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Senator Jim DeMint: Conservative Of The Year 2010

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  January 3rd, 2011 at 10:35 AM  | 

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Human Events has named Senator Jim DeMint the 2010 Conservative of the Year. They asked me to write the profile.

He did not start out a conservative fighter.  He was no warrior when he first arrived on Capitol Hill in 1999.  Jim DeMint had replaced Rep. Bob Inglis in South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District.  Inglis had vacated the seat to run a losing race against Senator Ernest Hollins.
 
DeMint’s tenure started out like that of most freshmen congressmen — anonymous and committed to bringing home the bacon, much like Rep. Inglis who, when Senator DeMint moved up to the Senate, moved back into his old House seat until the tea party movement threw him out in 2010.
 
Something happened to DeMint though.  In a National Journal article last month, Michael Hirsh fingered the fight over No Child Left Behind, which DeMint originally opposed, but then ultimately supported.

You can read the whole thing here.

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COMMENTS

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  • fpete13527
  • carolina
  • http://www.defeatobama.com DefeatObama.com

    The background on No Child Left Behind was something I wasn’t aware of.

    I especially love that he has a “standing hold” on everything. He has become the sort of senator I wish this country had more of. Not because I support every position of his ideology but because he seems to remember that passing legislation just for the sake of getting stuff done has gotten us into this mess.

    I’m telling you I’ll be a happy happy man if the only “legislation” that gets a presidential signature for the next two years is the budget. And even then I’d be just as happy to see a shutdown if that is what it takes to get spending under control.

  • Christine (Trelaina)

    Why oh why do we do this? Why is every shining star pushed into Presidential consideration?

    Senators generally make bad presidents. We’ve got one now, do we want another one?

    We need good Conservative Senators IN the Senate to clean it up, not sitting around testing the presidential waters, etc….

  • Bill S
  • Michael Dugas

    It’s not like he did much of anything for his State of constituents nor did he show up much to vote from what I hear.

    I generally run towards putting my faith in the individual and not the premise that Senators make bad Presidents. DeMint has been able to show true maturity and growth in his political career. I believe that it would follow him as President. I so wish some one just like him were President now……how could I not want him to be President in 2012.

    If there’s a better unknown as yet candidate I sure hope they speak up soon.

  • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

    Yes, we should make judgments based on the individual and not merely their elected position.

    Obama as senator voted for the bloated Dem Congress budgets and all the stuff he blames Bush for (TARP etc) except for the surge that worked!

    See Pilgrims many diaries suggesting some unknowns for 2012.

    more later

    I favor, as of now, Barbour, Cain, Jindal etc

    even more later

  • chihank

    To the GOP Establishment, DeMint is the under taker. John Cornyn blames DeMint for Senate losses in CO, NV, and DE.

    The Establishment will disapprove of the article.

  • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

    because we are spoiled by such great talk radio hosts!