With his boss’s plummeting poll numbers showing no sign of leveling off, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s chief of staff, Richard Perry, recently approached Duke Energy for help, multiple sources tell FITS.
Specifically, Perry is said to have gone to lobbyists with the Charlotte, N.C.-based company and requested that additional corporate resources be devoted toward a public defense of the embattled South Carolina Senator.
Hmmm …
While we’re not exactly sure of the legality of such an alleged overture, we are sure that Duke Energy has reportedly agreed to run a fresh series of “open letter” advertisements from South Carolina business leaders with a “Thank You, Sen. Graham” theme.
Why would they do that?
That’s easy … Duke has tens of millions of dollars tied up in two proposed nuclear reactors in South Carolina, which Graham claims to be “fighting for” as part of his endorsement of a controversial energy tax hike.
In fact, Graham says that President Barack Obama has given him his personal assurance that the White House would support him on the nuclear issue.
“The president told me personally he was very open, that nuclear power would be part of the mix, that clean coal would be part of the mix, that he’s for offshore drilling in a responsible way,” Graham said after a meeting with Obama earlier this week.
Really?
Wonder what the radical left that’s been backing Graham on this issue will have to say to the President about those positions …
It’s been a bad few days for the politicians pushing this new energy tax, however, as revelations that climate change scientists deleted and manipulated data have the public questioning whether or not global warming is real.
We’ve expressed our thoughts on the climate change issue here, in case you’re interested.
For its part, Duke Energy has been linked to previous efforts to shore up flagging public support for Graham in the Palmetto State, where polling shows he has become increasingly unpopular among Republicans and independents.
“We are putting an ad together thanking Lindsay Graham for his leadership on climate change,” one of the state’s leading environmentalists wrote recently. “Duke Energy is paying for it and we are hoping to have the 70 most influential people in the state sign it.”
We support nuclear power, incidentally, just as we support the aggressive research, development and implementation of a wide range of cleaner energy sources.
What we do not support, however, is a massive new energy tax disguised as an “emissions cap.”
Nor do we support the federal and state government continuing to use “green” initiatives as the latest cover for growing government at an unprecedented clip.
Graham has also had advertisements run on his behalf recently by groups like the South Alliance – which adamantly opposes offshore drilling and nuclear power, i.e. two of the issues the Senator is trying to use as leverage to forge a compromise on climate change legislation.
That’s one reason why we are highly suspicious of Graham’s evolving position on this issue.
By Ynot December 4, 2009 at 7:06 am
Lindsey would be better served doing the job he was elected to do and represent the PEOPLE of South Carolina.
End of story
By Liberty For Me December 4, 2009 at 7:19 am
The smelly keep getting smellier
By Tom December 4, 2009 at 7:36 am
Graham must despise us. In his soul he must think the people of SC are rubes and hicks, otherwise he would not be enlisting all of these big money, and often left wing groups to help him.
And by the way, will the money Duke spends on poor little Lindsey be some of their recent 10% rate increase? It is kinda like a “political tax”, levied by Duke, and spent on Lindsey.
Sure, why not. What does Lindsey care.
By Nuclear Sasquatch December 4, 2009 at 7:55 am
New reactors by Duke or any other utility are dependent on massive handouts, subsides and loan guarantees from the federal government. Support by Graham or any other politician of such a socialist approach makes him a big government “nuclear socialist” who needs the boot by fiscal conservatives. The rest of the SC delegation is pretty much in the same boat, with Rep. Clyburn being the biggest nuclear socialist of all. Time to cut the apron strings & let nuclear power rise or fall on its own.
By PT December 4, 2009 at 8:06 am
So the club leader of the Team Graham Mouseketeers is once again dispatched from the closet to rally cover for LOG. If only they cared about what his constituents actually intend for him to be doing up there. Instead, “lets drive to the ‘center’”, make lots of friends outside SC, stay popular with the national media, and dispatch the Mouseketeers when needed to broker the local media buy so that we can all be told what to think. The reported visit to Duke is a drop in the bucket. Many would find the foreign travel more interesting, including the time spent in Vietnam. A county like that has a lot to offer someone like the ever loyal chief of LOG’s staff.
By TeaBagginIdiots December 4, 2009 at 8:39 am
People,
Every article I read on FITS, I become more and more surprised by the stupidity of people. Individuals that refer to themselves conservatives (i.e. would prefer we returned to the Stone Age)continue to throw Sen. Graham under the “bus”. People fail to see first to judge Sen. Graham on his record. Look at the stats. Graham constantly ranks in the high 80s to low 90s by conservative groups on his voting record. People seem to forget that the Democrats are in power and that if you want to be effective you have to be involved in the conversation or you can simply say “NO” or “You Lie” and allow the majority to pass legislation without having any effect at all.
Maybe Sen. Graham should be like Sen. Demint, since he is so effective. Oh, wait a minute, Sen. Demint is constantly ranked as one of the least effective senators in the US Senate. He serves the visionary role of “crusty ol’ hermit” who says “no” to all and has no alternatives. Hell, he admits to not even serving his own state’s interests, but instead the interests of extreme conservatives. The only thing that we can hope for is that term limits are passed, so after this election we dont have to hear from Demint at all, but Im sure he will change his mind come 2016, since he will have to stay and carry out his fight of conservative values or “regression”.
Really people, SC doesnt have the clout that we had with Ol’ Strom and Fritzy. You better appreciate Sen. Graham’s willingness to be involved in the legislative process, because he is the only person in the Senate that SC has fighting for us.
By countryboy December 4, 2009 at 8:48 am
Little Lindsey has got to go. SC needs a real man (or woman) representing the state.
By vern December 4, 2009 at 9:50 am
Senator Graham is a great person and a great senator for our state. He is the most effective representative our state has in either party. FITS should lay off Senator Graham and go after that idiot Demint.
By TotalWench December 4, 2009 at 10:34 am
Well said, TeaBagginIdiots. We HAVE to have someone who is in on the conversations and the deals.
Seems the only criteria for being a libertarian these days is a propensity for whining about how everyone else does everything wrong.
By Fevered Teabagger December 4, 2009 at 11:38 am
@”TeaBagginIdiots: It is people who support the agenda of the far left in this country that want us to return to the stone age. And they are doing a very good job of it.
I find it amusing that if you oppose this administration, or the minions that enable it, you are immediately labeled as “stupid”, “whining”, or “fevered”. It becomes painfully obvious that positions are indefensible when supporters of it have to resort to name calling.
How about this: The country is on an unsustainable curve. If you do not believe this, then you need to open a history book. If one believes “effectiveness” means pushing us farther down the curve, then who is the idiot?
@TotalWench : the criteria for holding libertarian principles involves “liberty”. Both parties have abandoned any sense of reason and are trying their best to destroy personal liberty. It would follow that everyone else is, in fact, doing it wrong.
By Liberty For Me December 4, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I cant believe there are actually still a few people who support Graham…..Get a clue..There are socialist groups running ads for him…hello???..
By dusty December 4, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Anyone who starts a statement with “people” is a condescending douche bag and not anyone who needs to be listened to. Go tea bag your mother.
By No Way! December 4, 2009 at 8:31 pm
I smell a fart. Was it Graham!