-SC) self-destruct. It dates just about at the same time as the Trump Administration took the reins of government, since prior to the election Graham had been rather direct in his evaluations of Trump&#8217;s competency to be President. Here&#8217;s an example:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Donald Trump is not a conservative Republican. He&#39;s an opportunist. He&#39;s not fit to be President of the United States.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LindseyGrahamSC\/status\/699962963239825409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 17, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>There are more. Since Trump&#8217;s victory, Graham has more than earned the appellation &#8216;Lickspittle,&#8217; between his violent defenses of Trump and his frequent golf outings with the President. I think it&#8217;s even better than &#8216;Moscow Mitch McConnell&#8217;. In fact, I&#8217;m surprised the above tweet hasn&#8217;t been deleted and replaced with some butt kissing.<\/p>\n<p>One can only wonder &#8211; morbidly, of course &#8211; what sort of pressure was brought to bear on Senator Graham to turn tail in such a public and irresponsible manner. There might be direct pressure, such as &#8220;South Carolina will get nothing unless you play ball with the President!&#8221; Or it might be concerns about his own re-election in 2020, as <em><strong>ABC News 4<\/strong> <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews4.com\/news\/local\/winthrop-poll-released-sc-remains-strong-supporters-of-president-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pointed out<\/a> earlier this year:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Regarding U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, his approval rating among Republicans has continued to rise, it now stands at 74% in the Winthrop Poll. Only 25% of Democrats polled support Graham.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGraham\u2019s approval has benefited from his defense of, and alignment with, President Trump. While Graham\u2019s numbers used to lag those of other Republicans among GOP identifiers, since he has taken up the President\u2019s banner on most every issue, his approval among Republicans in South Carolina has steadily risen,&#8221; Huffmon said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-27014 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison.jpg?resize=388%2C421&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"388\" height=\"421\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison.jpg?w=788&amp;ssl=1 788w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison.jpg?resize=277%2C300&amp;ssl=1 277w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison.jpg?resize=768%2C832&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison.jpg?resize=138%2C150&amp;ssl=1 138w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 388px) 100vw, 388px\" \/><\/a>But that was then, this is now. Meet <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jaime_Harrison\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaime Harrison<\/a>, the Democratic opponent for Graham in the 2020 election. He has degrees from Yale and Georgetown (j.d.), has worked within the South Carolina Democratic Party as chairman, and he&#8217;s challenging a sitting Senator. How&#8217;s he doing?<\/p>\n<hr width=\"0\" \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.changeresearch.com\/post\/south-carolina-post-and-courier-poll-december\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">From<\/a> <em><strong>Change Research<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison-Graham-Poll.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27015\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison-Graham-Poll.jpg?resize=800%2C648&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"648\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison-Graham-Poll.jpg?w=999&amp;ssl=1 999w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison-Graham-Poll.jpg?resize=300%2C243&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison-Graham-Poll.jpg?resize=768%2C622&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison-Graham-Poll.jpg?resize=185%2C150&amp;ssl=1 185w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Harrison-Graham-Poll.jpg?resize=150%2C121&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s worth asking about the historical accuracy of a polling firm I&#8217;ve never heard of before, and <em><strong>FiveThirtyEight<\/strong><\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/pollster-ratings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">accords <strong><em>Change Research<\/em><\/strong><\/a> a grade of &#8216;C&#8217;, so the race may not be as close as it appears. But this statement in the text accompanying the poll results was interesting:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<ul class=\"_2PG9L _3h-md\">\n<li class=\"_1BJwx _208Ie _1dH_e _1e3Rk _2j9wS _2QAo- _25MYV _3ZX8L _1dH_e\">\n<p class=\"_208Ie\">Senator Lindsey Graham\u2019s favorability is exceptionally low among Independent voters and in hypothetical general election match-ups. He looks extremely vulnerable against Democratic contender Jaime Harrison.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"_1BJwx _208Ie _1dH_e _1e3Rk _2j9wS _2QAo- _25MYV _3ZX8L _1dH_e\">\n<p class=\"_208Ie\">While South Carolina does not support impeaching President Trump, a majority of voters would like Senator Graham to approach the impeachment inquiry with an open mind, rather than leap to the president\u2019s defense before hearing evidence.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>With that said &#8211; the latter point is exactly what I&#8217;d hope to hear from American citizens in this situation &#8211; is Senator Lindsay out in front, leading the way in running a fair and penetrating trial of President Trump?<\/p>\n<p>Apparently the pressure is too much for him.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Saturday that he\u2019s made up his mind that President Trump should be acquitted, dismissed the notion that he has to be a \u201cfair juror\u201d and said he doesn\u2019t see the need for a formal trial in the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Graham, a staunch defender of the president, made the comments overseas during an interview with CNN International at the Doha Forum in Qatar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think impeachment is going to end quickly in the Senate. I would prefer it to end as quickly as possible,\u201d Graham said. \u201cUse the record that was assembled in the House to pass impeachment articles as your trial record.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Asked whether it was appropriate for him to share those thoughts given his purported role as a juror in a Senate trial, Graham replied, \u201cWell, I must think so because I\u2019m doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind. I\u2019m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here,\u201d he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I find it a bit boggling that a Senator who is soon to take an oath &#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be,) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of , now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: so help me God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8230; is so flippant about not honoring it. It&#8217;s as if taking care of Trump&#8217;s fragile ego and volcanic temper is more important than honoring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/artandhistory\/history\/resources\/pdf\/1_1868ImpeachmentRules.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Senate rules<\/a> and his own oath.<\/p>\n<p>And it&#8217;ll make for a great campaign commercial for Harrison, won&#8217;t it? Just play the clip of him making the statements, then him taking the oath, and then ask the viewer if they really want to vote for a man who takes oaths so casually, and then suggest Senator Harrison, regardless of who is on trial, would never do that.<\/p>\n<p>While the brethren of the Republican Party won&#8217;t care, the independents will listen and think about it. Graham may not politically survive the 2020 election.<\/p>\n<p>Self-destruction in all its forms. Let me spread these fingers a little wider.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s been interesting &#8211; in that morbidly interesting way that we&#8217;ll watch a truck full of people get hit by a train, meaning I&#8217;m virtually peeking between my fingers in horror &#8211; watching the formerly respectable Senator Graham (R-SC) self-destruct. It dates just about at the same time as the \u2026 <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/2019\/12\/16\/a-tidy-little-attack-ad-creates-itself\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27013"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27018,"href":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27013\/revisions\/27018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}