« BACK  |  PRINT

RS

MEMBER DIARY

Breaking: Senator Jim DeMint Leaving Senate in January [Updated]

By: westcoastpatriette (Diary)  |  December 6th, 2012 at 10:39 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

There is little more to report at this point.  Fox News just reported that South Carolina U.S. Senator Jim DeMint is leaving his senate post early in January to go to work at the Heritage Foundation.

This is shocking news.  He was just reelected in 2010 and has four more years left to serve.  More info will be forthcoming.

If there were a way to post this in an open thread such as we used to have in the Morning Briefing, I would have put it there to prevent such a short diary.  Will update as more info comes out.

Update: I should have waited before writing this diary as our beloved editor — Erick Erickson — knew about the forthcoming announcement and posted an eloquent piece about Senator DeMint’s departure here.

I am still struggling to understand why Erick sees this as a brilliant move and, instead — in light of so much bad news on the heels of the most disappointing election of my lifetime — I am stuck in my own selfish sadness over the loss.

Consider this an open thread for fellow mourners to commiserate and pontificate as acceptance of the loss of Jim DeMint in the U.S. Senate sinks in.

COMMENTS

POSTING RULES  |  LOGIN TO COMMENT  |  REGISTER TODAY
  • satchman3

    I’m with you – a senate seat is powerful and prestigious. Running Heritage doesn’t compare in terms of power and prestige so I don’t see the positive in this move. DeMint can be far more influential in the senate.

    I would guess it’s a personal reason rather than a strategic move.

    • westcoastpatriette

      When someone is elected to a position and decides to leave the post prematurely, they owe it to their supporters to explain their reasoning fully, IMO. I hope DeMint makes his reasoning clearer in the days to come to protect his reputation from the fallout since many are going to feel angry and abandoned at a crucial time in our nation.

    • celador2

      He may have disagreed with the direction of the party after the losses and objected to the move to pander and change to draw in more Democrats. All the amnesty chasing and tax hike deals may have struck him as being out of line with his principles. The talk of becomng less value influenced as a party may also have hurt. Jim Demint was never the problem but many said he was as he held the line on values and growth of government.

      Maybe he did not want to be a lone warrior when he once had support in Senate and House. He had a sizeable grassroot support group in his contributors and ssubscribers who backed him and he knew that we were there counting on his leadership. He was a power base that rivaled the RNC imo.

      We may never know. Jim Demint is always a gentleman and for that I am thankful. He is a statesman too. He leaves with his head held high.

      The lights just went out.

  • celador2

    This makes me cry, ohh the loss is a big hole in the ground, A void never to be filled.
    Not everybody using the conservative label is as dedicated to limited government and bases his or her politics on the constitution as did Demint. Demint kept me going this last year and his Senate Conservatives Fund was a welcome outlet for news and contributions. Demint nurtured Lee, Paul and all othersr respect for federalism.
    He was unique in his timeless, relevant message that would ‘shine the light’ and now he is gone.
    “We shine the light on issues” he would tell the press in primaries. His actions reached me with a beautiful glow that covered the world view we shared. Demint inspired me.

    Gone from us— ohhh i can’t stand it.

    • westcoastpatriette

      I’m crying with you, celador2. I’m blindsided by the news and, again, have to trust that Erick knows what he’s talking about when he says this is a good move. How many more blows can we take?

      • celador2

        We can only express our own shock and sorrow which we know.
        Not many more blows, west not many more.
        As long as he and the growing SCF and that community was around I felt safe.He never waivered in his support for human dignity and life nor in an upbeat hope his work ‘woud shine a light on issues’ that needed some. He revered the grassroots, US, real people to him. Demint did not seek or march to the Belt way beat like so many who go there do. Bless his heart.
        . And his reverene for the constitution and the people’s money will never be outdated in my book.
        Ground Zero is the hole his departure will leave.
        This void and loss is not good news to those who want to reinforce the timeless values for which Demint stands–timeless, not shifting in the wind to pander to the moment like debt ceiling and tax hikes. If Jm Demint is outdated and not fit for this new age GOP so am I.
        May tthe Lord continue to bless our brother Jim Demint. We miss him so much.

  • http://gardenslegal.com morstar150

    It is a sad moment for the conservative movement to lose a leader like Jim DeMInt, but…

    I his new position as spokesperson for the Heritage foundation we will finally have a voice that can really articulate the conservative message without shooting himself and party in the foot. He is also not a mercenary like Rove, or Crystal, or any of the others who have so quickly claimed they represent my views. In reality they have no clue who I am, just like the rest of the media. Expect to see him on many of the national news shows. That is a good thing right now!

  • http://gardenslegal.com morstar150

    See also Mike Devine’s diary “One vote can make S.C. Republican only black member of U.S. Senate.”

  • westcoastpatriette

    Bret Baier just interviewed Sen. DeMint on Special Report and I feel better about his decision. He made clear that he will be able to be much more influential at Heritage than he could be in the Senate right now and that he believes that a year from now, all of his angry and disappointed constituents and supporters will see the wisdom of his decision. Stated that nothing gets passed in the Senate without public pressure and he will be able to influence this aspect of legislating much more effectively with his new job.

    Also, he said that he feels the conservative message needs to be better communicated to Americans to help them understand why their lives will be better with conservative principles. We know that this is so true as we seem to have really lousy communicators on our side. I wish him the best and have to trust that he is making the right decision.

  • westcoastpatriette

    Sometimes your pessimism goes too far. I do not think he is a calculating opportunist, Viet71. See my comment above for further insight into DeMInt’s thinking.