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Hmm. Isn’t that kind of a rhetorical question? Isn’t it obvious? (If not, see list below.)
Now Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is whining about how much money his opponent is raising “from people who hate my guts.”
Graham claims Jaime Harrison will raise $100 million. He’s probably exaggerating. Probably not by much. Harrison currently is raising $3 million a day, and there’s still 40 days until the election.
South Carolina is a tough state for Democrats. Flipping Graham’s seat doesn’t figure into their calculations. All the money pouring into Harrison’s campaign from outside the state won’t get the deep-red state’s voters to vote for him. But the race has become surprisingly competitive.
Living in Washington, I don’t know much about South Carolina, other than Boeing planes are now made there, the Marine Corps’s Parris Island boot camp is there, the late Professor Schwartz’s brother is there, and hurricanes pass through there. It has fewer people than Washington (5 million vs. 7 million), and it’s as red as Washington is blue. Or, at least, used to be.
So, from my position of knowing very little about South Carolina, here’s what I suspect could turn the tables on Lindsey Graham (in no particular order):
- Harrison is black and 30% of the state’s population is non-white
- People are tired of Graham and feel he’s been in the Senate too long
- People are disgusted by his shameless sucking up to a president who disparages the military
- People don’t like him endorsing Ginsburg’s replacement before he even knows who it is
- People are fed up with his bald-faced hypocrisy
- People don’t like his constant flip-flopping
- Republican voters suspect he’s gay (I suspect he is, too)
- Maybe they just hate his guts (easier to do the better you know him)
Also, money buys exposure, and that’s important because a lot of people don’t pay all that much attention to politics (or didn’t used to) and just vote for someone they’ve heard of. Back in June Graham was slightly ahead of Harrison in campaign cash, but now Harrison is in a position to outspend Graham in the campaign’s stretch run, and the fact Graham is bent out of shape about it suggests that might be significant.
Anyway, it’s fun to watch Graham curl up in a little ball like a slug does when you salt it.
Photo below: The-Ave.US official portrait of Senator Lindsey Graham
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Money in politics is a problem. Usually it is the politician who does not have the money who has heartburn. Traditionally that has been Democrats, but Democrats have become as corrupt as Republicans and many are spending far more on seats than needed. Or at some point it is just going to be more productive for politicians to out right pay for votes. With money being speech why can’t they just skip all this manure and go that route? Prostitute themselves and maybe we would be happier and have a more effective government.
I think we should adopt more European based controls on our elections. Most designed to limit money in politics. When debates happen all the parties are on the dias. Candidates get equal time on tv and it is paid for with public funds. Politicians stop politicking 24 or 28 hours before the polls open until the polls close. Election day is a holiday or on the weekend. No cooperate money. Limited or no money from out of state sources except for the Presidential race.
Instead of all that money going for advertising we all get Eskimo Pies and chocolate cake. Carrot cake for rabbits.