By Carol Lucas
I don’t think it is an understatement to suggest that when Gov. McMaster put forth Darline Graham’s name to fulfill the remainder of her late brother’s term in the U.S. Senate, it was intended to be a nod to the memory of Lindsey Graham.
While this is understandable, very little was heard from either side of the aisle, and given that Republicans choose to denigrate DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) appointments as unfair every time they turn around, nothing to this effect was mentioned in regard to Ms. Graham.
Of course, this nomination has 47’s enthusiastic backing (he told her, “Run, Darline, run”); so he came to Myrtle Beach to rally for her. But wait, I am getting ahead of myself.
When Ms. Graham made this decision, she found herself in a runoff situation with Rep. Ralph Norman, and so a debate in Newberry was put onto the docket, a debate that proved to be a debacle … for Ms. Graham.
During this time, the woman really put her lack of knowledge on full display. The question was asked, “Are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States?
A nervous-looking Graham asked to have the question repeated. It was apparent she was hedging her bets when she finally said, “I’m just going to be honest here … I’m not that informed on national security.” She then quickly added, “National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military,” noting her brother’s 33 years in the Air Force and her father’s service in the Army.
Without dealing in the obvious, I don’t think it is unfair to suggest that given the present state of our country’s military involvement, anyone aspiring to become part of the federal government had better brush up on national security and immediately, if not yesterday.
This, however, was not Graham’s only faux pas. Discussing the state’s economic struggles, she stated that South Carolina is home to “50 million people.”
This caused one critic to proclaim, “Wow, bigger than California. Impressive. The actual population is roughly 5.6 million, but what’s 45 million among friends?”
So it would appear that Ms. Graham had a somewhat rocky beginning in her drive to become our senator. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, as the saying goes. No knowledge, however, is something else, something we do not need at this time in our history. But I digress.
The next evening Ms. Graham (note that she doesn’t use her married name of Nordone now that she is in Washington) went on the Sean Hannity show in hopes of doing some damage control. Again, I did not watch; the fact is, you couldn’t pay me big bucks to watch.
Hannity tossed a couple of softball questions, the first dealing with Taiwan, saying that people were making a “big deal” out of it. Graham’s response was simplistic and dismissive, basically saying that the Taiwan question doesn’t matter because people of South Carolina are more concerned about the SAVE America Act (hear that, Donnie, I’m supporting your goals) and transgender athletes.
So on to the glorious Myrtle Beach rally last Friday evening. I am going to come clean, dear reader, and tell you I did not (could not) watch. My blood pressure meds would have been insufficient.
What follows are just some of the delicacies he put forth in “support” of the candidate. It is up to you to discern how effective this rally for her election was.
For starters, he talked for an hour and a half, delivering conservative priorities, adding that he sees supporting Graham as a way to honor her brother. No surprise.
But if you think this lengthy speech was geared solely toward Ms. Darline’s election, you haven’t been paying attention to 47’s modus operandi.
He then launched into the planned ballroom, immigration, cost of living (which he assures everyone that affordability is just a Democratic hoax), AND a reading of the song “The Snake.” Until now I had neither read nor heard of “The Snake,” a poem written in 1968 by Oscar Brown, Jr.
However, it seems that 47 repeatedly reads this in his political rallies as a way of attacking immigrants and immigration policies. Given his history of wives, the irony simply doesn’t fail to amaze.
The further irony lies in the poem itself; it is the story of a compassionate woman who nurses a freezing snake back to health, only to be fatally bitten. The snake then justifies its action by reminding her that she knew its treacherous nature when she rescued it. You might want to consider that, MAGAs.
Of course in his usual predictable diatribe fashion, he chose to talk about “Sleepy Joe” and asserted that “The Strait of Hormuz is now an American territory.” He went on to say that “gays love him.” Try that one on for size.
His continued meaning asserted that, “Tariffs have made us rich as hell.” According to one source, the audience didn’t applaud for that because they know who became richer, and it didn’t include them. And he briefly addressed inflation by saying, “I have already solved that.”
But maybe the assertion that should have brought the house down follows.”There’s no more trans surgery. Hospitals are now doing reverse surgery on my orders. I told them to. Now they’re doing reverse trans on my orders. Nobody ever heard of it.”
Ms. Darline, he told you to run; I would have run the other direction. But then I’m voting for Dr. Annie, so my advice is a moot point.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”