Ah the best laid plans. Here I had my diary plan all set for the night, a pictorial followup to the diary I would have written Saturday evening, had I had time, on my sister's highly subversive wreath-making party. Then, lo and behold, South Carolina Senator (and in HIS case, I use the term MOST loosely) Jim DeMint is stepping down. Of course, I won’t miss the man in any context. But my feeling is the Peter Principle is about to bite him in the ass (in a different way from how it has been doing that for the last 13 plus years, counting his time in the House beginning in ’99). Do not worry, I hold this against him. Though I am glad his time in the US Senate is coming to an end. He wasn't worthy of it from Day One, and now he'll be out of there.
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I’ve written before about how Republicans have taken Reagan’s thesis that government is the problem as a guiding principle, rather than as a criticism to be taken as a challenge to work harder, to do better. Well, with the level of ‘leadership’ (term used most loosely) offered (term used most loosely) by Jim DeMint, conservatives and misguided voters could not have found a more complete incompetent. His hatred and contempt of government is borderline pathological. The worse government works, the happier DeMint is, even if it works poorly because of his efforts to hamstring it and undermine it. My theory is that the reason DeMint was in Republican government is because NO corporation wants to hire someone who believes corporations are the problem, not the solution. No corporation wants to hire someone who believes corporations can’t possibly do good and worthwhile work. No corporation wants to hire someone with such beliefs, much less someone willing to act on those beliefs to undermine and sabotage the corporation in self-fulfilling prophecy. Notably, there simply IS no high-profile equivalent of Jim DeMint in the corporate world, a name everyone knows and recognizes, because no corporation would KEEP such a person in an influential position after episode upon episode upon episode of the most confoundingly thorough incompetence, supplemented with malevolent fumbling.
Oh yes, there is a reason DeMint was not in the corporate world. So ... yes. I predict small things from him at the Heritage Foundation. It will suit his ego, for a time. But the day will come - sooner rather than later, I suspect - when the head-in-the-sanders complicit in his strategic repositioning will begin kicking themselves, asking what were we thinking to bring that dickhead aboard?! As they try to find a way to ‘spin’ his departure from there to make it seem auspicious and in the best interests of all. But you heard it here. It won’t be so. And, if they’re wise, shortly thereafter his family can secede from affiliation with him, too.
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Okay, I was stopped on this subject, but the news stories have got me revved again. A Facebook commenter on Laurin Manning's page claims “And the argument can be made that he'll be way more powerful. Heritage has a huge budget. So folks this isn't good news if you aren't a DeMint fan.”
Well, in my opinion it is good news. Since Obama’s re-election there have been a gazillion stories about Republican ‘soul-searching’ on how to turn things around. (Not one story has reported that even a single Republican has FOUND a soul, so my bet is, the time has been spent in vain.) The thing is, in many respects there isn’t much they can do. Losing hasn’t made them re-evaluate their approach much, and to the extent it has, DeMint hasn’t joined in. In his mind he thinks of himself as principled. If you think you are ‘right’ on the issues, why would you change? In DeMint’s view, the people are wrong. (To the extent they vote for the Haleys and DeMints, the Grahams and the Romneys of the world, I would agree.) But the Heritage Foundation, under DeMint, will work toward making things ever worse for women. Ever worse for blacks. Ever worse for gays and lesbians and transgendereds. Ever worse for Hispanics. Ever worse for children seeking a public education. Ever worse for our veterans, wishing only a fair shake after their noble service. Ever worse for the economically downtrodden, for those lacking health care, for those lacking a place to hang their hat, for those without a job, a home, food.
I don’t know that government has been ‘smaller’ since he has been involved, but I do know it is more small-minded. His politics are all about small-mindedness. My hope is that this election represents a turning point on that, with the voting public. Republican programs lack soul. There are few problems facing our country that they truly wish to solve. And, of the ones they do want to solve, Jim DeMint isn’t ‘on board’ with a high percentage of those. Depend upon it. He won’t take the Heritage Foundation in the direction of greater relevance. The prospect that it will become ever more marginalized is very high, as it is in the margins that low-character incompetents like DeMint take up residence. Worse, for him, there are many very fine, very focused human beings arrayed against him. And we’ll never give up to the likes of him. I welcome this debate.
One final thought. The local press and the national press are not reporting this, but the problems South Carolinians will face because of the DOR hacking will only continue to grow, and with those problems an ever greater appreciation of the failures foisted upon South Carolinians by incompetent and irresponsible Republican governance. Case after case of identity theft will occur, enormous inconveniences in trying to protect accounts and credit (even for infants listed with their Social Security numbers on parents' tax returns) ... businesses and their financial futures have been compromised ... We Democrats in the state will work to insure that state voters understand that the failures occurred because of the ineffective and uncaring public service of Republicans charged with the public trust. Though DeMint wasn't directly charged with safeguarding the data of our citizens, he IS Republican, and he fully embraces ineffective government. He has already tried to give Haley political cover. To me, there is a strong element of political cowardice in bailing on the state's citizens as Sarah Palin did on Alaskans. There are possibilities in South Carolina which have not been there in decades, if we manage it correctly. I am determined that we will, as are many other Democrats here.
On to tonight’s comments!
From Dave in Northridge:
This is how MadGeorgiaDem responds to blue aardvark's takedown of two of the worst Republicans in Congress.
LilithGardener flagged this comment by jwinIL14 for tonight's list!
kj in missouri flagged this comment by frankzappatista, a comment title-only selection!
DEMonrat ankle biter flagged this comment by Kevin88101, making a very clever play on DeMint's failed analysis of the ACA as Obama's 'Waterloo.'
New Rule flagged this comment by Palafox, also hitting ... of all people, Jim DeMint!
From BeninSC:
Have not submitted a fine Eddie C pictorial comment in some time, let's try this one!
Top Mojo for 12/05/2012, graciously provided by
mik!
1) He'd better not have to reimburse the Army by Dallasdoc — 248
2) {{{{{Dave}}}}}. n/t by JeffW — 234
3) seriously. Read the article. by Adam B — 174
4) Dave, by Melanie in IA — 142
5) Thanks, Jeff. by Dave in Northridge — 140
6) Now this diary I can give my information, er, rec. by ontheleftcoast — 139
7) Ezra has a great article on this, by itskevin — 135
8) As one would expect. by lineatus — 131
9) He learned some lessons they didn't want to teach by Dallasdoc — 117
10) Oh my, I am so deeply sorry, Dave! by peregrine kate — 103
11) My all time favorite person Lincoln reference by Hillbilly Dem — 103
12) Grief, certainly by ontheleftcoast — 97
13) Oh Dave, by pat of butter in a sea of grits — 94
14) I disagree. by busternjake — 90
15) From The POLITICO Link: by leonard145b — 90
16) It's sad though by Blazehawkins — 89
17) Dave, I'm so terribly sorry. by Aji — 89
18) 1.) All three are located in the eastern Kentucky by Old Gray Dog — 87
19) my heart truly goes out to you.hugs and more hugs. by swampyankee — 83
20) Lovely offer, Melanie by Dave in Northridge — 83
21) But would his story be out there otherwise? by Geriw — 82
22) I'm not sure if it makes things easier or harder by Dave in Northridge — 81
23) Take care {{Dave}} by SoCaliana — 80
24) Oh, I'm so sorry to hear! by Senor Unoball — 78
25) damn i have to say by rexymeteorite — 77
26) He no longer has to think about getting re-elected by elmo — 75
27) This is why OFA MUST become very active for by zenbassoon — 73
28) It will be fine, Aji by Dave in Northridge — 73
29) Thanks. Imagine How the Framers Would Have by Gooserock — 72
30) Sorry, but your headline is false by elmo — 71
31) Of course you are. by Noor B — 71
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