Sen. Lindsey Graham spoke for many of his Republican colleagues today when he proposed avoiding the military cuts in the sequester by taking healthcare away from 30 million Americans.
Transcript of Graham on Fox News Sunday via Think Progress:
CHRIS WALLACE: “Let me just ask you one more question about the sequestration before we let you go, Senator. You know if we go into the sequester, the president is going to hammer Republicans, the White House already put out a list of all the things, terrible things that will happen if a sequester kicks in, 70,000 children losing Head Start. 2100 fewer food inspectors and small business will lose $900 million in loan guarantees and you know, Senator, the president will say your party is forcing this to protect tax cuts for the wealthy.”
GRAHAM: “Well, all I can say is the commander-in-chief thought — came up with the idea of sequestration, destroying the military and putting a lot of good programs at risk. It is my belief — take Obamacare and put it on the table. You can make $86,000 a year in income and still get a government subsidy under Obamacare. Obamacare is destroying health care in this country and people are leaving the private sector, because their companies cannot afford to offer Obamacare and if you want to look at ways to find $1.2 trillion in savings over the next decade, look at Obamacare, don’t destroy the military and cut blindly across the board. There are many ways to do it but the president is the commander-in-chief and on his watch we’ll begin to unravel the finest military in the history of the world, at a time when we need it most. The Iranians are watching us, we are allowing people to be destroyed in Syria, and I’m disappointed in our commander-in-chief.”
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Graham is not alone. House Republicans have twice tried to dodge the military cuts in the sequester by passing bills that would have immediately cut healthcare and food for hundreds of thousands of children and seniors. The Republican plan to eliminate healthcare for 30 million Americans is nothing news. House Republicans have attempted to repeal Obamacare 34 times. Each of these attempted repeals, if they had been successful, would have eliminated healthcare for 30 million Americans.
All Sen. Graham did was tie two Republican favorites together. (Sort of like an anti-Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of bad public policy. Two horrible things that should never be put together.)
Graham’s argument ignores the fact that repealing Obamacare would increase the deficit.
According to the CBO, repealing Obamacare would increase the deficit by $109 billion. The end result of Graham’s proposal would be 30 million people without healthcare, and over a hundred billion dollars added to the deficit. But hey, maybe this will keep Graham from facing a tea party challenger when he is up for reelection next year?
It is not a coincidence that Lindsey Graham floated this scheme on Fox News. In an attempt to avoid a tea party primary challenge next year, Graham has gone bats**t crazy. Because he is terrified of being primaried from the right, Graham has thrown reality out the window.
The Republicans now try to sprinkle the words immigration and the middle class into their comments, but nothing has really changed. Attempting to take away healthcare from 30 million people is just business as usual for the Republican Party.




Mary James
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 11:31 am
No matter how much Graham spews his hate filled sludge The truth is the wing nuts want him gone. He is a bitter deeply closeted gay man.
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buckeyewill
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 11:47 am
Graham is protecting his seat. Gotta outdo that colored feller who has taken the place of Johnny Rebel.
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Sherlock
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 11:49 am
I think Lindsey is the most beatiful name I’ve ever heard. Love ya Lindsey.
Yes we need more B-1 bombers instead of vitamin B-12.
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Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 11:56 am
For what? Why do we need more bombers? What we have can destroy the earth over 100 times. why more?
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djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 12:07 pm
“For what?”
List of United States defense contractors
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_defense_contractors
Any questions?
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Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 12:23 pm
Thats like saying we need more guns
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Dr Billy Kidd
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 4:57 pm
Thank you, jfchefron. That list of US Defense contractor is astonishing…Oshkosh, Nextel, etc.!
I must caution folks worried about losing jobs: the U.S. got along just fine before $100 billion was allocated each year to fight in Iraq and Iran.
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Robert
Feb. 21st, 2013 at 3:06 am
Basically more Americans need to die, so that more Americans can kill more non-Americans, so that those who profit by defence contracts can more ostentatiously luxuriate in the blood of Americans and non-Americans.
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djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 21st, 2013 at 6:27 am
President Eisenhower warned you about the complex
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gsb
Feb. 18th, 2013 at 9:59 am
Agree Shiva. Also is it not true, that the U.S. spends more on the Military in one year,then the European nations do put together?
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djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 18th, 2013 at 10:00 am
The US spends more on the military than the top 15 countries combined.That includes China and Russia
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Robert P. Doyle SR
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 12:00 pm
Lindsey is evil & his entire premise on America is stupid. Y’all S. Carolina residents need to rethink where your allegiance resides.
When McCain was a candidate for potus, Lindsey bleached his hair white to match his pal. Now he seems conflicted, switching to multi-hewed colorations. Fuque off Lindsey, just go away and let the freemen direct our nation you racist bigot.
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djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 12:40 pm
South Carolina think?Surely you jest.
I think South Carolina has open primaries.If thats the case whats left of the Democratic party should cross lines and vote for the teabagger.Whoever his challenger is it cant get worse
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gsb
Feb. 18th, 2013 at 10:08 am
The one vote down, must be from a person from the south, poor soul, just can’t stand to face truth.
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Lisa
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 12:10 pm
If the rich would pay the same amount of taxes as the middle class, we would not need to make a bunch of spending cuts. When are the republicans going to realize his as true!
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Sugapea
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
Spot-On, Lisa!
Look at the Top Tax Bracket Chart. Compare the percentage the Wealthy are paying now to 30-40-50 years ago when we could afford new highways, bridges and schools:
158.beta.photobucket.com/user/OnlyObvious/media/Tax_Rates/TopTaxBracket_TaxRate.jpg.html
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mark robb
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 1:33 pm
I know right ! Like what are those rich people thinking ? That they actually have a RIGHT TO KEEP MORE THAN 10% OF THE MONEY THEY EARNED ! Taxes at anywhere near that level can be only called one thing , legalized theft , thats whats wrong with you progressive ! You think that we live in France or some other socialist country. If you think that kind of redistribution/theft is right then please go to France , I hear they could use some idiots like you to make up for the all the rich people leaving in reaction to their plan to make a 75 % tax bracket.
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Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 1:34 pm
You really have no idea of what you are talking about do you?
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TStMauro
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 1:51 pm
You must not be aware that in the 50s the tax rate was in the 90% range, and the rich we’re not hurting.
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Jr
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 2:15 pm
Or better yet, why don’t we MAKE people like you leave Mark. We do not want you cowardly people in our country. You do not like the new socialist America? Go live in Qatar.
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Brian Loudermilch
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 2:51 pm
We should More like Ronald Reagan.
The same Ronald Reagan that RAISED
taxes ELEVEN times.
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zelduh
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 5:17 pm
And, Sugapea, if you look at the time periods in which the tax rates were the highest, prosperity was the greatest (for all), and unemployment was the lowest.
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TC
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 8:50 pm
Very true, Zelduh, and the opposite also applies: pretty much every time the top tax rate goes down to its lowest points, we wind up in a recession or a depression.
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robyn ryan
Feb. 18th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
France returns its tax payer dollars to the tax payer in terms of programs that make the tax payer’s lives better.
America gives our tax dollars and our tax-bought assets to corporations, who then extort more tax money from us.
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Lisa
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 12:14 pm
Tax the wealthy! If all the wealthy paid the same amount as the middle class the spending cuts would decrease severely. Republicans need to wake up! We need more tax cuts, immigration control and proper spending. Legalize marijuana to stimulate the economy. If you tax it and produce it not only are you creating revenue but also supplying numerous jobs.
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labman57
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 12:21 pm
Glad to see that Graham and his conservative cohort in the Senate still display a complete indifference toward the health and welfare of so many American families. Much better to invest in the ability to kill rather than the ability to heal.
Furthermore, billions of dollars are wasted each year by the Defense Department on unnecessary and extremely costly military excursions into foreign lands, security and maintenance of a bloated nuclear arsenal, and on overpriced, overrated, and unneeded military vehicles and equipment projects to satiate the needs of corporate defense contractors.
Rather than simply eliminate these monies from the federal budget, we should strive for a lateral shift in spending, using these funds for desperately needed infrastructural projects at home — including roads, highways, and bridges, fresh water distribution and power grids, high speed telecommunications, digital security, and public school building maintenance and construction.
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robyn ryan
Feb. 18th, 2013 at 1:33 pm
It’s called ‘eating your seed corn.’
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Linda1961
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 2:56 pm
I won’t be voting for Lindsey Graham next year. He used to be reasonable and sane, but the teabaggers in the gop have pushed him over the edge. Hopefully the Democrats will run someone decent against him, and Tim Scott (if he decided to run for the rest of DeMint’s term). But this is SC, so no telling what choices we will have. Sigh.
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haterpatrol
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 4:07 pm
Fear Mongering!!
Hell of a tactic, Health Insurance and food OR Haliburton.
We the people, Are TIRED. Sick and tired.
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Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 5:48 pm
All for Israel. Lindsay Graham could care less about Syrians. That is so laughable its rediculous
Remember Darfur Lindsay? The place where people were being killed raped and chased out ouf their own country and you and General Bush thumbed your nose at them?
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KarenJ
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 8:39 pm
First thing out of Graham’s mouth was a LIE:
Rep. Justin Amash (R) says Republican leadership are wrong to try to blame Obama for the sequester.”
” ‘I think it’s a mistake on the part of Republicans to try to pin the sequester on Obama,’ Amash said. ‘It’s totally disingenuous. The debt ceiling deal in 2011 was agreed to by Republicans and Democrats, and regardless of who came up with the sequester, they all voted for it. So, you can’t vote for something and, with a straight face, go blame the other guy for its existence in law.’ ”
“Although the sequester, which would cut $1.2 trillion in federal spending over the next ten years, was approved as an incentive for Congress to approve more strategic cuts, Amash said lawmakers, including those in his own party, should take responsibility for the plan they approved.”
” ‘You voted for it, you signed it, that means you support it,’ Amash said. ‘And if you don’t support it, then don’t vote for it and don’t sign it.’ “
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List of 27 Senate Republicans who voted for sequestration – or automatic budget cuts to defense and non-defense discretionary spending – as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011..
SOURCE: Senate Roll Call vote for S. 365 on Aug. 2, 2011
Lamar Alexander (R-TN); John Barrasso (R-WY); Roy Blunt (R-MO); John Boozman (R-AR); Scott Brown (R-MA); Richard Burr (R-NC); Thad Cochran (R-MS); Susan Collins (R-ME); Bob Corker (R-TN); John Cornyn (R-TX); Mike Crapo (R-ID); Mike Enzi (R-WY); John Hoeven (R-ND); Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX); Johnny Isakson (R-GA); Mike Johanns (R-NE); Mark Kirk (R-IL); Jon Kyl (R-AZ); Dick Lugar (R-IN); John McCain (R-AZ); Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Lisa Murkowski (R-AK); Rob Portman (R-OH); James Risch (R-ID); Pat Roberts (R-KS); Olympia Snowe (R-ME); John Thune (R-SD).
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