The 2009 American Hall of Shame Award goes to…
Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife
Senator Jim DeMint of the great state of South Carolina.
DeMint has done much to distinguish himself as the worst American of the year, beginning with his statement made while speaking on a conference call discussing health care reform. Who can forget his words?
If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.
When news of DeMint’s statement first became public, I found myself dumbfounded by the remark. While it was no surprise that DeMint was a strong opponent of health care reform and while I defend his right to his point of view and to wage a battle in support of that point of view, DeMint’s comment had nothing to do with health care. It was all about the opportunity to destroy the presidency of Barack Obama.
What do you say about a United States Senator who is so obsessed with the politics of bringing down a President of the United States that it never occurs to him that when the president fails, we all fail? DeMint’s comment spoke volumes on how some of our leaders have become so dedicated to winning the political game, no matter who gets hurt, that they forget about their employers- the people of the United States.
DeMint’s remark was, for me, the most outrageous statement I heard all year.
Still, it should have come as no surprise. This is the very same senator who suggested that the failure of the economic stimulus would be a gift to all Republicans in future elections despite the fact that his state is suffering the second highest rate of unemployment in the nation – second only to Michigan. Again, I can understand that DeMint may have strongly believed that the Administration’s approach to solving our economic crisis was bad policy and would not, in the end, help his suffering constituents. But, once again, DeMint could not have cared less about suffering people in South Carolina- all he saw was the potential for political benefit. That takes a very special kind of bad.
And there is more.
As all eyes turn this week to the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), in reaction to the near disaster in the skies above Detroit, we now learn that the GOP has been holding up funding intended to improve the efforts of the TSA.
Republicans have cast votes against the key TSA funding measure, the 2010 appropriation bill for the Department of Homeland Security contained, which included funding for the TSA, including for explosives detection systems and other aviation security measures (emphasis added.) In the June 24 vote in the House, leading Republicans including John Boehner, Pete Hoekstra, Mike Pence and Paul Ryan voted against the bill, amid a procedural dispute over the appropriations process, a Democrat points out. A full 108 Republicans voted against the conference version, including Boehner, Boehner, Hoekstra, Pence, Michelle Bachmann, Marsha Blackburn, Darrell Issa, and Joe Wilson.
But who do you think is singled out as being the largest impediment to change at the TSA?
Our honoree, Senator Jim DeMint.
It turns out that DeMint has placed a hold on the appointment of a new TSA chief leaving the organization leaderless. His reasons?
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday”, DeMint told Chris Wallace that he is concerned that the administration could allow security screeners to unionize.
So, in order to prevent the possibility of TSA workers unionizing, DeMint is willing to risk the security of the nations flying public by denying the organization funding and leadership.
Remarkably, DeMint went on to say during his Fox television appearance,
They’re going to keep coming after us, and we can’t have politics as usual in Washington, and I’m afraid that’s what we’ve got right now with airport security.”
Via Crooks and Liars
Right you are, Senator. Security is far too serious an issue to be subjected to ‘politics as usual.’ And yet, as you have proven time and time again, politics is pretty much all you are about.
This is a man who is so committed to his ideology and to winning the game that he would sacrifice the success of the nation just to bring down the man who duly won the majority of the votes to lead the nation. This is a man who is so committed to political victory that he relishes the failure of a program designed to ease the suffering of his own constituents because he believes it will give his party an electoral edge. This is a man so committed to his ideology and winning the game that he would sacrifice the safety to the nation’s transportation system, and the millions who use it, in order to avoid the possibility that an organization of low paid employees might unionize.
Jim DeMint is up for re-election in 2010. Let’s do what we can to help the people of South Carolina understand who they have sent to represent them in the United States Senate so that they might avoid making the same mistake again.
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“DeMinted” is seen as the true Republician down here by the majority of the state and Senator Lindsay Graham, no liberal, is seen as a RINO. There are a lot of progressive people in the state but the majority are solidly behind Fox News and DeMint; he will be hard to bring down. You are so right about him in your analysis; he is a front man for any ploy to stop Obama from accomplishing anything and his popularity goes up with each outburst.
You guys are going to need to show these people the light! It’s horrible that DeMint can get away with this while damaging the important interests of the people in the state of California. He’s doing nobody there any favors, whatever their political point of view.
In response to another comment. See in context »Califonia is already damaged beyond repair….from the democrats and their public employee unions which have run the state into the ground…..while doubling the total tax burden on the people from $70 billion to $140 billion in just ten years….
In response to another comment. See in context »Sorry, I meant to the people of South Carollina!
In response to another comment. See in context »I live in Savannah, GA and come across this type of conservatism (sadly) quite often. Demint is held in high regard in this area and lauded for these comments. I’m just able to shake my head in disbelief. I am surrounded by this type of thinking here in GA. To protect my own sanity, I just keep telling myself that I am not alone. But some days I wonder.
[...] The 2009 American Hall of Shame Award goes to… Senator Jim DeMint [...]
RE:What do you say about a a United States Senator who is so obsessed with the politics of bringing down a President of the United States that it never occurs to him that when the president fails, we all fail
What do you say about a President who is obsessed with nationalizing the health system, destroying privately run insurance companies….that is quite an obsession for a junior senator from chicago…..putting the Presidency in the hands of Barack Hussein Obama is like putting a 747 in the hands of a guy who has just landed from his first solo in a Cessna….
The health bill is totally unnecessary from the stand point of health…it is purely political…
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Sounds like a good idea!
In response to another comment. See in context »Dr. Brandt,
Do you define the center by reference to the extremes or does the center stand for something on its own?
In response to another comment. See in context »Chad McGowan for Senate — good guy.
http://chadmcgowan.com/
He is a smart, quick lawyer (and stands 6′8″ tall). He kind of reminds me of Alan Grayson. I think he will be a great replacement for DeMint.
(i live in SC)