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Sen. Lindsey Graham Changes His Tune On Tea Party, Now Likes It A Lot

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» 32 comments

Senator Lindsey Graham appeared on Meet the Press and shared with host David Gregory his enthusiasm for welcoming new Tea Party influenced candidates to Washington. Graham also discussed his eagerness for tackling entitlement reform before dealing with the issue of raising the debt ceiling, a position Austan Goolsbee would probably consider “insanity.”

Graham elaborated on his satisfaction with the Tea Party:

I hope the Tea Party will come to Washington and change the whole dynamic that led to this fiscal mess we’re in starting with spending . . . but also reforming entitlements and I think a guy like [Senator-elect] Pat Toomey will be a breath of fresh air for the next Congress.

Graham’s comments are a bit peculiar given his contrary opinion just last summer in a New York Times Magazine interview:

The problem with the Tea Party, I think it’s just unsustainable because they can never come up with a coherent vision for governing the country. It will die out.

It seems the only thing to die out is Graham’s eagerness to stand up to the Tea Party. Although Graham would likely point to the November election results as a potential justification for his changed perception of the citizen movement.

Watch the clip from NBC below:

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  • Fox News: Serving the Freeper community since 1996

    “Graham also discussed his eagerness for tackling entitlement reform before dealing with the issue of raising the debt ceiling”

    I want to see this MOTHERF……….

  • Fox News: Serving the Freeper community since 1996

    Do-over:

    If these tea party AHs had no problem letting AIG, the banks, and the auto industry collapse, then they should have NO problem voting against raising the debt ceiling. Back up your bellicose rhetoric and just fu**king do it. I want to see these right wing asshole’s portfolios collapse, and be forced to get out of the comment section and get a job like the rest of us.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

    Lindsey Graham pandering to the cheap seats.

  • Seeing 2012 From My Window

    Gramnesty is worried for his political future, which he should be.

  • felixw

    Ah, how edifying to watch a RINO change positions as gracefully as a gazelle.

  • skyfet

    Too late Lindsey! they are coming for your behind in the primary. Just hope they chose a crazy one that would be too mad, even for people from South Carlina to accept

  • Just4thefax

    Fox News: Serving the Freeper community since 1996 said:
    If these tea party AHs had no problem letting AIG, the banks,

    Fact: Lets see who’s who!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_vQhxIubEU

  • Helix

    Sounds like Lindsey read a poll result for the primary in his district. And is also “courageous” enough to stand by his core principles regardless of circumstances. And thinks people are too stupid to remember his statements more than 10 minutes.

  • SarahP

    I think that Graham understands that the Tea Party nit wits are easily manipulated, useful idiots if you will. He’s simply playing to their stupidity.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

    SarahP said:
    I think that Graham understands that the Tea Party nit wits are easily manipulated, useful idiots if you will. He’s simply playing to their stupidity.

    You get understatement of the decade award.

  • http://reddit.com Jon

    I figured out the outcome of this whole Democrat/Tea Party stuff…

    In the end, the original GOP will suffer big time… and Democrats and the Tea Party will eventually compromise. This will happen by making the environment safer by taking money out of the hands of the government. The best way we can have the government spend less is to make them efficient… however, the Tea Party will have to accept global warming and gay marriage, and many other ideas that are logical and beneficial to our society and culture. If the Tea Party wants ot be looked at seriously, they need to start thinking about humanity, not just themselves. Not supporting the government being big doesn’t mean you don’t care about your fellow human being.

    Doing whatever you want and saying you don’t care what happens to people, that’s anarchism.

  • Davo

    SarahP said:
    I think that Graham understands that the Tea Party nit wits are easily manipulated, useful idiots if you will. .

    FYI, “useful idiots” is a Communist term used by Liberal elitists to describe Dim-o-wit voters. And I think you’ll see the Tea Party “nit wits” finishing the job of ridding Washington of DemoCrits and RINO’s. But keep up your hopes of America’s demise before 2012, because your thinkers won’t have another chance at it.

  • SarahP

    Davo said:
    FYI, “useful idiots” is a Communist term used by Liberal elitists to describe Dim-o-wit voters. And I think you’ll see the Tea Party “nit wits” finishing the job of ridding Washington of DemoCrits and RINO’s. But keep up your hopes of America’s demise before 2012, because your thinkers won’t have another chance at it.

    I don’t care, it’s now a term used to describe useful idiots like you.

  • TeaPartyPatriot

    In the underbelly of the US Senate (specifically, at the end of the lower intestine) is where we find THE SLIMEBAG SIX despicable, rino traitors who will continue to support d-crat socialist issues, and everybody knows who they are: AMNESTY-JOHN mccain, scott brown, collins, snowe. murCOWski and graham.

    That’s part of the “hit list” for all American patriots to follow in future elections.

  • SarahP

    TeaPartyPatriot said:
    In the underbelly of the US Senate (specifically, at the end of the lower intestine) is where we find THE SLIMEBAG SIX despicable, rino traitors who will continue to support d-crat socialist issues, and everybody knows who they are: AMNESTY-JOHN mccain, scott brown, collins, snowe. murCOWski and graham.

    That’s part of the “hit list” for all American patriots to follow in future elections.

    You need psychiatric help.

  • http://reddit.com Jon

    SarahP said:
    You need psychiatric help.

    XD

  • CAconservative

    Lindsey Grayham. His best talent is talking out of both sides of his mouth. When it became clear, that Americans were not going for the amnesty nonsense, and his pro-amnesty stance just might get him thrown out, he suddenly had an epiphany and changed his mind. This clown is exactly the type of scumbag-RINO the Tea-Party is trying to get rid of.

  • roxsteady

    Let’s see, does Boner accept that these teabaggers don’t have a clue about how to govern and just help them shut down down the government or turn to Democrats and give them concessions to get the 218 votes needed in the House to pass anything? Mr. Speaker?

    “…incoming House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) acknowledged that he’s well aware of the fact that his chamber is going to have to extend the federal debt limit. He noted that he’s already “made it pretty clear” to his own caucus that Republicans are “going to have to deal with it as adults.”
    Boehner added, “Whether we like it or not, the federal government has obligations and we have obligations on our part.”

    Hm? Good luck with that. His will be the shortest reign as Speaker of the House in recent history.

  • roxsteady

    By the way, why are these idiots coming in and reading the Constitution? Shouldn’t they have done that in the 7th or 8th grade? Perhaps they’re hoping their “useful idiots” won’t notice that they don’t have any ideas on job creation other than those tax cuts that worked so well during the last administration.

  • Davo

    roxsteady said:
    By the way, why are these idiots coming in and reading the Constitution?

    Maybe those “idiots” think it has merit. It is the law of the land, ya know? I think it’s a great day when Democrats are forced to face the law rather than pervert it in effort to “legitimize” the illegitimate.

  • An Idea

    An Idea – Ignore SarahP and he’ll go away .

  • SarahP

    Davo said:
    Maybe those “idiots” think it has merit. It is the law of the land, ya know? I think it’s a great day when Democrats are forced to face the law rather than pervert it in effort to “legitimize” the illegitimate.

    You need psychiatric help as well.

  • Socialist

    Davo said:
    FYI, “useful idiots” is a Communist term used by Liberal elitists to describe Dim-o-wit voters. And I think you’ll see the Tea Party “nit wits” finishing the job of ridding Washington of DemoCrits and RINO’s. But keep up your hopes of America’s demise before 2012, because your thinkers won’t have another chance at it.</blockquote
    GL with getting rid of democrats..

    Do something against the pple's will and they will vote you guys out..

    Remember 1996 before being optimistic about 2012..because you will need it.

  • Socialist

    Socialist said:

    my bad.. that was wrong..

    the last 3 lines were mine..

  • Nacho

    You teabaggers are homophobes.

  • puck30

    Wait till next week this putz will change like the wind at Wrigley Field.

  • Pablo

    skyfet said:
    Too late Lindsey! they are coming for your behind in the primary. Just hope they chose a crazy one that would be too mad, even for people from South Carlina to accept

    Yeah, maybe they’ll nominate somebody really out there, like Nikki Haley. Heh.

  • Just4thefax

    Nacho said:
    You’re Tea Party will clean house

    roxsteady said:
    why are these patriots coming in and reading the Constitution and committing to it’s worth

    roxsteady said:
    Tea Party candidates rule as Speaker

    Fact: The Tea Party affirmed it’s role in 2010 elections and with it’s manefesto for positive change will be a huge factor in 2012 as well!

    Here is the Tea Party Manifesto as defined by the Tea Party Patriots

    1. Protect the Constitution

    Require each bill to identify the specific provision of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to do what the bill does. .
    2. Reject Cap & Trade

    Stop costly new regulations that would increase unemployment, raise consumer prices, and weaken the nation’s global competitiveness with virtually no impact on global temperatures. .
    3. Demand a Balanced Budget

    Begin the Constitutional amendment process to require a balanced budget with a two-thirds majority needed for any tax hike. .
    4. Enact Fundamental Tax Reform

    Adopt a simple and fair single-rate tax system by scrapping the internal revenue code and replacing it with one that is no longer than 4,543 words — the length of the original Constitution. .
    5. Restore Fiscal Responsibility & Constitutionally Limited Government in Washington

    Create a Blue Ribbon taskforce that engages in a complete audit of federal agencies and programs, assessing their Constitutionality, and identifying duplication, waste, ineffectiveness, and agencies and programs better left for the states or local authorities, or ripe for wholesale reform or elimination due to our efforts to restore limited government consistent with the US Constitution’s meaning. .
    6. End Runaway Government Spending

    Impose a statutory cap limiting the annual growth in total federal spending to the sum of the inflation rate plus the percentage of population growth. .
    7. Defund, Repeal, & Replace Government-run Health Care

    Defund, repeal and replace the recently passed government-run health care with a system that actually makes health care and insurance more affordable by enabling a competitive, open, and transparent free-market health care and health insurance system that isn’t restricted by state boundaries. .
    8. Pass an All-of-the-Above Energy Policy

    Authorize the exploration of proven energy reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources from unstable countries and reduce regulatory barriers to all other forms of energy creation, lowering prices and creating competition and jobs. .
    9. Stop the Pork

    Place a moratorium on all earmarks until the budget is balanced, and then require a 2/3 majority to pass any earmark. .
    10. Stop the Tax Hikes

    Permanently repeal all tax hikes, including those to the income, capital gains, and death taxes, currently scheduled to begin in 2011. .

    You gotta dig it!

  • CosmosDan

    I think that’s what I love most about the boys and girls in DC. consistancy and sincerity.

  • Obeezy

    Linsdey is much like the Democrats, they will wave whichever way the wind is blowing, NO moral compass and no balls to stand up for themsleves

  • CAconservative

    Obeezy:

    You are 50% correct. Add to that the Republi-rats, and you’d be 100% correct.

  • Snidely

    LG is Arlen Sector South. One can only hope he meets a similar fate. Give me a sincere Leftist like Bernie Sanders any time. Or a consistent Reactionary like Strom Thurmond. The Bible verse ” Revelation 3:15-16:
    “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” fits Graham to a “T”.

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