Senator Graham: I would use military to force Congress to vote my way

[jaysabi]

Lindsey Graham: As president, I'd use military to make Congress vote my way



Does Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., really support the Constitution? That's what many are wondering after the South Carolina Republican and 2016 presidential hopeful said he would use the military to make Congress reverse cuts to defense and intelligence budgets if he were elected president, Vox reported Thursday.

"And here is the first thing I would do if I were President of the United States, I wouldn’t let Congress leave town until we fix this," he said at a "politics and pies" forum in Concord, New Hampshire. "I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to.”

"We’re not leaving town until we restore these defense cuts," Graham declared. "We’re not leaving town until we restore the intel cuts. Killing terrorists is the only option other than capturing them, because they're not deterred by death."

Vox’s Amanda Taub noted that Graham, a potential "would use the military to force members of Congress to not just vote on the bill — but to pass it. Graham didn’t say 'until I get an up-or-down vote on restoring defense cuts.' He said 'until we restore these defense cuts.'” In short, she added, Graham just announced that his first act as the nation's chief executive would be to use military force to make the legislative branch pass his agenda.

"If taken literally, Graham is basically announcing his plan to stage a coup," she added. "[H]e is saying that if he gains control of the executive branch, he will use his authority as commander in chief to overcome the separation of powers and force the legislative branch to do his bidding, instead of allowing it to act as an independent branch of the government."

More: http://www.examiner.com/article/lindsey-graham-as-president-i-d-use-military-to-make-congress-vote-my-way

Dictator level: Literal. 

[Beliathon]

He is saying that if he gains control of the executive branch, he will use his authority as commander in chief to overcome the separation of powers and force the legislative branch to do his bidding, instead of allowing it to act as an independent branch of the government."

Graham as president? I'll take things that will never happen for 500 Satoshi, Alex.

[Balthazar]

Too late, Julius Caesar already did this. He need to invent something new.

[Lethn]

You guys seriously need to boot these lunatics out of office.

[jaysabi]

He's done a lot of backtracking since then, saying he was only joking and not being serious, and his apologists are floating the liberal media is out to get him boo hoo story. The problem is, you don't start a "joke" about being a dictator with the phrase "I will literally use the army..." because literally has a very specific meaning. Also, you might not want to marry your "joke" in with policy statement you're completely serious about, like the need to kill terrorists if they can't be captured. When you marry your "joke" with actual serious policy, and use the word literally to preface it, it's not on the public for taking you, wait for it, literally.

Here's the quote in question:

I worried about this from day one. I'm sick to my stomach. [New Hampshire Senator] Kelly Ayotte has been awesome. And here is the first thing I would do if I were President of the United States: I wouldn’t let Congress leave town until we fix this. I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to. We’re not leaving town until we restore these defense cuts. We’re not leaving town until we restore the intel cuts. Killing terrorists is the only option other than capturing them, because they're not deterred by death.

[Snail2]

He had a lot of predecessors, none of them ended up very well. Anyway, after such a manifesto you guys should fire him asap.

[freedomno1]

Now that one is a quote of the week
Right up their with the Greece politician that said let ISIS in if you don't bail us out ^^

[Lethn]

Now that one is a quote of the week
Right up their with the Greece politician that said let ISIS in if you don't bail us out ^^

The more people turn against them, the more these morons show their true colours, the UK elections are going to be pretty interesting and funny for me

[Chef Ramsay]

Now that one is a quote of the week
Right up their with the Greece politician that said let ISIS in if you don't bail us out ^^

The more people turn against them, the more these morons show their true colours, the UK elections are going to be pretty interesting and funny for me

I'm actually this dirtbag came out in such a crazy way on this. Generally, most conservative republicans haven't liked this guy in past times cause him and his buddy Senator McCain were the ones pushing for arming the Syrian 'rebels' and using the US Air Force against Assad and for the newly minted ISIS, as well as being the ones that called the likes of Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee (most conservative Senators): Whacko Birds. So, conservatives obviously took sides and then Graham and McCain were on the outs even tho they had plenty of support from the establishment and neoconservative wing of the party. But, as the ISIS situation has been getting all the attention yet were nourished early on by the meddling US foreign policy and the likes of Graham and co, the war spirit was being rekindled in the US and specifically w/i the GOP, which wouldn't be good for Rand if he runs for Prez. Yet, this blowhard coming out like this with such a revelation in regards to dictating excessive military spending definitely gave great ammo to the foreign policy and fiscal realists in the party. And because Graham is a neocon that is always in favor of starting crap abroad and then offering ground troops and military intervention as the default option thereafter, this extreme comment hopefully will rub off in the minds of republicans as the cousin mindset of foreign interventionism as well and dampen its appeal.

[jaysabi]

Now that one is a quote of the week
Right up their with the Greece politician that said let ISIS in if you don't bail us out ^^

The more people turn against them, the more these morons show their true colours, the UK elections are going to be pretty interesting and funny for me

I'm actually this dirtbag came out in such a crazy way on this. Generally, most conservative republicans haven't liked this guy in past times cause him and his buddy Senator McCain were the ones pushing for arming the Syrian 'rebels' and using the US Air Force against Assad and for the newly minted ISIS, as well as being the ones that called the likes of Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee (most conservative Senators): Whacko Birds. So, conservatives obviously took sides and then Graham and McCain were on the outs even tho they had plenty of support from the establishment and neoconservative wing of the party. But, as the ISIS situation has been getting all the attention yet were nourished early on by the meddling US foreign policy and the likes of Graham and co, the war spirit was being rekindled in the US and specifically w/i the GOP, which wouldn't be good for Rand if he runs for Prez. Yet, this blowhard coming out like this with such a revelation in regards to dictating excessive military spending definitely gave great ammo to the foreign policy and fiscal realists in the party. And because Graham is a neocon that is always in favor of starting crap abroad and then offering ground troops and military intervention as the default option thereafter, this extreme comment hopefully will rub off in the minds of republicans as the cousin mindset of foreign interventionism as well and dampen its appeal.

Building off of this, it's actually quite amazing to me that military interventionism still carries such appeal to conservatives considering all the current problems directly related to it. ISIS is a direct result of the power vacuum created by our intervention in Iraq, billions upon billions of dollars wasted in Iraq and Afghanistan trying to prop up inept and corrupt governments, etc. And then you have good ole Graham either joking or promising (depending how charitable you want to be with his quote) to use the military against Americans to make sure we can continue making these costly mistakes. I don't get this mindset.

[Beliathon]

You guys seriously need to boot these lunatics out of office.

Someone doesn't understand the power dynamics between the peasants and the Lords.