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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Another Day Another Attack by a Republican Against Jim DeMint

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  March 18th, 2010 at 09:43 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

This time the Politico is reporting on Senator Inhofe’s attacks. Inhofe, occasionally rated as the most conservative senator in Washington, uses that label with pride to give cover to his huge porkfest.

As we’ve seen repeatedly, earmarks always lead to bigger government. Inhofe, betraying his “most conservative” label, just the other day sided with the Democrats on their jobs bill solely because it funneled gobs of money into Inhofe’s pet program — the highway trust fund.

Republican senators running to the Politico to anonymously attack Jim DeMint is as regular an earthly occurrence as the sun rising in the east. It is also part of their stages of grief as they realize their political capital is dwindling while DeMint’s is rising.

First they denied DeMint was relevant.

“The only one who cares about Jim DeMint’s opinion is Jim DeMint. He’s not burdened with having to win races,” said a senior Senate aide.

His endorsements don’t matter.

A GOP strategist, however, said the latest endorsement by DeMint “means absolutely nothing” in Texas and only serves to further the Democratic narrative that Republicans are at war for the future of their party.

Then the new attack became only crazy RedState readers know anything about Jim DeMint and the rest of the world doesn’t care for him.

“Oftentimes some forget that while Jim DeMint may have a small universe of followers who read RedState, the reality is that the vast majority of Americans, including in Florida, don’t have the slightest idea who Jim DeMint is.”

Now Jim DeMint is a selfish press hound who people should ignore.

But even as most in the party concede they lost their way during the Bush years, the mere mention of DeMint’s name in the Capitol is enough to get GOP eyes rolling. The common view, which no official will voice publicly, for fear of giving the South Carolinian a higher profile, is that DeMint is a caucus of one who relies upon old tricks to draw notice.

All from mostly anonymous aides. A good number have come from the NRSC. Meanwhile, DeMint-style candidates are surging across the nation.

Folks, we need to get Jim DeMint some real allies and friends in the Senate. We need to get him some comrades in arms who will not run off to the Politico to attack him.

We can change our side and we must if we want to change Americans’ opinion that the GOP is tired, out of ideas, and corrupt. We know we are better than the other side, but when our side cannot clean up its own house, we cannot sell ourselves successfully to the American people. We must and can do better. We need more Jim DeMint-style conservatives.

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COMMENTS

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  • mikerazar

    I had no idea that this level of intraparty feuding was going on. Bad enough that the label “RINO” is thrown around with wild abandon. How many purity tests must a Republican pass to be acceptable? Inhofe and DeMint. I would have thought they see eye to eye on every important issue. What is this, high school? Sarah Palin endorses McCain and half of RedState writes her off.

    I guess I’m just out of step. I’d be happy to finally clean up the deficit bombs in the entitlements, keep a strong military, support Israel and our other friends, and, God willing, maybe even save a few pre-born children. With luck, we might improve education, start following the Constitution, control our borders, and face up to the threat of militant Islam. I’m sure there are plenty of other worthy things to do.

    You want to end earmarks too? I’m all for it. I’m sure Inhofe won’t oppose that. But why should Oklahoma suffer relative to Nevada or California because its Senator refuses to do what other Senators do? If Inhofe is badmouthing DeMint to Politico that is a disgrace. I wouldn’t put much stock in what the self serving liars at Politiko say, though.

  • Brian Hibbert

    “A GOP strategist, however, said the latest endorsement by DeMint ?means absolutely nothing? in Texas and only serves to further the Democratic narrative that Republicans are at war for the future of their party.”

    It’s really the last bit of that line that has some meaning…. I think we are at war for the future of the party. At least I am and I think a lot of other people here are too. I think the party only has a future if conservatives win the battle for the soul of the party.

    We’ve been winning small engagements. It looks like we will conquer Florida. It looks like we will finally triumph in Pennsylvania. We won New Jersey! of all places. We can win back this party.

  • toothpick

    Let’s start with DeVore (CA), Buck (CO), Lee (UT), Rubio (FL), Williams (TX). Others?

  • partyof1

    ?The only one who cares about Jim DeMint?s opinion is Jim DeMint. He?s not burdened with having to win races,? said a senior Senate aide.

    How sad it is that they openly admit to vote buying. I know how congress works and I know earmarks are entrenched, but they’re so clearly wrong.

    It’s better to be in the wilderness and be right than be in power and be wrong.

    Otherwise we just settle for the years when the pendulum swings back our way. “Hey, vote for us, it’s our turn — plus, here’s some pork!” And my personal favorite “Vote for us, we’re not the other guy!” Pathetic.

    Might doesn’t make right, but right does make might — eventually. We have to believe that, otherwise, why are we here.

  • http://www.erickerickson.org Erick Erickson

    Don’t forget Stutzman, Toomey, and Tarkanian.

  • Achance

    are from or have ever even seen the Member’s home district or state? I’d be willing to bet that 90% of the high-seniority Congressional staff have no ties to the Member’s state and have worked for more than one member and for both parties. I’d also be willing to bet that most are registered as NP and vote Democrat even if they work for a Republican.

    Staffers are just like high level ‘crats in the Executive Branch; they’re their own elite club and they view Members as temporary employees just passing through. These are the people in government who have reporters’ phone numbers memorized.

  • streiff

    who purports to be conservative in any way can look at what is being done to our country today and say:

    It?s better to be in the wilderness and be right than be in power and be wrong.

    This is just silliness. 10,000 bridges to nowhere is better than what is being done to us today. At least you can drive across a freakin bridge.

  • steveg8r1

    I can’t stand girly-men Republicans who whisper, point fingers and roll eyes about other Repubs because they are zealous and down for the struggle. Grow a pair and join Demint and raise some hell!

    “Deem and pass” is a whole lot more nuts than Demint could ever be.

  • Scott

    The reason the GOP is in the wilderness is b/c they governed like Democrats. Obviously it would be better if we controlled congress, but the reason we don’t is b/c the Republicans did not govern based on conservative ideals. If the Dems and Reps act just alike then it will just be a constant back an forth as the voters vote out each party in intervals b/c they hate whatever party is ruling. that isn’t the way to govern.

  • fpete13527

    The pork 11, to include Sen. Inhofe, whom I respected until now, needs to hang their heads in shame. There is a fight going on to take back the country amidst an insane WH and group of progressive Dem.(socialists) who aim to destroy the U.S. as we know it. Their primary talking points are…..well ?.the GOP does TONS of earmarks and lots of bailouts. So Obama and the socialists respond by changing the meaning of one million to one trillion with respect to spending….arguing “the GOP started it!!!” And the pork 11 can’t see why it is critical to set an example to critically STOP spending???

    With respect to Sen. DeMint, HE IS THE STANDARD FOR THE GOP…NOT THE EXCEPTION. If you think that only RedState is supportive of Sen DeMint……you are in for a BIG wake-up call. Of course it confirms what the TRUE sources that the GOP ?staffers? use for their information are…Huffington, DC cocktail parties, John McCain, and now left-turn Politico. These stafers/sources are saying there is only “fringe” support for DeMint because they have their heads in the sand. I now link with probably over a thousand Republicans a week in one way or another. EVERY ONE OF THEM HONORS SEN DEMINT ?..AND REJECTS THE PORK RINO MANTRA MEMBERS IN THE GOP THAT SITLL EMPOWER PORK AND SUPPORT THOSE LIKE CRIST, BENNETT, FIORINA!!!!

    The GOP staffers that are executing policy at the federal level are the worst possible known to man?and the current federal GOP policy is the worst known to man. The policy is Huffington/McCain liberal moderacy policy….and that policy is basically defined as….. pork to the max, NEVER conservative, always surrender, never fight, and always support current RINOS who elect future RINOs. Thank God that at the local Republican Party level?..WE WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS CURRENT FEDERAL GOP MINDSET. WE are empowering CONSERVATIVE candidates from local through to federal?.AND WE HONOR AND SUPPORT SEN DEMINT!!

    GOP?.You have no idea what is about to happen to your above liberal porky policy and mindset in the next months. Your world is about to be shattered. I recommend that you start embracing conservatism and that you start embracing conservative candidates ? not RINOS! I also recommend that you EMPOWER, EMBRACE, AND HONOR Sen. DeMint and clone about thirty more of yourselves to his EXACT image … whether you like my comment or not! I also recommend that you then take that conservative team?.AND THAT YOU START TO FIGHT??NOW?..and FIGHT HARD AND LOUD!! Start that fight by not letting this CONSTITUTIONALLY ILLEGAL (CONTENT AND PROCESS) SOCIALIZED MED BILL TO PASS!!

  • streiff

    a conservative party. It is a big coalition. So to fault the GOP for not governing according to conservative ideals is like faulting a cat for not barking.

    The GOP never governed like Democrats. The governed like free spenders. There is a difference. Do you think the GOP would be pushing a takeover of the health care industry? Or that they would have bought two auto manufacturers outright?

  • Darin_H

    Going to enjoy putting Charlie Crist’s political career in the dustbin.

    Go Marco!

    We’ll do our part in Florida, we’re counting on conservatives in other states to step up too.

  • jenniferjmilleresq

    Nikki Haley too…

  • audax

    This is, and has always been, the RINO way. Denigrating Conservative-NOUN’s, stabbing them in the back whenever they can. Oh support me the RINO if I win but I’ll be d@mned if I’ll support a conservative! Been this way since I can remember and that starts with Goldwater/ RINO Rockefeller, Reagan/RINO Ford, Reagan/RINO HW Bush, The conservative-noun is supposed to turn the other cheek but NEVER the RINO. Scr*w ‘em.

  • jenniferjmilleresq

    in exposing and eliminating corruption and decay. Senator DeMint is the first ray of light in an approaching sunrise. Furthermore, with information as free and fast-moving as it is becoming, the balance of power is tipping to citizens.

  • audax

    Conservative-NOUN’s won back the GOP between ’76 and ’80…..then under a conservative NOUN who the RINO’s said “Could NEVER WIN!!!” Conservative-nouns had TWO LANDSLIDES! Then we thought RINO HW BUSH would know and understand that you COULD WIN as a conservative noun and he took 4 years to go back to his RINO ways and BLOW IT!

    RINO’s slam DeMint JUST LIKE THEY DID REAGAN because they FEAR him!! They KNOW he is a WINNER and they are (sore) Losers.

  • audax

    Reagan ran on UNALDULTRATED CONSERVATIVE-NOUN principles and won 2 landslides! Thats why the fifth column RINO’s don’t want conservative-nouns to win, because then everything the RINO says to do to win is proven WRONG. They KNOW conservative-noun’s will win BIG if they ever get on ballot and run as conservative-nouns….can’t have that can we?

    Lets take back the GOP as the party of Reagan and that starts as a precinct delegate!

  • Locked and Loaded

    I have been supportive because he stood against TARP. But he is trying to hang on to business as usual, it seems, and America can no longer stand it.

    BTW, the highways in Oklahoma are the laughingstock of the nation; they are treacherous and inadequate. The I-40 Crosstown in OKC is a mosaic of repairs where the bridge deck has fallen through completely and very often. New projects are drawn out forever, and, once completed, are unable to properly service the traffic load. We have unsafe and out-of-date bridges throughout the state. It goes on and on.

    Now, I know Sen. Inhofe is not solely responsible for all of this – but – his pork is obviously not doing what it purports to do for the people back home.

  • audax

    Lovin’ it!!!!

  • peg_c

    not to mention the NRSC! I would personally follow DeMint a VERY long way. I cannot say that about many if any other senators. Snakes, the lot of them. Definitely not “collegial” in the true sense of the word.

    RINOs are peeved that tea partiers want nothing to do with them and spend our days ripping them to pieces on Facebook and elsewhere. They are unwelcome at our rallies. Meanwhile WE are huge admirers of DeMint and want him at our rallies! So the peevish RINOs backstab DeMint and claim he’s pandering to tea partiers, when it’s WE who admire and want DeMINT. The Rodney Dangerfields of the Republican party are all cryin’ like little girlymen. Sick of them all!

  • http://aposematic.wordpress.com aposematic

    I am a Libertarian by testing but I describe myself as a Constitutionalist!

    After much research (I never buy anything the first time I see it, here about it, or don’t initiate contact myself.) I did something I have never done before in my 60 years of living on this planet…I donated money to SCF. This was not taken easily or lightly but more as I felt a necessity in todays politically corrupt environment.

    To me honesty is the most important quality a person can possess and I am not easily dupped by anyone, ever. DeMint strikes me as an honest person/politician…a very rare breed!

  • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

    Brian, you’re right. Some of us are — those of us, like you, who are IN the Party as a voting member of it — a precinct committeeman.

    If we conservatives want to change the Party, we’ve got to become “card carrying” members of it, so we can be eligible to vote for the Party leadership, get on bylaws committees, become delegates to state and national conventions, get on the platform committees, etc., etc., etc. One can only do all of that if one is “in” the Party — that is, holding an elective office within the Party.

    It’s the basic civics “the GOP” doesn’t seem to want anyone to know about — if you go, for example, to GOP.com, you’ll find no explanation of how to become a voting member of the Party or why it’s important that one do so. Even though, nationally, on average, on Election Day, 2008, the Party had half of these voting slots vacant. I tried searching for the information on the site. Nada. No, they’d rather you just donate time and money and work on campaigns and join a hyphenated group but they sure as h-e-double-hockey-sticks want you to find out how to be in a position to cast a vote for the Party leadership.

    Bottom line: if we conservatives want to change the Party, we’ve got to get inside it.

    Thank you.
    ColdWarrior
    Precinct committeeman, LD 17, Maricopa County, AZ
    Become a Republican precinct committeeman. NOW!

  • Bill S

    Agreed. Anyone who rejoices in the current GOP minority is smoking crack.

  • mikerazar

    in the People’s Republic of Obama. Are you really saying that McCain would have been worse than the thugs in charge now? Did you like trading RINO Ford for anti-semitic Carter? Or RINO Bush 41 for Cigar Clinton?

    If you’ve read my posts, you know I’m no RINO. But I’ll be damned if I’m gonna watch every word I say or write for fear of being mislabeled.

    With all the ever so pure conservatives here, I have gotten no help or support in my fight against the phony numbers from Congress and the CBO. I don’t care if we win on ideological grounds or by showing that the ten year deficit will exceed thirty trillion. If we lose, it will be a game changer the likes of which we have never seen.

    BTW, what is a conservative noun? Can I be a conservative adverb?

  • sara123

    We had the same kind of bunch in power when Newt came up and shook them out of the trees. Now Newt is one of ‘em. How are we going to smash them from control over the GOP this time?

  • Achance

    and a Helluva lot more often than you can count any Democrat votes with the caucus.

  • Brian Hibbert

    members on Facebook. We share conservative ideology, but disagree on the method of achieving the goals. I used your Precinct Project site as a point of reference on how to take back the Republican party.

    I think we can get some of them on board.

  • audax

    RINO’s deserted Goldwater in ’94. That’s the “Oh support me the RINO Rockefeller if I win but I?ll be d@mned if I?ll support a conservative Goldwater!

    RINO Ford said conservative-noun Reagan couldn’t beat Carter….I know, I was there…on the Reagan campaign in ’76…and remember! Well Reagan PROVED he could beat Carter and DID while RINO Ford COULD NOT!

    Reagan really didn’t leave conservative-noun’s much choice in ’86 and “vouched” for HW Bush’s conservative-noun bone fides…..well, when HW Bush turned back into a RINO (remember READ MY LIPS??? Stopping short of Baghdad. etc.) that’s when he set HIMSELF up to lose to Clinton!

    I don’t see anywhere in my post were I mentioned McCain, so what’s with tarring me with THAT brush??? Don’t see anywhere in my post where I said we would have been better off with Carter over Ford, or Clinton over Bush, so what’s with that???? Just stating how RINO’s operate yesterday, TODAY and tomorrow! It hasn’t changed, it’s their way or the highway.

  • mikerazar

    I hope he doesn’t do something crazy, like smile at Sarah Palin in public. That will get him excommunicated.

  • audax

    You have been here a month longer than me and you missed the article on CONSERVATIVE-NOUN????? Go back and read it! Concept of Conservative-noun is much easier to understand than direvatives especially if you understand the core principles involved!

  • audax

    Mike Razar, Here you go….

    http://www.redstate.com/erick/2009/12/11/noun-vs-adjective/

  • mikerazar

    I was not tarring you with being against McCain. I was only referring to the tendency which I perceive here to disdain RINOs more than “progressives”. The examples of Ford and Bush 41 were meant to highlight the incredible harm done by democrats in the White House.

    I strongly disagree with McCain on immigration and campaign financing. I don’t think that negates his conservative principles on most other issues. Your point on Bush 41 is well taken. After read my lips, he was done for.

    I have falsely grouped you with the RINO phobes who would rather take their chances with a Democrat. Once again, I apologize for that.

  • audax

    If not, here it is again.

    http://www.redstate.com/erick/2009/12/11/noun-vs-adjective/

  • mikerazar

    my wife was undergoing successful but serious emergency surgery.
    Now don’tcha feel bad for chiding me on missing the article? (j/k)

    I just read the article but not the 202 comments. I don’t find the part of speech distinction particularly useful. I tend to classify based on issues. But I have no objection to others using it as long as there is some consistency to it.

    Issues and Values rule!

  • audax

    Hope wifey is doing well! 3 time cancer survivor here with 6 surgeries (one experimental body cavity disection took 24.5 hours!) but 23 years ago, so emphasize.

    My original point was that the RINO’s have been around as long as I have been active in politics, just called other names (Rockefeller Republican, as in Nelson; Romney Republican as in George, Millikin Republican as in former Governor of MI,) and always putting “progressivism” and Statism before individual liberty. They will always be with us, but hopefully NOT deciding our future candidates. They’ve done such a poor job of that in the past. Saw first hand how CONSERVATIVE-NOUNS can capture the GOP (’76 -’88) and know we can do it again. Our Conservative-noun farm team is growing and 2010 and 2012 will give us ample opportunity to expand it and show that the message of more liberty and less Statism can still resonate in America.

  • audax

    .

  • mikerazar

    nt

  • dudette

    should apply to staffers first.

  • sarge324

    to senator inhofe,jim demint is out there making a case for no obama care.so please stop this assault on him.i would like to see him run for high office.

  • zerodefects

    [quote]What is this, high school?[/quote]

    These arguments sound just like the ones we had in high school. Go back and watch the popular movies about high school life:

    Jocks. hoods, nerds, geeks, etc

    Liberals, Conservatives, Racists, etc

    Politics has turned into the grown-up version of high school. All of them should be put in detention.

    “Don’t mess with the bull, young man….you’ll get the horns!” My favorite line from The Breakfast Club.

  • http://sandysalt.blogspot.com/ sandysalt

    This is the problem right now in this country, we have people running around attacking each other over how conservative they are vice rallying around the fact that they are fiscal conservative which is directly opposed to the Dumocrats in Congress right now. You want to make head way in this country then stay on message about fiscal conservatism and leave the other crap behind. We will wipe the floor in every election with that message and a platform on how to achieve it. We start with ending pork and finish with an amendment for a balanced budget. This isn’t hard, but we sure are making it so. We need to stop attacking each other and support the fiscal conservative message across the board if we want to put an end to the tyranny in Washington.

  • horizon3

    If I was a Lib Troll, I would interpret this thread as infighting, which it is.
    Stop bashing each other and our incumbents, be them bad or good, after all we put them in office. If you don’t like the job they are doing write them & complain or vote them out.

    As to Inhoff taking money for highways, that isn’t pork, it’s one of the few things the Federal Govt. is authorized to do via the Constitution, Federal Interstates are “post roads”. And if you have ever driven on the Interstates in OK you would know they are some of the the crappiest highways in the country, and are in such ill state of repair that some of them are actually dangerous to drive on at over 60mph, they are also some of the most heavily traveled in the country.

    As ColdWarrior said if you don’t like the direction the Party is going, get in the game and change it from the inside, quibbling only gives the likes of Huffpo & MM fodder to denigrate us with.

  • Flagstaff

    I don’t even like the term RINO. All of those so-called RINOs are in fact, full-fledged Republicans. They are not full-fledged conservatives, however. It’s just terminology, but it hurts us all anyway.

    We are facing a disaster for our country until Obama is out of office. We ALL need to stick together, and once he’s outtathere we STILL need to stick together gathered around conservative principles. Any other path, including forcing some kind of strict litmus tests to determine just what “conservative” means, leads to more failure.

    Inhofe’s criticisms are counterproductive and unhealthy. This is the kind of thing that Senate Republican leadership should “nip in the bud.”

    This makes me sick, as does the coming vote.

  • Flagstaff

    At least in that way. The Republican Party has a lot more variety of thought than the Democrat Party does.

  • aesthete

    stopping short of Baghdad was un-conservative. Conservatives broadly believe that the use of force is justified/allowable in certain instances, and believe that we should have an “America first” foreign policy. I fail to see how our extraordinarily successful air and ground campaigns, and their success at curtailing Iraqi aggression, could be considered anti-conservative, any more than our air strike on Libya during Reagan’s administration could be.

  • aesthete

    Though I’d love for conservatives to have some ideological backbone, bandying about terms like “RINO” simply serve to engender a conditioned response from the conservative electorate, by tarring and feathering people who personally dislike a candidate. Moreover, it’s not an accurate or useful term: it has no set definition or standard, and therefore is subject to abuse and overuse as a meaningless pejorative. It is particularly odd to see conservatives attempt to externally impose “purity tests”, given that conservative thinkers have often posited that conservatism is the ultimate non-ideology. (I think that that’s a load of rubbish, myself, but there you have it.) At any rate, I don’t see how general labels and catfights help the conservative cause. It certainly hasn’t done wonders for the Libertarian Party.