Lindsey Graham: Obama is not ‘a socialist,’ he’s ‘an American liberal.’
Lindsey Graham: Obama is not ‘a socialist,’ he’s ‘an American liberal.’
On Meet The Press yesterday, host David Gregory repeatedly pressed House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) on whether he believed “the President is a socialist.” After trying to dodge the question, Boehner eventually blurted out, “No!” On the same day, another prominent Republican also pushed back against the ridiculous claims of socialism being forwarded by people like RNC Chairman Michael Steele. In an interview with The Greenville News yesterday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he “would say no” if someone asked him if Obama was a socialist:
Graham was quick to debunk accusations from some people that Obama is a socialist and not a U.S. citizen.
He saw the question coming a few words into it and responded: “If you asked me if the president of the United States is a socialist, I would say no. I think he’s an American liberal, that’s what I think he is. You know, Ted Kennedy was an American liberal, but we found ways to work together.” [...]
“I am not going to give into sentiments that I think degrade the office of the president and that degrade the debate and the culture of our country,” he said. “So if you come up to me calling the president a socialist, a Muslim, you’re talking to the wrong guy.”
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American Liberal….Not so much….American, yes….Liberal, no, moderate, yes.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:15 pmAaaaaaghhh!!! A Socialist! a MUSLIM!!!! Oh NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 21st, 2009 at 1:15 pmWay to cover your ass, Lindsey.
And, am I the only way who thoroughly disdains the term “American Liberal” in reference to Progressive politicians?
Guess it’s because the rest of the world has a very different meaning of “liberal”.
At best, the Democratic party is a mix of social liberalism, third way economic policies, and Christian democracy.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:16 pmLindsey jumped the pakiderm
September 21st, 2009 at 1:19 pm“I am not going to give into sentiments that I think degrade the office of the president and that degrade the debate and the culture of our country,” he said.Sounds hypocritcal to late me, the right has tried everything possible to degrade president Obama and has dragged the debate down to the lowest levels of racism,hate and biogtry.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:20 pm“Lindsey Graham: Obama is not ‘a socialist,’ he’s ‘an American liberal.’”
The GOP party are like a bunch of sheeps. They will follow one another over a cliff. In yesterday’s posting, we heard that Boner admitted to David Gregory that Obama is not a socialist. And now Lady Graham, following Boner, says that Obama is not a socialist but a liberal. The GOP party are a party out of ideas and the defintion of insanity. Pass the popcorn please….
September 21st, 2009 at 1:21 pmI have always known Barak Obama was not a socialist because he has never come to the meetings.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:21 pmI think he’s an American liberal, that’s what I think he is.
And I think you’re an effeminate asswipe , Lindsey…….
September 21st, 2009 at 1:21 pmOf course he is not a socialist, everyone “knows” he is a fascist! Or at least that is what is being said this week; stay tuned for next week’s insanity.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:22 pmLiberace Graham says:
Obama is not ‘a socialist,’ he’s ‘an American liberal. (And what I really mean when I say that is that he is a Muslimcommiefascist poopyhead!)”
Yeah, you tell ‘em, Liberace.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:23 pmPresident Obama has now gone from a Stalinist Nazi to an American liberal? That is quite a leap.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:24 pmPresident Obama is about two steps to the left of Clinton who was two steps to the right in most of his policy`s and the legislation he signed into law that helped get us in this mess when it comes to Wall St and it`s GREED and our lopsided trade policy`s.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:24 pmcute but no.
i’m sure we all wish he was a liberal but he’s far, far from it.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:27 pmShorter, Lindsey. “I really thought turkeys could fly!”
September 21st, 2009 at 1:27 pmIt’s all relative. President Obama is a liberal to Senator Graham who is probably too liberal to Senator Boehner.
I like Lindsey Graham. He almost clapped during Obama’s speech to the joint session, which might have been more mellow had they shared a beer or a joint.
Had Lindsey Graham run away to the circus as a youth he would have become a high wire walker.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:28 pmI’m not so sure I’d call him a liberal either.
But the phrase “American liberal” is probably accurate…in that he’s marginally liberal when placed on the American political spectrum. But in the global scheme of things, he’s practically a neocon.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:28 pmUh oh! I know two guys who forgot to check with Rush Limbaugh before answering a question.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:28 pmGraham is a closeted homosexual. I think he should come out, move to San Fran, and live free.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:28 pmThese kinds of distancing comments are only going to happen when liberals, progressives, and the media follow the cheer “push em back, push em back, way back”. Only by confronting and challenging the lunacy can there be any hope of truth having a voice. This is why I encourage TP and others to keep reporting on what the right wing extremist groups and individuals are saying.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:29 pmGraham will also have to apologize to Limbaugh.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:34 pmWell, it’s correct that he’s not a socialist or a Muslim (though he sure ain’t no Liberal), but really, why are these terms mentioned like they’re a bad thing?
September 21st, 2009 at 1:35 pmWell done Linsey, Sticking you neck out like that! Wow. Starting to feel the heat a bit from back home. Starting to hear that your constituents don’t take kindly to all of you Repuglicans bad mouthing the president. Fearing a backlash at the deceit?
You better watch out, Santa won’t bring you anything but bad news if you don’t play nicely with the democratic children across the isle.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:37 pmGood for you Miss Graham(cracker. You’re still a jerk-off.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:41 pmThis may be what they say to nice newsmen, but their town hall antics and fundraising screeds prove that they’re lying.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
September 21st, 2009 at 1:41 pmMr Graham, to the radical Reichwingnuts, there is no distinction between the two, they are one and the same.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:43 pmLindsay hails from that bastion of self-righteous conservatism, moral authorities, adulterous officials, and rude oafs in Congress, South Carolina. He can’t come out of the closet, but he is inching away from epithets against Obama — that’s the best that a coward can do.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:44 pmPoor Lindsay – he should come out, give up southern politics, and move away.
It seems like the stupidity of the 9/12 rally even shocked the likes of Graham and Boehner and now they’re running scared from it. Too late. They let that genie out of the bottle and now they’re responsible for it. Until they start speaking out against Beck and Limbaugh they are complicit.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:47 pm.
Oh, O.K.
I get it…
… Fear the
SocialistLiberal/Commie/Marxist/Fascist/Pinko Black Man..
September 21st, 2009 at 1:48 pmReally, though, this represents a moral pinnacle for today’s Republicans, inasmuch as there is a tacit acknowledgement that somebody has crossed the line. Of course, Graham condemns nobody, which would take some real post-partisan courage.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:49 pmWhat took you so long?
From the 2008 campaign to today, already a year, and you stupid shts just woke up and realized the inflammatory GOPig rhetoric is nothing but B$?
Where were you last week, you moron?
September 21st, 2009 at 1:49 pm.
Thank gawd Sissy Graham called Obama … A M E R I C A N!
.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:52 pmI hope that this poor, dumb cracker has not equated socialist and Muslim in his small mind. Reading the quote above, it appears that he has, however, made the association. Poor, dumb cracker.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:55 pmYet he still has to belittle Muslims….you know you can’t do worse than being a Muslim. WTF is wrong with these people?
September 21st, 2009 at 1:57 pmMax Anax junius -1 says:
Thank gawd Sissy Graham called Obama … A M E R I C A N!
I agree. Especially considering that most of the lunatic right wing would probably have called him a ‘radical liberal’ (if not a commie, socialist, fascist muslim).
September 21st, 2009 at 1:58 pmGrahamcracker
September 21st, 2009 at 2:00 pmMost likely Linseed had to wolf down some saltines afterwards to get the bad taste out of his mouth.
September 21st, 2009 at 2:02 pmGraham doing the ‘almost clapping to just rubbing hands together’ at Obama’s speech was priceless.
Inherently, he knows the truth.
Politically, he’d be toast if caught applauding the President.
His biggest mistake to date, imho, was hitching up to the LIEbermann / McCain wagon. He’s more intelligent than those two put together, but he saw an opportunity to make political hay.
Does he still have a Confederate flag in his pickup window?
September 21st, 2009 at 2:08 pmREpubs: we’re not smear artists, we’re slime artists. Now, don’t you-all ‘Mericans feel better now? REpubs are just juvenile name-callers, because they cannot talk about issues and policy questions in a straight-forward manner, because all they represent is corporate greed, white racism, religious insanity and zenophobia (sic).
September 21st, 2009 at 2:10 pmI understand the aversion to President Obama being called a socialist and it’s good that people are held accountable for their assertions.
Aside from the political ramifications (which I get), is being called a socialist really that objectionable or even inaccurate.
Here’s from wikipedia:
September 21st, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Is the sky really blue or does it just appear that way?
September 21st, 2009 at 2:18 pmBoehner and Graham may speak this to the camera, but in their private dealings with their constituents, they whisper and wink just like Mean Jean Schmidt from Ohio.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/08/jean-schmidt-birther/
September 21st, 2009 at 2:21 pmMost socialists share the view that unregulated capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth among a small segment of society that controls capital and derives its wealth through exploitation, creates an unequal society, does not provide equal opportunities for everyone to maximise their potentialities and does not utilise technology and resources to their maximum potential nor in the interests of the public.
Ok, backup, now you can put it up on billboards.
September 21st, 2009 at 2:22 pmTo the GOP those are actually the same thing.
September 21st, 2009 at 2:24 pmBoehner and now Graham? Republicans never refute their own statements or lies UNLESS there is something to be gained. So what is going on?
September 21st, 2009 at 2:25 pm“Graham was quick to debunk accusations from some people that Obama is a socialist and not a U.S. citizen.”
Kind of reminds one of the Randy Newman lyric, “Girl, I ain’t no Negro, I’m a millionaire, as you can plainly see.”
September 21st, 2009 at 2:32 pmOT:
A caller on Thom Hartmann who works for a health insurance corp. said her company put out a memo warning to employees that health care reform groups will be protesting on site insurance co’s tomorrow.
Would love to find one of these protests.
September 21st, 2009 at 2:35 pmSo what is going on?
Just a SWAG but maybe some of these clowns are beginning to realize that fighting over 20% of the population’s vote might be entertaining but not exactly productive. They must have some silly little college grad on their staff who can add.
September 21st, 2009 at 2:38 pmThe American people really do want statemen instead of gutter politics?
That handwriting is on the wall?
I never know what the gop thinks. I’m not wired that way.
September 21st, 2009 at 2:39 pmbackup says:
I understand the aversion to President Obama being called a socialist and it’s good that people are held accountable for their assertions.
Aside from the political ramifications (which I get), is being called a socialist really that objectionable or even inaccurate.
You obviously don’t get the political ramifications or you wouldn’t be asking such a silly question. It’s the kiss of death for an American politician (with the obvious exception of Bernie Sanders), and Obama is no more a socialist than you are.
Obama is what used to be called a moderate, leaning toward liberal. He is not a socialist, or anything remotely close.
September 21st, 2009 at 2:42 pmLindsey Graham: Obama is not ‘a socialist,’ he’s ‘an American liberal.’
The racist, birther, deather anti Obama hate contrasted with Obama’s intelligent respectful manner is only bringing the GNOP further down into the sewer and they know it.
Are we seeing a change meant only for preservation?
September 21st, 2009 at 2:44 pm***
“I think he’s an American liberal,
that’s what I think he is.”
**
well now that’s better than
being a “communist liberal”, isn’t it?
:|
thanks, lindsey.
:)
September 21st, 2009 at 2:46 pmOT:
tomorrow:
‘Big Insurance: Sick of It’ Rally – find your city.
September 21st, 2009 at 2:59 pmSenator Graham, please explain how calling the president a Muslim would “degrade the office of the president”?
September 21st, 2009 at 3:01 pmGrahamclapper?
September 21st, 2009 at 3:38 pmI understand the practical argument. And understand why politicians avoid the label ’socialist’.
But despite the label, what’s wrong with being a socialist?
September 21st, 2009 at 4:00 pmBut despite the label, what’s wrong with being a socialist?
Take it back a step, backup. You should be able to handle that, considering your handle.
Socialists have a nasty tendency to consider society and it’s well being to be slightly more important than profit. And it isn’t just socialists, it is people with a conscience. People who tend to see life as more than a way to gather money they will never use.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:13 pmHave some Republicans realized they have “jumped the shark” and how the shark is bearing down on them with jaws open wide. It is too late to get out of way.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:15 pmBut despite the label, what’s wrong with being a socialist?
That is a question which we would like to hear the right wing answer. While I can’t say for sure that I know, I believe the truth lies in the fact that they believe in unregulated capitalism, and do not think there should be any limits to how much wealth an individual can acquire. Socialists believe that the concentration of wealth in the hands of just a few is inherently bad for the country.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:18 pmIsn’t the real follow-up question here, “Why is being a Muslim somehow degrading to the Office of the President?”
September 21st, 2009 at 4:35 pmdsmorgan says:
Isn’t the real follow-up question here, “Why is being a Muslim somehow degrading to the Office of the President?”
Well, it’s not in print. But those that say as much about the President mean it as an insult. These are the people who consider all Muslims to be terrorists, or actually think that there can’t be any Muslim Americans. In all reality, there is nothing insulting about calling someone a Muslim. But those that are throwing the phrase out there to describe the President are using it as an insult.
It’s akin to the lady at the McCain rally during the campaign that called Obama an Arab. There is, quite literally, nothing wrong with being Arabic. It’s a nationality, an ethnicity, and perfectly acceptable. One can be an Arab because they are from an Arabian country, or one can be an American of the Arabic ethnicity. This means nothing in the context of the person himself. But that lady didn’t mean it that way. She meant that he was a terrorist. It is as much of an insult to the intelligence of those listening as it is to the person the name has been lobbed at and the entire group of people being misrepresented by the weak mental prowess of a few who don’t understand that judging someone in such an arbitrary way is racist, whether they want to admit it or not.
September 21st, 2009 at 5:31 pmLiberal or Socialist, what’s the difference.
September 21st, 2009 at 6:07 pmAgain, practically I understand the resistance to the socialist label.
But, theoretically maybe that’s how the exchange should go.
Instead of refuting the charges of socialist, the response should be: “What’s the matter with being a socialist?”
And then highlight what socialists actually stand for; which are arguably populace positions.
September 21st, 2009 at 6:44 pmpopular.
September 21st, 2009 at 6:47 pmLindsey Graham says, “Obama is not ‘a socialist,’ he’s ‘an American liberal.’”
Famous Liberals: Jesus of Nazareth, Ghandhi, Martin Luther King, John Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, etc….
September 21st, 2009 at 7:32 pmThank you for saying that, Lindsey. Without your wise words, I wouldn’t have known. (snark)
September 21st, 2009 at 8:28 pmLindsey Graham, you are a charlatan. The man now residing in the Whitehouse was legally, and democratically elected President of the United States. Your party has shown nothing but utter contempt and hostility towards his election and the very institutions that make this country outstanding.
At present I have nothing but utter contempt for the Republican ideals as demonstrated.
Your admission that he is human is commendable, but you and your party aren’t off the hook by any means.
You can kiss my a##!!!!
September 21st, 2009 at 10:10 pmConservaTROLL
Why havent you killed yourself yet? I mean dead or alive as the ignorant disgusting putrid pile of dogshit you are.
September 22nd, 2009 at 1:52 ambackup it isnt that there is something wrong with being a socialist. It just isnt smart to allow others to define you inaccuratly especially for political reasons. I dont think there is anything wrong with being a Methodist but if you told someone I was I would correct you
September 22nd, 2009 at 1:54 amWho cares what a closet Homo senator from a racist backwater state full of inbred rednecks thinks anyway?
Why does Meet the Press only put on the freaks?
Bohner the cry baby and Little Miss Graham cracker.
Russert is rolling in his grave.
Gregory is a Rethug tool.
September 22nd, 2009 at 11:11 amI believe I may have an insight into why so many conservatives crazy-hate Obama. estetik
September 28th, 2009 at 10:51 am