Lindsey Graham's threat to flee Washington is part of a troubling trend


Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has a bright idea for stopping the Democrats' $3.5 trillion infrastructure package. He'll just copy what Texas Democrats have done, and get out of town so that the Senate can't muster a quorum to pass the bill.
"You got to have a quorum to pass a bill in the Senate," he told Fox News on Sunday. "I would leave before I let that happen."
Graham was probably just being cute, and in any case his scheme would be difficult to pull off: It takes just 51 members of the Senate to reach a quorum, so Graham would need all of his Republican colleagues to join him in order to succeed. But his comments are also a sign of how many GOPers — who so often present themselves as the "more Constitutional than thou" party — have slipped from embracing the vision of the Founders.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In Federalist 58, James Madison cautioned against letting members of Congress use manipulation of quorum requirements to block legislation. "In all cases where justice or the general good might require new laws to be passed, or active measures to be pursued, the fundamental principle of free government would be reversed," he wrote. "It would be no longer the majority that would rule: the power would be transferred to the minority." It sure seems that Madison, at least, would think it wrong for Graham to get his way by keeping the Senate from doing business.
That brings us back to Texas Democrats, who fled their state to block the GOP-controlled legislature from passing new voter restrictions. Wouldn't Madison frown on them, too? The easy answer — too easy, really — is that Madison was writing about the federal government and not state governments, so who cares? But the reality is that in the name of defending democracy, Texas Democrats are using anti-majoritarian, anti-democratic tactics to achieve their policy goals. That should be at least a little discomfiting to progressives who have spent the last few months pleading for the end of the anti-majoritarian, anti-democratic filibuster in the U.S. Senate. Consistency is a difficult thing in politics, for both Republicans and Democrats, when the possibility of power is at hand.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Facial recognition vans and policing
The government is rolling out more live facial recognition technology across England
-
Dive in! The best children's books to spark a love of reading
The Week Recommends These gripping stories will keep kids hooked until the last page
-
Sudoku medium: August 13, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
What does occupying Gaza accomplish for Israel?
Talking Points Risking a 'strategic dead-end' in the fight against Hamas
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Does depopulation threaten humanity?
Talking Points Falling birth rates could create a 'smaller, sadder, poorer future'
-
Gavin Newsom mulls California redistricting to counter Texas gerrymandering
TALKING POINTS A controversial plan has become a major flashpoint among Democrats struggling for traction in the Trump era
-
The Supreme Court and Congress have Planned Parenthood in their crosshairs
Talking Points Trump's budget bill and the court's ruling threaten abortion access
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic Party
Talking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'
-
Is Trump's military parade 'just a parade'?
Talking Point Critics see an 'echo of authoritarianism'