Lindsey Graham 2016: What 5 Liberal Pundits Say About Potential GOP Presidential Hopeful

Characterizing South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham as a moderate Republican on many issues would be an accurate assessment of the 2016 GOP presidential hopeful. That doesn't mean that liberals are lining up to embrace a Lindsey Graham 2016 ticket.

Many leading liberal pundits have skewered Graham and his stances on key issues. Hearing Graham's plans to explore running for president in 2016 have only turned up the heat.

Here are some things five leading liberal pundits have to say about Graham:

1. Jon Stewart didn't mince words when describing Graham's potential presidential campaign. He characterized the idea of Graham running for president as "delusional" on a recent episode of "The Daily Show."

2. Salon political columnist Jim Newell criticized Graham for withdrawing support on a cap-and-trade bill he had put together in 2010 with fellow senators John Kerry, now vice president, and Joe Lieberman, now out of office, after realizing it had zero support among Republican leadership.

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Newell also blasted Graham for shifting the blame for immigration reform failures to President Barack Obama instead of singling out Republican leaders.

3. BET.com columnist Keith Boykin singled out Graham as he condemned some notable Republicans for their predictions should Obama be re-elected. He criticized for Graham predicting that Obama's weak foreign policy would result in many Americans being killed.

4. Steve Benen, a producer of "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC, skewered Graham for comments he made as he campaigned for his 2014 Senate re-election.

Benen said Graham would be haunted during a presidential campaign after telling a private gathering that “white men who are in male-only clubs are going to do great in my presidency."

5. In a recent blog post, Media Matters for America said that Graham owed any potential presidential hopes to Fox News.

The liberal watchdog of conservative media claimed Fox News turned to Graham more than any other lawmaker to push what they considered to be myths about Benghazi.

Vote Now: Which Potential GOP Candidate Would You Support in 2016?

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