Lindsey Graham Has Lost His Mind

Prior to the 2016 election, Lindsey Graham, a Republican Senator from South Carolina, was one of Donald Trump’s most adamant detractors. He exposed him as unqualified, immoral, and a racist. However, after Trump’s illegitimate election, he is now one of the orange buffoon’s most loyal supporters, and continues to support “the big lie.”

I call it “Republican speak.” It is the “art” of saying a lot of words over a lengthy period of time and at the same time having nothing of value to say. This is Donald Trump, and Graham has learned from him.

On Tuesday, when it was Graham’s turn to question Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson, he spent one-half-hour talking about his party’s complaints. However, it appears that he will place his party first, as today’s fake Republicans always do, and vote against Judge Jackson’s confirmation.

As a public defender, Ms. Jackson was assigned to defend some of the detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay. Ever the ‘hawk,’ Graham believes that the unconstitutional prison should remain open indefinitely. Naturally, he questioned her defense of any prisoner, regardless of the fact none have been officially charged with a crime against America. However, Graham attacked her for doing her job and filing a petition to have all detainees who have not been indicted for a crime, released.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) calmly offered some additional context.

“On the issue of Guantanamo, 39 detainees remain. It’s $450 million per year. Each of these detainees is being held at the expense of $12 or $13 million per year. If they would be incarcerated in Florence, Colorado, the supermax federal prison, the amount would be dramatically less. Since 2009, with the beginning of the Obama Administration, the repeat rate of Guantanamo detainees is five percent.”

The exchange between Graham and Durbin became more heated, as the volume level of their discussion increased. Because Senator Durbin offered facts, Graham stood and walked out of the chamber. Republicans cannot handle the truth.

Judge Jackson is extremely qualified to sit on the Court, and this is unacceptable for Republicans. They prefer more justices like Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, whose only qualification is that they share a desire to repeal a Supreme Court case that protects a woman’s reproductive rights.

The truth is that Judge Jackson’s record offers nothing which would prevent her from serving on the Court. However, she fails to fit the “Republican Profile.”

Judge Jackson is obviously a progressive, and Republicans are the party of regression. They might accept another woman on the Court, but never a Black woman.

Although Republicans will continue to make an effort to discredit Ms. Jackson, the truth is, they don’t care. Trump and Moscow Mitch have a “stacked Court.” Six of the nine justices are conservative. Three women will represent a more progressive view of the issues brought before the SCOTUS.

Republicans will control the votes of four old, white men, one woman who is a religious extremist, and a token black man who always votes for the white man’s position on the issues.

On the progressive side will be three women who more closely represent America in the 21st century.

Elena Kagan’s parents are both Jewish, Russian immigrants.

Sonia Sotomayor is the first woman of color on the Court, and her origin is Hispanic.

Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first Black woman Justice.

Change will come to America. Diversity is becoming the norm.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

Daily Beast: Lindsey Graham Melts Down and Storms Off During Ketanji Brown Jackson Hearing; Justin Baragona
New York Post: Graham storms out of Jackson SCOTUS hearing after Durbin Gitmo clash; by Mark Moore

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Center for American Progress Action Fund’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License