Free Republic

"Excited" after a meeting Thursday with Mitt Romney, tea party favorite Sen. Jim DeMint urged fellow Republicans to be realistic and rally around the party's eventual nominee, making his plea the same day the ex-governor's chief rival suggested voters would be as well off with President Barack Obama as they would Romney. In addition to fundraising events, Romney was in Washington to hold talks with DeMint as well as legislators from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which hold primaries next month. The legislators included House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan, according to GOP aides. "I'm not only comfortable with Romney, I'm excited...

Washington pundits have assumed that Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., can’t stomach former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s moderate views and thus won’t support him for president. Not so fast, says the conservative powerhouse, The Hill reports. “I haven’t stricken anybody off my list, or put anybody on it, really,” said DeMint, who backed Romney last time around. “And it’s going to be several months before I look at endorsing."

It is that sort of no-nonsense, principled conservatism that has made him a favorite among the staunchest Tea Party activists. But wait, now he’s saying, in essence, that’s no big deal. The Hill reports: DeMint blames Democrats in the Massachusetts State Legislature for adding many of the features to Romney’s plan that many on the right decry. “It just depends on how he plays it. For me, I think he started with some good ideas that were essentially hijacked by the Democrat Legislature,” DeMint said.