Graham: Obama Is Not A Centrist

Says Upcoming Debate Will Reveal Differences Between GOP And Democratic Views Of America

(CBS)  Painting the Democratic presidential candidate as one whom independents should not trust, Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that Barack Obama was "masquerading as a centrist."

Graham said that this Wednesday's debate between Barack Obama and John McCain would allow McCain to speak to the differences between how each candidate would address the growing economic crisis, "where John can be able to show the public where he will take this economy that's hurting by keeping your taxes low and not increasing spending, and compare the records of Senator Obama, when it comes to taxing and spending."

Appearing on Face The Nation, Graham said America needed to know that "this candidate, Senator Obama, who's masquerading as a centrist, is anything but a centrist when it comes to taxing, spending and social policy. And at the end of the day, I think we're going to be choosing between two candidates who have a different view of where to take America."

McCain's plan, according to Graham, would be "to lower tax rates for investors, capital gains tax, dividend tax rates, to make sure that we can get the economy jump-started."

Nonetheless, Obama is leading in the polls, including in most of the key battleground states. However, Mayor Douglas Wilder of Richmond, Va., a Democrat, warned Obama's campaign against taking that lead for granted.

"The one caution that the Obama people ought to have today is not to be over-confident, not to believe that anything is won, it is not won," Wilder told host Bob Schieffer.

Wilder also disputed Graham's charges that Obama would raise taxes on the middle class or small businesses. "To the contrary, they will be having some relief," he said,

Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., said that while the economic crisis has hit Florida hard, there is a deep well of support for McCain in the Sunshine State, particular among retired servicemembers.

"Obama has had a good couple of weeks and has opened up a small lead," Putnam said, "but we have a long way to go. And I think John McCain is going to retake that momentum with this upcoming debate. He is going to retake the momentum in Florida because of his specific proposals that will improve the economy, that will support small businesses."

The backing of independent voters (key in any state) is especially important in Colorado, where a Democrat has won the state only once in recent years (Bill Clinton in 1992). Gov. Bill Ritter, D-Colo., said that the election "is going to be decided by independent voters, and independent voters care about the economy."

Ritter said Coloradans have watched McCain "behave erratically where the economy was concerned and where his response was concerned.

Obama on the other hand, has shown just a steady, consistent way of responding. He's thoughtful. He is specific. And I think that's really, not just in Colorado but around the country, where you see these swing states trending for Obama, it's because of the great contrast in their different styles of leadership as they campaign."

But where is the economy headed?

Dr. C. Fred Bergsten, director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics (left), said that the U.S. is almost certainly in a recession," but he did not think today's crisis was any comparison to the 1930s and the Great Depression.

"I don't think we're headed toward a world recession, though were clearly slowing down," Bergsten told Schieffer. "What we are is in the midst of a crisis of confidence. The financial markets are near panic. They need reassuring steps from the governments and the central banks to get them back into a positive mode. The governments and central banks need to take a series of very specific measures to get the credit markets functioning again, to get the banks lending again, to get the economy moving forward again. We need those decisions in the next day or two to get confidence back on track.

“I think there is still bad news ahead, particularly in terms of the economic turndown, but I think the market may be near a bottom. If the governments can be seen now as getting on top of the issue in a comprehensive way, I think we can have a turnaround. In fact, I think we could have an explosive upside rally in the market as we did for most of the day in the stock market here on Friday.”

---

Read the full "Face the Nation" transcript here.

By CBSNews.com producer David Morgan.

[petesis]

Was he sober? Usually he is drunk.

[iamdemocrat]

President O..ODINGA is not a centrist, ask his maternal cousin...

Who emailed and ADVISED the KENYAN PRIME-MINISTER who used ETHNIC CLEANSING?

Which FAMOUS INDONESIAN is blood-related to BUSH and CHENEY?

Which foreign prince is also blood-related to ODINGA.


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He is LEGAL to be President of Kenya or Indonesia.

But our forefathers specifically stipulate in the CONSTITUTION that NO FOREIGN PRINCE shall be President of the USA.

I voted for BOXER, FEINSTEIN, ESHOO, and they DIDN%u2019T LISTEN to their constituents. They did ACCEPT MONEY from the finance folks!

PELOSI tops the list. These DEMs didn%u2019t listen to us; NOR WILL A FOREIGN PRINCE!

PELOSI et al helped this Foreigner into office.

TIME TO VOTE THEM ALL OUT!

I don%u2019t want you to TRUST me. I want you to VERIFY it for yourself.
GOOGLE it. YOUTUBE it. YAHOO it.

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[excoachken]

Hey LOOK, What is John McCain''s middle name? Don''t bother to google, it is Sidney. So does that make him guilty of being overly friendly to Autrailians? The middle name krap is a waste of time. I was given the middle name of a movie star cowboy, but I''ve never ridden a horse and only performed in home birthday party films. Try to find a real issue with Obama and maybe we will read what you write.

[lastdance127]

Graham is Simply following in The Footsteps of
The Republican NAZI Fascist Party : Heroes
That He Admires most and can completely Identify
Himself with :

S*E*X*U*A*L MISCONDUCT with UNDER AGE CHILDREN


Rep. Larry Craig (R. ID) ________ Rep. Ted Stevens (R. Alaska)
Rep. John T. Doolittle (R. Calif.) __ Rep. Gary G. Miller (R. Calif.)
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R. Calif.) ______ Rep. Rick Renzi (R. Az.)
Rep. Richard Curtis (R.WA.) _____ Rep. David Vitter (R-La.)
Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) ________ Rep. Bob Allen (R-Fla

All Graham Has Done is : To Demonstrate and Expose
The Hypercritical Culture of : Republican NAZI Fascist Party
Family Values - Family Morals and Family Ethics
The Republican NAZI Fascist Party is Most Famous For and
Proud to be in Affiliated with and Continue to be in Support of

The Republican NAZI Fascist Party and
Supporters of : The Republican NAZI Fascist Party
Are Again Showing Their : True Colors

OUTSTANDING CHRISTIAN APTITUDE
Of all the Supporters of
The Republican NAZI Fascist Party
Who Continue to Follow in Their Image ! !

[tawabill]

GetRealTex says: "Obama a CENTRIST! Pardon me while I bust a gut laughing! The man is a communist straight out of Hitler''s design book!"

Um... Hitler was a socialist, not a communist. In fact, his regime was extremely anti-communist.

Based on everthing I have seen, Senator McCain''s running mate have far more in common with the demagoguery of Hitler than Senator Obama. Governor "Parrot" seems to be hoping that if she repeats lies often enough, they will be believed by some who haven''t already drowned in the Kool-Aid.

[jaykay3141]

/* "The man is a communist straight out of Hitler''''s design book!" */

Try reading a history book instead of a design book. Hitler was anything but a communist. However, there WAS a very close relationship between big business and the Nazi regime, along with a strong emphasis on "family values", a concept called Heimatsicherheit (yes, quite literally "homeland security"), hatred of anyone who wasn''t "just like them" (i.e. blue eyes, brown or blond hair), and, yeah, some book burning thrown in for good measure (see Libraries, Public, Wasilla).

Need more be said?

[jaykay3141]

OOPS! Forgot to mention the "Big Lie". Repeat a lie often enough and with enough authority and the masses will believe it. (Josef Goebbels)

[daffy64]

Obama a CENTRIST! Pardon me while I bust a gut laughing! The man is a communist straight out of Hitler''''s design book!

You cannot get more pinko commmie far left whack job than Barak Hussein Obama!

----
Hitler was a famous "communist".

[iamdemocrat]

President O..Od1ng4 is not a centrist.

Guys, you are making TOO MUCH SENSE. Where''s the appeal to my DREAMS. Where''s the UNSUBSTANTIATED platitudes of reassurance? Your not a great CONFIDENCE men; you are real Americans.

But there''s more:

Who emailed and ADVISED the KENYAN PR1ME-MINISTER who used ETHN1C CLEANS1NG?

Which FAMOUS 1NDONESIAN is blood-related to BUSH and CHENEY?

Which foreign prince is also blood-related to OD1NGA.


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He is LEGAL to be President of Kenya or Indonesia. But our forefathers specifically stipulate in the CONSTITUTION that NO FOREIGN PRINCE shall be President of the USA.
I voted for BOXER, FEINSTEIN, ESHOO, and they DIDN%u2019T LISTEN to their constituents. They did ACCEPT MONEY from the finance folks! PELOSI tops the list. These DEMs didn%u2019t listen to us; NOR WILL A FOREIGN PRINCE! PELOSI et al helped this Foreigner into office. TIME TO VOTE THEM ALL OUT!
I don%u2019t want you to TRUST me. I want you to VERIFY it for yourself.
GOOGLE it. YOUTUBE it. YAHOO it.

YOUTUBE: OCTOBER SURPRISE BALLOT FRAUD

[nycsense]

Obama a CENTRIST! Pardon me while I bust a gut laughing! The man is a communist straight out of Hitler''''s design book!

You cannot get more pinko commmie far left whack job than Barak Hussein Obama!

Posted by GetRealTex

Where to begin on this one but by laughing. Hitler wasn''t a communist, in fact he hated communists. Hitler was a fascist, a dictator. This pretty much shows how ignorant you are.

CASTRO LOVES OBAMA SO DOES HAMAS AYERS ACORN Louis Farrakhan AND REV WRIGHT.THATS QUITE THE LIST.OBO =THE END OF OUR COUNTRY.

Posted by whiner245a

Oh really? And how did you come to find out this out? Please refrain from pulling false info from your ***.

I don%u2019t want you to TRUST me. I want you to VERIFY it for yourself.
GOOGLE it. YOUTUBE it. YAHOO it.

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Posted by iamdemocrat

Yes, because lots of credible information can be acquired from such trusted institutions as Youtube.
People, you really need to read a book of two and educate yourselves these comments are just laughable.

[norepubs]

How much is the RNC paying repub trailer trash posting on this board for this comedy routine?

[autumnof97]

Obama most definitely is a centrist and quite frankly I wish he would be a lot more progressive.

I often see comments in which someone calls a Democrat a communist or a socialist, which proves that a lot of people have no idea what communism and socialism mean.
Apparently, they don''t even know that communism and socialism are not the same thing. My advice to these people is to learn what a term means before they start to use it.

[windmaster12]

Ok Graham

Mccain is masquerading as a war Hero
When he betrayed his country to the Viet Cong

Bush is masquerading as a Leader
When he ran the Country into the ground

You are masquerading as a Senator
When you are complicit with the collapse of
our financial institutions on your watch!!

And finally you and your Conservative base gave us
Socialized Bank''s
Gop the New Red''s!!!

[jolsonbear]

I think it is time to call the plumber out to check the septic tank at the GOP headquarters, because they are full of s h i t.

[iamdemocrat]

Dear nycsense,

You are correct about

youtube: october surprise ballot fraud.

youtube: october surprise ballot fraud.

youtube: october surprise ballot fraud.

youtube: october surprise ballot fraud.

But youtube is fun!

After you watch it. If you are an attorney with a PACER account retrieve: 08cv04083 Berg v Obama.

You can download a free pdf @ http://www.obamacrimes.com/attachments/030_ObamaBergOpposProtecOrder100808.pdf

A FOREIGN PRINCE, no matter how qualified, SHOULD NOT be our president as stipulated in the CONSTITUTION.

However, I am happy to support your candidacy for President if you are eligible.

[sallievoter]

hey, that''s okay...

senator Graham masquerades as a person with a brain!!

[sallievoter]

Oh by the way....

all the republican trolls just got their new directions to start up the

BALANCED GOVERNMENT.....

CHECKS AND BALANCES.....

SO BE LOOKING ---HERE COME THE TROLLS WITH THE NEW SLOGANS!!!

[windmaster12]

cbs300
actually if you do a search under
mccain collaborator

you will find there is ample evidense

Reported by himself other Repub''s and
vietnam vets

[sallievoter]

SERIOUSLY.....They decided today that the

Balanced government theme was gonna be the new winner. so be looking for that theme....

like they will make us believe we want a president and a congress that FIGHT??? Like that will somehow help the country? Like that wisdom will get mccain and palin elected. Moronic, indeed.

[standlee5]

What a joke Obama''s ads now have "Centrist" in them. The guy is socialist but with nationalization of private banks, industries, and residential property why not have a socialist president.

[standlee5]

What has the guy ever done to show himself to be a centrist. He''s never really done anything but that''s beside the point. Wht has he done to show centrism. nothing.

[standlee5]

"I don''t think we''re headed toward a world recession, though were clearly slowing down," Bergsten told Schieffer. "What we are is in the midst of a crisis of confidence.

I wonder if Nancy Pelosi declaring the party was over on Wall Street helped to instill confidence in US markets.

[zietzke-2009]

When will all of the Republican media "spin" garbage end?

These people had 8 years in power and they BLEW IT !!

Our credibility around the World is shreaded, our economy is ruined and the national debt has just topped over $ 10 TRILLION USD !! Our children''s futures have already been mortaged.

Thanks for everything RePIGS...You did a GREAT JOB !

[mswolfestock]

Here is the 411 that all of you should look at RE: John McShame. If you think you can support this train wreck of a man and his idiot running mate after you read this, please post back here.

http://rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

[pvperson]

RevOWrightA, you spend all day repeating neo-con lies and then complain that democrats don''t think for themselves? I guess the irony of that misses you entirely.

[hypnotoad72]

There was once a phrase I had heard... I think it was "Stop whining."

[missingamerica]

There is a rumor going around that about half of the trolls around the web who scream for McCain and against Obama are not in fact in the employ of the Republicans and/or the RNC and/or the McCain campaign...

The rumor is that many of the "Republican" trolls are in fact employed by "concerned citizens" of places such as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Iran, and the other places who have oil deposits, and who see McCain as "Business as Usual", and Obama as a threat to the $1 to $2 billion they receive from the United States evey single day...

[samthetvcat]

---"where John can be able to show the public where he will take this economy that''s hurting by keeping your taxes low and not increasing spending, and compare the records of Senator Obama, when it comes to taxing and spending."---

Both the candidates claim they''re going to cut taxes and spending, but the burden''s on McCain to actually make the case that he''d do what he says he''s going to do. It really falls on deaf ears of independents to hear the left-right thing because we''re in the middle. And we all know Barack''s to the left, but we also know McCain''s to the right, and everybody''s tacking left.

[samthetvcat]

---"Ritter said Coloradans have watched McCain "behave erratically where the economy was concerned and where his response was concerned."---

This is another dog of an argument - Barack was totally out of it during the bailout . . . I only look at results . . .

[ioweign]

Republican Party: The Fourth Reich

Posted by NoRepubs at 05:08 PM : Oct 12, 2008

Democtatic Party: The New Black Panthers

Posted by RevOWrightA at 05:11 PM : Oct 12, 2008


The price on "black" Grecian Formula just jumped with this one...

[hypnotoad72]

In seriousness, I like Ms Palin, but I need more reassurance to actually vote for McCain. All the talk about Obama''s past is one thing; McCain has a past too, and just because Obama has listened to a frothing, insane lunatic that wants America to be damned doesn''t mean he thinks the same way. That''s the point of being a diplomat; you listen -- you don''t blindly agree. And, being black, it''s logical many organizations will support him - just like how women groups of all sorts supported Hillary, and in some cases Palin.

[flajoe1]

McCain is masquerading as "My Friend"

[zaqxsw99]

Who is the real John McCain?

Why does he refuse to answer any questions regarding his close ties and collaboration with known terrorists?


-Why did John McCain pal around with known anti-Semitic terrorists? McCain served on the board of an international pro-Nazi, anti- Semitic terrorist group that worships a gold statue of Adolph Hitler and supports ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America, (they literally worship in front of a golden Hitler statue.) John McCain is a terrorist sympathizer who condones the murder of innocent civilians.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-07-mccain-iran-contra_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip


He is a grave threat to this nation%u2019s freedom, economy and national security.

[wogerwabbit]

You right wingers are pathetic... take off your tin foil hats, they''re frying your brains.

[zaqxsw99]

Who is the real Sarah Palin?

Why doe she refuse to answer any questions regarding her close ties and collaboration with known terrorists?


-Why did Sarah Palin and her husband Todd pal around with known anti-American terrorist Joe Vogler? Joe Vogler is the founder of the anti-American terrorist group, the Alaskan Independence Party. Sarah Palin and her husband have been members of the terroristic Alaskan Independent Party for nearly two decades. The (AIP) has repeatedly called for the murder of all American citizens and the total destruction of the United States of America. The (AIP) has claimed responsibility for numerous bombings of government buildings in Alaska dating all the way back to the 1970%u2019s. Joe Vogler first introduced Sarah Palin to politics and was widely regarded as her mentor and closest confidante until his death. In a 1991 interview currently housed at the Oral History Program in the Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Vogler is recorded as saying "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. And I won''t be buried under their *** flag. I''ll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home." Sarah Palin is a terrorist sympathizer who condones the murder of innocent civilians.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/07/palins_unamerican/


She is a grave threat to this nation%u2019s freedom, economy and national security.

[bluegill557]

This entire campaign has been mostly about Obama in the postive light and McCain in the negative. Fair and balanced news? That''s a laugh. The liberal media would have you believe Obama can walk on water. His rallies are orchestrated to give an air of a superstar. John McCain may not seem to be as "flashy" as Obama but he has a history of fighting for what is right for America.

[marshall65]

"Never, ever let a muslim attorney be the head of a country. Ever !!"............I don''t care what he is, he sure is better than anyone you would support you redneck idiot.

[ioweign]

John - who is Maj. Gen. John Singlaub ??

[paulstewart9]

First of a three part post: Senator Graham, you really need to pay attention. Its obvious you wouldn''t know a centrist if he was standing on your toes. Bush presided over the biggest expansion of government in US history. Bush produced the biggest deficit in US history - both current and cumulative deficits. Bush invaded countries that were better left well enough alone at a cost to American taxpayers that will last two generations in both blood and money. Bush enforced the biggest loss of civil liberties in US history. Bush is now nationalizing US banks and buying up their bad asse(t)s. A purely communist move. Of course, the sad thing is it is necessary to do it given the impact of all he has done. You could argue that he gave a huge tax reduction and that he is free market, but the reality is, he borrowed from China, Russia, you and me, to pay for that. It is not real. Now, the "tax savings" have come back in the form of the debt and the financial calamity.

Of course, McCain is more of the same. Only more so.

[paulstewart9]

Part 3 of three....

Obama is also careful to surround himself with people that are not being partisan, but are looking at what is in America''s best interest. Not the government''s interest, or the political or personal interests of its leaders, but in the American people''s interest, all interpreted through moral values that are at his core, and the constitution.

You know, Republicans do not have a lock on conservatism. And they do not have the right social policies. And liberals are not socialists. You know,
when you are on the battle field, you don''t leave your compatriots unprotected. You don''t leave the weakened and the wounded behind. If it is true and heroic in the battlefield of war, why is it not true in the battlefields of life?

America is indeed headed for a brighter future with Obama than with McCain.

[tx4obama]

John McCain may not seem to be as "flashy" as Obama but he has a history of fighting for what is right for America.
Posted by indepthlook at 06:20 PM : Oct 12, 2008


You must think agreeing 90% of the time with Bush is the right thing for America.

You must think choosing Sarah Palin is the right thing for American.

Hmmm......

[paulstewart9]

In reply to the post by gflordfam at 06:26 PM : Oct 12, 2008:

Who is gflordfam? McCain should be made to answer that question. Make it multiple choice

[bluegill557]

The spin goes on. Obama can do no wrong and if anything is brought to light it''s an attack. Denounce your church, your faith, your friends, but it doesn''t change who you are.

[bluegill557]

The spin goes on. Obama can do no wrong and if anything is brought to light it''''s an attack. Denounce your church, your faith, your friends, but it doesn''''t change who you are.

[ericv2644]

The old lady in Ohio who had to shoot herself to get attention to her plight with Fannie Mae was a disgrace since tax payers like the old lady bailed them out. I am a republican and after that I can''t in good conscience vote for McCain who is still talking about bailing out the mortgage companies and not the People like that old lady in Ohio.

[paulstewart9]

In reply to the post by gflordfam at 06:26 PM : Oct 12, 2008:

Who is gflordfam? McCain should be made to answer that question. Make it multiple choice

[samthetvcat]

---"Of course, McCain is more of the same. Only more so."---
Posted by PaulStewart9

That was a great comment - I''m getting really agitated after watching staunch GOP ideologues like Paulson balk at taking steps that conflict with his personal believes which seem to be exacerbating the problems we''re now having.

It feels downright dangerous to vote for the GOP, as if they really haven''t made the causal link between their past actions and the results.

Same could be said for the Dems - like they want more stimulus checks right now? For real? It''s so alarming to see Government out of control, but the system is so ideologically out of balance . . . what''s the lesser evil? I feel more and more like it''s the Dems . . .

Plus I think double-talk Barack could actually convince the world that it''s safe to get back into the market again, people don''t seem to feel the need to question the rationale for his claims . . .

[samthetvcat]

PS All the others stuff about Barack having peoples interests, being inclusive, being a strong leader - I don''t see that at all . . .

[cdfoxtrot4]

Who is Yraheish Abdullah Omarsedura? Obama should be made to answer that question. Make it multiple choice

Posted by gflordfam

He owns a deli in a Chicago suburb. Great pizza. Try it. The # is 1-312-555-6666.

[tannerbird]

Graham is a waste!