Lindsey Graham: On debt limit, GOP has "nobody to blame but ourselves"

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (C) speaks as (L-R) Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. John Thune (R-SC), Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) listen June 14, 2011 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

/ Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Senator Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., on Wednesday lamented his party's having made such "a big deal" about its opposition to raising the debt ceiling, and conceded that now Republicans were struggling to walk back their statements.

"Our problem is we made a big deal about this for three months," said Graham of the debt limit debate, according to Politico. "How many Republicans have been on TV saying, 'I'm not going to raise the debt limit'? You know, Mitch [McConnell] says, 'I'm not going to raise the debt limit unless we talk about Medicare.' And I've said I'm not going to raise the debt limit until we do something about spending and entitlements.'"

Democrats and Republicans have for weeks been engaged in tense negotiations over an agreement to raise the nation's $14.3 trillion borrowing limit, but progress has been repeatedly stalled over issues like whether or not to increase tax revenues - a matter on which neither party appears willing to budge.

Graham says now Republicans should have tempered their language early on.

"We shouldn't have said that if we didn't mean it... We've got nobody to blame but ourselves," Graham told reporters. 

Graham also disputed the argument, made by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday, that Republicans couldn't vote for the debt ceiling because it would destroy the GOP "brand" and put the party at risk of being blamed "for a bad economy."

(McConnell has proposed a controversial alternative plan, which would both enable President Obama to raise the debt limit and allow Republicans to avoid voting for it. That plan, however, would not require Mr. Obama to enact any commensurate spending cuts.)

"Most people who got elected in 2010 didn't come up here worried about the brand, they came up here worried about the country," Graham said. "You go explain to them why they're wrong [when they] say that the country's on an unsustainable path. I don't think they are wrong."

Nevertheless Graham, like a handful of his fellow lawmakers, appears to be looking at McConnell's plan as a last-ditch means with which to avoid defaulting on the government's loans in the event that Republicans and Democrats are unable to agree on a compromise.

"If they can't [come to a deal], then Mitch's idea makes sense," Graham said. "But if they can pass something out of the House that raises the debt limit that changes the reason we got in debt, that would be a fundamental new direction for the country, I think we should support that."

[leahd5]

The only things we need to change that got us into our debt and deficit crisis are

Get out of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

and

Get rid of the crazy tax breaks for people with incomes over $250K/year

Single payer health care (Medicare for All, with younger people able to buy into the system and our government negotiating costs with providers and Big Pharma) would help a whole lot too.

The biggest spending items in our budget are wars and health care.

The Bush tax cuts and Bush wars ate up our budget surplus.

Yes, we should be living within our means. We can't afford war, and we can't afford our population's health to be at the mercy of for-profit health care. And we can't afford to let those with the top 2% of income freeload off the rest of us.

[antoniof123]

So now he sees what an idiot move they made.

Too late it will come crashing down around you because when you tell a stupid person to trust you and the do you can't tell them trust me now I am changing my mind even though I was right to begin with.

LOL................

Crash and burn we the people get the government we the people deserve.

It is not the government it is "We the people" who are the government and it looks like we listened to idiots so that makes us idiots.

[nearl451]

It seems they've backed themselves into a Constituional crisis corner to avoid actually taking any meaningful action on anything.

Give all the power to the Executive and require him to take action, and also require a SUPER majority to override the Executive. Really?!

[airmanma]

Sissy, come out of the closet already.

[azigo]

Mitch McConnell stated that he thinks if he negotiates at all with President Obama HE will not get re-elected. Shows you where his mind and heart are. In his own wallet. Every hour that goes by with their petty temper tatrums will definately mean a plethora of lost votes.

[p_syrus]

Graham: late to the party yet only half sober.

Raise the debt ceiling. Rescind the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy. Eliminate corporate tax loopholes. Pass federal legislation eliminating the extension of civil speech rights to corporations and barring corporations from funding or providing support for political advertising.

And while your at it: trash can the 'first to file' changes in intellectual property laws as that simply extends further unwarranted monopoly protection to CORPORATIONS which already have an excessive advantage under current intellectual property law. Frankly, the ip laws should be changed so that no corporation can OWN ip but only possess the right to a partial LICENSE of it from its human creators on a time restricted basis.

Frankly, ALL laws relating to corporations are in drastic need of a re-thinking and revision to reduce corporations to a civil standing which reduces their power greatly and guarantees the civil rights of the citizenry shall not be disturbed by the interference of corporate economic interests. THAT is something, however, that no republican, much less a corporate shill like Graham, will ever willingly embrace.

[Lindag10]

The Tea Party is the one driving this debt crisis problem. It appears that they (or their controllers) are determined to crash the country and the economy for some reason of their own. Perhaps they believe that their reserves of cash will carry them and enable them establish a country that they can rule with an iron fist. Tea Party zealots are mindless puppets.

[AmericanLady100]

When the purely ideologically driven Tea Party put the Republicans into the driver's seat in the House, I knew Boehner was going to have a problem. Cue Cantor and the silliness yesterday. So long as the Republicans are beholden to the Tea Party they are hopelessly compromised and will say ridiculous things. I don't know if we're beyond a solution at this point. If we are, there goes a good chunk of retirement savings. What do you think I'll be remembering in 2012? Boehner and McConnell must have that in mind right now. Certainly Graham sounds worried, as well he should be. If it isn't stopped, this will echo for a long time.

[agnesdeo]

I love it "We shouldn't or we should have" thinking. What does looking back at past mistakes affect the future. Graham, you with all the rest of the members of Congress have been playing a game over this budget crisis...knowing that it isn't going to hurt your bank account or wealthy lifestyle. Shame on all of you both Demos and Repubs.

[Progress4U]

Sad thing is these idiots will drive the country and the WORLD's economy off a cliff just to make a point and stick to their failed ideology. Very sad....Wall Street will pay for their minion's bidding.