Graham channels inner comedian at second presidential debate
Republican presidential hopefuls took aim at front-runner Donald Trump — even in the debate where he was not on the stage — hoping to knock him out of his lead in the polls, including South Carolina.
Former corporate executive Carly Fiorina scored points by responding to Trump’s criticism of her face, which could play well with S.C. voters tired of the New York business mogul’s harsh tone. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida took a swing at Trump’s lack of experience in foreign policy, a dominant issue in military-heavy South Carolina. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush mentioned how Trump wooed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who is unpopular among S.C. Republicans.
But, in channeling his inner comedian, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of Seneca looked like a winner in the two GOP debates Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
Graham, South Carolina’s first major-party presidential candidate since 1988, was again in the earlier “undercard” debate with three other candidates who are drawing lower poll numbers in the 16-candidate field.
But Graham grabbed attention in the smaller debate by making jokes about his accent, how little he went to the library in law school and — in the line of the night — about drinking in the White House.
Noting how Republican President Ronald Reagan and Democratic House Speaker Tip O’Neill would hash out problems over drinks, Graham said, "The first thing I'm going to do as president, we're going to drink more.”
Social media exploded with references to Graham’s phrase in photos and videos of TV character Homer Simpson and “Animal House” movie icon John "Bluto" Blutarsky.
But Graham spent much of the night hammering his foreign policy experience.
He touted frequently how he has traveled 35 times to Iraq and Afghanistan. As part of that, he kept repeating his worries that ISIS needs to be stopped before another Sept. 11-style terrorist attack — even when answering a question about the Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
“Whether you're the wedding cake baker, the gay couple or preacher — radical Islam would kill you all if they could,” Graham said.
However, the topic of Trump dominated the start of the early debate — two hours before he took the stage for the main event. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said the former reality television star does not back an ideology, saying he only “believes in Donald Trump.”
Asked why Trump has a large lead over him in his home state of South Carolina, Graham suggested Trump’s candidacy will fade, noting former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry would have been the party’s nominee based on September polling in 2008 and 2012, respectively.
Graham needs help from voters to reach the main stage at the next debate in Colorado.
In recent polls, the senator stands at less than 1 percent nationally and 4 percent in his own state, which holds the South’s first presidential primary. Graham hopes to follow Fiorina, whose anemic poll numbers spiked after her strong performance in the GOP’s August debate.
Graham returned to humor to stand out in Wednesday’s debate — advocating giving the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants a chance to become citizens because more workers are needed as more Americans reach retirement age.
“(Former U.S. Sen.) Strom Thurmond had four kids after he was 67. If you're not willing to do that, we've got to come up with a new legal immigration system,” Graham said.
This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Graham channels inner comedian at second presidential debate."