As soon as U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) walked into the Broadway Cafe in downtown West Burlington Wednesday morning, he started shaking hands and introducing himself to those eating breakfast. He eventually made his way to a long, brown table, ordered a cup of coffee, and greeted everyone joining him.From there, he spent the next 45 minutes answering questions and weighing in on a wide range of topics. Afterward, he told reporters he really enjoys this part of running for President: meeting real people.
"I just like the idea of telling people who I am, unfiltered," said Graham. "They will have an impression of me that they will never get from me in a television commercial. If you took that off the table, how could I possibly survive? I don't have the most money. I can't spend $10 million, but I can meet as many people
as possible. This is the antidote to big money. Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina are the antidote to the buying of the White House."
Graham spent much of his time in West Burlington touting his national security plan. He retired from the Air Force Reserves in June following a 33-year military career. He also serves on the U.S. Senate Armed Services committee.
"I have been to Iraq and Afghanistan 35 times," said Graham. "140 days on the ground as a reservist. I have looked long and hard at what works and what doesn't. I've made mistakes, [Former President George] Bush has made mistakes, [President Barack] Obama's made mistakes. I've come to the conclusion that you cannot destroy ISIL without a ground force."
Graham said the ground force should be made up of soldiers from throughout the Middle East with a small contingent of U.S. soldiers.
"8,000-10,000 to make sure they win," said Graham. "And we would go in and destroy the caliphate's headquarters inside of Syria, hold the ground, and try to rebuild Syria, which [would be] a long process.”
Several attendees said they really liked the Senator's stance on national security and his outspoken nature on what needs to be done. Graham said that did not surprise him because he believes people want a President who can hit the ground running, is willing to speak their mind, and is ready to make the difficult decision without hesitating. He said they also want someone who is willing to work across the aisle to tackle big issues such as the future of Social Security and immigration.
"Tell me how you fix immigration without Democrats getting anything," said Graham. "I live in a world where ideology on both sides of the aisle is getting in the way of practical conservatism. [Republican President] Ronald Reagan worked with [Democratic House Speaker] Tip O'Neill to adjust the age of retirement to save Social Security. You are not going to get Democrats to do that unless Republicans do revenue."
While Graham was the candidate visiting West Burlington, another contender's name popped up on occasion, even from Graham's own lips: Donald Trump. Graham took a few swipes at the GOP front-runner during the event. They have a little history as Trump gave out what he said was Graham's cell phone number. Graham responded by releasing a video of him destroying a cell phone.
On Trump, Graham said no one is going to vote for a party if they think the party is going to deport their mother.
"The things he is saying about immigration are alienating Hispanics even further. Instead of repairing the damage, he is taking self-deportation to the extreme," Graham said. "[2012 GOP Nominee Mitt] Romney said his biggest mistake in 2012 was to adopt self-deportation. It's not a practical solution. [Romney's] a good man and he regrets doing that. This is not self-deportation, this is forced deportation. When you look under the hood of the ideas of Mr. Trump, they are unworkable and they are polarizing. I think Iowa will figure that out sooner rather than later."
17 Republicans are seeking the party's presidential nomination and Graham is near the bottom of the field in recent polls. But he believes a strong finish in Iowa, help from his friend, U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in New Hampshire and his own home state will give him the momentum he needs to win.
"15,000 (votes in Iowa) puts you in the top of the heap with 17 people running," said Graham. "I've got a really quality military coalition. There are 80,000 American Legion members, 600 American Legion posts and 160 V.F.W. Posts, so my goal is to organize the veteran community... and try to get them to come out on caucus night, show up for me because I am best prepared to be Commander-In-Chief."
