By FITSNews || U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett has heard the boo-birds from fiscal conservatives in the South Carolina Upstate, now U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is about to be on the receiving end of some populist disapproval.
Graham will be protested Saturday morning in downtown Greenville, S.C. for his support of “cap and trade” legislation, a massive energy tax hike which would raise prices on American consumers by as much as $4,000 a year according to estimates from President Barack Obama’s own Treasury Department.
A conservative not-for-profit group called FreedomWorks is organizing the protest … and before anybody goes rushing to Graham’s defense, we’d like to point out that this is a fight South Carolina’s Senator has been spoiling for since last April (at least).
Anyway, from the FreedomWorks’ release:
South Carolinians are tired of Senator Lindsey Graham’s support for “cap and trade.” For some reason Sen. Graham thinks that imposing a massive tax increase on our energy supply is a good idea. He has been partnering with left-wing senators to come up with a plan that would be devastating to our economy and would increase the cost of energy for all consumers. If you are like us, you have had enough of Sen. Graham’s position on cap and trade.
Please join us as we gather together this Saturday, Feb. 27th to send a message to him that we dissapprove of his stance on this important issue. We will be gathering to write letters to Sen. Graham, and then we will hand deliver them to his district office in Greenville. After that, we will protest his support of cap and trade outside his office.
Here are the details of the events:
9:00am FreedomWorks breakfast and letter-writing at Soby’s restaurant
22 East Court St, Greenville, SC 29601
Map
10:30am Protest outside Sen. Graham’s downtown office
130 South Main St., 7th Floor, Greenville, SC 29601
Map
To rsvp for this event, please contact FreedomWorks regional director Allen Page at a.page@mindspring.com or 336-213-1167. You can also click here to rsvp online. We hope you can join us this weekend on the first anniversary of the tea party protests!
Obviously, that’s not the most convincing writing we’ve ever seen but it’s hard to argue the basic premise.
Graham – who is the only Republican in Congress supporting “cap and trade” – has inexplicably managed to out-flank President Barack Obama on the far left side of the climate change debate, which is something we honestly never thought was possible.
In fact, Graham has partnered with the far left flank of the environmental movement in his efforts to pass the controversial legislation, although his supporters have gone to great lengths to conceal the fact that radical environmentalists were bankrolling his PR defensive (click here, here, here and here if you want to read FITS meticulously-documented stories exposing that scam).
In addition to the outright revulsion from Tea Party groups, local Republican groups in Charleston, S.C. and Lexington, S.C. have also censured Graham in recent months.
Ostensibly, Graham was cozying up to Obama to “get things done” for South Carolina, although the Obama administration’s recent efforts to shutter the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility in Nevada (as a sop to powerful Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid) show how little pull “Miss Lindsey” has in D.C.
By Recovering Lobbyist February 23, 2010 at 2:00 pm
I have never been troubled by a legislator who works to find a compromise on important public policy issues. However, on this issue, cap and trade, Senator Graham has it wrong and he is going to pay politically for his position.
However, for those of you who think the Senator is wrong on this issue, you need to focus part of your anger on the environmental groups. Groups like the Coastal Conservation League and the Conservation Voters have quietly used their political clout to force many more conservative legislators than Senator Graham into supporting nutty environmental proposals like cap and trade.
I am very supportive of protecting our environment. However, cap and trade has nothing to do with protecting anything other than the checking accounts of environmentalists.
By Slinky February 23, 2010 at 2:30 pm
The Republican Party is destroying itself. Go do your little protest and support your Sarah Palin-wannabes. I will always vote for Lindsay Graham because he has backbone and does not cater to the redneck right.
By JimmyP February 23, 2010 at 3:14 pm
I love how these DC groups, flush with special interest cash, swoop into our state to tell us what we should think. They could’ve at least hired a local grassroots firm with an 864 area code…then they would know that throwing in a free breakfast at a swanky place like Soby’s won’t exactly make us swoon. Problem is that most South Carolinians would prefer biscuits n’ gravy from Waffle House or Tommy’s Ham House over a crepe at Soby’s. When will these DC folks ever learn?! Graham must really be yankin’ their chain where it hurts! Keep it up Lindsay!
By Rick February 23, 2010 at 5:07 pm
It’s not the dc folks that bother me. It’s the people that automatically put their mind in park and yelp that an outsider is telling us what to do. Jimmy, you’re right on Soby’s but wrong on everything else. This fight isn’t just about South Carolina, we all have a dog in the fight and had better bury the internal us against them because “they ain’t frum aroound hear” bull. The more voices, the better. And I don’t care where they come from….unlike many others, I can think, develope an opinion, and vote on that opinion and an outsider ain’t gonna change it because theys got yankee dollars. Ya’ll have a great evenin now….
By Old Bike Dude February 23, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah…
And then Lindsey will be reelected.
By Ynotfirst February 23, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Let’s get a FITS group to show up!!
By countryboy February 23, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Little Lindsey supporters = Log Cabin Republicans?
By Reality Check February 23, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Jimmy- Just to help you understand the support behind the protest: there are groups all over the country that are affiliated with FreedomWorks. As an organization, they simply help citizens get engaged and teach them how to be effective in communicating their message. Typically (and in this situation) folks contact FreedomWorks or other grassroots organizations to ask that all-too-common question, “how can we get involved and help stop the ever-expanding role of government.” Thankfully we have our own grassroots activists who are willing to step up in South Carolina and fight cap and trade.
The only chain that Lindsey is yanking is the one attached to the tax payers pocketbook as he and HIS special interest groups say “gimme! gimme! gimme!”
By scooter February 23, 2010 at 9:15 pm
I support him, and will vote for him. One of only a few people from SC in DC that has sense. Those ultra right folks have tunnel vision. Suggest anger management classes for some of them.
By Not a Warmer February 23, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Senator Graham told me and others at a Columbia “townhall” meeting that we were basically stupid to not believe in Global Warming. Most of us non warmers will try to vote him out.
By WorkingTommyC February 23, 2010 at 9:37 pm
Gaham will just accuse everyone of being “Ron Paul folks.”
http://www.amconmag.com/tactv/2010/02/22/ron-paul-people/
By tammy February 24, 2010 at 12:53 am
I want the earth protected. Period. Because the last time I checked…I need the earth to survive and so do my kids. SO, punish/tax/whatever the hell out of the businesses who are doing the harm and reward whoever can think creatively and come up with the solutions to move us forward with as little harm as possible to the earth. The businesses who come up with new ideas and create jobs to fix things gets to make the money. The businesses who fight it and try to keep things the way they are can just die in the process. That’s what it is all about.
By Just a thought February 24, 2010 at 10:06 am
Tammy said it right. I will hold my nose and vote for Miss Lindsay, if only because of this one issue.
By Joe Wilson February 24, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Cap and Trade is a regressive tax and would be all economic pain for no environmental gain. Why should a Republican senator from South Carolina get away with supporting such a policy? Why shouldn’t the very citizens that will have to pay more at the gas pump make a very public statement against Sen. Graham’s position? Seems a no-brainer to me that Sen. Graham is on the wrong side of this issue.
By ConservativeThinker February 24, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Cap and trade is just a synonym for cap and tax. Given the crippled state of our domestic economy, who would seriously vote yes on a bill that would take more money out of private markets and paralyze the economy even further? That’s exactly what would happen. Europe’s carbon trading system is plagued with fraud and corruption. Why would we seek to emulate the behavior of Europe by implementing a system that clearly doesnt work? Economically, its simply impractical. You can’t expect to decrease the value of household net worth via energy price increases, and still expect to grow by using tax revenues to invest in clean energy technologies. Government needs to shrink their balance sheet, not increase it. Americans need jobs, and incentives to work, not intrusive legislation that will financially burden them even more. On top of everything, cap and trade is a costly legislative measure that American taxpayers can’t afford as well as one that most don’t want to tolerate.
By LizSDG February 24, 2010 at 4:07 pm
It’s true that Senator Graham doesn’t stick blindly to the party line on environmental issues — that is exactly what makes him a good legislator. Graham is championing a common sense bill, one that will improve American energy security by decreasing dependence on foreign oil and resuscitate the economy by encouraging growth in emerging technologies in which American companies can develop a competitive advantage. It’s refreshing to see a Senator working hard to improve the lives of his constituents, in a world where it seems all politicians care about is taking special interest money and getting reelected.
By Evaray107 February 25, 2010 at 8:06 am
Your increased electric bill from cap and trade simply benefits high net worth investors who are invested in Al Gore’s GEM trading scheme. Sort of like ‘protection money’ to keep Earth from self-immolating.
By GTownThug February 25, 2010 at 6:56 pm
Grahamnesty needs to go. He is NOT a Republican. He is a RINO like Juan McLame or AZ. I supported this POS during his first election, but I would not vote for him for dog catcher now. Anyone have some tar and feathers? Graham, get the He!! of of SC!
By GTownThug February 25, 2010 at 6:57 pm
And another thing, Gresham Barrett is no Conservative either. He’s another RINO that supported bail outs. Remember that come November!
By Gray Court Mike February 26, 2010 at 8:43 am
Tammy,
Businesses don’t pay taxes – their customers do.
You need to remember that business just passes them through.
So, you think that the government should tax the hell out of you?
When a real solution for our energy problems finally appears there will be no need for government support. It will be economically viable.
That hasn’t happened yet, but I don’t think it is far off. Cap and tax will just chase what few manufacturing jobs remain in this country overseas. It is a bad idea.
By Travinyle1 February 27, 2010 at 9:00 am
I confronted Sen. Graham on the biggest fraud in human history the bailout. He said hed vote for it 100 times, despite over 90% of his constituents being against it. He is a power hungry disgusting shill. He wouldnt even look at me.
All the brainwashed emotionally attached right just stood there as if they had no idea what the bailout even was. They probably didn’t they were just in awe being around their Washington insider.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SqB-H6DqO0