If an employee missed every basic performance metric for 22 years, you'd fire them. South Carolina has been re-hiring Lindsey Graham instead. Here's the performance review he's earned.
If an employee missed every basic performance metric for 22 years, you'd fire them. South Carolina has been re-hiring Lindsey Graham instead. Here's the performance review he's earned.
A Poor Performer – Lindsey Graham
Most people agree that formal employee reviews are awful. Most agree that there should be a clear definition of “success” on the job. You have basic job requirements; if you don’t meet them, you will be replaced.
Entrepreneurs must generate positive cash flow. Failure to do so can lead to going out of business.
Big businesses must meet the needs of their owners. If they fail to satisfy shareholders, the management team will be replaced.
Voters get to grade politicians with “pass” or “fail” every few years. How would you define the basic job requirements for the Senate? I believe their three main roles are 1) careful gatekeeping for new laws, 2) approving the budget, and 3) confirming judges. These should be completed before they try to “exceed expectations” by passing new laws that benefit Americans.
In the U.S. government, the Senate is the upper chamber of Congress. Basic job requirements should be clearly defined and measurable. Be fair. Be consistent. Vote based on your "grade." Lindsey Graham’s current Senate roles are:
He is on these committees because he is “in leadership.” He aims to be on the most important committees. The leadership wants to influence what is considered “most important.” Based on his role, these are the basic, most important job requirements for Senators.
Now, let's evaluate Lindsey Graham based on the three core job roles and his leadership outcomes.
APPROVE NEW LAWS GRADE – F
How many laws were passed in the recent Congressional sessions where he served in a senior leadership role? Is the speed at which new laws are passed acceptable to the people in SC?
The speed of bill passage is not good. It takes Congress an average of 8 months to pass a bill. They have inefficient processes.
Since Graham assumed a senior role, fewer bills have been passed, and the time required to pass in Congress is too long.
Number of bills passed per year since 2002 (Graham enters Senate)--189 Number of bills passed in the last two years under Graham's leadership–137 A 27% decline in productivity.
He receives failing grades in productivity, process improvement, leadership, and performance. He seems overly distracted by issues around the world rather than focusing on the US, and, more specifically, South Carolinians.
FILL FEDERAL JUDGE ROLES GRADE – F
Lindsey Graham serves on the Judiciary Committee. The GOP holds the majority in the Senate. They can confirm judges with just a simple majority. Currently, there are 36 judge vacancies. On average, it takes about 10 weeks from nomination to confirmation. (If judge term limits were approved, the process would need improvement!) When judgeships are vacant, Americans experience longer waits for justice. The Senate should avoid a backlog. They should be capable of managing this, yet they are not handling what appears to be a light workload.
GRADE on the BUDGET - F
Graham has been the SC Senator since 2002. Not once since 2002 has there been an approved budget before the end of the fiscal year. As a leader, it has only gotten worse. He is Chairman of the Budget Committee and has allowed shutdowns. Below are full and partial government shutdown days during his tenure.
If you're in leadership, can’t approve a budget, and chair the Budget Committee, you've failed. If your budgeting failure leads to a government shutdown, that's a double failure. When that happens, you shouldn't be flying around the world or going to Disney World. Instead, you should be doing your basic job.
As Budget Committee Chairman and a member of the Appropriations Committee, getting SC roads $25,000 per mile in Federal Funds compared to the US average per state of $40,000 per mile shows he isn’t focused on SC.
As a citizen and voter, I will vote against him at the ballot box. I hope you'll consider me as an independent citizen representative to help restore focus on the basics and logic. DonForUSSenate.com.
By Don Louis · Published 2026-04-04