Senator Tries And Fails To De-Fund New Havana Embassy

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Think Progress

Senator Tries And Fails To De-Fund New Havana Embassy
by Alice Ollstein Posted on July 8, 2015 at 8:00 am

When President Obama announced a negotiated end to the nearly six decade impasse with Cuba, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) fired off a statement saying if he is elected president in 2016, he will reverse the move and shut down the newly reopened embassy.

“I fear Assad, Putin, the Chinese, and terrorists who wish to do us harm take this as yet another sign of continued American weakness,” he said of the normalization of diplomatic relations with the island nation. Then, this week, Graham attempted to prevent the Havana embassy from opening at all.

As the Senate debated the $49 billion dollar appropriations bill that covers the State Department and U.S. foreign aid to the entire globe, he introduced an amendment to block the modest funding needed to open a U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba. But the measure died when all Democrats and the majority of Republicans on the Foreign Relations sub-committee refused to support it. Graham has vowed to try again when the full committee looks at the bill, but admits it may be politically impossible with many Republicans — including his presidential opponent Rand Paul (R-KY) — supporting the thaw.

Graham may be as out of line with voters on the Cuba question as he is with his fellow senators. A msnbc/Telemundo/Marist poll this April found that 59 percent of Americans, including 56 percent of Latinos, approved of the U.S.’ diplomatic recognition of Cuba. Even a majority of the notoriously conservative and anti-Castro Cuban-American community has come to support the reconnection.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/07/08/3677896/lindsey-graham-tries-fails-de-fund-new-havana-embassy/

[calimary]

1. Hey, that never stopped anybody (being "out of line with voters").

Look at the American people's support of gun control legislation and for reproductive rights and voting rights, for just a few examples - versus what Congress consistently feels compelled to do regarding those issues.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Yeah, but is a majority of Republicans on the committee are OK with the embassy

then there is hope for the USA, after all. When push came to shove, they weren't childish, unlike Graham.

[pennylane100]

2. President Lindsey Graham,

The thought that is almost as bad as President Ted Cruz. An even more chilling thought I had back in 2000 was President George Bush. The first time I heard it, I thought no way, no how, and yet? Yes, nightmares can come true.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

12. I think he's a bigger warmonger than Gramps is.

God help us if Lindsey Graham gets anywhere near the oval office (can't happen, right?).

[Angry Dragon]

3. Does Lindsey hate Cubans??

[Leith]

4. Not Especially

He just hates our current, lawfully elected president and will do anything anything to go against him.

[Scurrilous]

7. Just the ones in Cuba.

Once they wet foot it to the US and become Republicans they're fine.

[onenote]

5. I wonder if graham realizes we have diplomatic

Relations with Syria,Russia , and China. He's going to be closing a lot of embassies under his standard

[awoke_in_2003]

8. Do we not have embassies...

in China and Russia? Of course, Graham won't let facts get in the way.

[geretogo]

9. These right wing thugs saw nothing wrong with giving the Chinese communists our middle

class jobs but a little socialist island that sends doctors all over the world to save lives
must be destroyed by embargo's for 60 years .

[Brother Buzz]

10. He's trying to fill his war chest

Have the old-school conservative Cuban-American voters been fleeced yet?

[Thor_MN]

11. Does the White House have enough fainting couches for Lindsey Graham?

Maybe we could have the agent tasked with the football to move on wheels around behind him.

[frylock]

13. That's the kind of momentum you want leading into the primaries

[libodem]

14. Oh Mr Graham

I do declare! I just started cutting you some slack and was really feeling taken in by your most somber expression of sorrow over the recent South Carolina deaths. I really felt something from you, Mister.
You are my kinda guy. I'd be your White House dream date for the evening. I'd go home at midnight.
And then you do something like this. Dumb ass.

We can't be friends.

[underpants]

15. Fear shows weakness Mr. Graham