On Tuesday, ABC’s The View hosted Republican presidential candidate Senator Lindsey Graham and co-host Paula Faris desperately attempted to get him to smear his fellow Republicans in Congress.
After Graham outlined why he refused to drop out of the presidential race despite his low poll numbers, Faris asked “don’t you feel that Republicans are sabotaging their own party right now?”
The ABC host lamented “what happened to John Boehner, he was basically forced to step down because there was s a lot of infighting” and then pushed Senator Graham again as to whether “Republicans are sabotaging the GOP right now?”
For his part, Graham refused to take Faris’ bait and instead focused on the need to work across the political aisle:
You know, there's a lot of infighting in both parties. Aren't you tired of the fighting? So, here's what I promise you. Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill, one liberal, one conservative got to know each other by having drinks. So if I got to be president we’re going to drink more...And we’re going to get people in a room, and we’re going to say alright let’s get on with saving the country.
Earlier in the interview, Faris lectured Graham on his low poll numbers and wonders why “can’t some of you guys, maybe you're polling lower, why can't some of them drop out of the race and do what is best for the party?”
Graham joked that all of the other GOPers should “drop out of the race” but Faris continued to beat the drum for the senator to leave the race and even wondered “isn't there a time when you just have to say, it’s not working, I'm going to do what is best for the Republican Party?”
See relevant transcript below.
ABC’s The View
September 29, 2015
PAULA FARIS: Senator, I know Whoopi said there are about 350,000 candidates, it just feels like that. We said there’s about 15 but I think the big complaint that a lot of folks have is that these debates there are so many, you didn't hear any real policy, anything substantial. So, why can’t some of you guys, maybe you're polling lower, why can't some of them drop out of the race and do what is best for the party?
LINDSEY GRAHAM: That's what I would suggest, they all drop out of the race.
FARIS: All of them?
GRAHAM: In case you’re watching The View.
FARIS: But isn't there a time when you just have to say, it’s not working, I'm going to do what is best for the Republican Party?
GRAHAM: What drives me is I have been in the military most of my life. You don't drop out. You don't get a pass. When you go to Iraq and Afghanistan, you are he a volunteer. How many people have gone three, four times, a lot. So, they're not going to quit, I'm not going to quit. Your generation, we’re going to give you more debt than you can possibly every pay off. Washington is broken. We’re going to talk about that in a minute. Somebody needs to bring us together. You know, when I was 21 my mom died, when I was 22 my dad died. I’m the first in my family to ever go to college. Neither finished high school. We ran a bar, restaurant, pool room.
That's why I'd be a good it president. If it weren't for Social Security survivor benefits, my sister, who was 13, we wouldn't have made it. Without student loans we wouldn’t have made it. I’m 60, I’m not married, I don’t have any kids. I would give up some Social Security to save the system. Half of today’s seniors would be in poverty without a Social Security check. So I want to get on with leading the nation. Hell no I'm not going to drop out.
FARIS: But don’t you feel that Republicans are sabotaging their own party right now? Look what happened with John Boehner, he was basically forced to step down because there was s a lot of infighting. Don’t you feel the Republicans are sabotaging the GOP right now?
GRAHAM: You know, there's a lot of infighting in both parties. Aren't you tired of the fighting? So, here's what I promise you. Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill, one liberal, one conservative got to know each other by having drinks. So if I got to be president we’re going to drink more.
FARIS: Cheers to that.
GRAHAM: And we’re going to get people in a room, and we’re going to say alright let’s get on with saving the country.
