Free Republic

(snip) Sen. Lindsey Graham believes his fellow South Carolina Republican's verdict is too harsh. He plans to vote to confirm Bernanke, who just turned 56. “I remember what it was like in September 2008 when the stock market went down a thousand points, and we had one failure after another of major financial institutions,” Graham told McClatchy. “Bernanke and some others came up with a game plan to save us from another Great Depression,” Graham said. “I think he's been a pretty steady hand at the tiller.” DeMint also blasts Bernanke on the $700 billion financial bailout bill pushed by...

The Senate’s passage of a massive health-care reform bill yesterday morning was greeted by partisan applause by Democrats, but President Obama noted that “we now have to take up the last and most important step and reach an agreement on a final reform bill that I can sign into law.” We don’t expect reconciling the House and Senate versions will prove all that difficult, but another aspect of Obamacare that deserves closer examination is whether it passes constitutional muster. Republican senators Jim DeMint of South Carolina and John Ensign of Nevada this week offered an amendment stating Congress lacks power...

When Senator DeMint engineered, and Republican Leader McConnell actually objected to the appointment of the conferees, he was really handing the ball off to the left wingers — progressives if you will — and now they have their shot to either hold their own clan members who are against the Senate compromises and force them to vote No, or have their policy demands be ignored and take the crumbs from Senator Nelson’s and Senator Lieberman’s table. Now, because of the Senator DeMint’s objection, unless the House votes for the Senate bill unchanged — which is highly unlikely (see below) —...

because of the Senator DeMint’s objection, unless the House votes for the Senate bill unchanged — which is highly unlikely (see below) — then the Senate ObamaCare bill must be amended on the House floor to gain the votes they need to pass it on the House floor. And because of Senator DeMint’s objection to the appointment of the conferees, there will be no conference, or conference report. If the House amends the Senate bill, they then have to send the amended bill back to the Senate — where all the 60 vote margin cloture votes still apply — cloture...

Looks like the steadily growing list of constitutional, ethical and political outrages that constitute the Harry Reid version of Obamacare is sparking a rebellion in the states, as AP reports South Carolina's attorney general plans to investigate the vote-buying that surrounded the proposal in the Senate majority leader's office. According to AP, South Carolina's Henry McMaster is being joined by the attorneys general of Michigan and Washington state in a suit to determine the constitutionality of the Obamacare proposal. Their initiative was prompted by a request from South Carolina's two senators, Lindsay Graham and Jim DeMint, both Republicans. Attorneys-general in...

Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and John Ensign (R-Nev.) are questioning the constitutionality of the Democrats’ Senate version of the healthcare bill.  On behalf of the Republican Steering Committee, the official caucus of conservative senators, the two raised on the Senate floor yesterday a Constitutional point of order that will compel a vote by the full Senate today on the bill’s constitutionality.   The point of order will either be waived -- by Democrats who don’t care about the constitutionality or are willing to ignore the issue -- or it will stand and the healthcare bill will be dead until the...

Ben Nelson of Nebraska switched during the roll call on earmark vote-trading, he was for it before he was against it. Also this from Demint, "Senate Democrats Vote to Continue Earmark Vote-Trading" ttp://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=bd71448a-b030-dfb5-7be8-1c5493413dc8

With their procedural options in the Senate exhausted, Republicans are looking to the Constitution for a way to fight the Democrats' health care reform bill. South Carolina's attorney general said Tuesday his office was exploring whether the horse-trading used to secure the last few Democratic votes for the bill violates the Constitution; now a separate challenge is headed for a vote on the Senate floor on Wednesday. Sen. John Ensign, Nevada Republican, has raised a constitutional point of order, arguing that the founding document does not give Congress the right to insist that Americans buy health insurance, nor to punish...

Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC) and John Ensign (R-NV) raised a constitutional point of order that will compel a vote by the full Senate on the constitutionality of the Senate Health Care bill's requirements for individuals to procure health insurance under the threat of fines or incarceration. The vote could take place as early as this afternoon. DeMint has stressed that a mandate compelling citizens to purchase any product from a private company is clearly an illegal and unprecedented form of federal action: "Forcing every American to purchase a product is absolutely inconsistent with our Constitution and the freedoms our Founding...

Democrat/Communists Place Provision In Health Care That Makes It Impossible To Repeal - Senator Jim DeMint Challenges Our nation is no longer a Representative Republic.it has officially become a communist dictatorship. Our United States Constitution has been rendered null and void. After 233 years of being the shining city on a hill, the bright beacon of liberty and freedom to all the world, the light has been extinguished.

On the Senate floor yesterday, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) pointed out how a rule change contained in the 2,700-page government-run health care bill being pushed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is illegal and, if allowed to go uncontested, will result in the death panel provision of the bill becoming permanent.

It's about time that someone has the backbone to address the eight hundred pound elephant in the room. ObamaCare is so clearly unconstitutional that it's disappointing it's taken so long for anyone in government to make a serious issue out of it. It's better late than never, but the argument would have carried more weight and credibility if they'd constantly been attacking ObamaCare on Constitutional grounds...

COLUMBIA, SC (WMBF) - U.S. Senators Jim DeMint and Lindsay Graham are hoping to turn the tables on health care in Washington, after requesting an investigation into special deals being made to secure votes for successful reform. A letter addressed by the two South Carolina lawmakers was received by State Attorney General Henry McMaster Tuesday morning, detailing concerns over funding arrangements negotiated with Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska. "The language of the Nelson provision appears to give Nebraska a permanent exemption from paying the Medicaid expenses all other states in the nation will be required to pay," McMaster said in...

Speaking about the government-run healthcare, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann said it's not totally inevitable that it will pass. She reminded listeners that President Obama wanted the health bill on Labor Day and that got pushed back. Now Obama wants it on Christmas and that could be pushed back. Rep. Bachmann says we can retreat, or stand our ground. She stated that around 71% of the country could be under Federal control if this bill passes. Bachmann said if you see your senators when they come home, be strong, and tell them they don't speak for you. She said, between the prolife...

Today, U.S. Senators Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) and John Ensign (R-Nevada), raised a Constitutional Point of Order on the Senate floor against the Democrat health care takeover bill on behalf of the Steering Committee, a caucus of conservative senators. The Senate will vote tomorrow on the bill’s constitutionality..

..Jim DeMint and John Ensign are going to force a vote on the issue. Democrats will be forced to take a position on whether or not the federal government can force individuals to buy products on pain of criminal penalty. “I am incredibly concerned that the Democrats’ proposed individual mandate provision takes away too much freedom and choice from Americans across the country,” said Senator Ensign. “As an American, I felt the obligation to stand up for the individual freedom of every citizen to make their own decision on this issue. I don’t believe Congress has the legal authority to...

Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) pointed out some rather astounding language in the Senate healthcare bill during floor remarks Monday night. First, he noted that there are a number of changes to Senate rules in the bill -- and it's supposed to take a 2/3 vote to change the rules. And then he pointed out that the Reid bill declares on page 1020 that the Independent Medicare Advisory Board cannot be repealed by future Congresses...

Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.) has thumbed through Harry Reid's manager's amendment and discovered some "particularly troubling" rule-change provisions, especially with regards to the proposed Independent Medicare Advisory Board, which he finds could be unrepealable:

On December 21, 2009, however, Harry Reid sold out the Republic in toto. Upon examination of Senator Harry Reid’s amendment to the health care legislation, Senators discovered section 3403. That section changes the rules of the United States Senate. To change the rules of the United States Senate, there must be sixty-seven votes. Section 3403 of Senator Harry Reid’s amendment requires that “it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection.” The good news is that this only...

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is locked in a battle with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) over the future makeup of the Senate Republican conference. DeMint (S.C.), the chairman of the Senate Republican Steering Committee, is going toe-to-toe with Cornyn in Senate Republican primaries. DeMint has thrown his weight behind Chuck DeVore, a conservative Republican who is running against a more centrist candidate backed by Cornyn. “Every Republican campaigns on being a conservative, but if you look at what we do once we’re in office, most people join the club rather than the country after they get here,...

Candidates are already lining up donors and political action committees in hopes of securing the 2012 Republican nomination. At least six potential candidates already visited Iowa in the past six months. Next year, we will see many more GOP hopefuls putting the Hawkeye State on their travel itinerary. A victory in Iowa could boost the winner to the GOP nomination. So, as 2009 draws to a close, here is a look ahead at the top ten Republican hopefuls for 2012:

Here is video of South Carolina GOP Sen. Jim DeMint saying he is prepared to delay a vote on the Senate Health Care Bill in any way possible. DeMint also said that Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson will be an "American hero" if he refuses to support this bill. DeMint said he did not know if Nelson could hold out against the pressure being brought upon him by the White House. DeMint said he will seek to slow the bill down so it can at least be read before it is voted on. . . . (VIDEO)

We must keep fighting this. Keep calling, emailing, faxing your senator, the vote is scheduled for Monday at 1am

American Thinker readers are invited to poll their U.S. Senators concerning their reactions to Climategate. Recently, AT contacted the press offices of GOP Senators DeMint, Graham, McConnell, Hutchison, and McCain and posted their statements, or more accurately their absence of statements, on Climategate.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) deserves the Congressional Medal of Honor if he ends up blocking health reform legislation, one of his Senate colleagues said Friday. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said the pressure on Democrats had reached unprecedented levels, and that Nelson, a key centrist lawmaker who leaders need to reach 60 votes, had been heroic in refusing to sign onto the bill as of yet. "Gosh, I can't believe than Ben Nelson has been able to hold up under this pressure," DeMint said during an appearance on CNBC. "If he holds up, he deserves a Congressional Medal of Honor."

Sen. Jim DeMint said Thursday he is prepared to use every procedural tool to delay a vote on the Democratic healthcare legislation. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is planning to schedule votes around the clock over the next week to meet a deadline of passing the bill by Christmas. Without the cooperation of Republicans, the marathon schedule would end with a vote on Christmas Eve. Reid hopes that Republicans will waive some of the procedural formalities so senators are not forced to spend the evening before Christmas milling about the Senate floor. But Sen. DeMint (R-S.C.), chairman of the...

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday withdrew his single-payer healthcare amendment after Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) initiated a procedural maneuver to shipwreck the measure. Coburn earlier in the day forced the Senate clerk to read aloud Sanders’s 767-page amendment to the Senate healthcare bill in an effort to halt the healthcare debate.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., had some harsh words for Democrats aiming to make President Obama’s healthcare program law. In an interview with Newsmax.TV Monday, the Senate’s leading conservative Senator said his Democratic colleagues are not considering their constituent wishes, but are helping President Obama “make history” in putting through a radical government takeover of private healthcare. DeMint said Congressional Democrats “have drank that Kool-Aid,” adding that they are even willing to “walk the plank” to see Obama’s plan rammed through Congress. He noted that most members of Congress don’t even know what’s in the bill, since it is being drafted...

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) Thursday vowed that Republicans would take all steps necessary to halt the Democrats' healthcare reform bill in the Senate. The conservative senator voiced his support for Sen. Tom Coburn's (R-Okla.) requested that Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) 767-page amendment that would establish a single-payer healthcare system be read aloud on the Senate floor in its entirety. DeMint took to Twitter, saying: Coburn forced Dems to read 767 pg Sanders amendment, we'll do everything we can to stop this government takeover of health care If Reid won’t slow down this debate, we will do it for him. Coburn's...

Just in case you’ve missed it, there has been a lot of debate recently about reforming our nation’s health care system. The president and his allies in Congress have told us they have just the ticket to fix our problems: a plan that creates a new federal government insurance company and pays for it by raising taxes on just about everyone and cutting nearly $500 billion from Medicare. Their plan takes an unsustainable mountain of government debt, bureaucracy and spending, then bulldozes a new mountain of bureaucracy and debt right on top of it. But for all of the mind-boggling...

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is putting Capitol Hill on a "Code Red" alert Tuesday in an effort to stop the Senate's health care reform legislation. In a release from his office Monday, DeMint announced he will speak at what is being billed as an "emergency rally" coordinated by several groups, including the American Conservative Union and the Susan B. Anthony List. "The event has 'tea party' trimmings and plenty of muscle, including grass-roots support from six states," according to the GOP senator's Web site.

During an interview with Bloomberg's Al Hunt, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint said he would find it troublesome if the country elected an openly gay president. "It would be bothersome to me personally because I consider it immoral," DeMint said during the interview. When the issue of gay marriage came up, DeMint did not hold back from denouncing the notion. "Marriage is a religious institution. The federal government has no business redefining what it is. Governments should not be in the business of promoting a behavior that's proven to be destructive to our society." These comments are not surprising coming...

Demint v Obama?

US Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) has begun to make a name for himself in national politics. Not content to pursue his own hard-line conservative course in the Senate, he has begun to encourage the election of Republicans of similar outlook across the nation. DeMint has his own political action committee, the Senate Conservatives Fund, which is frequently at odds with the choices -- stated or assumed -- of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the GOP’s official body for electing members of the upper chamber. In Florida's 2010 GOP Senate primary, DeMint endorsed conservative underdog Marco Rubio, a former speaker of...

The broadcasting entertainers Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, while influential with conservatives, Republican strategists explain, aren’t officeholders or political decision makers. Jim DeMint is.The Republican senator from South Carolina is a force moving the party to the right on big issues. He is actively endorsing conservative insurgents over established party candidates from Florida to California. He’s a favorite of the grass-roots “tea party” brigade and Fox News. His growing appeal is such that party insiders even talk about him as a potential presidential candidate.Some conservatives are nuanced: libertarian conservatives, compassionate conservatives, neo-conservatives; not the 58-year-old Mr. DeMint. He goes right...

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) inched his way further into the 2010 Senate races Thursday, endorsing a member of the Texas Railroad Commission for the seat that might be vacated by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Texas.) in her run for governor. In the blistering cold with the Capitol as a backdrop, DeMint threw his weight and the weight of his Senate Conservatives Fund behind Michael Williams, an African-American who served in both the Reagan and first Bush administrations. Williams said he’s looking to come to Washington to “stop the slouch toward European-style socialism.” DeMint said he’s looking to pull the Republican...

Senator Jim DeMint is urging the Republican establishment to tack further to the right. That's because he believes the leadership has swung too far to the left. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody, DeMint (R-SC) said his party deserves a better slate of candidates than the ones put forward to run against the Democrats "I need some new Republicans, people who believe in constitutional government, a balanced budget and liberty and so I’m out across the country recruiting new Republicans who I think if they get here will not only challenge the institutions of government but...

Hey Tea Party participants. Listen up. Senator Jim DeMint says it's time for, "some new republicans" to be elected to serve in the Senate. DeMint spoke to The Brody File about what he wants to see happen in 2010. The junior Senator from South Carolina is a MAJOR player in the Tea Party movement due to the fact that he has been aggressively backing conservative type candidates against Republican establishment figures. For example, he's backing Marco Rubio in Florida against Charlie Crist and Chuck DeVote in California instead of Carly Fiorina.

Conservative South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint (R) will endorse Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams' Senate candidacy later today, a move designed to thin the GOP field running to replace Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R). "Democrats are trying to catch Republicans flat-footed and pick off the Texas Senate seat," said a source close to DeMint who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about strategic matters. "This endorsement will signal its time for conservatives and independents to rally behind Michael." The seat is not formally vacant yet as Hutchison has delayed her planned resignation until after her March 2 primary fight against...

I hadn't given much hope that any Senator would have the intestinal fortitude to ask Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke any tough questions during his confirmation hearings before the Senate Banking Committee. Bernanke, who succeeded Alan Greenspan, was originally appointed by George W. Bush, and was recently reappointed to a second term by President Barack Obama. I'm happy to see that Senator Jim DeMint courageously carved Bernanke up while still being a perfect Southern gentleman (see video below from hearings).

Here is a list of 2012 candidates. Generally, I am dwelling on the negatives as this is what is going to limit them in their ability to win but will mention any unique positives. Please share your thoughts on these or any other potential candidates. Romney - Romneycare is an albatross. He is a Mormon which impacts appeal. Is popular in Michigan due to his father. Sometimes comes across like a used car salesman. Is probably more conservative than his record and gets a bad rap due to his need to make compromises to get elected in The People's Republic....

Senator pledges to hold nomination until the Senate votes on the Fed Audit WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, announced this morning that he will oppose the nomination of Ben Bernanke to serve a second term as the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. Senator DeMint made the announcement after Bernanke's confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, and pledged to object to floor consideration of the nomination until the Senate votes on S. 604, the Federal Reserve Sunshine Act of 2009. "Ben Bernanke is an intelligent and well-intended public...

COLUMBIA. – South Carolina junior Senator Jim DeMint announced Thursday he will oppose the nomination of Ben Bernanke to serve a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve. DeMint said he would also block consideration of the nomination on the Senate floor until lawmakers vote on their version of a House bill introduced by Texas Congressman Ron Paul that would require an audit of the Federal Reserve. The House bill has more than 300 co-sponsors. The Senate version of the legislation sponsored by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has more than 30 co-sponsors and would allow the Government Accountability Office...

Republicans Pay Tribute at ‘Tea Party’ Movie Premiere Members of Congress Mingle With Activists at D.C. Film Debut By David Weigel 12/3/09 10:08 AM Presenters at the premiere of "Tea Party: The Documentary Film" Wednesday in Washington (Photo: David Weigel) Getting into Wednesday’s Washington, D.C., premiere of “Tea Party: The Documentary Film” meant walking through a steady rain into the Ronald Reagan building, a sprawling downtown trade and convention center where the economic conservative group FreedomWorks, which helped organize a number of Tea Party protests, had rented a foyer and a sizable auditorium. The stars of the film relaxed and...

Republican Senator Jim DeMint, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, said on Thursday he would oppose Ben Bernanke's nomination for a second term as Federal Reserve Chairman. "Americans want a new Fed chairman who is willing to provide transparency into the Fed's actions, who is willing to accept responsibility for the Fed's mistakes, and who is willing to support true monetary reform that guarantees the soundness of our money," DeMint said in a statement.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), a darling of the Tea Party crowd, credited that movement with blocking Democratic health care reform efforts and predicted the conservative activists behind the movement could ultimately thwart the passage of that bill and others.. "The only reason we don't have national health care right now is you - is the people outside of Washington," DeMint told a gathering of Tea Party activists gathered Wednesday night in Washington for the premiere of a documentary about the movement. "I think we do have a shot at stopping this thing," he said of the health care reform bill...

My colleague Kenneth Vogel writes in from tonight's gathering of tea party activists in Washington for the premiere of a documentary about the movement: After seeing Rep. Joe Wilson raise more than $1 million in the days following his "You lie!" outburst during President Obama's September address to Congress, Sen. Jim DeMint, a fellow South Carolina Republican, said he wished he'd been the one who lashed out. Though Wilson apologized for the comment, he was pilloried by the left and lionized by Republican activists in the so-called Tea Party movement. DeMint – who himself raised hackles on the left and...

WASHINGTON — South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint is using his rising national profile among conservative activists to support and bankroll Republican Senate candidates around the country, some of them underdogs challenging GOP establishment favorites.....

What can you say? How often does the United States stake out a clear, unequivocal position on a major foreign policy event and then, over the course of a few months, slowly walkback from their original position to come around and embrace exactly the opposite point of view? This is the Obama administration in all its amateurish glory. When Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was invited to leave back in June, the administration took the same side as the thugs and dictators of the world, calling it a "military coup" even though the Honduran Supreme Court had ruled the action legal...

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who is up for re-election in 2010 and is heavily favored to win, has made an interesting admission: That he's not thinking about South Carolina when he votes in the Senate, but about larger conservative principles. From The State: DeMint, 58, makes no bones that he's more focused on advancing conservative goals nationwide than on pursuing the parochial interests of his state. "All of you all over the country - please remember that Senate seats are not about a particular state," DeMint told more than 4,000 listeners on the recent conference call. "They're about our country....