Graham should hold town hall

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham again has given the cold shoulder to Rock Hill while agreeing to hold a town hall meeting in another city. Graham will be in Columbia Saturday afternoon to meet with voters at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

This will be the second town hall the senator has held in the state this year. The first was in Clemson.

Area voters have been clamoring for Graham to visit his office in Rock Hill and meet with constituents. So far, however, he has not been so inclined.

Graham, we think, is especially qualified to provide insight into what is going on in Washington now that Republicans control both Congress and the White House. While Graham is a Republican, he has not always seen eye to eye with President Donald Trump or with GOP leaders in the House and Senate.

These are tumultuous times in the nation’s capital. House Republicans are struggling to pass a replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act, which is opposed both by some conservatives who think the plan drafted by House Speaker Paul Ryan is just another big-government giveaway and by some moderates who say it would make insurance unaffordable for millions.

It would be enlightening to hear from Graham on this crucial issue.

The Senate also has been grilling Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s nominee for Supreme Court justice, this week. While we know that Graham enthusiastically supports Gorsuch, voters might want to hear a more detailed explanation in person about the senator’s views.

And what does Graham think about the congressional testimony this week of FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers? They testified about an investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election and its potential connection to members of the Trump administration as well as repudiating Trump’s charges that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower.

To his credit, Graham is willing to buck the party line when it suits him. While some Republican stalwarts might chafe at that, we think it adds to his credibility as an independent thinker and an honest critic.

Graham is certain to encounter some voters in York County who are hostile to Trump, although the county went overwhelmingly for Trump in both the primary and general elections. But Graham endured more than an hour of jeers and boos – as well as applause – at the raucous Clemson town hall.

So, why not brave the crowd in Rock Hill? We’d like to know where he stands on the many concerns now roiling the nation.

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Graham should hold town hall."