The “Catastrophic” Hyperbole of Lindsey Graham
Appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation yesterday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said — I kid you not — that using reconciliation for health-care reform would be “catastrophic.”
Remember when 9/11 supposedly marked the death of irony, when words like “war” and “courage” took on new meaning? In what world should the word catastrophic be thrown around this recklessly?
How exactly is it “catastrophic” to use reconciliation? Let me quote him directly:
So it is taking a partisan product and making it law… It will be catastrophic… The minority in the Senate, if this happens, is forever changed.
To put it politely, this is remarkably ignorant.
First, health-care reform has already been passed by both the House and Senate. The intention now is not to use reconciliation to pass an entire comprehensive package but to add “patches” to the Senate bill to appease the House, which passed a more progressive bill. In other words, it would be used for minor changes to what has already been passed. And, let us remember, the Senate bill passed with 60 votes, a supermajority, as the Republican filibuster was defeated.
Second, Republicans have used reconciliation before, and more frequently than Democrats. And the minority wasn’t “forever changed.” But is Graham right that health-care form is “a partisan product”? Yes, but so were Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy. The fact that a few Democrats sided with Republicans hardly matters: what is partisan is partisan. And the fact is, Republicans, when they’re the majority, never recoil from passing partisan bills, doing aggressively partisan things, and dismissing as irrelevant the wishes and views of the minority. Why should Democrats now?
While Graham sat there and threw hyperbole around with a straight face, it was all part of the new Republican strategy to portray reconciliation as somehow undemocratic and un-American.
It’s all rank hypocrisy, of course, not to mention a barrel of blatant lies, but it’s not like we should ever expect anything else from the GOP, right?
(Cross-posted from The Reaction.)
10 Responses to “The “Catastrophic” Hyperbole of Lindsey Graham”
When the Republicans gain the majority of votes in congress and eviscerate the HCR using reconciliation that should be OK with you then. Fair is fair and as long as your consistent its alright with me.
All the Reps have left are doom day tales of socialism and chaos. They are doing everything they can to scare Dem House members out of a yes vote. Jon Stewart had a great skit about Reps using the rapture as a consequence of passing HCR…very funny.
We have two bills that have passed both houses….there really isn't much Reps can do. Hopefully this will be a lesson for them. Maybe the next time a GWB comes along…they will think twice about blindly following him.
When it comes to the meaning of words according to post 90's GOP, all bets are off. Up is down, black is white, war is peace, slavery is freedom, etc. Power is what matters to these people – truth is somewhere on the backburner (hopefully).
I take it that you don't mind that Graham's words are lies, as are almost everything the Republicans have said on this issue.
I wasn't addressing Graham words. I was making a comment on what could possibly happen if the Democrats use reconciliation. Just an opinion of mine and a pronouncement that what is good for the goose is good for the gander. But since you mentioned it where is your proof that what Graham or almost everything the Republicans have been saying is a lie. Is it just because you and liberals say it is a lie. One problem I have with the way many in the left argue is that they express an opinion as if it was an absolute truth. Then often the those on the left who argue this way get angry when one disagrees with them.
I have to wonder how many partisans have forgotten that facts exist independent of party. What a concept!
You think that is bad…I just found this….
“We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada,” Palin said in her first Canadian appearance since stepping down as governor of Alaska. “And I think now, isn't that ironic?”
[sigh] More catastrophic hyperbole from Mikey…
Byrd is no the only Dem reluctant to have reconciliation misused by the Dems. At least some of them no doubt already envision what the GOP will do once the mere pretense of germaneness has been destroyed.
Extreme comments in politics are far too common and are used when facts are harder to come by or are harder to explain. Any party that uses such an approach is really alienating many more moderate minds who might otherwise support the general principles of an argument. Seasoned politicians using such language make themselves no more believable or respectable than the preacher on the soapbox yelling about the end of the earth.
Graham and the other Republicans constantly state that a Democratic use of reconciliation for this purpose is unprecedented, among other hyperbolic statements. That is, in fact, a lie. One that multiple sources have discredited. In addition, if he was in any way honest, he would not be threatening less cooperation with Democrats because Graham and the rest of the leadership is already not cooperating with anything or actually seeking compromise on any issues.