Anger at McGrahamnesty in South Carolina

GreenvilleOnline:

Republicans are angry.

Angrier than they have been in years.

"I haven't seen an issue that's connected with the base since hanging chads in Florida," said Katon Dawson, the state GOP's chairman.

It's immigration, an issue with a lot more life in it than the controversial bill recently put on the Senate's back burner, maybe permanently, maybe temporarily, in the face of mostly Republican opposition. Opponents say it offers amnesty for 12 million illegals; proponents, with justification, say it does no such thing, but who's reading the bill?

In South Carolina, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has become the face of that legislation. He's even picked up a new nickname, "Grahamnesty," and it's not complimentary.

The timing could have been better. Graham is up for re-election in 2008, and the primary is only 51 weeks distant, filing even sooner.

And Graham, Dawson concedes, is taking a "pounding" for his out-front role in pushing it, along with his choice for the Republican presidential nomination, Sen. John McCain. South Carolina Republicans' favorite bugaboo, Massachusetts Democrat Ted Kennedy, was the prime Democratic co-sponsor.

If President Bush is able to revive the bill with what little clout he has left, Graham's agony will continue. Angry Republicans

Republicans are angry with Graham, castigating him in e-mails and telephone calls to his office, the media and party headquarters.

They can't get at him just yet, so they're taking it out on the state party.

"Fundraising went in the tank when they saw amnesty in bold print," Dawson said. In fact, it's been suspended since Graham went public with the bill, Dawson said.

...

The conservative Heritage Foundation called the bill "ill-conceived." Columbia Christians for Life issued a statement critical of Graham as one of the "pro-amnesty traitors in (a) Benedict Arnold betrayal of America." The Dump Lindsey Graham Web site said of him, "McGraham worships Teddy Kennedy, mocks South Carolina. "

...

There's no recent polling to show Graham's favorable/unfavorable ratings and no opponent to pair him with, but plenty of anecdotal evidence that a fair number of Republicans and independents are everything from disappointed to ragingly angry.

Bob Hindman, an engineer who lives in Easley was typical of recent callers and e-mailers.

"He's selling the whole country out," Hindman said of Graham.

There are national implications beyond how tough a re-election fight Graham might have.

With Graham so closely tied to McCain, who led the GOP charge -- with very few followers -- for the immigration bill, there's bound to be fallout for McCain's presidential primary campaign in South Carolina. The question is how long, how deep.

...

It is hard to see why he and McCain are supporting this bill. They certainly have not made a case that connects with the republican base. Instead they have generally angered them by not responding to the arguments against what many feel is a very bad bill that will do great harm to the country. Passing it will not make the anger fade.