DeMint resigns from U.S. Senate -- Examiner, Anthony Martin

[bsteadman]

DeMint resigns from U.S. Senate

Examiner
Anthony Martin, Conservative Examiner
12/6/2012

Excerpt:

Republican leaders and the entirety of the Washington political establishment in both parties were shocked, even taken by complete surprise, at the announcement today that U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has resigned from the Senate.

DeMint will head the powerful Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank with significant influence in political policy.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will appoint DeMint's successor who will serve until a special election can be held in 2014 to choose a permanent replacement.

DeMint had stated all along that he intended to impose term limits on himself and would not seek reelection in 2016 after two terms. Thus, his early departure shook conservatives and the Republican leadership, given that DeMint has gradually amassed significant power and influence in the Senate, particularly with regard to pushing a conservative agenda.

That agenda often pitted DeMint against the Republican establishment elites. Most recently DeMint has been openly critical of House Speaker John Boehner's handling of the fiscal cliff issue, accusing the Speaker of caving to the Democrats and President Obama on taxes and spending.

DeMint has also been a key founding figure in the tea party movement, helping candidates such as Florida's Marco Rubio, Arizona's Jeff Flake, and Texas' Ted Cruz get elected to the Senate.

As a member of the Senate DeMint has not been among the richest Senators in Washington. His 2011 tax returns show that his only assets are two IRAs totaling $1,000 each and a book advance of $43,000. But his liabilities and expenses total $360,000. As director of the Heritage Foundation DeMint's financial picture should improve significantly.

However, the scuttlebutt behind the scenes is that DeMint has grown increasingly frustrated with Senate Republicans and the House Republican leadership team. DeMint has fought with Democrats over spending and taxes, but much of his energy has also been directed against Republicans who appear to enable runaway spending and increased taxation.
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View the complete article at:

http://www.examiner.com/article/demi...rom-u-s-senate

[bsteadman]

DeMint Move Ignites Talk of 2016 Presidential Run

Newsmax
David A. Patten
12/7/2012

Excerpt:

South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint’s surprise announcement that he will leave the U.S. Senate in January to take over leadership of the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank has ignited speculation among grass-roots conservatives that DeMint may use the new post as a launching pad for a presidential bid in 2016.

“Jim DeMint will have a bigger microphone than before,” conservative direct-marketing pioneer Richard Viguerie tells Newsmax. “If he wants to, this opens up a lot more opportunities for him. I think there’s a decent chance that he’ll be a serious presidential candidate in four years.”

Viguerie called the move to Heritage “an intermediate step.”

“It’s going to be a boon to the cause, to Heritage,” he said. “And it gives [DeMint] a major opportunity to run for president in four years. And if so, he would be the instant front-runner among most conservatives.”

DeMint already had effectively term-limited himself by announcing he would not seek another six years in the Senate. When GOP hopes of seizing control of the Senate were dashed in November, he was looking at four more years of life as a back-bencher, with relatively little influence over legislation passed by the upper chamber.

But now, grass-roots sources tell Newsmax, the prospect of a DeMint-for-president campaign is creating significant buzz among movement conservatives.

“I was totally shocked,” Tea Party Express Chairwoman Amy Kremer tells Newsmax. “When I saw the news Thursday morning, tears welled up in my eyes.

“He is our rock in the United States Senate,” she adds. “But at the same time, I know Jim DeMint, and he is not going anywhere. I have always thought he would make a great president, and I have always thought he should make a run. …I think this is probably a step in that direction, and I hope it is. Because he’s not just a senator, he’s a statesman.”

In part, DeMint has at times contributed to that speculation. In November, in an interview with McClatchy Newspapers, he backed off his previous, unequivocal insistence that he had no interest in running for president.
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View the complete article at:

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/dem...2/06/id/466808

[bsteadman]

DeMint takes parting shot at Boehner

The Hill
Jonathan Easley
12/6/2012

Excerpt: - 12/06/12 05:32 PM ET

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who shocked Washington on Thursday with the announcement that he would resign his Senate seat in January to become president of the the Heritage Foundation, sent a parting shot at Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) over the “fiscal cliff” negotiations.

“I’m not with Boehner,” DeMint said on CNN’s "The Situation Room." “This government doesn’t need any more money, this country needs less government.”

House Republican leaders on Monday proposed a counteroffer to President Obama in the "fiscal cliff" negotiations. The proposal would reduce spending by $2.2 trillion through a combination of spending cuts and entitlement reforms, and would produce $800 billion in new revenue without raising tax rates, although the plan doesn’t specify how.

Two high-profile conservative groups lashed out at the GOP offer, one of which was the Heritage Action for America, a sister organization to the Heritage Foundation.

“Republicans were reelected in the House to stop Pres. Obama's agenda, not figure out creative ways to fund it,” Heritage Action for America communications director Dan Holler told The Hill in an email.

On Tuesday, DeMint released his own statement trashing the GOP plan.

“Speaker Boehner’s $800 billion tax hike will destroy American jobs and allow politicians in Washington to spend even more, while not reducing our $16 trillion debt by a single penny,” he said in a statement. “If neither party leadership is going to put forward a serious plan to balance the budget and pay down the debt, we should end this charade.”

DeMint and other Tea Party lawmakers have at times been a thorn in the side of GOP leadership, which has had to work to keep its fiery base content while finding areas of compromise with Democrats.

DeMint said there was room for Republicans to work with Democrats on tax reform ahead of the Jan. 1 “fiscal cliff” deadline, but said the GOP should not negotiate until Democrats produce a "serious" debt-reduction plan.

“The president has known about this so-called cliff for a year and has yet to produce a plan that is comprehensive that reduces our deficit,” he continued. “So I’m willing to work with anyone who is willing to put a plan on the table, but our party should not be willing to sit down and negotiate with someone who would not put a plan on the table, and the president has not put a serious plan on the table.”
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View the complete article, including video, at:

http://thehill.com/video/senate/2715...hot-at-boehner