TPM LiveWire
Graham: Obama's Speech Was 'A Disaster'
Ben Frumin | September 10, 2009, 12:40PM
Share
Send to a friend!
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) had an, um, interesting take a few minutes ago on Obama's health care speech to Congress last night. Appearing on FNC, the GOP Senator called the President's speech "a disaster" and "combative."
"If his goal was to try to unite the Democratic Party and the hard left, maybe he succeeded," Graham said. But what Obama did not do was "create consensus and bring people together."
Just like Obama's speech, the public option would be "a disaster," Graham said, and Obama's explanation of it is "not credible."
"I wanna work with Democrats," he added without any apparent sense of irony. "I want a bipartisan bill."
Graham said if the Democrats resort to passing health care reform through 51-vote reconciliation, "it's an admission that you can't get your own party on board, because they got 60 votes in the Senate."
And as for his fellow South Carolina lawmaker Rep. Joe Wilson, who shouted "You lie!" in the middle of Obama's speech? He was wrong to shout, Graham said, and was right to apologize. However, "the President of the United States set the wrong tone," Graham said. "I quite frankly was offended by the whole tone. I thought it was a partisan pep rally."
And Wilson's re-election chances, considering his Democratic opponent has raised more than $100,000 since Wilson's gaffe last night? "I will do everything I can to help him get reelected," Graham said. "Democrats are not going to take that seat over."
Late Update: Here's the video.
Join the Conversation!
Leave a comment
Follow us!
Most Popular
- How Clemmons Went From Prisoner To Alleged Cop Killer -- And Why It Matters For Mike Huckabee
- High-End Grifters
- Another Huckabee Pardon
- Radio Host Bill Press: Glenn Beck Is A 'Ticking Time Bomb' Who Will 'Explode In The Face Of Roger Ailes'
- Bachmann: Just Over A Year Ago, The Private Economy Was 100% Private
- Rep. Hinchey: Bush Purposely Let Bin Laden Escape To Justify Iraq War
- Latest High-Flying Accused Ponzi Schemer Has Ties To Indiana Guv
- Why Are Dem Voters Now Less Motivated Than Republicans?
- CBO: Health Care Reform Will Lower Out-Of-Pocket Burden For Most Consumers
- Family Guy Mocks Chris Matthews' Inflated Ego
- Obama Issues New Orders On Afghanistan
- Why Are Dem Voters Now Less Motivated Than Republicans?
- Dems Add Entitlement Reform To Packed Agenda Ahead of 2010 Elections
- Huckabee Cites System's 'Failures' In Response To Washington Police Killings
- How Clemmons Went From Prisoner To Alleged Cop Killer -- And Why It Matters For Mike Huckabee
- Gibbs: Social Office Not Problem With Dinner Crashers
- Rep. Hinchey: Bush Purposely Let Bin Laden Escape To Justify Iraq War
- Bachmann: Just Over A Year Ago, The Private Economy Was 100% Private
- Radio Host Bill Press: Glenn Beck Is A 'Ticking Time Bomb' Who Will 'Explode In The Face Of Roger Ailes'
- Why Have We Subjugated Ourselves?
- Why Have We Subjugated Ourselves?
- Obstructionism Trumps Transparency
- Progressives (and Obama) are Doing Better Than We Think -- and We Won't Know What We've Got 'Til It's Gone
- Great Moments in CNN Journalism
- Jeff Goldberg Faults Obama For Suggesting Settlement Expansion Leads To Violence
- A Dime In My Pocket
- Return to Sender: Feigning Indifference & Losing My Religion
- Basic Investment Advice
- Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics
- The Pivot
TPM Stories Now Surging on Digg.com
TPM Top News
© 2009 TPM Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
expat46
September 10, 2009 1:25 PM
Please donate to Rob Miller
http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/19079
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
fbacon2
September 10, 2009 1:43 PM
"Oh, hamburgers!" said Sen. Butters.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
ttarleton
September 10, 2009 3:29 PM in reply to fbacon2
HAha! Priceless!
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
diachronic
September 10, 2009 1:43 PM
Graham is the most disingenuous politician in Washington.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Aunt Sam
September 10, 2009 2:17 PM in reply to diachronic
Um, I must declare it is a tie between him and Hatch! IMHO!
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
TaylorB1
September 10, 2009 1:50 PM
Notice how even Graham's "criticism" of Wilson's bad behavior was phrased so that it was mostly condemnation of the President, as if to say "Well, you can hardly balme Joe because the President provoked him." SC really has some sad sacks in Congress...not to mention the one still holed up in the Governor's mansion.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
3star2nr
September 10, 2009 2:06 PM
Lindsey "Obama's speeech was a disaster for the GOP. He completely destroyed all my talking points."
"I was offended"
Translation: "Who does this uppity, nigra think he is? you need to learn some respek BWWOOOOOOYYY"
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
ru4862
September 10, 2009 2:17 PM
Seriously. It's time for Grahm to come out of the closet. You go, girlfriend!
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Stiggs
September 10, 2009 6:19 PM in reply to ru4862
He'd be just as miserable, who'd take him? Republicans are notoriously selfish lovers. What's the opposite of good giving and game?
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
chuck DC
September 10, 2009 7:59 PM in reply to ru4862
Like Miss Lindsay, I am a gay South Carolinian. Only I know it. I have this insane idea to move back home to run against her -- "you're going to elect a queen, SC -- may as well be an out and proud one"
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
FedUp
September 10, 2009 2:50 PM
Mr. Graham,
In case you have missed the news, you and your Party are irrelevant. The goal of the President's speech was, indeed, to bring Democrats together. Now, please crawl back under the rock you crawled out from under.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Strykur
September 10, 2009 3:24 PM
South Carolina: where we moved the Confederate Flag off the top of the state capitol dome in 2000, and placed it inconspicuously on a permanent monument on the state capitol grounds.
Any thoughts that the GOP might plan a secessionist movement over health care?
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
johand
September 10, 2009 4:38 PM
Mr. Graham and Mr. Boehner's facial expressions was a perfect showcase of a really bad 'telegraphing' form of acting. They did not change for even a split second during the speech and were very aware when the camera was on them. The whole Republican man's club must have gotten the same marching order, as each member was trying to outdo the other in showing their angry and incompetent faces. It became very laughable as they have clearly no other ideas. Just be mad, be against this black President, against the Democrats and pretend that nothing bad has happened in the last 8 years. Extremely uninspired group of whiners, spoiled and rotten to the core.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Stormwatcher
September 10, 2009 6:23 PM
Could'nt we just call all of S.C. enemy combatants and invade/depose the ruling gov't? We did it 150 yrs ago. Maybe its time to again "save" the oppressed populace.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
oleeb
September 10, 2009 6:26 PM
I cannot wait until the day that Graham, much like Ted Haggard, has his secret life exposed for all to see. It will be fun wathcing him implode. What a self righteous blowhard!
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
trapezi
September 10, 2009 11:46 PM
Graham is right that the President's speech was a disaster. It was a disaster for the GOP. The speech gutted and exposed all the Augusttalking points for the lies they were and no objective, rational voter will tolerate them any longer.
What we have now is America versus the Confederacy: America versus the hardcore, evangelical, birther, john bircher, tenther, deather, shameless, indecent, hateful, poorly educated, prejudiced and hypocritical under base the GOP used to make excuses for - and which is now the whole party.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
East Coast Aussie
September 11, 2009 2:38 AM in reply to trapezi
Spot on.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
slb
September 11, 2009 2:19 AM
"I wanna work with Democrats," he added without any apparent sense of irony. "I want a bipartisan bill."
"I wanna work with Charlie Brown," insisted Lucy Van Pelt. "I want to help him get this football through the goalposts."
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?