Wall Street Journal
By Beth Reinhard
April 20, 2015
South
Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham sat down with The Wall Street Journal
after addressing Republican activists Saturday in Nashua, N.H., and
assessed his 2016 prospects
and the debates over immigration policy and national security. Mr.
Graham is currently “testing the waters,” which, in the parlance of the
Federal Election Commission, means he is accepting donations of as much
as $2,700-per-person to be used if he decides
to run for president. Unlike many rivals who tend to stick to their
talking points, the senator is becoming known for his unscripted and
candid remarks on the campaign trail.
Here
are excerpts from the interview as Mr. Graham sipped a glass of
Riesling, the white wine he’s favored since the mid-1980s when his
German neighbors served it to him
while he was stationed in West Germany for the Air Force:
On the 2013 immigration overhaul:
“We
did everything but put alligators [at the southern border]. We
literally militarized the border…If we’re still playing this game of
denying the reality of immigration
reform politics, forget about 2016… I am not going to sign a bill if I
am president that doesn’t have an earned pathway to citizenship…If we
allow you to stay — criminals are not welcome, bad-deed doers off you go
— but if we’re going to let you stay the rest
of your life, then you can earn your way to citizenship – get behind
those who have done it right, pay a fine, learn the language, lots of
hurdles — but I want you to have a chance to be part of us. I don’t like
the hired help approach.”
On
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a White House rival who co-sponsored the
immigration bill but has backed away from it after a backlash from
conservative activists:
“I
believe in what I did or I wouldn’t have done it. So what good am I to
anybody if I don’t believe in my own work product?…Sen. Rubio will be
president one day. I don’t
know if it will be 2016…. I think I am a stronger Republican today
because on occasion I’ve disagreed with my own party. I have nothing but
positive things to say about what [Mr. Rubio] tried to do. Why he’s
separated I don’t know. I’ll leave that up to him,
but I’m not going to back off.”
On
his advocacy of a muscular U.S. role in world affairs and the more
cautious approach advocated by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a presidential
candidate.
“This
whole thing about screwing around with Rand Paul – that is just a
benefit of this [potential campaign]. That’s not why I am doing it. I
like Rand. Rand is a libertarian.
I’m a lawyer. He’s a doctor. Doctors are not used to being challenged.
I’ll fight until morning, day and night, this is a business for me. We
have different views of foreign policy. Let’s have a fight about it.
Let’s see where the party is…Is it going to be
the party of Ron Paul’s son or Ronald Reagan? At the end of the day
that’s a fight worth having…Hats off to Rand Paul for trying to expand
the party. On foreign policy we’re going to fight like hell. I think
he’s right to try to connect with young people.
I’m not focusing on kids who smoke dope in their parents’ basement. I’m
focused on young farmers, young lawyers, young real estate agents,
young subway shop owners. He’s a libertarian. I’m not selling
libertarianism to young people. I’m selling conservativism
to young people.”
On fiscal policy:
“If
we don’t reform entitlements like I talked about today, we’re all dead.
We’re all grease…If we don’t raise the debt ceiling the Republican
Party will get more blame
than the Democratic Party… If we look like we’re irresponsible, and
we’re doing pretty good right now… We’re actually making some progress
on issues. If we don’t raise the debt ceiling on our watch or it’s
blamed on us because we’re too ideological, were in
trouble.”
On the biggest challenge facing his potential 2016 campaign:
“The
means. If I put together a finance team that will make me financially
competitive enough to stay in this thing…I may have the first all-Jewish
cabinet in America
because of the pro-Israel funding. [Chuckles.] Bottom line is, I’ve
got a lot of support from the pro-Israel funding. Can I raise enough
hard money to get through Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina with
a staff about 75?…South Carolina is unique because
I’m from there. So here’s the deal. If I can raise $15 million — that’s
enough and that can make me competitive…If I can perform well in Iowa
to get some momentum coming into New Hampshire, hit hard here, finish in
the top tier, I’ll win South Carolina and
I’m in the final four.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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