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Senator Lindsey Graham returns to the past
Senator Lindsey Graham announced his candidacy for president of the United States today. His announcement sounded like a return to a failed past. He articulated policies that most Americans are sure to reject. Lindsey Graham all but declared war on both ‘radical Islam’ and the middle-class.
“I want to be president to protect the nation that we all love so much,” Lindsey Graham said. “So get ready. I am ready.”
The question is, ready for what?
“I want to be president to defeat the enemies that tried to kill us,” Graham said. “Not just penalize them, criticize them, or contain them, but defeat them.”
Is that not a declaration of war? He goes on to reminisce about the fallacy of Ronald Reagan maintaining peace through strength. Did he forget that Ronald Reagan traded arms in the Iran Contra scandal? Did he forget that Ronald Reagan negotiated with ‘the enemy’?
“But I have come to conclude we will never enjoy peaceful coexistent with radical Islam,” Lindsey Graham said. “Because its followers intend to destroy our way of life. However America can be and will be secure only if we have strength. Security through strength will protect us.”
If anyone doubts what he meant he made it clear later. “I am afraid some Americans have grown tired of fighting them,” Graham said. “I have some bad news to share with you. The radical Islamist are not tired of fighting you. In partnership with others we must take the fight to them. Building lines of defenses over there so they can’t come here.”
Did we not hear this before. Has he not heard of about the Internet? Does he not know that they are already here because one can be indoctrinated online. Those that are thinking understand that being strong and vigilant over here is much more effective than blowing things up over there.
Lindsey Graham continued his speech by attempting to scare Americans into fearing Iran. He is attempting to use the same misinformation campaign that led us to war with Iraq.
Lindsey Graham spent most of the his announcement warmongering cloaked in the mantra of keeping us safe. When he pivoted to domestic issue one could only define it as an extension to the war on the middle-class.
Graham started the description of the Social Security solvency issue with a lie. “As my generation retires, both programs [Social Security and Medicare] are on track to go bust,” Graham said. “We are living longer and fewer workers are supporting more retirees. That’s unsustainable, everybody knows it, but not everybody will admit it.”
Graham then said that it must be fixed in order for it to be there for the future. The reality is that even if no action is taken, Social Security would not go bust. It will simply have to pay folks less.
Lindsey Graham’s solution as generally is by most on the Right, is to force the middle-class to work till they are older and pay more. Never did he suggest that the wealthy who pays almost nothing into Social Security as a percentage of their income should pay their fair share, a little bit more is note their fair share. Social Security tax on all income is.
Lindsey Graham’s presidential announcement is but a return to the past. Unfortunately we are still living through the effects of a failed past. Reinforcing that past is not an option.
Learn the reality about Social Security here. Stop allowing the politicians to fool us into voting to enrich a plutocracy impoverishing us all.
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