Jim DeMint for United States Senate
By tacitus Posted in Endorsements — Comments (20) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Gather 'round the Palmetto Flag,
href="http://tacitus.redstate.org/story/2004/8/9/6580/07380">little persons
Red State has something appropriately small that you can do for your country.
If South Carolina is not a red state, then what is? It bleeds conservatism in any
era, and indeed in this sense it lives up to its reputation as the
href="http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/flags/sc_flag.htm">Palmetto State
non-conservatives and non-Republicans can launch their attacks, but they are
absorbed into the broad South Carolinian consensus, leaving the essential edifice
of rock-solid conservatism -- and increasingly, Republicanism -- untouched.
This is not to say it's a safe state for us in any circumstance -- complacency is
never a good thing, and it's not as if this isn't the state which produced Jesse
Jackson, or sent Fritz Hollings to the Senate for 39 years.
But Fritz is gone, and to replace him the South Carolinian Democrats -- an
oft-defeated force, but not a spent one -- are running State Superintendent of
Education
href="http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/politics/8993005.htm">Inez Tenenbaum
field, having been
href="http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/politics/8993066.htm">elected twice
left after Hollings), and being almost a conservative. She supports the
Iraq war (admittedly a rather elastic position for Dems -- and their Presidential
nominees -- these days); she's pro-marriage; and she's even pro-death penalty. On
the other hand, she's pro-abortion -- an odd position for an elected official
charged with the welfare of the state's children -- and she's very much for big
government. On which note, her economic policy preferences can best be described
as Smoot-Hawley lite. In a state that's adjusting to globalization with all the
economic pain that can entail, Inez Tenenbaum is planning on vaulting into office
on the strength of what can only be described as protectionist demagoguery. She
knows she can't run on the
href="http://www.redstate.org/story/2004/7/29/153140/006">far-left appeal of the national Democratic ticket href="http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/nation/9238426.ht m">dodged attending her own party's convention
calculated that this one issue just may put her over the top.
She is wrong.
Her opponent, and the Republican nominee for Senator from South Carolina, is none
other than Representative Jim
DeMint. DeMint is about as close to a dream candidate as we're getting this
cycle. Conservative, consistent, and experienced on the national stage, he is
richly deserving of our support.
DeMint is a man of principle. The SC GOP's
href="http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040623-030959-8850r.htm">decisive selection of him
orthodoxy, betting it can win on principle and the promise of future growth, and
turning its back on the stultifying crypto-protectionism now principally advocated
in the state by unprincipled calculators like
href="http://petition.inez2004.com/">Tenenbaum herself
whose vibrant upstate SC district includes the
href="http://www.bmwusfactory.com/default.asp">BMW plant
world's X5s and Z4s are manufactured (to say nothing of the Michelin facility,
among other international investments), DeMint is well aware that South Carolina's
costs and transportation network coupled with the port of Charleston give it a
bright future in the global marketplace. Tenenbaum, who can't even unreservedly endorse free trade with Australia, is on the losing side of history on this subject: what matters is convincing the people of South Carolina of this fact. If anyone can do it, DeMint can -- he's refreshingly immune to Tenenbaum's demagoguery on the subject. When she tried to make hay of the fact that his campaign t-shirts were sewn in Honduras (a charge, by the bye, that would surely have elicited cries of implied racism had, say, a California Republican made it), his campaign essentially shrugged and delivered a dose of optimistic realism: the global marketplace in action -- South Carolina can compete.
And speaking of which: DeMint is thoroughly in favor of that global marketplace when it comes to drug importation, too. Good for seniors and the ill? You bet. Does it cost the taxpayers a dime? No.
DeMint's candidacy also puts
href="http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/politics/9141229.htm?1c">a champion of common sense Social Security reform
If you are young, if you work, and if you care about our country's fiscal future,
then this is a must-win fight -- especially as Tenenbaum exemplifies the statist free-market phobia that mentally transforms a Ponzi scheme into a responsible plan when the government runs it.
DeMint is strongly for education reform, including empowering parents with vouchers
and demanding greater accountability from schools -- and he's
href="http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/politics/9293647.htm">not afraid to stand up
Make no mistake: this race is important. The balance of the Senate is no
sure thing -- and it is no small thing. Augustine has already discussed one danger
of a Kerry Presidency: left-wing judges. A Senate that stays Republican can
mitigate that danger. Jim DeMint is on top in recent polls, but not decisively. And even though Tenenbaum stumbles not just with her left-wing message, but also with internal campaign squabbles, the DeMint campaign has found itself alarmingly short of cash as the election kicks into high gear. The numbers? After the GOP primary, Jim DeMint had $97,663 on hand.
Inez Tenenbaum had two million dollars.
That's why the Vice President has
href="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/politics/9356521.htm?1c">traveled twice to South Carolina
State readers, should now do the same.
href="https://www.donationreport.com/init/controller/ProcessEntryCmd?key=S1O1S7P9C4 ">It's easy
he's got our support. With over one thousand registered readers now, and an
average of over five thousand visits per day, $10.02 from a tenth of our
registered readers -- or two hundredths of our daily visitors -- can get Jim
DeMint $1,002 closer to the United States Senate.
That is, if you want to stop at $10.02. No shame in that. No shame in $1.02.
Every penny is a blow for conservatism, our party, and our country. Me, I'm in for
$100.02.
Some say that a "little person" with a blog can do nothing for the right wing.
Here's your chance to
href="https://www.donationreport.com/init/controller/ProcessEntryCmd?key=S1O1S7P9C4 ">prove 'em wrong
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Jim DeMint for United States Senate 20 Comments (0 topical, 20 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Maybe Demint should hire Tacitus... because with that kind of write-up I would feel guilty if I didn't ante up. I'll start with $25.02 and maybe toss in some more after another paycheck or two.
Submit box never activated.
Reckon I'll write a check.
Doesn't get much more convincing than that. Money's tight, but I'm in for $20.02.
So we can't complain overmuch -- and I think it's the NRSC you may be thinking of.
Still, we can do our part here as individuals, and especially as part of the Red State community. And we will.
About $300 in the bank for DeMint right now. How soon can we hit $1,000?
If you are young, if you work, and if you care about our country's fiscal future, then this is a must-win fight
Ahem. I am young, I work, and I care about our country's fiscal future. I also think that all of the privatization schemes proposed thus far for Social Security (including Rep. DeMint's) will make the Savings and Loan debacle look like losing a couple of quarters in your couch.
Thank you, and you may return to your previously scheduled demonization of my philosophy.
Like responding to an ad hominem that hasn't been made, huh?
I used to live down in South Carolina, and my wife's family still lives there. Far and away the best candidate of the group emerged from the Republican primary. He will make an outstanding Senator, with our help.
I have agreed with every endorsement RedState has made so far, but none more than this one.
Wrong on stem cell research and anti-innovation,* but heck: the U.S. Senate desperately needs another voice for free trade and the Social Security system ain't gonna reform itself. (Sorry, Kimmit, but partial privitization is the only realistic route.) And when am I gonna find a perfect vessel for my views, anyway?
I'm in.
von
*The short-term solution of importing drugs from Canada in violation of FDA rules and potential violation of U.S. and international patent laws is not only short-sighted as an ecomonic matter -- drug companies will merely place limits on exports to preserve their U.S. premiums -- but, to the extent it does have an impact, will discourage investment and research. Or, worse, raise drug prices worldwide -- including places that already can't afford it (i.e., Africa).
DeMint For Senate
P.O. Box 12425
Columbia, SC 29211
Happy to help drive another nail into the coffin of protectionism (and/or "protectionist demagoguery" as you put it, which in many ways is even worse).
For the record, I agree with von on the long-term folly of drug reimportation, but the rest of his health care agenda is solid and I will hold on to hope that he continues to pursue real reforms once elected to the Senate.
but a GOP pickup would be nice, $14.02.
"And when am I gonna find a perfect vessel for my views, anyway?"
...almost never. But half a loaf is indeed better than no bread.
"she's pro-marriage"
This is sort of a throwaway, but I'm just wondering who runs for the Senate as an "anti-marriage" candidate? That seems about as deep as Wesley Clark's stirring announcement in one Democratic primary debate that he was "pro-health."
So is this code for some gay-rights thing, or are we just hedging a little bit in case she does win, and the world doesn't end? Just curious :)
$100.02 for DeMint. I'm just a billionare money machine....