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Joan K

Joan K
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Southwest, Virginia, USA
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I'm a retired professor from Virginia Tech living the good life in the Appalachian mountains with my husband, a dog, and two cats along with lots of wildlife. I love reading, commenting and posting on Open Salon. Long live OS!

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JUNE 28, 2009 5:51PM

Is Senator Graham Serious?

Rate: 7 Flag

On  Meet the Press today, Senator Graham said he wants America to forgive Governor Sanford as they forgave Clinton.   What?  Graham voted to impeach Clinton because he lied about having an indiscretion in the White House.  Yet Graham thinks that just because Clinton's favorable ratings remained high during the impeachment process, that means Americans forgave him.   There's two problems with Graham's argument:

1. Many Americans probably kept a favorable rating of Clinton because they thought having an affair and lying about it are not actions that merit impeachment.  I didn't forgive Clinton for being so stupid to have an affair yet overall agreed with American's approval.   Things were going well back then (seems so long ago now). 

 2.  President Bill Clinton did not go AWOL for 5 days, leaving the question of who is in charge in jeopardy. I could care less about the affair but am concerned about Sanford's lack of responsibility. 

Obviously, there's a big difference between the two men's situations.  But Senator Lindsey Graham does not seem to have a clue about his hyporcrisy of voting for impeachment of Clinton and now asking for forgiveness in Sanford.   Gee do you think the fact that Sanford and Graham are Republican has anything to do with it? 

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Clinton wasn't a member of the aggressively Puritan party.
Sanford was aiming to be its head.
you are so right (oops - sorry) I mean, correct
nerd cred--you are so right about the Republicans being Puritans. Thanks for commenting.
1WomensVu--Ha! Yeah, most people wouldn't refer to me as right.
It's been 11 years and the Republicans are still going on about Clinton. Also the Republicans impeached him and disbarred him. Yeah, lets forgive Sanford the same way.
I have to laugh at this Joan. I just read the comment on thePuritan party.
TOO good.
maybe graham is setting up a forgiveness paradigm so it'll be easier for him to step into it. I cringe everytime I have to hear him or watch him. he was an obsequious waterboy for bush/cheney/rumsfeld neoWehrmacht and an inveterate whiner.
that was really well put, and I loved what 1wv said!
Clinton got to have sloppy cigar sex in the Oval Office and the Puritan Republicans didn't. That's their problem. Jeez Lindsey, get over it.
ocularnervosa--yeah, the Republicans can't let go of Clinton. They try to blame everything on him when they were clearly at fault for the Bush years.
bbd--I never thought of that but maybe he needs forgiveness. I wonder if he's "hiking on the Appalachian trail."
Sandra--thanks for commenting.

Jeff Howe--yes, I still remember the time when the Republicans put the detailed impeachment stuff online. My husband and I were taking turns at the computer reading it that Friday night. The part about the "cigar" was especially sleazy--and this is the party of family values?
Bush blamed Clinton. Everyone here blames Bush not Obama. Where do I get off the Merry-Go-Round.

Look Sanford was a rising star. He went supernova and is gone. The one things he didn't do is lie to a court and commit a crime.
Catnlion--guess I don't follow the Republican stars like you do. I hadn't heard too much about Sanford except that he tried to refuse the stimulus funds but that SC's legislature intervened to get them.

Yes, Clinton's lying about an affair under oath is a crime but not something that should impeach a president--thank goodness the Senate agreed.
Joan – For the last 8 plus years, Sen. Graham has been one of the most vocal members of the Republican Hypocritical Party. He, too, was a loud voice against Pres. Clinton during the impeachment case, he never spoke out against the George Bush & Dick Cheney’s war crimes of torture or their contributing to the National Debt; nor did he call for Sen. Craig to step down after he admitted guilt in gay bathroom sting.

As pointed out by others… it is Gov. Sanford’s going AWOL, not his private love affair that should constitute Sanford’s resignation.

But Senator Graham does not care about South Carolina being second in un-employment, nor his state being 35th in education… he just wants to be before the cameras with the loudest voice of the GOP party of NO!

- rated for calling Sen. Graham out as a true hypocrite
Live by the sword, die by the sword ... even when your sword is your own big, fat, mouth.
There have been rumors, unsubstantiated rumors, that Senator Graham is a closeted gay. It is a fact that Senator Graham is a member of the national guard. If the rumor is true, and I'm not saying it is, doesn't Senator Graham have an obligation to the American people to "come clean" and tell us unequivocally that he is not homosexual. As Americans, we have a "right to know."

It's easy to smear someone, isn't it?
Joan K,

My guess here is that he knew what he was doing which was political suicide. What do you do if you don't want what you are expected to do or be?
If I wanted a president having sex with interns in the Oval Office, I would have voted Larry Flynt into office.

Clinton and Sanford are both wrong, they are both liars, they both need (ed) to go. Let's not massage the double-standard here. We don't need liars in office lying to their constituents and us tax-payers. If you want to pathologically lie, go work at Starbucks.
This discussion has been very interesting and seems to have sparked some strong views.

gmgaston--your assessment of Sen. Graham further supports the idea that he is hypocritical.

1_Irritated_Mother--so true!

OEsheepdog--yes, it is easy to smear and I hope who ever started that rumor is wrong about him. But, I don't think the public has a right to know. One's private life is that--private.

Catnlion--yes, Sanford must have known what was coming. But, I still don't understand why politicians risk their careers on affairs or trysts with prostitutes.

Deborah--I don't disagree with you. At the time, I thought Clinton should resign and let Gore establish himself as president. But, impeachment is too much--should be reserved for high crimes--not lying. Sanford should resign not because of the affair or lying but because he was irresponsible for going AWOL. South Carolinians have a right to a governor that's "together" and on the job.
Joan K

Why they do it is easy. In their minds they are gods. They can get away with what ever they want. I'm President or Senator Catnlion, nobody is going to tell me what to do.

While I will admit that you would have to have a big ego to be President or Senator if you can't keep it in check it can also be your downfall.

For some reason, I think Sanford did it so it would be the end of his political life. Can you think of a better way to stop the train?
Catnlion--that's a very interesting theory about Sanford. If so, maybe he married his wife for her money since she was rich and for her support of his political career--not love. Then, after years of feeling trapped in a marriage and his career, he was like a pot ready to boil. The affair turned into real love or an uncontrollable obsession. One day, he just blows up by disappearing. But, I don't think he consciously is trying to end his political career because he hasn't resigned. Sanford has not grasped with why he did it--he needs time to sort that out.

I am waiting for the book to come out.
Joan K

Somebody who married for money not love. What a novel concept. Could that really happen? And staying married because of money and political connections.

While you normally hear about the female gold diggers why not do it both ways. Let's see, that I can think of there was McCain, Gore, Kerry. Dang, it's late and I know of more I'm just brain dead. It was a long day today. I did almost 800 miles.
Catnlion--I agree about McCain and Kerry likely married for money but don't know about Gore. His father was a senator.