the week

Lindsay Graham dismisses the Republicans ’electoral objections with a lesson in history

Senator Lindsey Graham (RS.C) told his Senate roommates Wednesday night, “Promise me” of the plan to veto the Electoral College certification. Graham was never in the service, but had previously indicated that he was at least willing to listen to fellow Republicans, such as Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who wanted to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud. By the time he spoke, Graham had come to the conclusion that “enough is enough”. Graham offered the Chamber a brief history lesson, arguing that the protesters were making a mistake by citing the 1876 elections between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes as a precedent for their actions. That year, there were contested results in four states – Oregon, Louisiana, Florida, and Graham’s home country of South Carolina. So, a 15-member election commission was set up, similar to what Cruz and others want to see now. Hayes, a Republican, eventually got the votes he needed to become president, but Graham indicated that the committee was not the real reason to settle the matter. Behind the scenes, the Republicans met with the Democrats, who agreed not to accept the victory of Hays as long as federal forces were withdrawn from the South, putting an end to the Reconstruction era. The deal, which became known as the Compromise of 1877, paved the way for Jim Crow. Graham said: “If you are looking for historical guidance, this is not the person to choose.” Graham: “It didn’t work. Nobody accepted it. The way it ended is when Hays made a deal with these three states – give me the voters, I will dismiss the Union Army. The rest is history. Lead to Jim Crow. If you are looking for historical guidance, this is not The one you choose. ”>> – Michael McAuliff (@mmcauliff) January 7, 2021 More stories from theweek.com Trump aides have concluded that he is’ mentally ‘inaccessible’ Mick Mulvaney quits the Trump administration: ‘I can’t stay here’ Congress, Pence Witness Joe Biden’s presidential victory