In one of the letters to the editor in last week’s QJL, the writer pointed out that the number of votes in the Congressional primary for Brad Lander against the current Representative Dan Goldman was substantially higher than the votes for Grace Meng in her primary. The argument was that this shows how the party has turned left.
That is incorrect. The other primary had a lot of media attention and was hotly contested. In contrast, there was little media attention in relation to the primary involving Grace Meng. The feeling of political experts and the media was that she would knock it out of the park. It was a lot closer than people expected. She only won by 14 percentage points. The reason for the close election and the few votes cast is because our Jewish community did not turn out in the numbers that they should have to show support. It is a stain on our community and not on the party. We need to wake up and do more.
Now to my main column. Within a few days after Graham Platner withdrew as the Democratic Party designee for the upcoming Senate election in Maine, Senator Lindsey Graham passed away. Platner, in his letter withdrawing his candidacy, said, “**** ICE and Free Palestine.” Platner withdrew not because the polls had him losing big to Susan Collins, the current Senator, but because the political establishment, including the progressives, had abandoned him. Platner is everything that Lindsey Graham was not. Platner never should have made it this far. The fact that he did, but was still popular with the progressive base, is an indictment of the current situation within the Democratic Party. However, it is not merely a Democratic Party problem. We can consider the President’s conduct, which voters do not care about, as well as Ken Paxton’s, who is the Republican Party nominee for Senate in Texas, to note that this stench permeates the body politic.
It was not too long ago that we had elected officials of high moral stature who thought that bipartisanship was not a dirty word and had good personal relationships with those of the other party. I am referring to Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman and Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. They had a close personal relationship and were referred to as the three amigos.
All three were staunch supporters of the State of Israel. In the current environment, Graham’s sticking with his support was remarkable in an era where politicians on both sides have changed their position to now being openly hostile or just being silent when Israel is being bashed day after day. Graham’s death is a big loss that we did not need at this time.
All three were defense hawks, which included supporting the United States having a robust foreign policy. Graham’s death is going to be a big loss for those who want the United States to deal with Iran and support Ukraine. These were the areas Graham was passionate about. There is now one less voice to convince Trump not to cave to the Iranians or do nothing in support of Ukraine.
Graham valued personal relationships. Republican Senator Tim Scott mentioned that Graham was one of only three senators whom he invited to his wedding. Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who had many fundamental disagreements with Graham, was invited to Graham’s recent birthday party. Graham was a fixture on TV, whether it was conservative media such as FOX or liberal media such as CNN. He publicly displayed grace in his actions while forcefully presenting his opinions.
Because Graham had good relationships with fellow senators, he had the ability, when possible, to bring both sides together to find common ground to get legislation passed or present a united front to the President.
Graham initially did not like Trump and ran against him in the 2016 presidential campaign. When Graham dropped out, he then supported Jeb Bush and not Trump. He also criticized Trump for his conduct on January 6, 2021, and said he would have nothing more to do with him.
Yet Graham, in many instances, was one of the administration’s strongest supporters and became Trump’s golfing buddy. Graham was criticized by many who believed that he was being hypocritical. Graham’s approach may not have been for everyone, but it appears that he felt that it was important that he be able to present his ideas to the President. Thus, no matter what misgivings he might have had about Trump the person, he felt it was his duty to be able to deal with Trump the President.
It is unfortunate that Graham’s 2016 presidential run did not even last to the first primary. I think that he would have been an excellent president. At that time, Graham was my choice in the crowded field of potential candidates. If he had been the Republican nominee, I would have voted for him against Hillary Clinton. I felt the same way about Senator John McCain, despite his mistake in the 2008 election of taking Sarah Palin as his choice for vice president instead of Joseph Lieberman, whom he wanted. Likewise, Senator Lieberman would have been an excellent vice president if Al Gore had won the 2000 election. Unfortunately, the American people thought otherwise, and this is where we are.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.