Senator Jim DeMint's blog
Posted at 9:49am on Nov. 2, 2007 'Right'ing Web Politics: Change Begins With Us
By Senator Jim DeMint
Every day, the number of people who get their news online increases and as the world moves online, it stands to reason that the American political process will follow. Well, it’s happening…and fast.
This has naturally led to the question of who is more powerful: “leftroots” or “rightroots”?
Mainstream media pundits have long assumed that liberals have more influence in Web politics than conservatives, pointing to the 2006 midterm elections as proof. However, I believe 2006 was a perfect storm for liberal Internet activists for two reasons.
First, the Republican majority in Congress became a weak version of what we should have been all along -- what I like to call “Democrat-lite” -- and conservative voters and “rightroots” activists became disheartened. Second, Democrats had a cause to rally around -- namely, defeating Republicans who had become too complacent in power, and in some extreme cases, even corrupt. These two factors gave liberals the golden opportunity they needed -- and they seized it.
The good news is that “rightroots” activists now have a chance to step up and challenge the dominance of MoveOn.org and other left-wing fringe groups in Web politics. How, you ask? By reversing those trends that gave the “leftroots” their advantage in 2006. We must hold our fellow Republicans accountable and demand that they act like Republicans and then rally behind our own cause.
Read on . . .
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Posted at 1:15pm on Jan. 22, 2007 A Good Start, But More Reform Needed
By Senator Jim DeMint
I did not expect my amendment to win approval in the Senate, but it did.
Before the Senate voted on my amendment, Senator Dick Durbin took the floor in opposition. Durbin made a motion to table (kill) my amendment. His motion was supported by Majority Leader Harry Reid who argued that the language in the underlying bill was far superior to the language in my amendment despite the fact that the Reid language would let 95 percent of all earmarks continue to go unaccounted for.
Fortunately, 9 Senate Democrats including Barack Obama (who was presiding over the Senate as the debate unfolded) and independent Joe Lieberman saw through the anti-reform efforts of their colleagues and cast their votes in favor of my amendment. The motion to table was defeated by a bipartisan vote of 51-46. As is customary in the Senate after such a motion is denied, I asked for unanimous consent that my amendment be adopted by a voice vote. Defying Senate tradition, Durbin with Reid’s support objected and held the vote open.
Read on...
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