Lindsey Graham has died

[selmaborntidefan]

I’m no fan of Trump but I love the fact his suggestion to the governor that he appoint Graham’s has sent the left into a tizzy.

Yeah, watching all the “but what’s her qualifications” from the same people who when Mel Carnahan was killed in a plane crash didn’t even wait until his body was cold to get the new governor to announce, “If Mel beats Ashcroft in the Senate race, I’ll appoint his widow to the seat!”is both expected and typically hypocritical.

I doubt Trump even came up with this and at various points the “appoint the relative to what’s obviously a caretaker period” is sorta common. (Again, they’d have no problem with this if McMaster and Graham were Democrats).

Now if they had, say, a governor who couldn’t serve a term due to limits and who ran his wife as an obvious attempt to keep power, I’m sure that would never happen (wink wink).

 

[Crimson1967]

Yeah, watching all the “but what’s her qualifications” from the same people who when Mel Carnahan was killed in a plane crash didn’t even wait until his body was cold to get the new governor to announce, “If Mel beats Ashcroft in the Senate race, I’ll appoint his widow to the seat!”is both expected and typically hypocritical.

I doubt Trump even came up with this and at various points the “appoint the relative to what’s obviously a caretaker period” is sorta common. (Again, they’d have no problem with this if McMaster and Graham were Democrats).

Now if they had, say, a governor who couldn’t serve a term due to limits and who ran his wife as an obvious attempt to keep power, I’m sure that would never happen (wink wink).

Hubert Humphrey’s wife was appointed to fill his seat when he died. A senator from Alabama died in the 1970s and his wife was appointed.

A widow filling the seat used to be fairly common but not so much now. This is as close as you can get here since Graham wasn’t married.

If McConnell dies his wife would be a good appointment given her government experience.

And the sister has masters degree and was once head of the state council for the blind. I don’t think she is an idiot and think she is as “qualified” as anyone else to serve in the Senate.

And her appointment ends in January so I doubt she’ll have much of a legacy unless she runs in the special primary.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Frank Reynolds was my favorite. I remember watching him chastise the newsroom when he was given incorrect info about James Brady.

I was watching him that day.

A lot of people forget that Cronkite retired on March 6, and Reagan was shot on March 30. Rather didn't have the built-in following yet that Walter had had, and I recall coming home that day and my parents flipping channels to get the most recent update.

Reynolds losing it over the "getting it right" part of the Brady story was a highlight of my youth in journalism.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

A widow filling the seat used to be fairly common but not so much now.

First, let me say that I do not have a problem with spouses or family members being appointed. That is not the point of the following post.

I keep seeing many, many posts online talking about how common it is to appoint a spouse or family member. This is not true; it has not been common at all.

There have been 302 Senators die while in office, but only 8 times has a spouse been appointed as their replacement. 1 son has been appointed, and now 1 sister has been appointed. All of these were after the 17th Amendment, of course. Before the 17th, state legislatures chose the senators and always chose other politicians, public office holders, or powerful businessmen.

The House is a bit fuzzier, but appointments aren't allowed, and vacancies must be filled by special elections. There have been over 1,000 reps who have died while in office, and roughly 40 times a family member has won the special election to fill the seat.

So, it has actually been pretty rare. Again, I do not have any issues with it happening, just that it is being called common.

 

[Its On A Slab]

Lindsey was a true man's man.

I would dare anyone to provide evidence that he ever sexually harassed a woman.

A true gentleman, that Senator Graham.

 

[UAH]

I agree with your assessment. LBJ washed away genuine accomplishments with Vietnam.
Nixon did the same with Watergate. No, his accomplishments weren't quite as large, but he didn't come into office with a 68-32 Senate and 295-140 House, either, did he?

(This is why I roll my eyes at the claims FDR and Lincoln were the greatest Presidents, the simplistic thinking involved. Give ANY President the control Lincoln had when the South seceded, and you can do all kinds of things with no Congressional opposition. Same with FDR, who had a 69-25 Senate after the 1934 midterms).

As far as the supposed claim of LBJ about "we've lost the South for 200 years" or the countermyth of Republicans saying he said, "I'll have those N-words voting Democratic for the next 200 years," we really need to get away from anecdotes as evidence of anything, EVEN IF THEY DID SAY IT. Humphrey won Texas in 1968, and Carter won it in 1976. Plus, Nixon PROBABLY would have won it in 1960 without LBJ, and nobody outside of AOC can try to seriously argue Nixon would have won in 1960 because of backlash in 1968 (which didn't help him win it that year, either). Eisenhower won Texas twice and Hoover won it back when it was solid Democratic territory in 1928.

I'd say Johnson was accepting reality that, yes, included the CRA, but there was a LOT more to it than two civil rights laws, too. John Tower won LBJ's seat in a 1961 special election and became the first Republican elected by the people to a Senate seat in Texas. Nobody with a brain can say, "Tower won in 1961 because of laws signed in 1964 and 1965." Plus, everyone had their eyes on this new Congresscritter from Houston, a man who worked well with both parties, so much so that the Democrats did not even put up a candidate against him in his 1968 House race.

Sadly, we never got to learn how far George H.W. Bush could go in Texas politics......

I will say that the resentment to LBJ in Alabama was obvious. By then we had witnessed the stand at the door of UA. We all recall "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" It does appear that there are many who strongly favor returning to the politics of that era.

My main complaint is about LBJ's economics is attempting to maintain and expand his Great Society programs while expanding the war and maintaining the Saturn Program full speed. The hangover from all of that brought on a giant headache for the economy.

 

[Bamaro]

I will say that the resentment to LBJ in Alabama was obvious by then we had witnessed the stand at the door of UA. We all recall "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" It does appear that there are many who strongly favor returning to the politics of that era.

My main complaint is about LBJ's economics is attempting to maintain and expand his Great Society programs while expanding the war and maintaining the Saturn Program full speed. The hangover from all of that brought on a giant headache for the economy.

Percentage wise/teal dollars, I wonder how that compares to today. However, I remember his 'guns and butter' and the complaints but today deficit spending is unfortunately is met with crickets.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I will say that the resentment to LBJ in Alabama was obvious by then we had witnessed the stand at the door of UA. We all recall "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" It does appear that there are many who strongly favor returning to the politics of that era.

Yes, it’s indisputable race has always played a role in American elections, the question is always how much and what percentage.

That’s not my point, however.

There are always these claims about President saying X or Y, offered up as “evidence” in place of, you know, actual evidence. My point is, it literally does not matter one way or the other if Johnson said, “we’ve lost the South for 200 years” or the other just as mythical “I’ll have those N words voting Democrat for the next 200 years” is all I’m saying.

It’s an anecdote, it doesn’t mean a damn thing otherwise. Even if he’s right, it doesn’t mean anything beyond an interesting yarn.

Politics is full of more myths than religion and you had a number of people treat those political myths as sacrosanct as the 10 Commandments. We have them in football too.

“Winning isn’t the everything, it’s the only thing,” was not a Vince Lombardi original, even if he said it, which maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. It’s from a John Wayne movie (Trouble Along the Way, 1953).

But John Facenda quotes that in an NFL films video, and suddenly the whole world is convinced it as a Lombardi original. And there’s another irony for you; Facenda never actually said, “On the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin”, either. Chris Berman doing an impersonation said that.

(Sarah Palin never said, “I can see Russia from my house,” Tina Fey did.).

 

[92tide]

We have them in football too.

“Winning isn’t the everything, it’s the only thing,” was not a Vince Lombardi original, even if he said it, which maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. It’s from a John Wayne movie (Trouble Along the Way, 1953).

you left off hold the rope, and m.t.x.e.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

you left off hold the rope, and m.t.x.e.

Now, I know what that is!

 

[Crimson1967]

Good grief, I have never seen so many people lose their minds over Graham’s sister. Granted, it’s a bunch of idiots on Reddit and a couple YouTube lefties, but still.

She’s unqualified? What exactly qualifies you to be a Senator? She is well educated and has held a job in the public sector. It’s not like anyone else could walk into his office and know everything that is going on.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Good grief, I have never seen so many people lose their minds over Graham’s sister. Granted, it’s a bunch of idiots on Reddit and a couple YouTube lefties, but still.

She’s unqualified? What exactly qualifies you to be a Senator? She is well educated and has held a job in the public sector. It’s not like anyone else could walk into his office and know everything that is going on.

And it's extremely short-term...

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Good grief, I have never seen so many people lose their minds over Graham’s sister. Granted, it’s a bunch of idiots on Reddit and a couple YouTube lefties, but still.

She’s unqualified? What exactly qualifies you to be a Senator? She is well educated and has held a job in the public sector. It’s not like anyone else could walk into his office and know everything that is going on.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to see how many of these people voted for the lesser qualified Obama over the far more substantially qualified McCain?

One thing I learned long ago in politics is that nobody (on a large scale) really gives a damn about who is the more qualified candidate. Almost every time you hear those words stated, it’s a back door way someone is just trying to say that they don’t like a particular candidate - but they lack the courage to say it that way.

She’s 30, a citizen and a resident, which actually places her constitutionally qualified ahead of Hillary Clinton, RFK, and Tommy Tuberville among others.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

She’s unqualified? What exactly qualifies you to be a Senator?

Obviously, there are zero qualifications when a monkey like Tubberville can be one.

 

[mdb-tpet]

One of the stronger points of our political system, generally a political side is allowed to promote their ideas as great, but the other side is supposed to call out the weaknesses and flaws. So, no matter what, you're going to get at least two arguments to any major political action. There's nothing new here about pointing out that appointing a relative to a position as high profile as Senator for a state looks like a weak/desperate move by South Carolina/the President. It was just as weak of a move when Alabama elected a wife/place holder for Wallace when he couldn't run for Governor again.

To me, regardless of party or political leaning, unless Graham's sister was somehow an unrecognized political savant in waiting, it's intended to put someone in a position they didn't (maybe can't) earn themselves, so they are beholden to the power structure and will be easily manipulated. The current administration is really good a using this technique to build an group of overly loyal officials (sycophants). I realize EVERY administration does this to an extent (especially for diplomats), but the sycophancy is off the charts right now.

Now I could be wrong, maybe she'll be a superb Senator and won't be a Harriet Miers type of mistake.

 

[T Bone]

Obviously, there are zero qualifications when a monkey like Tubberville can be one.

Sir, be aware monkeys everywhere are HIGHLY offended by that comment. I would not be surprised if you never receive a visit from a monkey ever...............lol

 

[selmaborntidefan]

As a reminder, Missouri illegally elected a dead guy in 2000, and his wife was installed by the governor who succeeded the dead elected senator who was first a dead Governor before he was a dead senator.

Literally nobody asked, “but what are her qualifications.” And she was spending 2 years in a 50-50 Senate that flipped when Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords jumped, meaning she headed committees and voted on the Bush cabinet.

(I think Ashcroft could have gotten the seat given the unconstitutional election but to his credit, he accepted, “Damn they prefer a dead guy and his widow to me!”).

 

[Crimson1967]

As a reminder, Missouri illegally elected a dead guy in 2000, and his wife was installed by the governor who succeeded the dead elected senator who was first a dead Governor before he was a dead senator.

Literally nobody asked, “but what are her qualifications.” And she was spending 2 years in a 50-50 Senate that flipped when Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords jumped, meaning she headed committees and voted on the Bush cabinet.

(I think Ashcroft could have gotten the seat given the unconstitutional election but to his credit, he accepted, “Damn they prefer a dead guy and his widow to me!”).

When Hubert Humphrey died his wife took his seat.

 

[Crimson1967]

Would have been hilarious if they appointed his longtime companion that had been hidden from the public for years.

 

[arthurdawg]

Good grief, I have never seen so many people lose their minds over Graham’s sister. Granted, it’s a bunch of idiots on Reddit and a couple YouTube lefties, but still.

She’s unqualified? What exactly qualifies you to be a Senator? She is well educated and has held a job in the public sector. It’s not like anyone else could walk into his office and know everything that is going on.

I'd take her in a heart beat over Tubbs. Saying Tubbs is an airhead is an insult to airheads.