God knows we’ve been unfortunate in our time to see some of the worst politicians that this country has to offer in our generation. Donald Trump could take up three spots on that list just on his own, but we’ve also been burdened with McConnell, Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn, and Ron DeSantis, to name but a few. There was a time when Lindsey Graham would never have made a list like that. There was a time – maybe ten years ago – that had you polled Democratic staffers in Washington DC about which Republicans they liked, which ones were good guys, Lindsey would’ve polled higher than the maverick, his friend John McCain. Now, though, Lindsey most certainly is on that list of some of the worst. The list is so bad that we hope it only entails GOP Republican politics and not geo-entanglements that take away from of their freedom.

But while we’re overrun with some of the worst pols in U.S. history we should acknowledging that we’re seeing some of  the best up and coming politicians that one will see in generations. There was this young senator from Illinois who gave a speech in 2004 about “One America,” as naive and wrong as the subject might have been, that senator is now perhaps the most respected man on earth right now. AOC has made dozens of embarrassing rookie mistakes, they all do, but most don’t have her notoriety. She is a force of nature, one to be watched. She is just in her late 20s and as she matures into her role she will be a force in American politics.. There are others, even Ben Sasse (to be bipartisan here) seems to be cut from a bit of a different cloth, and no matter what the future holds, Kamala Harris promises to  bring along a lot of “good trouble.”

Add to that list Jaime Harrison, the Democrat from South Carolina who is neck and neck with Lindsey Graham for the Senate seat.

Let’s face facts. Jaime Harrison has no business whatsoever being within ten points of Lindsey Graham. Lindsey is a Washington establishment figure who brings home bacon like no other, is head of the all-powerful judiciary committee and has been in Washington long enough that he was a young House prosecutor attempting to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about a BJ from his girlfriend. (That was before McCain took him under his wing and showed him how to handle himself). Jaime Harrison is not just a Democrat in South Carolina running against the second most powerful senator in the United States, Jamie Harrison is a black Democrat in South Carolina running against the second most powerful senator in the United States.

Jaime Harrison has no business being tied with Lindsey Graham this late in the race, though he is. The most recent Quinnipiac poll showed them tied at 48% and – miraculously – Harrison has just as much money on hand as swamp creature and head of the judiciary committee Lindsey Graham, with both having about $30 million on hand and Jaime raising nine million dollars in the days after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. It is fair to say that Lindsey Graham has met his match.

On Saturday night, the two had a debate. Full disclosure, we weren’t able to see the the entire debate, but there will be segments ringing in Lindsey’s ears for some time to come, “Be a man!” from Politico:

“I think the greatest heresy that you can do as a public servant is to betray the trust of the people that you took an oath to serve. And that’s what you’ve done,” Harrison said. “Just be a man of it and stand up and say, ‘You know what, I changed my mind. I’m going to do something else.’ But don’t go back and blame it on somebody else for a flip flop that you’re making yourself.”

We can’t tell if the “Be a man” was said with the double entendre that some might interpret, we hope not, because it was powerful on its own.

And if anyone doubts Jaime Harrison’s political chops, watch this clip, with Harrison explaining reality to Swamp monster Lindey Graham by talking about playing Monopoly with his son:

Jaime Harrison just won his debate with Lindsey Graham by a landslide. pic.twitter.com/fNZOxpdhfq

— Scott Dworkin (@funder) October 4, 2020

“Like playing Monopoly with my son.”

Jamie Harrison may or may not “win” the actual election vote count, and yet he’s already “won” in a larger sense, just running nack and neck with Graham in South Carolina. But if Harrison wins the seat in the deep red south, look out. We remember another young man who took the senate by storm and through force of will became of the best presidents in modern history.

“Be a man.”

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Peace, y’all
Jason
[email protected] and on Twitter @JasonMiciak