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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Posted on 10/04/2003 8:19:47 PM PDT by Pikamax
Graham's presidential bid has hurt him in Florida Buddy Nevins
October 4, 2003
It's all over for Bob Graham.
Democrats say it's time for Graham to end his presidential race, return to Florida and start running for re-election to the U.S. Senate.
Graham hasn't committed himself to running for re-election. He may just quit politics. But if he does run, the question now is whether he can win.
Unbeaten through three decades in politics, Graham took a dizzying fall in the cornfields of Iowa. His presidential campaign never really got off the ground. He remains in the basement of the Democratic pack, with such also-rans as U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun.
Graham, the former governor and a senator since 1986, has harmed his re-election chances with his presidential bid. He is no longer the invincible giant of the Florida Democratic Party. Voters see he can be beaten.
"Any time you are unsuccessful in politics, it hurts. By running for president, Bob Graham has only made himself more vulnerable in Florida," says Jim Kane, a political pollster.
What might prove a worse problem is the stands he took during his presidential race. They could come back to haunt him.
Graham, previously known as a moderate, has not had a tough opponent since 1986. His views have not gotten wide publicity during the heat of a campaign since then, but the presidential race changed that.
Seeking to appeal to Democrats in states more liberal than Florida, Graham has been outspoken. He has been on television -- a lot. And, as a favorite son, his presidential campaign has been given more airtime and newspaper space in Florida than in other places.
Florida voters know that Graham opposed the war in Iraq and President Bush's tax cuts. They know Graham supports universal government-sponsored health care and backs a 10 percent set-aside for minorities in government contracts.
These positions might prove too liberal for moderate Florida. And, if voters don't remember Graham's stands in the presidential race, his Republican opponent next year will refresh their memories.
Graham's fate is vitally important to the national Democratic Party. The balance of power in the U.S. Senate is at stake and Democrats cannot afford to lose Graham's seat.
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
Can I tell you how "deeply saddened" I am :-)
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
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Lagrimas de mi chorizo....and about time, too.
Mostly ,the low profile he kept, combined with outright worship of the man by our media. Since he rarely appeared in the headlines, it was quite easy for the media to hide the fact that Graham was a loyal little foot soldier for Tommy Daschle, Teddy Kennedy and the rest of the left-wing Senate Democrats, dutifully casting his votes in accordance with their wishes.
The media were able to paint him as a "moderate" and as some kind of great legendary politician in the mold of a Lawton Chiles. This is an insult to Chiles, BTW - Chiles was a Democrat, but much more of a Zell Miller-type than an anti-American leftist ideologue like the current Rat leaders in the Senate (of whom Graham, as I have pointed out, is a faithful tool). I didn't agree with a lot of Chiles' positions, but he was a decent and honorable man for the most part. Bob Graham isn't fit to hold his jockstrap.
Once Graham started letting people here in Florida know what he was REALLY like by pandering to the Treason wing of the Rat Party, hsi support started plummetting. He'll still carry South Florida, of course - those people give Castro higher approval numbers than George Bush, and that's 1/3 of the state. But north of Palm Beach County, we're a LOT more conservative, and we're ready to stuff Bob Graham's little diaries up his ass and ship him back to Miami Lakes.
How exactly do Floridians know that? Graham voted for the use of force against Saddam in the Senate vote. He only started to irresponsibly throw around calls for the "impeachment" of Bush in July, after the war was won, in a vain attempt to jumpstart his moribund campaign.
But now, I think he has exposed himself for the shrill, shreaking weirdo that he really is.. he is DONE, IMHO.
There are three excellent candidates running, and I'm not talking about Klayman. House speaker Johnnie Byrd, State senator (& former speaker) Daniel Webster, and 2000 nominee Bill McCollum. US Rep Dave Weldon may also officially join the race, as he has been campaigning for some time.
Maybe Bob can return to his Alma Mater to be our head football coach, he certainly is more qualified than the guy that is currently masquerading as our coach.
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