Tag: Senator Lindsey Graham

Hypocrite on Display

Let’s start with Merriam-Webster definition of a hypocrite.
1 : a person who pretends to have virtues or qualities that he or she does not have
2 : a person whose actions contradict their stated beliefs or feelings

Article 1, Section 2 “The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker and other officers; and shall have the sole power of impeachment.”

While this posting is on Senator Lindsey Graham, it can be applied to other Republicans who are defending Donald Trump.

Graham can propose a resolution condemning an impeachment inquiry and members of the GOP can storm private hearings obtaining information that might lead to an impeachment, but the constitution gives the power to impeach to the House of Representatives without qualifications.

In his Thursday news conference, Graham couldn’t quite bring himself to exonerate Trump: “I don’t want to comment on substance,” he said. “I’m not here to tell you that Donald Trump has done nothing wrong.” He merely raged against procedures, arguing, “The process in the House today, I think, is a danger to the future of the presidency.”

ABC News’s Terry Moran reminded him that during Watergate, lawmakers took depositions behind closed doors before there was an impeachment resolution, just as the House is doing now.
Graham did not dispute this.

CNN’s Ted Barrett reminded him that during the Clinton impeachment, House Republicans took private depositions before public hearings. “Why was it okay then and not now?”

“The inquiry itself became very public,” Graham replied.

And so will this one — leaving Graham looking foolish once more.

Elected to Office but Unaware and Really Don’t Care

Inside the beltway: Is your representative aware of happenings in the world?

As reported in the Los Angeles Times

A bipartisan group of senators is seeking a federal investigation into alleged abuses in a popular visa program that has been linked to layoffs of U.S. workers in favor of cheaper foreign labor, the Los Angeles Times has learned.

“We are concerned about recent information that has come to light regarding the abuse of the H-1B visa program by Southern California Edison (SCE) and other employers to replace large numbers of American workers,” wrote Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip, and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), who led the bipartisan group.

All of these senators are in league because they all know they must show concern for their constituents. This is a case of crocodile tears for those who are have lost their job or about to experience the same fate as Edison employees. Our free enterprise system says employers have every right to lower all their costs no matter who is impacted. Bank and technology companies are two of the most obvious adopters of the programs to cut labor costs. The shock is that it has taken this long for our senators to become aware of the outsourcing of American jobs. Maybe it’s not such a shock. After all some senators deny having ever used e-mail.

One must ask, where have these senators been? Haven’t they had at least one situation when they needed telephone help from a company and been transferred to a help line in India or the Philippines? Wait perhaps it is accurate to say they have been unaware. Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday March 8 said has never, ever sent an email.

As reported in the New York Times

Nor does Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York. “Maybe once every four months, I do one email,” he said, with evident relish. “I like to communicate by talking directly to people. I find it’s an important part of humanity to understand not just the words that are said, but how they’re said, the tone they’re said in, the speed they’re said with.”

Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist and longtime former Hill staff member, recalled that one of his bosses, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, could not use his BlackBerry “if his life depended on it.”

Luddite: One who fears technology (or new technology, as they seem pleased with how things currently are…why can’t everything just be the same?)