The best summation of his career I have read so far
"Lindsey Graham, American chameleon, did nothing of the sort. He cowered and capitulated for three decades in Congress merely to be at the center of power. From 1994 revolutionary to 2026 poltroon, he embodies the movement-to-business-to-racket transformation of modern conservatism. He lived for nothing and died the same way."
He's a tragic figure but ultimately far too weak to be in politics. He'll be remembered for his loyalty to Trump, to whom he sold his soul, but as history will very rapidly look upon Trump with complete contempt, the stain and dishonour of Trump will stick to him....in so far as Lindsay Graham is ever remembered.
I have to agree Theodora that much of Lindsay Graham's career would have been better unlived. That said he did firmly stand on the right side of history with Ukraine and the man he sold his soul for treated his genuine and even strenuous efforts on this score with disdain. My guess is he liked Putin more than Graham who was his devoted minion,
Right now it's easy and natural to focus on Lindsey Graham, and we USians do like to focus on individuals, but let's pay attention to the bigger, wider picture. Would Gingrich have been possible without the Reagan administration, with its demonization of Black people and its unending gifts to corporations and big money? Would Reagan have been possible without Nixon's "Southern Strategy," which turned the previously solid (white) Democratic South Republican? This gave the Republican Party what it had been lacking before: votes.
History doesn't repeat itself, but it's worth noting that almost a century after Republican policies (e.g., lack of restraint on capital) crashed the world economy, their successors have crashed the U.S. economy and possibly taken what was left of democracy with it.
Who we gonna call? FDR is long dead, but we're more than ready for a new New Deal, with people of color included this time.
You might want to include in your "bigger, wider picture" fellow South Carolinian and good friend of Lindsey Graham, Lee Atwater. He was a GOP strategist and the prototypical hatchet man of negative campaigning.
I absolutely remember Lee Atwater but I didn't realize he was from South Carolina. The Republicans have churned up so much scum in the last few decades that it's hard to keep track. (For some strange reason I clearly remember Oliver North, damned if I know why.)
He is not a pleasant memory, but when we combine what we know we can be a fierce force to be reckoned with. Speaking of Ollie, several years ago at the post office an elderly man at a side table asked me to help him fill out the many money orders he was trying to complete. I agreed, but when he told me one of the payees, I balked. It was Lt. Col. Oliver North. I had never turned down an opportunity to help an older person if I could, but this? "I'm sorry, sir, I just can't help you with that man."
Lindsey Graham always wanted to be associated with powerful men. When Biden was elected in 2020, Graham expected that they could resume their friendship from Senate days, even though Graham had been pushing the "investigations" and lies about Biden's son. Graham was shocked that the old cordiality was gone. Graham tried to push another justice for the Supreme Court, and when Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson, he retaliated with despicable treatment of her in the hearings, which she rose above.
Tom, thank you for joining Jen Rubin in reminding everyone who the late Lindsey Graham was: an opportunistic empty shell of a person.
The best example of a pol who mirrors the late senator is JD Vance (or whatever he is calling himself today). Remember, the VPOTUS was a prominent "Never Trumper" in 2016 who likened him to Hitler. Later, however, the Graham-like chameleon morphed into a Trump supporter for the sole purpose of getting an endorsement for his successful 2022 Senate campaign. Yet another example of an empty shell of an opportunist making a bargain with the sociopathic narcissistic devil that paid off big-time for him.
What's ironic is that the head MAGAt has no hair and his efforts to camouflage that fact are proving to be total flops just like his deranged presidency is.
Our government has been self-serving for decades. It has been controlled by big business to the detriment of the American people it is supposed to serve. It’s sucking the life out of this nation. Things will not get better until we start electing principled people and establish a binding code of ethics. Term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court are a great start. Thank you, Public Notice!
Happilyeverafter obits are easily defined by the ratio of legacies to regrets. How much money one has amassed - or not - most often winds up in the regrets column, whether it is billions in the bank or coins from a beggar bowl. Legacies are things that outlive you - that you can point to that made life better for society - like a 40-year career as a grammar school teacher or health scientist or the architect of new government programs that improve education, health, safety, etc.
Graham's legacy seems mostly described as encouraging reckless wars that got soldiers killed or wounded for no reason besides saving America from non-existent Iraqi WMDs or non-existent Iranian nuclear missiles aimed at America. Both of those events were regrettable, not legacies.
Never-married Graham came across as gay in speech and mannerisms, but he made a point of associating with he-man colleagues like McCain and helping draft-dodger presidents to rattle sabers and invade far-off lands posing no threat to the homeland.
Thank you, Tom Schaller, for this reasoned, factual treatment of Sen. Lindsey Graham's career. You did not spare the senator, yet did not stoop to inflammatory rhetoric or sly swipes of homophobia, like some prominent demagogues here on substack are doing. It is a fit teaching tool on fidelity to fact, emotional self-discipline and keeping a bit of distance toward a subject.
Graham was the political equivalent of someone who entered the phony phone booth of Simon Bar Sinister (i.e. Trump) and came out of there promising to do what Simon said. That was also true of Marco Rubio and JD Vance. The blackmail DJT must have had on them was the equivalent of the hypnosis that Simon Bar Sinister must have done in that phony phone booth.
Whoever dreamed that a cartoon show for children back in the mid 1960's would be so prophetic of our current political situation?
I don't think Trump blackmailed them, but that he made them some irresistible promises. Trump's been doing that all his life. Remember Peanuts' Lucy with the football.
Aaron, what is your take on Amy Klobuchar's tribute to Graham? Sure, she leans centrist and is a boomer, however, that tribute was difficult for me to swallow.
I think we are so tainted by the hatred and viciousness of this administration and current right wing politics that we risk rejecting ordinary graciousness. Klobuchar was Graham’s colleague and she has a range of complex ties and relationships with her colleagues, as do we all. I really appreciate this post because it is honest, factual and direct without being mean spirited. I bet Klobuchar would agree with it as well. But we should be able to tolerate willingness to be gracious to the dead, at least in the immediate aftermath of the death, without excessive blame
The irony of the Republican cult's wailing about how "woke" and inaccurate history is being taught in schools as they canonize the most spineless insurrection apologist to ever betray our Constitution besides traitor Glitch McConnell...the man who fought to remove women's reproductive rights, who tried to shoehorn in language at 1 AM to pay HIMSELF and his corrupt Republican cronies who "deserved" $1M apiece because of J6 inquiry seeing their tolling data, who --like his fellow Republicans-- worked hard to keep the Trump-Epstein files secret and deny former child victims justice for ANOTHER decade, who beat the drum for war despite his cult's Klown Kar Kabinet and the lackeys Drinky Pete replaced COMPETENT career military with, who chose to "NOT see" Trump's impeachable offenses, Constitutional and legal violations (they ARE the "not see" party, after all!), and who effusively praised the fraudster pedo he once decried.
Republicans giving him sainthood shows the depth of both their hypocrisy AND their depravity.
Remember to vote them out in November and elect AMERICANS who honor our Constitution, instead.
Incredibly well-written; so emblematic of the tragic trajectory we witness daily.
Thank you.
Gerontocracy — exactly right. A bunch of “warriors” reduced to fawning old men with white supremacist dreams and no sense of shame. Legacy, schmegacy.
The best summation of his career I have read so far
"Lindsey Graham, American chameleon, did nothing of the sort. He cowered and capitulated for three decades in Congress merely to be at the center of power. From 1994 revolutionary to 2026 poltroon, he embodies the movement-to-business-to-racket transformation of modern conservatism. He lived for nothing and died the same way."
He's a tragic figure but ultimately far too weak to be in politics. He'll be remembered for his loyalty to Trump, to whom he sold his soul, but as history will very rapidly look upon Trump with complete contempt, the stain and dishonour of Trump will stick to him....in so far as Lindsay Graham is ever remembered.
The tragedy is ours. Lindsay got what he wanted — to be in the circle of power and attention.
I have to agree Theodora that much of Lindsay Graham's career would have been better unlived. That said he did firmly stand on the right side of history with Ukraine and the man he sold his soul for treated his genuine and even strenuous efforts on this score with disdain. My guess is he liked Putin more than Graham who was his devoted minion,
Trump has more affection for Putin than he ever had for anyone else.
Right now it's easy and natural to focus on Lindsey Graham, and we USians do like to focus on individuals, but let's pay attention to the bigger, wider picture. Would Gingrich have been possible without the Reagan administration, with its demonization of Black people and its unending gifts to corporations and big money? Would Reagan have been possible without Nixon's "Southern Strategy," which turned the previously solid (white) Democratic South Republican? This gave the Republican Party what it had been lacking before: votes.
History doesn't repeat itself, but it's worth noting that almost a century after Republican policies (e.g., lack of restraint on capital) crashed the world economy, their successors have crashed the U.S. economy and possibly taken what was left of democracy with it.
Who we gonna call? FDR is long dead, but we're more than ready for a new New Deal, with people of color included this time.
You might want to include in your "bigger, wider picture" fellow South Carolinian and good friend of Lindsey Graham, Lee Atwater. He was a GOP strategist and the prototypical hatchet man of negative campaigning.
I absolutely remember Lee Atwater but I didn't realize he was from South Carolina. The Republicans have churned up so much scum in the last few decades that it's hard to keep track. (For some strange reason I clearly remember Oliver North, damned if I know why.)
He is not a pleasant memory, but when we combine what we know we can be a fierce force to be reckoned with. Speaking of Ollie, several years ago at the post office an elderly man at a side table asked me to help him fill out the many money orders he was trying to complete. I agreed, but when he told me one of the payees, I balked. It was Lt. Col. Oliver North. I had never turned down an opportunity to help an older person if I could, but this? "I'm sorry, sir, I just can't help you with that man."
Lindsey Graham always wanted to be associated with powerful men. When Biden was elected in 2020, Graham expected that they could resume their friendship from Senate days, even though Graham had been pushing the "investigations" and lies about Biden's son. Graham was shocked that the old cordiality was gone. Graham tried to push another justice for the Supreme Court, and when Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson, he retaliated with despicable treatment of her in the hearings, which she rose above.
Well, now he can be associated with Satan.
Tom, thank you for joining Jen Rubin in reminding everyone who the late Lindsey Graham was: an opportunistic empty shell of a person.
The best example of a pol who mirrors the late senator is JD Vance (or whatever he is calling himself today). Remember, the VPOTUS was a prominent "Never Trumper" in 2016 who likened him to Hitler. Later, however, the Graham-like chameleon morphed into a Trump supporter for the sole purpose of getting an endorsement for his successful 2022 Senate campaign. Yet another example of an empty shell of an opportunist making a bargain with the sociopathic narcissistic devil that paid off big-time for him.
Let's not forget to add Marco Rubio to the Hair Club for Men, aka MAGA.
What's ironic is that the head MAGAt has no hair and his efforts to camouflage that fact are proving to be total flops just like his deranged presidency is.
Our government has been self-serving for decades. It has been controlled by big business to the detriment of the American people it is supposed to serve. It’s sucking the life out of this nation. Things will not get better until we start electing principled people and establish a binding code of ethics. Term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court are a great start. Thank you, Public Notice!
Happilyeverafter obits are easily defined by the ratio of legacies to regrets. How much money one has amassed - or not - most often winds up in the regrets column, whether it is billions in the bank or coins from a beggar bowl. Legacies are things that outlive you - that you can point to that made life better for society - like a 40-year career as a grammar school teacher or health scientist or the architect of new government programs that improve education, health, safety, etc.
Graham's legacy seems mostly described as encouraging reckless wars that got soldiers killed or wounded for no reason besides saving America from non-existent Iraqi WMDs or non-existent Iranian nuclear missiles aimed at America. Both of those events were regrettable, not legacies.
Never-married Graham came across as gay in speech and mannerisms, but he made a point of associating with he-man colleagues like McCain and helping draft-dodger presidents to rattle sabers and invade far-off lands posing no threat to the homeland.
Thank you, Tom Schaller, for this reasoned, factual treatment of Sen. Lindsey Graham's career. You did not spare the senator, yet did not stoop to inflammatory rhetoric or sly swipes of homophobia, like some prominent demagogues here on substack are doing. It is a fit teaching tool on fidelity to fact, emotional self-discipline and keeping a bit of distance toward a subject.
Excellent ! This is what should be in the NYT's instead of Carl Huse's fawning nonsense
Great recap of Graham's career! A chameleon.
Graham was the political equivalent of someone who entered the phony phone booth of Simon Bar Sinister (i.e. Trump) and came out of there promising to do what Simon said. That was also true of Marco Rubio and JD Vance. The blackmail DJT must have had on them was the equivalent of the hypnosis that Simon Bar Sinister must have done in that phony phone booth.
Whoever dreamed that a cartoon show for children back in the mid 1960's would be so prophetic of our current political situation?
I don't think Trump blackmailed them, but that he made them some irresistible promises. Trump's been doing that all his life. Remember Peanuts' Lucy with the football.
Well said! Thank you!
Aaron, what is your take on Amy Klobuchar's tribute to Graham? Sure, she leans centrist and is a boomer, however, that tribute was difficult for me to swallow.
I think we are so tainted by the hatred and viciousness of this administration and current right wing politics that we risk rejecting ordinary graciousness. Klobuchar was Graham’s colleague and she has a range of complex ties and relationships with her colleagues, as do we all. I really appreciate this post because it is honest, factual and direct without being mean spirited. I bet Klobuchar would agree with it as well. But we should be able to tolerate willingness to be gracious to the dead, at least in the immediate aftermath of the death, without excessive blame
Rot is right. In multiple senses.
The irony of the Republican cult's wailing about how "woke" and inaccurate history is being taught in schools as they canonize the most spineless insurrection apologist to ever betray our Constitution besides traitor Glitch McConnell...the man who fought to remove women's reproductive rights, who tried to shoehorn in language at 1 AM to pay HIMSELF and his corrupt Republican cronies who "deserved" $1M apiece because of J6 inquiry seeing their tolling data, who --like his fellow Republicans-- worked hard to keep the Trump-Epstein files secret and deny former child victims justice for ANOTHER decade, who beat the drum for war despite his cult's Klown Kar Kabinet and the lackeys Drinky Pete replaced COMPETENT career military with, who chose to "NOT see" Trump's impeachable offenses, Constitutional and legal violations (they ARE the "not see" party, after all!), and who effusively praised the fraudster pedo he once decried.
Republicans giving him sainthood shows the depth of both their hypocrisy AND their depravity.
Remember to vote them out in November and elect AMERICANS who honor our Constitution, instead.