Lindsey Graham: The Panhandling Prince
Aaron Sincere Kershaw/OpinionSouth Carolina’s Republican Senator Lindsey Graham's political persona or whatever remains of it, has taken a drastic turn for the dismal.
Graham's opponent, former state Democratic Chairman Jaime Harrison, has buried Graham with a torrent of attack ads making Harrison an unlikely but a worthy opponent.
How is it possible that an incumbent Trump ally in a state Trump won by 14% points is in a potential career-ending electoral battle with an African-American man? Fundraising. Harrison has woefully outraised Graham, raising $57 million last quarter and breaking fundraising records in the process.
How would a savvy and experienced incumbent combat the upstart from out raising, outperforming, and perhaps unseating him a the polls on November 3? Well, for Graham, the answer is begging. Graham has appeared on every conservative outlet that will have him groveling at the feet of his constituents.
One may take offense to the terms groveling or begging and assume that bias is falling out of my sports coat. Still, with Graham's go-to slogan becoming "help me," I am confident that begging and groveling must now be considered objective terms to describe his behavior.
In Graham's defense, he finds himself in an unfamiliar and uncomfortably compromised position.
For decades, he has been a political mainstay touting his conservative principles from the safety of a Republican stronghold. What he may have forgotten is how easy it is to be principled when victory is assured.
Now, Graham is a dinosaur in Trump's new Republican Party that sees principles as a hindrance to achievement, rather than its source.
Graham's best friend, the late great Senator of Arizona John McCain, was willing to lose the presidential race in 2008, defending Obama's American citizenship and religious beliefs.
Today, Republicans are eager to volley their souls over to the West Wing to align themselves with Trump. By doing so, Graham weakened his viability as a candidate and became a Trump sycophant.
If Graham loses his South Carolina Senate seat without displaying one glimpse of political savvy, then he should thank his victories. They made him weak.
