Is Graham Finally catching on?

[phillybri]

I'm a Kerry guy all the way, but I have to say Bob Graham is getting me very excited lately!

The way he consistently handles himself in interviews (Fox, NBC, etc...) is truly impressive and genuinely reassuring.

I loved it this morning on Meet the Press when he held up the 9/11 report and pointed out that info had been redacted. That kind of simplistic gesture is so effective in making these issues more real to people and exposing the deceptions of the Bush administration.

What are you guys thinking about Graham? I'd love to hear your comments!

[tpub]

1. my choice for VP

n/t

[Octafish]

2. Me, too!

Graham was great in his appearance on Bill Maher's HBO show. He didn't name the "Mecca of terrorism" specifically, but he did say it was important for the people of America to know ALL the facts and circumstances surrounding 9-11 in order to protect the nation in the future. He also has a great sense of humor. I'm for Kerry, but Graham would make a great vice-president — attractive to more people than those in Florida and the South — and a great president.

[Skidmore]

3. I'd make him a choice as a presidential candidate...

Personally I'm tired of the charisma factor and the roller coaster ride it has taken the country on since the inception of television. Some of our worst crises have revolved around recent presidents recently who were "charismatic". The country could stand a little stability, humility, and pragmatism now and a lot less razzle dazzle.

[lkinsale]

13. Graham won't inspire hate

I suppose this seems like an odd attribute, but politics has come to such a pass in this country that hatred and bile is just ruining us all. I think people are sick of it. Whichever side you are on, when the other side starts spewing, all reason is lost and we all (being human) start spewing.

I think those in the "middle" are longing for a guy who truly calls on the best of us and not the worst. I honestly do. Fox, Coulter, and the Republicans have taken the country to a real low in barbarity, and they use it as a weapon.

Trying to call a guy like Bob Graham a treasonous bastard is just going to look silly. He IS Mom and Apple Pie, but he's also got a heart. I think people see this clearly when they are exposed to him. He won't terrify small town midwest conservatives. I believe many of them would secretly think, "Oh, well, of course I'm a Republican, but really this guy Graham is a lot like me."

******

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[patrice]

4. How about Graham/Dean?

or Graham/Clark? Hmmmmmm. I REALLY wish I could include Kucinich, but I know what all of you say the realities are.

[Aries]

17. I like this idea...

I just donated to Graham from a link on DU, after being for Dean from the beginning. It's mainly because Graham is in a position to capitalize on the 9/11 Iraq lies of the Bush gang.

Dean would be a great VP.

[Rowdyboy]

5. From the day he announced...

he's been my top choice. These last few weeks have just reaffirmed my decision. Look to the "long haul"-he has the experience and the facts to pull it off. No he's not exciting. Is George Bush? But he is smart, and fast on his feet. Is George Bush?

[UTUSN]

6. OutSTANDing This A.M. Not Backing Down

When G.E. RUSSERT "confronted" him with past statement on saying that if the standard used on CLINTON is the new standard, then Shrub EASILY falls within the impeachment range.

G.E. RUSSERT was shocked and opened the way for retraction. Hahaha. Senator GRAHAM said that the reality is that Shrub will NOT be impeached because the wingnuts in charge will not apply the same standard. Hahahahahah!

He would be IDEAL for VP attack dog, and he does it cooly and quietly.

[newsguyatl]

7. i'm sorry

i just don't see the appeal to graham...

not at all

[patrice]

8. Did you see Meet The Press this morning?

[Ishoutandscream]

9. Sorry you feel this way

Graham keeps impressing the more I see him. He really ranked highly in my book with his appearance on Faux this morning. I would really like to see him as a VP candidate in 04. Kerry from the northeast, and Graham from the south. Kinda brings back a 1960 feel to the Dems which I would love!

[TheBigGuy]

10. I agree..he doesnt do much for me either.

Hes sort of a good old boy southern politician, kind of like Clinton or Zell Miller or Fritz Hollings or some KY politicos I'm fmailiar with but you've never heard of.

Hes got a good pulpit due to his roll in the Senate on intel, and is doing some outside the box things like that NASCAR thing, but I really dont see him catching on outside the South, where hes' competing w. Edwards for votes.

[newsguyatl]

11. sad thing is

i don't even see him catching on IN the south... nor do i see edwards winning nc...

it's sad but true...

heck, i'm a native southerner, i oughtta know

on edit: though i don't have one, i'd be willing to bet the farm that even if graham was the vp on the ticket, the dems STILL wouldn't win florida... at least, not while jeb is still at the helm... just not gonna happen folks

[lkinsale]

14. I disagree

Why should we assume it's "sad but true?" He's been popular in Florida for decades, never lost a race there. He even wins in gerry-mandered Republican districts. (see GBD4's website for more info on this.)

Coming from a Texas farming family, I immediately recognized him as "one of us." He's the kind of the guy my grandmother would relate to and enjoy. He can talk cattle, too! While growing up on his family's dairy farm, he was a 4-H member with a prize-winning bull named Prince Sunbeam 842. That's the kind of little detail that rural people notice.

I must disagree that he can be written off so blithely.

[GBD4]

24. Agree

Not sure why some think he would not catch on in the South.

To correct my fellow supporter, lkinsale, my link is

http://hometown.aol.com/gbd4

Given that rural North Florida is extremely "Southern" and Graham is very popular there, he should be fine in the South. Additionally, he was the keynote speaker at the Annual Tennessee Democratic Party Gala/Jefferson Jackson Dinner last month and he has campaigned extensively in rural Southern Virginia, among other places. I'm not sure ANY Dem can do all too well in the South, but at the very least Graham is one of the better Dems for potential in the South.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

19. He's To The Left Of Zell; Miller and Fritz Hollings

and as smart as Clinton, just not as charismatic.

He is a fine man.

[ewagner]

23. Agree

Quiet and thoughtful. Not given to rash judgement.

btw....Graham is such an all-around nice guy that attacks by the neocon attack dogs would look small and very, very petty. He's a fiscal conservative which is just fine by me...reorganize prioities to nations needs and balance th budget with progressive taxation. Okay by me!!

[Dr. Mullion Blasto]

12. Could be VP for Dean but 'the ticket would have an east coast tilt.

I think he seems ok to me - much rather have him than the stiff and seemingly elitist Kerry or the too-boyish Edwards but we might need someone from the midwest or west to balance the ticket i.e. JFK and LBJ. How about Dick Durbin?

[IndianaGreen]

15. Unlike the puke Kerry, Graham voted against the war!

And unlike the political coward Kerry, Graham is calling for impeachment!

[Octafish]

20. When you coming out for a candidate, IG?

Kerry is no puke. He's a Liberal Democrat. He's also no coward, volunteering for two tours in Vietnam. He lost a best friend from college there, Richard Warren Pershing.

Kerry voted to defend the country from terror. CLINTON and TENET had been telling the story about Iraq and WMDs since 1998 and the attacks on the embassy and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole: Not just Osama, but Terror Inc. was going to strike America big. In 2002, BUSH and TENET told the Congress the same thing. While I don't like his vote any more than you do, IG, I do believe Kerry did what he thought best for the country.

BTW: Army 2nd Lt. Pershing also entered the Skull & Bones society with Kerry. Is that the cause of your concern?

[UTUSN]

26. I Did an "Alert" on This Attack

I know that IG is one of the most tenured and RESPECTED posters on this board.

I can't FATHOM why a Dem here would call another Dem "puke" or "coward".

I have my #1 preference (KERRY) but do NOT attack other Dems.

Don't we want Shub OUT?

[IndianaGreen]

36. Kerry failed!

It's primary season! And Kerry is a political coward. Kerry had the best credentials and the most going for him. All he had to do is to make a stand for the rule of law and oppose Bush's unilateral attack on Iraq.

Kerry failed!

Having failed, Kerry could have redeemed himself by calling for Iraq to be put under a UN-mandated administration which would have required an immediate US-UK withdrawal of military AND civilian personnel.

Kerry failed!

Kerry continues to fail by endorsing Bush's policies of pacification in Iraq, with the resulting escalation that it entails. Those were the same policies that kept us in Vietnam for decades while tens of thousands died for nothing.

[UTUSN]

53. Shrub *Won't* "Fail" with This Kind of Support

While primary season is the absolutely correct time to shake down and compete and quibble over differences, going at it with vitriol only bleeds us to death.

I have my own opinions about the candidates other than my first choice but mostly keep them to myself and don't tear them down gratuitously.

I have also supported candidates (McGOVERN, DUKAKIS) when they won the nomination, though I was p.o.ed from the get-go over their certain losing. Taking the marbles home when losing ain't playing well.

I tried "reaching out" to Greens during 2000 and was told to go stick my Big Umbrella you-know-where. Won't do THAT again.

This won't be the last time I say it: 1) "Purity" doesn't exist in *any* candidate. 2) A laundry list of correct stances is ivory tower and pointless: Shrub's cynicism doesn't give a fig for "issues".

Enjoy your righteous anger: You'll have plenty of time for it under 4 more years of Shrub and probably 8 more of Jeb.

P.S. This is not a "debate". Bye.

[CMT]

16. he is my second choice for nomination after Dean

I think he is coming on strong.

[seafan]

18. It will be a difficult task to find as brilliant a leader as Bob Graham.

Bob has always been a steady hand through the decades of his career in Florida. He is the most highly regarded political leader in the history of our state.

He is the type of politician who inspires strong confidence, trust and a reassuring quality of having your needs addressed in a way that benefits as many regular people as possible.

More personal qualities? Patience, determination, laser-like analytical skills, deep knowledge of history and a genuine dedication to PEOPLE. He has never been a camera hound, wanting to trumpet his accomplishments or engage in adversarial techniques to be noticed. He's just THERE, as your faithful and dependable friend, always happy to respond to you, and follow up after he takes some action to address the problem at hand. This has been a source of great comfort for us in Florida for many years.

Look at it this way.... consider Bob Graham vs. Jeb Bush. What each man has done for Florida, each man will do for the nation.

We must make haste, people. Senator Bob Graham MUST become our next President.

[Hailtothechimp]

21. This election will be about one thing (September 11) only....

and Graham is the only one who can take 9/11 away from bu$h. He doesn't appear to shy away from doing it, either. Today's talk shows were enough to convince me that Graham is the best choice for the Dems.

[knowledgeispower]

22. I am inclined to agree

The interview that impressed me the most was when he was on Bill Maher's show on HBO. He let the people know that Saudi Arabia was behind 9/11 (without actually saying it, since he can't), and then Maher helped him out by asking: "so why the hell are we in Iraq?" (or something like that). Plus he won big points when referred to "Osama bin Forgotten." Made me laugh.

[Scurrilous]

25. Undefeated in 5 Statewide Elections.

Graham will carry Florida. Whatever the ticket.

[GBD4]

27. And

we're talking margins of victory at 30%, too! This in a state that is so divided, an arguably Republican-leaning state at that! And the # 1 Dem in experience hands-down.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

28. if he had just voted on the headstart reform bill .....

it would have been defeated!!!!!graham blew it off!!!!and repukes won

[GBD4]

30. Wrong

that was Gephardt in the House. The bill has not been voted on in the Senate yet, where Graham is.

http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d108:2:./temp/~bss7rMI::

The link says that as of Friday the bill has been assigned to a specific standing committee for discussion. There has not been a Senate vote as of yet.

On edit: that link doesn't seem to work. It's HR 2210 which can be checked out through THOMAS. This link below should work,

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:h.r.02210:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

31. GBD4 ..opps my bad....it was gepthart campaigning who blew it off

thank you and i'm sorry for the mix up ....i have the flu i'm and feeling a bit detached from myself :crazy:

i feel much better about graham now...saw him today with russert...i was impressed

[GBD4]

32. hey no problem

and feel better :)

[ShaneGR]

33. Try to get your facts straight, Graham is in the Senate

And they haven't voted on that.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

38. sgr2 read post #31

gesssh ...who pissed in your cereal this morning :7

[ShaneGR]

40. Then you went and reposted it

And it's not a dupe, different graphics.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

41. sgr2 NO i didn't " went and re-posted it"...it was a glitch

i hit preview...and then post!!!..man it doesn't take much to turn you into Ann (doesn't have a shred of decency) Coulter does it? sorry for ruining your day :crazy:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

29. if he had just voted on the headstart reform bill .....

it would have been defeated!!!!!graham blew it off!!!!and repukes won now poor toddlers of america will have to pass the bush standardized test to recieve bread or dental care.....:grr: :grr: :grr:

[ShaneGR]

34. Try to get your facts straight

Graham is in the Senate!! They haven't voted on that!
Just because you post it twice doesn't make it true.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

39. sgr2 again read post #31

and let me reitirate..."who pissed in your cereal this morning?"

[ObaMania]

35. I'd say a decent VP choice..

.. to help secure Florida votes.

[JasonBerry]

37. Graham's Saying All The Right Things!

No question, Bob Graham has guts. He uses the "I" word --- IMPEACHMENT --- and openly says there is a cover-up concerning 9-11. That takes GUTS. He would also have a damn good chance at carrying Florida. He's weak - in my book anyway - on health care, but there is no perfect candidate. I could vote with Graham with pride - yes.

[seafan]

42. Au contraire! Please check out these factoids re: health care

From his website:

----Bob Graham wants to shift the emphasis of our nation's health care system from treating sickness to fostering wellness -- from curing illness once it strikes, to preventing it in the first place.

----...as governor of Florida, he led a significant effort to invest in medical care for women with high-risk pregnancies and in care for low-weight and critically ill newborns. As a result, over his two terms, the state's infant mortality rate declined by a third.

----In Washington, Senator Bob Graham is the recognized leader of the effort to provide a prescription drug benefit for beneficiaries of the Medicare program. He argues that it is smarter and cheaper for Medicare to pay for cholesterol-lowering drugs than it is to treat a heart attack in the emergency room, to cite one example.

----In 2002, a prescription drug benefit bill that Bob Graham wrote gained bipartisan support and won more votes than any other plan, including President Bush's, but Republicans blocked Graham's innovative legislation with procedural maneuvers.

Senator Bob Graham is fighting for his plan again in this session of Congress at the same time that he fights President Bush's latest proposal, which would force seniors to sign up for HMOs -- and give up their choice of doctors -- in order to get coverage for their life-saving prescriptions.

----Graham led the successful effort in 1997 to add coverage of colon cancer and breast cancer screenings to Medicare.

----As President, Bob Graham has pledged to find a pragmatic solution for the crisis of the uninsured. Nearly 41 million Americans have no health insurance -- nearly a quarter of them children -- yet President Bush and his Republican colleagues in Congress have ignored them. Since President Bush took office, 1.4 million more Americans are uninsured.

Bob Graham has proposed a three-part program that focuses on the most vulnerable of our fellow Americans:


First, expand the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and similar programs to guarantee that all children have health coverage.

Next, permit an affordable "buy-in" to the Medicare program for those nearing age 65 and retirement who have lost coverage from their employer.

And finally, modify the Medicaid program to offer coverage to the so-called working poor, who currently make too much money to qualify for subsidized health insurance but not enough money to afford coverage on their own.
"That is a realistic yet achievable program that will get us well on the way to universal coverage for all Americans," Graham says.

----Bob Graham also wants to lead an effort to upgrade the public health system to help state and local officials confront and control crises such as the current overseas epidemic of Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

----Bob Graham has pushed to help those suffering from cancer, cosponsoring the National Cancer Act of 2002.

----Bob Graham has been a leader on women's health care issues. He cosponsored a measure to provide women health care access to obstetric and gynecological services. Graham voted to provide protections for women recovering from breast cancer surgery, requiring insurance companies to provide hospital care after any mastectomy, lumpectomy, or lymph node dissection. In addition, Graham voted to increase funding for breast cancer research.

----As President, Bob Graham will provide a prescription drug benefit under Medicare, a Patient's Bill of Rights, increased funding for community health centers, reverse President Bush's stem cell research policy, and promote preventative health care through increased funding for research at the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health.

-----In his own Words:

"... health care is so complicated and ... there are so many stakeholders in the status quo that it's very hard to accomplish in one jump. So I am proposing a series of step-by-step moves which, over the next four years, should get us to the point that two-thirds of the currently uninsured Americans will be covered. And then in my second term, we'll deal with the other one-third."

-- Bob Graham
May 11, 2003


And much more at: http://www.grahamforpresident.com/issues/health.html

[JasonBerry]

43. Hummmm....Interesting

Some of that is very good. I especially was struck by the idea of allowing the working poor to be eligible for Medicare. I like Kucinich's "Medicare-For-All" plan, though I am realistic enough to know that's probably a long way off. However, there are ideas in your presentation of Graham's health care ideas that are very appealing to me. Thanks.

[seafan]

44. Y'er welcome, JasonBerry!

Pretty impressive, that Bob. :)

[writestuff13]

45. Graham

Graham has a history of coming from behind and winning elections. He is like the tortoise in the old story about the race with the hare.
With little flash, but plenty of substance, he meticulously chips away at his opponents until he is the last man standing.

He not only is the only candidate that has the b_lls to go head to head with Bush, but if elected, he will regain credibility and respect from world leaders who are no doubt weary of the arrogance the current administration has displayed.

Graham for President!

[GBD4]

54. Bob Graham was "Legislator of the Year"

http://www.ncoa.org/content.cfm?sectionID=105&detail=21

this was an award based exclusively on accomplishments in health care and senior issues

[imax2268]

46. He's getting...

my attention...although I am still keeping my eyes on Dean...

[LuCifer]

47. GRAHAM ALL THE FREAKIN' WAY!!!!!!

Ya know, Graham with Dean.......they could EASILY kick "Presdient" Bush's ass and his silver spoon right back to Crawford WHERE HE BELONGS!

Graham was bar none the BEST gov'r this pathetic state of my FloriDUH has EVER had. At least when he beats DUMBya, I'll only have to deal with ONE assbag named Bush...

Dr. Lu, reminding you that...oh man it's late...ok, no problem! thankfully I have some coffee left!

[CWebster]

48. He is getting alot of face time

.

[Noordam]

49. Bush/Graham COULD be a winner

Graham is a neo-con and has turned to the dark side.

This Florida voter will not be voting for him in the primary.

The sad part is had Gore picked Graham for VP, he would have walked away with Florida big time. His pick of Joe did not get any Florida votes that he would have not got anyway.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

50. How Is Graham A Neo-Con

He's pro choice

He's pro affirmative action

He's a multilateralist

He opposed Bush's tax cuts

He wants to raise the top marginal rate to 40%

He firmly in the center -left camp.

"Neo-Con" Where do folks dream this up.

[rhite5]

51. Nothing about Graham looks "Neo-Con"

I wondered, too, where on earth that "neo-con" label was coming from. No Way!

Graham is looking better and better to me, the more I learn about him. He is the only one of the 4 sitting senators (who are candidates) that I would consider voting for in the top spot, or if he were selected as VP by either of a couple of other candidates it would definitely be a plus.

Still waiting for more Wesley Clark developments before making up my mind.

[seafan]

52. Graham's transcript from Fox News Sunday (BLISTERING!)

This is a rousing piece, and Bob buries Brit Hume. Underneath that kindly, mild-mannered exterior is a PO'd Angus bull.

:toast:

--------
HUME: Senator, you have, more famously than anything else, recently said that -- you mentioned comments about impeachment and the administration. Obviously, you didn't call directly for the impeachment. What you did say, and I quote, "If the standard of impeachment that the Republicans set for Bill Clinton -- a personal, consensual relationship -- was the basis of impeaching, would not a president who knowingly deceived the American people about something as important as whether to go to war meet the standard of impeachment?"

Now, are you saying that this president knowingly misled the American people about the reasons for going to war?

GRAHAM: Yes, I...

HUME: Intentionally?

GRAHAM: This -- well, he did it knowingly. Certainly, this president...

HUME: When did he do that?

GRAHAM: He did it, for one instance, in the State of the Union address, when he made a statement that he must have known -- or certainly should have known, since it was a statement based on an investigation requested by his vice president...

HUME: I understand that.

GRAHAM: ... to find out whether the Niger issue was correct or not.

And then second, I think he also withheld information. The president...

HUME: Well, let's talk for a moment about the State of the Union, just for a moment, Senator. When he made that State of the Union address, of course, Congress had already voted -- I know you voted no -- but overwhelmingly voted in favor of authorizing him to go to war.

So that certainly couldn't have been the basis for Congress' belief whether it was a good idea to go to war, now couldn't it?

GRAHAM: Well, there's a difference between authorizing and actually going to war. In my opinion, the decision to authorize was a bad decision because it took our focus off our number-one enemy, Al Qaida, and refocused us on Iraq, and has therefore allowed Al Qaida to regenerate.

But it was the president's responsibility under that authorization to be satisfied that there was, in fact, imminent threat to the people...

HUME: Senator...

GRAHAM: ... of the United States, and this was a key part of the chain of evidence.

But it wasn't just this. It was also the failure of this president to tell the American people what the consequences of victory in Iraq would be. That we'd be there for a long time, that we would have significant casualties and a very substantial expense.



---snip---


HUME: Senator Graham, it's not too early, with this compressed schedule you're facing, to begin to look for a place where you might have a moment, have a victory. Where, in your estimation, will it be? New Hampshire? Iowa? Which of the early states? South Carolina? Where?

GRAHAM: We are going to run a very competitive campaign in all of those states. We believe that the combination of the message that we have, the ideas, as well as being the best prepared to serve as president of the United States, with both major executive and now national security responsibilities, will cause the people, a growing number of whom are now moving into the undecided column, that, when they reassess the candidates, that a significant number will decide that Bob Graham is the person that they believe is best to represent the Democratic Party and then to be elected president in November.

------


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,93020,00.html

[seafan]

55. As Rowdyboy said in another thread, "God willing, our next President".