My Favorite Republican Senator

In dissent to Paul at PowerLineBlog and concurrence with smagar at RedState I must say why Lindsey Graham is my favorite Republican senator.

Background
Sen. Graham was elected in 2002 to serve the entire state of South Carolina by a 55-45 margin. He must represent the two Democratic districts (5 & 6) as well as those that are represented by Republicans. He is making a valiant effort to do so and we should be proud of his effort. The latest Survey USA tracking poll showed that Sen. Graham has a 57% approval rating which is up 3% from the poll taken on 11 July. Even 64% of South Carolina conservatives give their approval.

Sen. Graham is a hard-core conservative. The Republican Liberty Caucus classifies Graham as an Enterpriser, which means he advocates for a moderate amount of personal and economic liberty along with “good” government programs.

• American Conservative Union 91%, lifetime
• National Taxpayer’s Union B+
• Americans for Tax Reform 85%
• Citizens Against Government Waste 88%, lifetime

Paying for a Disaster; Take No Option Off the Table

The current debate within the Republican party is how to pay for Hurricane Katrina. Three options are spending cuts, tax increases and borrowing.

Spending cuts, especially of pork barrel projects like the bridge to nowhere in Alaska, are an appealing option. However, House Majority leader Tom DeLay (TX-22) claims that federal spending has been cut to the bone. On the other hand Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says there should be cuts in outlays across the board. The House Republican Study Committee has also released a list of spending cuts with the the beginning of “Operation Offset.”

Exciting and Frustrating Times

I have been following and supporting Sen. Graham for a year now. Things are both frustrating and exciting. Frustrating because Social Security reform seems to be permanently stalled. Exciting because when Senators Reid and Frist met the other day his name came up as a potential nominee for the United States Supreme Court.First, the Supreme Court. Sen. Graham's name was mentioned as one of four compromise nominees when senators Reid and Frist met about the Supreme Court. This is exciting, but also evokes mixed feelings. Excitement because I could be watching someone I admire getting confirmed as a Justice on the Supreme Court.

There are mixed feeling present because it would mean he leaves the Senate. I would be sad but proud if this were to happen. However, it is not likely because President nominates. It is likely we will get whatever he wants, although, I hope he advises the Senate of the nominee.

Now, the frustration over Social Security reform. This initiative seems to be permanently stalled. The Republicans are focused on private accounts and the Democrats refuse to consider these accounts. It is frustrating because all the focus has been on the accounts even though Sen. Graham has brought up the key issue: solvency. The bill he has cosponsored (S. 1302) does not address this. His bill (S. 1878) from the last congress did. It was a lot tougher than either of us imagined.

Graham’s Great Compromise: Nuclear Options and Judicial Filibusters

Last night Senator Lindsey Graham assisted 13 colleagues in brokering a compromise to move the Senate forward from the debate on judicial nominations and be able to do America’s business. He would have been a “yes” vote if the vote to change the rules occured. However, we have averted the vote for now.

This move by Sen. Graham infuriated groups like Focus on the Family and their affiliates. They wanted all the judges and no compromise. They called the compromise disaterous. However, Graham felt that it was important so we could get back to the business of the Senate. He acknowledged that people back home would be upset for a while and then would be happy about what gets done.

Free-Market Principles of Education Policy

School choice means allowing parents to choose the schools their children attend, without financial peanlty if they choose private schools. Public funds follow the child to the school he or she attends. Choice empowers parents, enabling them to demand better results from educators. Competition for students discourages the growth of bureaucracy, and other barriers to achievement.




1.Allow parents to choose. Parents and other legal guardians should be allowed to choose the schools their children attend. They should not be penalized financially for choosing a private or religious school.

2.Funding should follow the child. Tax dollars raised for education should go to schools choosen by parents, not to bureaucrats far from the classroom.

3.Schools should compete. To finance their operations, schools should have to rely on tuition, includiung tax-funded tuition, paid by parents who choose their children’s schools.

4.Empower school leaders. Principals and other school leaders should be free to create missions and programs they believe will be most attractive to students and parents.

5.Empower teachers. School choice would free teachers from their current dependency on teacher unions, allowing them to act as true professionals.

6.Give parents adequate funding incentives. Tuition vouchers or tax credits should be sufficient to enable parents to choose high-quality schools, including secular schools that are not subsidized by churches, temples, or mosques.

7.Allow schools to succeed or fail. Entrepreneurs and teachers should be free to start or manage schools, and schools that fail to attract students should be allowed to close.

8.Preserve the autonomy of private schools. The autonomy of private schools should be recognized as being in the public interest. New regulations should not be imposed on private shools, and public schools as well as private schools, should be deregulated.

9.Teach democratic values. The failure of public schools to teach civics and democratic values is a compelling reason to adopt school choice.

10.All parents should be free to choose. Teh goal should be to allow every parent to choose, require every school to compete, and give every child the opportunity to attend a safe and effective school.