Sen. Lindsey Graham Flacks McCain, Offers Hysterical Histrionics On Meet The Press

We took note of this on this morning's Sunday Morning liveblog, but Lindsey Graham's hilariously operatic, garment-rending performance on Meet The Press this morning deserves a special mention of its own. Pressed into duty to defame Obama for opting to continue his own fundraising process in lieu of the public financing he agreed to take way before he had any idea that his own superior method of public financing would prove itself to be far more effective, Graham came to show with a pocketful of woe and a story of Barack's broken promises. He quickly spun this into melodramatic gold, pretending to be stung and betrayed and emotionally out of tune over the matter.

It all culminated in this histrionic moment, where Graham appears to almost tear up and bemoan the waste of Obama's "talent" and "potential" over this issue. It's quite riveting! Mostly because it's so utterly, hopelessly, transparently fake! This is like watching some kid break down and weep, "Say it isn't so, Shoeless Joe!" because the White Sox fixed the 1919 World Series, except the kid is secretly a Reds fan and hates the White Sox and anyway wants to grow up to fix as many games for John McCain as possible. That's the level if disingenuousness.

Anyway, consider this Graham's audition reel for Days Of Our Lives, where he insists that "The reason John McCain is going to beat him is because John has put the country ahead of the desire to win for himself."

You want a quick shorthand for how to tell if the candidate has put your needs ahead of his desire to be President? It's really easy. You ask: Did the candidate offer us a gas tax holiday? If the answer is "Yes," then NO HE JUST WANTS TO WIN, THE END.

[WATCH.]

GRAHAM: That's news to everyone who listens to what he said and this is just really sad for the country. For somebody with this much ability, this much talent, to fall this far, this soon. The idea that we're going to change this country and do things that are hard and tough and keep one's word is music to the American people's ears. Well, let me tell you, what he did by breaking his promise, is reinforce every bad thing wrong with politics and he can talk about it, Joe, till the cows come home. This guy wants to win, he'll do anything to win. And the reason John McCain is going to beat him is because John has put the country ahead of the desire to win for himself and that's going to be the defining issue in this election.

Comments

[karela]

Little Lindsey gave a display that was hard to watch. He smirked continuously. He smiled at inappropriate times. He scowled. He frowned. He all but cried. How did anybody ever keep the bile down long enough to vote for this guy. Brian Williams and Joe Biden were two knowledgeable adults having a conversation. Little Lindsey was a little kid trying to win with smirks and smears and in the process made himself look like an idiot. You can see the whole show at MSNBC in the video link. But I warn you, you may toss your cookies.

[missette]

Funny how the Republicans don't get all weepy when people are losing their homes because they were victims of predatory lenders, when people's homes and livelihoods are flooded over because of improper maintenance by Repub administrations of levees and dams, when soldiers recovering from wounds are housed in shoddy accommodations, when people are poisoned by eating fruits and veggies because the feds gutted the regulation of our food, and when soldiers in Iraq are electrocuted owing to the work of shoddy work of subcontractors hired by major US firms, but build your financial base for running for President with $25, $50 and $100 checks from ordinary people and suddenly the Republicans get emotional. If only their outrage had extended to the perpetrators of all the above.

[SeriousBlack]

Well said!

[hopeless277]

Lindsey needs to be outed. He is obviously gay and should be proud of it. Someone, somewhere has the photos. The sooner the better.

[sloan1212]

Are you kidding me? No one cares what he does in the privacy of his own home. News flash...ga­y people exist. This forum is not about sexuality or National Enquirer stories.

[Binx101]

Lindsay Graham smirked continuously when he wasn't speaking. He was sent out on a mission.

Barack vs. the Volcano

Binx101
The Almost Daily Binx
http://binx101.wordpress.com

[BluesDogLefty]

w/e -- Republicans would eat live babies if it would give them an edge.

[SeriousBlack]

It was painful to watch. If that kind of performance is all the Repubs have (shaking head)...

I kept thinking that Joe Biden (sitting next to Lindsey Graham) must have been cringing mentally at how much Graham was thoroughly embarrassing himself.

Truly pathetic.

[RoloTomassi]

“The part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty.”

--Thomas Jefferson, from the "Tree of Liberty" letter to William Smith

[bigeugene]

I think we all know what he's thinking while he's saying that, "Holy sh*t, Barack Obama is going to raise $300 million and we are so totally going to get our butts handed to us. Crap!"

[demigod]

Lindsey Graham makes my skin crawl. He was horrible during the Clinton impeachment, and he parlayed that into a Senate seat - you can do that in South Carolina. A horrible Senator for a horrible place. Too bad the North won the Civil war, we should let the South secede now, so we could have the Progressive States of America, and all the right wingers could be on their own, praying in public schools, denying evoluction, teaching Intelligent Design, forbidding stem cell research, imprisoning gays, forbidding sex education or birth control, making women have babies, you know, doing all the crap right wingers believe in. Let's stop fighting and divide the country - let each have what it wants, progress or conservatism. We'd quickly see which nation does better.

[Zeusthunderbolt]

Isnt that what happens in Saudi arabia? or what was going on in Afghanistan. If you gave the southern politicians that much power, pretty soon the women would throw them out of power. The danger would lie in the fact that they nuke the north for its sinful way.

[bdl0715]

Between Graham and Charlie Crist, maybe McCain is going to have a gay vp.

[2bad]

Obama and the DNC refuse to accept donations from PACs. Campaign contributions have come from citizens, mostly on-line ($88 average donation) What he opted out of was a system that uses TAX PAYER money. It forces citizens to donate to both candidates whether they want to or not. When John McBush stops taking money from corporations who'll be owed favors if he's elected, then they can point fingers. Seems Obama is already involved in a publicly financed campaign. It's called voluntary contributions form citizens!

[benne]

Isn't all the recent talk about how Democrats have to claim the emotional ground rather than the supposed intellectual one? If we read his appearance in terms of emotional appeal, Graham's position and, yes, histrionics, has much more visceral appeal to those who care especially about morality. His argument was that Obama was immoral in breaking his pledge. Biden came across as wooden, and the arguments offered here as self-serving, in relationship to this argument. That Graham can present his in emotional terms, and Biden and Obama only in pragmatic ones, presents significant difficulty. Try packaging "fundraising process" to the American people.

Now, the anger Biden later directed at the big oil companies: that had emotional appeal and righteous indignation. That's the way to go, but not this, "let's be reasonable" tact.

[obamanation31]

Pleeeeeeeze !

[JanSP1971]

As I watched Biden and Graham on MTP I was so...... wanting Joe to back hand him! You can see the lothing in Grahams face you can hear it in his voice when he speaks Obama's name. I hope and I pray McCain picks this guy as his running mate! What a land slide it will be for Obama.

[sufi66]

He wants to be VP. End of story. Talk about saying and doing anything!

[Phil123]

That was "hysterical histrionics?" It almost put me to sleep.

Doesn't hold a candle to Hillary Clinton screeching "I AM SICK AND TIRED..."

That one still makes me cringe. I was the first time I actually felt some sympathy toward Bill.