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One of the greatest threats to the security of the United States is not from a military, but from a psychology of denial. It is the Sept. 10 mentality that minimizes the threat posed by jihadist terrorism and rejects the idea we are even at war at all. According to this thinking, suicide bombers, their leaders and financiers are nothing more than street-corner criminals; a problem for our criminal justice system, not our armed forces. A quick look at terrorism in the 1990s exposes the inadequacy of the Sept. 10 mindset. In 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed. In...

President Obama’s claims about his proposed budget are so out of touch with reality that they are Orwellian, Sen. Jim DeMint, the chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, tells Newsmax. “When I read George Orwell’s novel ‘1984,’ I would almost smile because I would think that could never happen,” DeMint says, referring to the power of the state to subsume the truth. “But he [Obama] really is saying one thing and meaning the complete opposite. He is presenting a complete redefinition of words and ideas.” DeMint cites Obama’s claim at his most recent news conference that his budget moves America...

(Senate Floor - March 24, 2009) Mr. President, I wish to speak for few minutes on the Serve America Act. I think this is a great opportunity to talk about what is good about a lot of the Members of the Senate. I certainly appreciate and applaud the sponsors of this bill for their good intentions and know their hearts are in the right place. Some of my best friends are supporting this bill. But I think, as we look at what is good about the hearts of many Members of the Senate, we need to recognize this bill does...

WASHINGTON - Lindsey Graham's close friendship with John McCain didn't matter a whit when it comes to McCain's disdain for congressional pork. The Arizona senator and 2008 Republican candidate for the presidency set all the jokes and insider confidences aside 11 days ago when he hung his South Carolina buddy out to dry. McCain called Graham out in a March 4 mini-blog delivered instantly to thousands of people. The subject was Graham's $950,000 earmark to help build a new convention center in Myrtle Beach. On his daily disclosures of the Top 10 "porkiest projects" before Congress, McCain listed the Myrtle...

It's time for the grassroots conservatives gathered at the Conservative Political Action Conference to again lead the fight for the principles of freedom that have propelled America to greatness. "Sometimes it is said that man can not be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the forms of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question." ~ President Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801 There has been a constant battle throughout history between those who wish to control others and those who...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Another prominent Republican told the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday that the president’s spending plans are pushing the country to the brink of socialism. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, the only member of the senate to earn a perfect rating from the American Conservative Union, called President Obama “the world’s best salesman of socialism” on Friday in describing his prime time speech earlier this week. DeMint, a fierce opponent of government expansion, told the CPAC crowd that conservatives might have to “take to the streets to stop America’s slide into socialism.”

A ban on the so-called Fairness Doctrine passed overwhelmingly in the Senate yesterday in the form of the Broadcaster Freedom Amendment offered by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) to the D.C. Voting Rights Act, which was later passed by the Senate.  The Broadcaster Freedom Amendment would prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reinstating the so-called Fairness Doctrine, which was scrapped by the FCC in 1987 as unconstitutional.  The vote on the amendment was 87-11 in favor with 46 Democrats crossing over to vote with Republicans. “Today’s vote slammed the front door on the so-called ‘Fairness Doctrine,’ which threatens to censor...

The enduring fight over the Fairness Doctrine came to the Senate floor Thursday afternoon, as senators proposed dueling amendments on the issue during a debate on legislation that would give Washington, D.C., residents voting rights.Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina proposed an amendment, the Broadcaster Freedom Act, which would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, a policy dumped in 1987 that required broadcasters to provide balanced coverage of controversial issues. Several Democratic lawmakers have said recently they’d favor bringing the Fairness Doctrine back, fueling an uproar in the conservative talk radio world. On Feb. 18,...

'People have to show that they're not going to take it anymore.' BY DREW ZAHN Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., a staunch opponent of the federal government's increase in size and spending legislated by President Obama's stimulus package, has issued a call for Americans to stand up – literally – and take back their freedom. "I would think it's time to start thinking about peaceful demonstrations," DeMint said in an interview with Georgia's Augusta Chronicle. "The power of the people is there. Freedom is in the people's hands right now, and it's about to slip through." DeMint lobbied his fellow Senators...

The Obama administration may have said it wouldn’t attempt to revive the Fairness Doctrine, but that’s not enough for Republican Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina. He wants to force Senate Democrats to put up or shut up. In order to prevent the FCC from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, DeMint will propose the Broadcaster Freedom Act as an amendment to the D.C. Voting Rights bill. “I’m glad President Obama finally confirmed his opposition to the Fairness Doctrine, which attacks the right of free speech on talk radio,” DeMint said, “but many Democrats in Congress are still pushing it…now is the...

Congress Reconsiders the Fairness Doctrine February 22, 2009 by Priscilla King Should TV and Radio Be Free to Broadcast Political Content? In 1949, the FCC adopted a rule called the Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcasters to give "equal time" to all sides of a political dispute. Like many efforts to create fairness by imposing "equality," this policy never worked in the way that was intended. Even when the Communist Party,... didn't demand time to broadcast their views, in practice it turned out that the mainstream parties could not always present equally successful broadcasts. If a successful Democrat's show couldn't be...

Saving America: Time to hit the streets? Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff Sunday, February 22, 2009 Jim DeMint's gentlemanly air and refined tone belie a power and an urgency in his words. The stately senator from South Carolina sees America's unique centuries-old system of freedom dying out.And he thinks we may have to take to the streets to save it."I would think it's time to start thinking about peaceful demonstrations," he told us last week.Seriously?"Seriously."The power of the people is there. Freedom is in the people's hands right now, and it's about to slip through."Of course, the recent "stimulus" debate is...

Although a spokesman for President Barack Obama said the administration wouldn’t pursue the revival of the Fairness Doctrine, Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, S.C., wants Senate Democrats to go on the record one way or another on the issue. DeMint, chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, said on Feb. 19 he will offer the Broadcaster Freedom Act as an amendment to the D.C. Voting Rights bill next week. The Broadcaster Freedom Act was introduced by Republican lawmakers last month and prevents the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. “I’m glad President Obama finally confirmed his opposition to the...

WASHINGTON, D.C - Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) made the following statement: “Americans are beginning to realize that government control of our economy isn't working. Every new ad hoc spending adventure, every new bailout, and every new special interest handout only deepens the recession and delays any hope of recovery. Today's heartbreaking unemployment report is a lesson to all of us that until we free our economy from the uncertainty of government manipulation, we will continue to suffer lost jobs, shuttered businesses, and shattered hopes. “Some want to continue the big government policies that have failed to create...

---snip--- “This is a direct attack on students of faith, and I’m outraged Democrats are using an economic stimulus bill to promote discrimination,” said Senator DeMint. “Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for siding with the ACLU over millions of students of faith. These students simply want equal access to public facilities, which is their constitutional right. This hostility toward religion must end. Those who voted to for this discrimination are standing in the schoolhouse door to deny people of faith from entering any campus building renovated by this bill.

. The Awakening, with Hanen & Arlen Tonight (Thursday, 11pm ET,,,8pm PT) http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Sentinel_Radiocall-in @ 646-727-2652 ObamaNation News to discuss, in our fight for freedom...1. What havoc is wrought in the Socialist-Stimulus Bill? What is in the Stimulus Bill(s) and what is its purpose? How to contact your U.S. Senators and What might you say? What is Jim DeMint's alternative, 'The American Option: a Jobs Plan that Works?" "Obama Losing the Stimulus Message," Politico, 2/5 2. Why are states asserting their sovereignty all of a sudden? An American movement against a Marxofascist insurrection? "States getting uppity - uppity yours federal criminal...

Washington DC, Jan 29, 2009 / 05:27 am (CNA).- An Obama nominee for Deputy Secretary of State who argued the Mexico City Policy would be a free speech violation if applied domestically is being charged by a U.S. senator with contradicting U.S. Supreme Court precedent. The Mexico City Policy forbids funding for groups which perform or promote abortions. It was originally enacted under the Reagan administration, reversed under the Clinton administration, reintroduced under the George W. Bush presidency, and again reversed on Jan. 23 by President Barack Obama.The Deputy Secretary of State nominee, James B. Steinberg, made his comments in...

Time and again we’ve heard about the lost jobs and economic impact of failing to bail out the beleaguered American auto manufacturers. But little mention has been made of the consequences of going through with the bailout, and how such an action would be viewed by other Americans. In an interview following a Dec. 10 press conference where he and four other senators aired their opposition to the proposed bailout deal struck by congressional leaders and the White House (and approved by the U.S. House of Representatives 237-170 that evening), Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., warned that the perception that some...

Sen. Jim DeMint says unfair union influence and the bailout culture will anger many Americans. By Jeff Poor Business & Media Institute 12/11/2008 1:28:37 PM Time and again we’ve heard about the lost jobs and economic impact of failing to bail out the beleaguered American auto manufacturers. But little mention has been made of the consequences of going through with the bailout, and how such an action would be viewed by other Americans. In an interview following a Dec. 10 press conference where he and four other senators aired their opposition to the proposed bailout deal struck by congressional leaders...

They say that elephants never forget, but that's exactly what the Grand Old Party has done. Between the 1950s and 1970s, Rockefeller and Nixon Republicans kept the party in a seemingly permanent minority with a "me-too" philosophy that allowed Democrats to balloon the size and scope of government. But, when Ronald Reagan ran unashamed on conservative principles in 1980 and Republicans in Congress embraced bold conservative reforms in 1994, America responded with overwhelming approval. Since then, many Republicans have run for office as conservatives but governed as scandal-plagued big-spending moderates. They stopped offering common-sense solutions and broke promises with Americans...

Now that U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s 15 months of fame — as John McCain’s Sancho Panza — have passed, get ready for the next Republican S.C. star — U.S. Sen. Jim “No” DeMint. Former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, head of the right-wing Club for Growth, wrote a blast e-mail to true believers last week endorsing DeMint for a seat on the Senate Finance Committee. With the Nov. 4 defeat of Republican U.S. Sens. John Sununu of New Hampshire and Gordon Smith of Oregon, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will have at least one seat on the committee to...

Senator Mitch McConnell and Rep. John Boehner have a tough two years ahead of them. For the second election cycle in a row, conservative-leaning voters gave the Republican party an ultimatum: Shape up or ship out. And now the leaders of the GOP better deliver if they want 2010 to go any differently. They can start by changing business as usual in the House and Senate. In the House of Representatives, John Boehner should use his influence and leadership position to appoint Rep. Jeff Flake to the Appropriations Committee. Flake fans may recall the Arizona representative’s pursuit of an appropriations...

Toyota, BMW, Hyundai Workers' Senators Oppose Rescue

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Top Republican senators said Sunday they will oppose a Democratic plan to bail out Detroit automakers, calling the U.S. industry a ''dinosaur'' whose ''day of reckoning'' is coming. Their opposition raises serious doubts about whether the plan will pass in this week's postelection session. Democratic leaders want to use $25 billion of the $700 billion financial industry bailout to help General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC. Sens. Richard Shelby of Alabama and Jon Kyl of Arizona said it would be a mistake to use any of the Wall Street rescue money to prop up...

I got together this afternoon for a short interview with Jim DeMint, the man who could fairly be called the conservative leader of the Senate, to hear what he has to say about the bailout. What follows is the slightly edited transcript of our conversation. Did Congress help create this problem and if so, how? ...Congress passed a law back in the late seventies that required banks to make subprime loans to... The Community Reinvestment Act? Yes. It required the banks to make loans to people who couldn't afford them as part of our social programming. Congress also created Fannie...

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Drilling Survey I need your immediate help. As you know, the twenty-five year ban on offshore drilling will expire on October 1st. In the coming days the Senate will be debating on whether or not to renew the ban. I believe that we should not renew the ban and begin drilling in our territories to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but I need to know what you think. Will you please take the time and answer these two quick questions: Should we let the twenty-five year ban on offshore drilling expire? Yes No Should we stop frivolous lawsuits from...

Drastic times may call for drastic actions according to Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). DeMint told participants in a “national Tele Town Hall meeting” on July 9 there was a movement among senators to shut down the Senate floor if an up-or-down vote was not held on the offshore exploration for oil and natural gas. The senator maintained the added energy was an issue of national security to prevent the nation from being held “hostage” by OPEC. “One of the things that we’re looking at here – a few of us have been meeting about ways that we might just close...

WASHINGTON, March 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's largest pro-troop organization, Move America Forward (website: http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org ) will hold a news conference this Friday, March 14, 2008, calling attention to, and denouncing, the rising trend of violence against military recruiting centers. The news conference takes place in the Murrow Room at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Friday, March 14th at 9:30 AM. Move America Forward will provide detailed accounts of these attacks, including photographs and documents, to members of the media in attendance. A new national television ad campaign calling attention to these attacks will also be unveiled....

Excusing Berkeley by: Bethany Stotts The Berkeley City Council's decision to declare its local U.S. Marine Corps recruiting office “unwelcome and uninvited intruders” has sparked considerable controversy throughout the nation. With S. 2596, also known as the Semper Fi Act, now in the Senate and with 12 cosponsors, this controversy seems to have intensified, prompting news articles critical of Senator Jim DeMint’s (R-SC) proposed “retaliation.” Should the legislation pass, the city of Berkeley would lose $2.3 million in earmarks. The threatened loss of $975,000 (a subset of the total amount) for the University of California Berkeley’s Matsui Center for Politics...

Uproar over anti-Marine policyA move to strip Berkeley institutions of federal funds is going forward in Congress in retaliation for last week's City Council vote telling the U.S. Marines their recruiting station is not welcome in the city. Six Republican senators and an Orange County representative are introducing companion bills called the Semper Fi Act of 2008 that takes away $2 million, including funds from UC Berkeley and a local foundation that provides lunches to the Berkeley Unified School District. The Senate bill was introduced today by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.; Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.; Sen....

Some Berkeley business owners say they have received such a negative response from the recent City Council resolutions against the Marine Corps recruiting center in Downtown Berkeley that they may withhold city taxes in protest. Last week the council declared that the center was "unwelcome" in Berkeley and sought to aide Code Pink, a group that organizes regular protests outside the center, by reserving a parking space for the group in front of the center, among other actions. Since then, the resolutions have elicited a nationwide response. Last Thursday, United States Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said he would attempt to...

Gigot: Well, Fred Thompson has his flat tax, and Mike Huckabee has his fair tax. But who's got the better idea, and what are the other GOP presidential hopefuls proposing? Here with a closer look at the candidates' tax plans, Wall Street Journal columnist and deputy editor Dan Henninger, assistant editor James Freeman, Washington columnist Kim Strassel and senior economics writer Steve Moore. So, Steve, Fred Thompson has embraced this so-called voluntary flat tax plan. You like it, I kind of like it. Tell our viewers why. Moore: Well, the flat tax is happening all over the world. There are...

Listen to MittBy Jim DeMint October 12, 2007 Change must begin with us. That simple slogan best epitomizes the message and leadership former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is offering the Republican Party. America will never believe that Republicans represent "change" until we ourselves make some dramatic changes. SNIP Now more than ever, we need a President who will welcome new ideas and know when to take charge — someone who will call on America's strengths and provide leadership for the new generation of challenges we face. SNIP Mr. Romney believes, as I do, that there is not a single challenge...

With his caucus bitterly divided and the Senate descending into procedural warfare, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) stayed away from the Senate floor as the most sweeping overhaul of immigration laws in 21 years hung in the balance. Facing the biggest challenge of his leadership tenure, McConnell has largely chosen to work behind the scenes and instead allow a bloc of conservatives to spar with Republican supporters of the bill. Conservatives also railed all day on the process used by Senate leaders to bring the bill to the floor. But Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) and other Democrats wasted no...

The comprehensive immigration reform bill that has dodged attacks from the left and right for weeks, survived “poison pill” amendments, and was once pulled from the Senate schedule failed its most important test Thursday. Passage of the legislation now appears unlikely. The bipartisan coalition that had shepherded the measure through so many obstacles failed to get the 60 votes necessary to end debate. The final vote was 46-53 Until Thursday morning, it was unclear whether the bill would survive the cloture vote. But in the end, opponents of the measure from both sides of the political spectrum gained enough support...

As all of my loyal readers are aware (both of you), I recently awarded Jim DeMint "Coolest Person In Congress At The Moment." This is a very prestigious award in certain ranks. It just happens that those ranks are very secretive, so chances are you have never heard of them. I did a little investigation, which means I looked at Senator DeMint's website. I discovered that his push to stop shamnesty isn't the only thing that makes this man a patriot and a great American who should be placed upon a pedestal and have his praises sung to him. Ok,...

Sen. Jim DeMint on Tuesday blamed Democratic “wimps” in Congress for American casualties in Iraq, and cited Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for special censure. During a luncheon speech to 100 constituents in Spartanburg, DeMint also took issue with the now widespread belief that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction, saying the executed Iraqi dictator had “stockpiles of chemical weapons” that still exist. “Al-Qaida knows that we’ve got a lot of wimps in Congress,” DeMint said. “I believe a lot of the casualties can be laid at the feet of all the talk in Congress about how we’ve...

A pro-life senator will put a hold on FDA nominee Andrew von Eschenbach unless he takes "immediate steps" to remove the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug off the market. Despite it killing seven women and injuring another 950 more, Danco Laboratories' has refused to stop sales of the mifepristone drug while it's safety is reviewed. Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, will prevent a vote on Eschenbach, his press secretary Wesley Denton told the New York Times. “Senator DeMint believes that a qualified FDA nominee would publicly discourage RU-486’s use and take immediate steps to remove it from the...

This past Wednesday, when I attended Students for Saving Social Security’s event on Social Security reform with roughly 300 other young people, I was overcome by an unusual Washington, D.C. emotion—hope. Having only lived in our nation’s capital for about a year, I have not yet succumbed to the total disillusionment and cynicism of many people, but it has certainly affected my optimistic tendencies. But in contradiction to my sometimes-attitude that nothing in this city ever gets done, let alone gets done right, I found myself believing something could be changed. Social Security was considered for decades to be the...

"Lawmakers looking to replace current code with flat-rate levy on business transactions." A South Carolina senator dissatisfied with the results of a Bush advisory panel's recommendations on tax reform is set to introduce a bill to abolish federal income tax in favor of a levy on business transactions. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., told the New York Sun he would put his plan before the Senate tomorrow. The proposal calls for an end to all personal income taxes and the attendant bevy of related taxes, deductions and exemptions, including the estate tax and the alternative minimum tax. The plan would eliminate...

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Burr addresses 'boutique fuel' By Alex Keown Daily Times Staff Writer U.S. Sen. Richard Burr introduced the Affordable and Reliable Gas Act of 2005 Friday. The bill aims to decrease U.S. vulnerability to gasoline price spikes by reducing the number of available special fuel blends on the market, also called boutique fuels. Burr said the large number of boutique fuels has reduced gasoline availability because the variety of gasoline blends makes it more difficult to substitute blends in response to a gasoline shortage. He said a locality using one boutique fuel facing a gasoline shortage may not be able...

WASHINGTON Call them the five horsemen of the Republican Revolution: incoming US Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, John Thune of South Dakota, and David Vitter of Louisiana. Their arrival in the US Senate next week gives a powerful boost to both fiscal and social conservatives on issues ranging from judicial nominations and abortion rights to tax reform. It also tips the number of former House members in the Senate to 52 percent - the first time it has passed a majority. More than just an additional five GOP votes, they...

On NBC's "Meet the Press," Republican Rep. Jim DeMint and Democrat School Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum argued over a national sales tax, educational funding, homosexual rights, and abortion. Moderator Tim Russert seemed clearly in the Tenenbaum camp, asking repeated questions designed to put DeMint on the defensive. DeMint did not take the offense: he even kept using the word "apologize" for his past campaign stances. For Republicans, DeMint's performance was nothing short of demoralizing. DeMint spent most of his air time "apologizing" for past remarks questioning the desirability of homosexuals to teach in public schools or to adopt children. He said...

October 11, 2004--Republican Jim DeMint is leading in the race to become the next United States Senator from South Carolina. However, the race is closer than most analysts had expected it to be. The latest Rasmussen Reports survey shows DeMint holding a 6-point lead, 49% to 43%, over Democrat Inez Tenenbaum. The survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted Monday, October 6, 2004. Margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fifty-two percent (52%) of South Carolina voters have a favorable opinion of DeMint. Forty-seven percent (47%) say the same about Tenenbaum. When...

Expect ‘real war’ in Senate race By LEE BANDY Staff Writer Now comes the tough task — winning the U.S. Senate seat in November. Nothing is guaranteed. Whoever wins will have to earn it. The challenge for both Democratic nominee Inez Tenenbaum and Republican victor Jim DeMint is to win a lion’s share of the state’s 280,000 swing voters. Those voters are going to determine this race. There are not enough Democrats or Republicans to elect one of their own to statewide office. According to most recent exit polls, 40 percent of South Carolinians call themselves Republicans, 32 percent Democrats...

SPARTANBURG, SC (Talon News) -- A conservative political action committee leader said in a message to supporters on Tuesday that "keeping the Senate in GOP hands is now the number one priority of this election year," because President George W. Bush's reelection is "no longer a certainty." William J. Murray, Chairman of the socially conservative PAC Government Is Not God (GING), said Bush's poll numbers are strikingly similar to two other former presidents who failed in their reelection bids. "As of this month [Bush] has the same approval ratings as Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush did just before...

Conservatives were a majority of the House Republican conference by the mid-1980s; they did not become a majority of the Senate Republican caucus until after the 1994 elections. Even those elections swept in at least as many conviction-less Republican hacks as they did conservative activists such as Rick Santorum and Spence Abraham. The 2004 Senate Republican candidates are remarkably conservative. Indeed, it is almost certain that the Republican caucus will move rightward even if the party does not win seats this fall. The four seats that are most likely to be lost are currently held by Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Peter...

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jim DeMint said Tuesday changes in the tax code - not a moratorium on trade agreements - are the way to keep jobs and companies in the United States. DeMint said better trade agreements are needed, but the best way to continue to increase business is to knock down trade barriers so U.S. companies can sell freely to other countries. "Those who want to close our borders ... you need to know that that's going to kill your job," DeMint told a crowd of about 40 workers at Harsco Track Technologies, a...